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I love all seasons of "M*A*S*H" and loved the characters of Trapper and BJ about as equally as possible. But I thought the show was funnier in the Trapper/Henry/Frank years, as I mentioned on the "Frank or Charles" thread. Therefore, I have to go with Trapper. Plus, Wayne Rogers starred as Will henry Lee in a miniseries filmed thirty miles from where I lived at the time in his post-Trapper career.
Didn't we already discuss this quite thoroughly a few months ago in another one of the "M*A*S*H threads? Seems like we now have 4-5 different threads about the same show, maybe it's time to merge them all into the main thread.
To answer the question--I'll say the same thing I said last time. I like both characters more or less equally. Trapper was funnier (and cuter), but he got a little tiresome as time passed and I was just as glad to see him move on. BJ was a nice change of pace and I really liked his character at first. Then he became a little preachy. I liked the episode where he became obsessed with getting money to buy a house back in California--funny how some episodes stick in your brain, and that was one I liked.
I liked both but they were different characters. No reason to compare apples with oranges. Btw, I really prefer Trapper John MD trapper John to the MASH trapper John. Much better character. Though I guess both those actors, playing Trapper John, are a pain to work with! haha Figures.
Trapper was a player. A serial adulterer. What's to like about someone with that character?
Well.............guys probably like him but I would be willing to bet more women dislike him.
Don't forget the episode where BJ slept with a nurse. But maybe it doesn't count since his real life wife (at the time) was playing her.
I wasn't a huge fan of either of them. But I'd take Trapper if I had to pick one. BJ came across as too much of a holier than thou and his mustache was nasty.
BTW, when Gary Burgoff left they considered making Freedman a full time character but Alan Arbus couldn't swing it. Probably for the best as he would have duplicated Father Mulcahy's role.
Maybe because all we saw was three years worth of his character. It never got old and tired. Conversely, we saw eight seasons of Honeycutt. Or maybe Trapper was just more amusing.
MASH did a good job of developing beyond its early (very funny) years. They just couldn't do 11 seasons of Radar and Henry Blake running into each other at the swinging doors.
Aside from all else, Honeycutt was a deeper character than Trapper and offered more potential storylines. The same is even more true of Potter compared to Blake, and Winchester compared to Burns. The producers should be applauded from not trying to make their replacements essentially the same as the character they replaced (something a lot of series end up doing). There is a certain dichotomy to the fact that while the later seasons, in the opinion of some, might not have been as good as the earlier seasons, if the show hadn't changed those later seasons would have been worse for being so repetitive.
It probably should have wrapped after about eight seasons, though.
Wayne Rogers is doing quite well in his new TV role on Saturday mornings. He is a real life stock broker appearing on FOX Bulls and Bears every Saturday morning. Very intelligent and knowledgeable on stock trading..
Trapper was way more entertaining. I always watched to be amused and that was with Trapper.
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