W*A*L*T*E*R is a 1984 American unsold television pilot for the third spin-off of M*A*S*H. It starred Gary Burghoff, who reprised his M*A*S*H character.[1]
| W*A*L*T*E*R | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Larry Gelbart Gene Reynolds |
| Based on | Walter O'Reilly by Richard Hooker |
| Written by | Bob Weiskopf Bob Schiller Everett Greenbaum |
| Directed by | Bill Bixby |
| Starring | Gary Burghoff Ray Buktenica Victoria Jackson Noble Willingham |
| Music by | Patrick Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Bob Schiller Bob Weiskopf Michael Zinberg |
| Producer | Michael Zinberg |
| Cinematography | William Jurgensen |
| Editors | Stanford Tischler Noel Rogers |
| Running time | 30 minute pilot / CBS Special Presentation |
| Production company | 20th Century Fox Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | July 17, 1984 |
| Related | |
The episode chronicles the adventures of Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly after he returns home from the Korean War. No longer calling himself "Radar", he has moved away from Iowa after sending his mother to live with his aunt. Settling in St. Louis, Missouri, by the beginning of the series, he has become a police officer.[2][3][4]
Plot
editNo longer using his army nickname "Radar", Walter O'Reilly is now a rookie police officer living in St. Louis with his colleague and cousin Wendell Micklejohn. As they get ready for work they are watching the start of a television interview by Clete Roberts, who is following up with various former staff from the 4077th; the previous week Roberts had interviewed Hawkeye Pierce, and this week Walter's interview was being televised. At the police department and through a store front window, Walter and Wendell catch bits of the interview, giving viewers of the pilot a chance to bridge the events of M*A*S*H and AfterMASH with W*A*L*T*E*R.
In flashbacks during the interview scenes, viewers learn that Walter had returned home to Iowa but failed at farming and was forced to sell the farm and livestock and then he sent his mother to live with his aunt. After marrying his bride in River Bend (as shown in an episode of AfterMASH), she left him for his best friend during their honeymoon in St. Louis. Having hit rock bottom, a wandering Walter went to a drug store to buy an overdose of sleeping pills (and aspirin, as sleeping pills gave him a headache), but the drugstore clerk, Victoria, dissuaded him and they became friends. Wendell then helped Walter get a job with the city police. Walter solves a dispute between two strippers, and gets his wallet back from a young would-be thief whose father was killed in Korea.[5]
Cast
edit- Gary Burghoff as Officer Walter O'Reilly
- Ray Buktenica as Officer Wendell Micklejohn
- Victoria Jackson as Victoria
- Noble Willingham as Sergeant Sowell
- Meeno Peluce as Elston Krennick
- Clete Roberts as The Interviewer
- Sam Scarber as Haskell
- Lyman Ward as Bigelow
- Sarah Abrell as Judith Crane
- Larry Cedar as Zipkin
- Francine Gable as Pretty Girl
- Victoria Carroll as Bubbles Sincere
- June Berry as Dixie Devoe
- Bobby Ramsen as The Singer
- Dick Miller as The Theater Owner
Relationship with M*A*S*H
editIn the pilot episode of W*A*L*T*E*R, only three main characters from the original series, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce, and Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan were mentioned by Walter O'Reilly. He had kept a photograph of all of his former Army buddies from the 4077th MASH unit in his wallet.
Production
editTimeline
editThe episode takes place after the series finale of M*A*S*H, and a two-part guest appearance on AfterMASH, in which Radar was forced to leave the family farm.
Broadcast difficulties
editSince the pilot was never picked up by CBS as a series, it was shown as a "CBS Special Presentation" on July 17, 1984. It was shown once in the Eastern and Central time zones of the United States, but pre-empted on the West Coast by CBS News coverage of the Democratic National Convention. This is the only known broadcast of the pilot.[6]
References
edit- ^ Walter pilot episode, 1984, retrieved 2021-07-03
- ^ David Scott Diffrient, M*A*S*H (Wayne State University Press, 2008), ISBN 978-0814335529, p. 142. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ Vincent Terrace, Encyclopedia of Television Pilots, 1937-2012 (McFarland & Company, 2013), ISBN 978-1476602493, p. 316. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ Maçek III, J.C. (12 January 2017). "What Happens When Happy Shows Turn All X-Files on You?". PopMatters.
- ^ "W*A*L*T*E*R". Best Care Anywhere. 2006-06-02. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
- ^ "W*A*L*T*E*R". Television Obscurities. 2005-02-15. Retrieved 2013-08-20.