Trapper John, M.D.

Trapper John, M.D.
Title card
Format	Drama
Created by	H. Richard Hornberger
Developed by	Don Brinkley Frank Glicksman
Starring	Pernell Roberts Gregory Harrison Charles Siebert Mary McCarty Madge Sinclair Brian Mitchell Christopher Norris Timothy Busfield Lorna Luft
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	151
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	20th Century Fox Television
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Original run	September 23, 1979 – September 4, 1986
Chronology
Preceded by	MASH (1970 film)
Related shows	M*A*S*H AfterMASH

Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, about a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986.

Background

Trapper John, M.D. was a medical show focused on Dr. "Trapper" John McIntyre (Pernell Roberts) 28 years after his discharge from the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H.) in the Korean War. In the nearly three decade interim, the character had mellowed considerably. He didn't just learn how to stop fighting the system but became a part of it, in a sense, as the Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Trapper showed tremendous compassion towards his patients, often violating "established hospital procedures." Working with Trapper was an aspiring young professional named Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates (Gregory Harrison). Gates also had a lot in common with Trapper, as he had served in a M.A.S.H. during the Vietnam War. His sense of humor and love of life also reflected elements of Trapper's younger days. In the show, Gonzo resided in a motor home in the hospital parking lot. Interestingly, Harrison was featured in a 1976 episode of the television series, M*A*S*H, as Lt. Tony Baker: the husband of one of the nurses at the 4077th.

The cast of Trapper John MD

The show also involved many supporting characters that served as hospital staff. One was Clara "Starch" Willoughby (Mary McCarty), a nurse who had served in the Korean War with Trapper (McCarty died after the first season). She was replaced by Ernestine Shoop (Madge Sinclair). Other characters included young nurse Gloria "Ripples" Brancusi (Christopher Norris) who later adopted a sickly, homeless girl, Andrea; Dr. Stanley Riverside II (Charles Siebert), a pompous doctor who later married a dentist named E.J. (Marcia Rodd); and Dr. Justin "Jackpot" Jackson (Brian Stokes Mitchell), who always seemed to have some kind of wager going on.

In the 1984-85 season, Trapper's son, J.T. (Timothy Busfield) graduated from medical school and arrived at the hospital to work on his internship. When Gloria left the next fall, she was replaced by Libby Kegler (Lorna Luft). Subsequent additions included the beautiful and mature administrator, Catherine Hackett (Janis Page), and ER service helicopter pilot and surgeon, Dr. Andy Pagano (Beau Gravitte).

Legally, the show is considered a spin-off of the original motion picture, MASH, rather than the M*A*S*H television series. This is due to a court case in which the producers of the television series sought royalty payments on the grounds that Trapper John, M.D. was a spin-off of their series. The court found, however, that the series was a spin-off of the original movie - itself an adaptation of H. Richard Hornberger's MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors (published under the nom de plume, Richard Hooker). As a result, the series producers did not receive any royalties from Trapper John, M.D.

Cast

• Pernell Roberts as Dr. "Trapper" John McIntyre, M.D.
• Gregory Harrison (1979-1985) as Dr. George Alonzo 'Gonzo' Gates, M.D.
• Charles Siebert as Dr. Stanley Riverside, III, M.D.
• Mary McCarty (1979-1980) as Nurse Clara 'Starch' Willoughby
• Madge Sinclair (1980 - 1986) as Nurse Ernestine Shoop
• Brian Stokes Mitchell as Dr. Justin 'Jackpot' Jackson, M.D.
• Christopher Norris (1979-1985) as Nurse Gloria "Ripples" Brancusi
• Timothy Busfield (1984-1986) as Dr. John 'J.T.' McIntyre, Jr., M.D.
• Lorna Luft (1985-1986) as Nurse Libby Kegler
• Simon Scott as Arnold Slocum, Hosp. Administrator
• Jessica Walter as Melanie McIntyre

External links

• Trapper John, M.D. at the Internet Movie Database
• Trapper John, M.D. at TV.com
• Finest-Kind.net - M*A*S*H website w/info on Trapper John, M.D.