'M*A*S*H' - BJ Hunnicut Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mike Farrell

Fans of 'M*A*S*H' were stunned to discover that Wayne Rogers, aka Trapper John, had left the show after its third season. The sting of his loss was soothed however by the arrival of BJ Hunnicut, and fans soon learned to love this very moral and often mischievous new character played by Mike Farrell.

Something you may not know about Mike Farrell. His first film appearance was in a bit part in the 1967 film 'The Graduate'. His most well-known work following his stint on 'M*A*S*H' has perhaps been on the television drama 'Providence' as Dr. James Hansen. He has also become quite famous for his political activism.

Answer: 4th

Simple math may have helped here, given my 'hint' in the introduction to the quiz. Mike Farrell, aka BJ Hunnicut, appeared on the show for eight seasons, beginning with season four (1975-1983). Farrell is also credited with having directed and written several episodes of 'M*A*S*H'.

Answer: Mill Valley

BJ lives with his family in Mill Valley, California, not far from San Francisco. In one episode, BJ's wife Peg is able to make the down payment on some land in their hometown, so we can presume that this is where BJ returns to when he goes stateside after the Korean War.

Answer: Stanford

BJ did not travel far from home to attend medical school, Stanford also being in the Bay Area. It is also revealed that Hunnicut did his residency in Sausalito, another Bay Area town, and his army training was done at Fort Sam Houston (not in California, but rather in Texas!)

Answer: Peg

Peg actually appears twice during the series, portrayed both times by Catherine Bergstrom. She appears in the eighth season episode 'Dreams' (in a dream, oddly enough) and in the ninth season episode 'Oh, How We Danced' (in a film sent from home).

Answer: Erin

Oddly enough, or perhaps not oddly at all, Mike Farrell's real life daughter is named Erin (his other child being a son named Michael). Yet more Mike Farrell trivia: his real life wife (since divorced), Judy, also appeared as an actress on 'M*A*S*H'.

To top off the immediate Hunnicut family, aside from BJ, Peg and Erin there is also a dog named Waggles.

Answer: Bea and Jay

In the seventh season episode 'Lil', Hawkeye attempts through whatever means necessary to find out what the 'B' and 'J' in BJ's name stand for. In the end, he discovers that BJ's initials are simply the first letters (and the pronunciation thereof) of their names.

Answer: He grows a mustache

According to Mike Farrell (from http://www.mikefarrell.org/) this was Alan Alda's idea, to give BJ's appearance a unique flair. BJ's 'cheesy' mustache became a mainstay for the remainder of the show, though in the 11th season episode 'The Joker is Wild' half of it is shaved off (thanks to Hawkeye).

Answer: Radar

In one of the more heart-wrenching episodes of 'M*A*S*H', BJ receives a letter from his wife Peg that discusses her meeting with Radar at the San Francisco airport. Initially excited, BJ becomes very depressed when he discovers that his daughter, seeing Radar in a military uniform, calls the young lad her 'daddy'.

In case you were wondering, the title of this episode is 'Period of Adjustment' and it aired during the eighth season.

Answer: Motorcycle

While staying at the 4077th, BJ acquired for himself a motorcycle. He drives off on that motorbike during the final episode (almost crashing it at one point!)

I hope you have enjoyed this quiz and that you will attempt some of my many other 'M*A*S*H'-related quizzes. Thank you for playing.