Where in the World Is....Loretta Swit?

Our favorite television stars often become like old friends to us as we watch them on our living room screens. It as though we welcome those characters into our homes and adopt them for a while. Sometimes the "friendship" only lasts a season or two, but sometimes they spend years in our living rooms each week. And then suddenly, their show is cancelled or they retire or leave for greener pastures and we're left bereft of their friendly faces. Hundreds of characters, actors and actresses who were a part of our life are gone. Where in the world do they go? What successes or failures follow them? Do they resurface in another life in another television show or entertainment venture? Some of them do and some of them just seem to fade away and we rarely hear about them.

This weekly blog series will explore some of those old favorites and catch us up to date with the latest news about them.

Where in the world is Loretta Swit?

If you watched MASH from 1973 to 1983, the longest running television series of all time, then you recognize the name of Major Margaret "Hot Lips: Houlihan. There were some fine actors that graced the ensemble cast of MASH, but only two were there from the start until the last episode, Alan Alda, as Hawkeye Pierce, and Loretta Swit. We watched them week in and week out for eleven years as they engaged in an ongoing verbal sparring that pitted the witty and independent Dr. Pierce against the stern and often foolish Nurse Houlihan. It was a classic pairing and all of us as fans, remember the touching final episode where finally the two of them arrived at an understanding of true affection, perhaps even real love.

Loretta Swit was born in Passiac, New Jersey on November 4th, 1937. She studied theatre at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before going to work as an actress in Manhatten theatre. She headed to Hollywood in 1970 where she began to show up on various television shows including Gunsmoke, Mission Impossible, and Mannix. MASH began in 1972 and her fate as the ultimate rigid but not frigid sexy Hot Lips began. During Swit's 240 episodes with the show, she won two Emmy's for her portrayal of Nurse Houlihan. Loretta Swit was also the first of the MASH stars to visit South Korea where she was the narrator of a documentary called Korea, the Forgotten War.

MASH brought the Korean War and the effects of war into our living rooms as America was trying to extricate itself from the Viet Nam war. That war was too painful and too fresh for the humour that the MASH show brought into our homes. But with the actors of MASH we were able to see the basic themes of war, love, and friendship come alive.And we laughed with Loretta Swit and her fellow actors as they told humorous but touching stories.

After the show ended, Swit guest starred on many other popular televison shows including The Love Boat and starred as a regular on the popular Hollywood Squares and other television game shows. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989. Her last film work was in 1996 in the B movie, Forrest Warrior

None of Loretta Swit's other work ever reached the level of acclaim that she had received on MASH. She married actor, Dennis Holahan in 1983 and divorced in 1995 and remains single at this time. She has devoted her life since as an animal rights advocate. You can find Loretta Swit these days at her My Space page where she declares her affection for animals, old friends from MASH and life. Loretta Swit is even a published author with her own book on needlepoint (A Needlepoint Scrapbook, published in 1986.

Favorite line by Houlihan on MASH

"Don't mind Pierce and Hunnicutt, they're both first rate surgons. Sure, they'll show up to role call in their bathrobes. They keep a still in their tent. Once they ran all my underwear up the flagpole. But I want you to understand it' an honor to serve with these men."

Hats off to 71 year old Loretta Swit who staked out her place in television history in her portrayal of Hot Lips Houlihan in the series, MASH from 1972 to 1983.

Resources

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretta_Swit

Loretta Swit biography http://www.nndb.com/people/001/000023929/

Forrest Warrior Movie: http://www.nndb.com/films/034/000041908/

My Space Page for Loretta Swit http://www.myspace.com/lorettaswithotlip