McLean Stevenson started show business when he was thirty-one years old. He had served as his cousin's, Adlai Stevenson, press secretary , was assistant director of athletics at Norwestern, sold medical equipment and insurance, and worked at a radio show before he went into acting. He had also served in the Navy and was a medic during World War II. (Stevenson said that he got sick every time he looked at those hurt soldiers.) Stevenson made his debut in acting in the production of The Music Man. During most of the 1960s, he performed in night clubs and with comedy cabarets. "M*A*S*H" is what really brought Stevenson into the spotlight and stardom. He had already appeeared in such televsions shows as "The Doris Day Show" and the "Tim Conaway Comedy Hour." "M*A*S*H" introduced him into the part of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, a clumsy commanding officer of a MASH Unit in Korea. After three years and many Emmy Nominations on "M*A*S*H," he decided to call it quits and went looking for a show who gave him a leading role. He had become a guest host buy now on "The Tonight Show." He found his leading role in "The McLean Stevenson Show," but unfortunately the show was a flop. In fact, the rest of McLean Stevenson's career was a flop. He went on to star in a television shw called "Hello Larry." but this show too was short lived. It was canceled after only two seasons. Stevenson had parts in other television shows like "Dirty Dancing" and "Condo," but he never could quite recover the stardom he had lived on "M*A*S*H." I guess you really don't know how good something is until it's gone.
McLean Stevenson died on February 15th, 1996 of a heart attack. He was survived by a wife, Ginny, and a daughter, Lindsey. |
