Who is Frank Burns in M*A*S*H?

Show

M*A*S*H

Played by

Larry Linville

First episode

“Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 17, 1972

Role

Main cast

Network

CBS

Occupation

Surgeon and second in command, 4077th MASH

Show run

1972 to 1983

Also known as

Ferret Face, Major Burns, Franklin Burns, Franklin Delano Marion Burns

Major Frank Burns is second in command of the 4077th on paper and the camp's favorite punchline in practice. Played by Larry Linville for the first five seasons of M*A*S*H, he is the perfect foil for Hawkeye.

On M*A*S*H, Frank Burns's story runs through Margaret Houlihan (Lover), Hawkeye Pierce (Nemesis), B.J. Hunnicutt (Tormentor), Sherman Potter (Commanding Officer), and Charles Winchester (Replacement).

Who is Frank Burns?

Frank is a surgeon from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and by rank the executive officer of the 4077th. He longs to command the unit, and he is humiliated when Colonel Blake names the more skilled Hawkeye chief surgeon instead of him. That snub feeds years of resentment, petty reports, and attempts to grab power whenever the commander is away.

He is married, wealthy, and quick to brag about his house, car, and yacht back home, yet he spends his war in a not-very-secret affair with head nurse Margaret Houlihan. The two of them share a love of Army rules and a hatred of the Swamp's antics.

Personality and comedy

Frank is a coward, a hypocrite, and a terrible surgeon, and the show uses all three for laughs. He mangles cliches, files complaints about everyone, applies for medals he does not deserve, and folds instantly under pressure. Hawkeye and Trapper, and later B.J., torment him with pranks and insults, and his childhood nickname, "Ferret Face," spreads through the whole camp.

The writers occasionally let audiences see why he is the way he is: a cold, harsh father, an older brother who bullied him, and a mother who is the only person who seems to love him. Larry Linville played the character's sniveling outrage with total commitment, which kept Frank funny rather than simply hateful.

Key storylines

When Colonel Potter is brought in to command the 4077th, Frank throws a tantrum and runs off into the hills until he gets cold and hungry. His affair with Margaret begins to unravel after his wife learns of it and he refuses to leave her, and Margaret eventually gets engaged to another officer. Frank takes the news very badly.

After Margaret's wedding, Frank goes on leave and suffers a breakdown in Seoul. In the season six premiere, the camp hears he has been shipped home for evaluation, only for Frank to call and gloat that he has been cleared, promoted to lieutenant colonel, and assigned to a veterans hospital near his hometown.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Robert Duvall played Frank in the 1970 film, and Larry Linville took over for the TV series. Linville left after season five because he felt there was nowhere left to take the character, and "Margaret's Marriage" was his final episode. Charles Winchester was created to replace him.

Frank never appears on screen again, though the gang still jokes about him as late as the time capsule episode near the end of the series. He remains one of television's great comic villains, a man fans love to watch lose.

Frank Burns: frequently asked questions

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