Laughter and appreciation make Toledo actor Jamie Farr an enduring figure.
In July, he celebrated his 91st birthday. His secret to a long and happy life is to cherish each day including its challenging moments.
Long before hitting it big as Max Klinger on the television show M*A*S*H, Jamie and wife Joy faced some tough times. “I hadn’t had a job in a long time, and I was going to get my check for $350 for the three days I was working.” It didn’t arrive and they were out of food. “We checked all of the drawers, and we found a can of tuna fish in the back of the drawer. So that’s what we ate.” The Farr family cupboard remains stocked with a can of tuna fish to this day, just in case.
Jamie has experienced health challenges, specifically issues with his hips. But he remains optimistic. “One of my favorite lines is from Auntie Mame. I’ve never forgotten it. When she says, ‘life is a banquet, and some poor suckers are starving to death.’ And indeed, it is a banquet, and you’ve got to enjoy it…don’t take anything for granted. Enjoy each day and each person you talk to.”
Valuing memories
Jamie insists “memories are a person’s greatest treasure because “you always have them with you.” Like many seniors, Jamie has experienced loss. Recently, his good friend and M*A*S*H* co-star Loretta Swit passed away. “The actual night that she passed away, (my wife) Joy and I were on the phone with her for a full hour. She was very, very happy” and they made plans to meet in July at a fan gathering in Tennessee. Jamie uses those precious memories to deal with his grief.
Loretta was a guest at the Farr home in California one Christmas when “she accidentally locked herself in the bathroom and we couldn’t get it open. We had to call the paramedics to come in and get her out of the bathroom. Loretta and I used to laugh at that all the time.”
Farr and Swit were part of an award-winning cast which regularly took center stage on CBS in front of millions of Americans from 1972-1983. The series continues in reruns today around the world.
After M*A*S*H became a hit (it was almost cancelled in its first year), Farr asked for a salary increase. Not only did the money man at the studio say no, but he also added, “we have a script in the safe where Klinger steps on a land mine.” Farr later took comfort in the fact that Klinger not only survived but the actor eventually got his raise.
Farr has had an amazing career in the acting world, working with many famous people from Bob Hope to Red Skelton. But he never forgets his hometown — Toledo, Ohio. “I really do miss it. All the people there, what a great City!”
