Seems like lately, I have been making the classic TV rounds and for a entertainment fanatic like myself, it's like a dream come true. I have talked to Eddie Mekka from Laverne and Shirley and Sally Struthers from All in the Family and now, I get to talk to the irrepressible Emmy Award nominee Jamie Farr from M*A*S*H, the one and only Max Klinger! He's back on the boards in New York taking on a brand new show called Flamingo Court with Tony Award nominated co-star Anita Gillette.
Described as "Three condominiums. Two fabulous stars. One hysterical comedy.", Flamingo Court is a comedy in three condos by Luigi Creatore and directed by Steven Yuhasz. Farr and Gillette take on multiple roles in a three-act play featuring the loopy and endearing residents of Flamingo Court, a South Florida apartment complex. Each floor is another story with a lesson to learn. Sex after sixty's no sin. Where there's a will, there's a way (for your kids to fight over the inheritance). And love, at any age, can be a new and beautiful thing. The show begins performances at New World Stages at 340 West 50th Street on Thursday, July 17th.
Farr played Corporal Max Klinger on "M*A*S*H" for eleven seasons on CBS. His film credits include "The Greatest Story Ever Told," and "Cannonball Run." Farr made his Broadway debut in the hit revival of Guys and Dolls. and toured with The Will Rogers Follies as well as playing Oscar Madison in a national tour of The Odd Couple. More recently, he appeared in Moon Over Buffalo as well as the comedy-thriller play, Catch Me If You Can. One of his proudest accomplishments was in 1985 when he received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And in 1983 Jamie received an honorary Doctor of Performing Arts Degree from the University of Toledo and is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate for Humanity from the Owens Medical College of Ohio.
As fate would have it, a severe thunderstorm knocked out the power here and I was late getting to Farr in a phone conversation. But the power came back on and I connected with him, after a brief delay.
TJ: Hi Jamie. Sorry for the delay.
FARR: Hi Tim. Glad everything is OK and I am sincere about that. I was concerned as usually everybody is usually right on time and I was going to joke with you that you had a better interview with Alan Alda! [laughing] And I assure you, it would have been a better interview! [laughing]
TJ: Oh, come on!!! I am always in the mood to speak with one of my favorite TV actors!
FARR: I tell you something, you got a lot of them here in town lately.
TJ: You're right! Next week, I will be talking to Eddie Mekka, whose doing a show down there.
FARR: Yeah! You know, I have not seen Eddie…the only time I ever worked with Eddie was on game shows. And you know that's always a staple if you're on television and you're the current darlings of the pop culture, that's what you do. You do all the game shows. Some people I just never worked with as far as being an actor or anything else, but worked them on the game shows.
