Press Pass 37: Loretta Swit in “Cagney & Lacey” Movie

Casting can make or break a series, and I believe that Loretta Swit was perfectly cast as Major Margaret Houlihan in M*A*S*H. Sally Kellerman portrayed Margaret in the Robert Altman film, but on television, it would be hard to imagine someone other than Swit in that role. In 1981, however, the creators of M*A*S*H were faced with the possibility of having to replace Swit. The series had replaced a number of actors/characters up to that point, but Swit had been in virtually every episode of the series since the pilot episode. When Swit was offered the part in a television movie called Cagney & Lacey in 1981, she took it. Then, the movie was picked up by CBS as a series. That left Swit, and 20th Century Fox Television, in a difficult position. She has admitted that she seriously considered leaving M*A*S*H for Cagney & Lacey, but how close did she come to leaving?

Actors would often work on other shows or movies in between seasons of their series, and the actors of M*A*S*H were no different. Alan Alda made several movies, and, in 1981, Swit was offered a role in a television movie called Cagney & Lacey. It would not have been unusual for her to take the part since it was filmed after the filming of M*A*S*H had concluded. The movie co-starred Swit and Tyne Daly as Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey. They played NYPD beat cops who were promoted to detectives to investigate a drug ring. The movie was filmed after the conclusion of M*A*S*H season nine, and it aired on CBS on October 8, 1981. The movie did so well that CBS picked up the police drama as a series, and they wanted to keep Swit as Detective Cagney. There was only one issue: she was still under contract with 20th Century Fox for M*A*S*H, and it was a top-10 rated show.

Swit admits in interviews that she enjoyed the role of Detective Cagney. After playing Margaret for nine seasons, I am sure she knew the series was winding down, and she wanted to leave M*A*S*H for Cagney & Lacey. In an interview, Swit said, “If I had been allowed to leave, I would have done Cagney because I loved the character. It was another strong woman, and I thought the audience really liked seeing me in uniform.” She put a lot of work into her character and did some research for the role. Having seen the movie, I can say that it comes across on screen that she really enjoyed getting to play a leading character that was completely different from Margaret.

This press photo is an interesting relic of what they now call the “pilot episode” of Cagney & Lacey starring Swit and Daly. After being picked up by CBS, the detective drama ran on CBS for seven seasons, and with Swit as one of its stars, it could have taken her career from the realm of the half-hour sitcom to the hour drama series. As a M*A*S*H fan, I could not imagine “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” (11×16) without Margaret. And frankly, I can’t imagine the last two seasons of M*A*S*H without the character. Swit would have been hard to replace especially since she was the only main female character in the series. I am sure she was in a very difficult position. Cagney & Lacey offered a new opportunity after M*A*S*H, but ironically, it was M*A*S*H that prevented her from taking the role. She would have been excellent in the series, and Cagney & Lacey had difficulty replacing Swit. The actress cast to replace her was also replaced after six episodes due to stereotypes of female police officers and, I believe, they wanted someone who played Cagney more like Swit had. I am glad we didn’t lose Margaret after season nine of M*A*S*H, but it is hard not to wonder “what if” for Swit’s career after M*A*S*H.