Thalidomide became an over-the-counter drug in Germany around 1960 and could be bought without a prescription. Shortly after the drug was sold, in Germany, between 5,000 and 7,000 infants were born with phocomelia. Merely 40% of these children survived.
Actress Sally Kellerman portrayed her in the Robert Altman film adaptation (where the character was renamed O'Houlihan; however, like many of the M*A*S*H* characters, Hot Lips is probably best known from the television series, where her part was played by Loretta Swit.
List of M*A*S*H characters. Captain Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce is the lead protagonist in the MASH novels, film, and television series. The character was played by Donald Sutherland in the film and by Alan Alda on television, where he was the only character to appear in all 251 episodes.