In the Season 10 episode of MASH, “Blood and Guts”, Klinger tells Col. Potter how excited he was to meet Andy Varipapa in his hometown of Toledo.

Interestingly enough, there is actually some truth in this. In the 1950’s Andy was on an exhibition tour that took him to Toledo and met young Jamie Farr as he visited the city’s bowling centers. And Andy’s autographed photo is on the sports wall of the famous Toledo restaurant, Tony Packo’s, that Klinger always mentioned on the show.

In addition, Harry Morgan (Col. Potter) also knew Andy, as Andy was the mystery guest on an episode of “What’s My Line” in 1957. As he was listening to the various clues Harry excused himself from voting because he felt sure that the mystery guest was Charles Atlas. Obviously he was wrong, but it is interesting to note that Charles Atlas and Andy came from the same town in Italy, along with famous wrestler Bruno Sammartino.

This video shows Andy performing before a packed house in Dallas in 1962. His appearance in the city created such a buzz that his exhibition was shown on local television (which is why the video is a bit fuzzy).

Retro Roll is a video clip distributed by the ABC (now USBC) showcasing Andy’s favorite trick shots. Don’t be fooled by the opening frame which claims this was filmed in the 1940’s; it is taken from a promotional movie known as “Rip Van Winkle” filmed in 1954, focusing on the history of bowling and its rising popularity in America.