Private Harkness is a wounded U.S. soldier who makes a one-time appearance in the Season 7 episode of M*A*S*H titled "Out of Gas". The part of Private Harkness was played by Justin Lord.
About Private Harkness[]
Harkness's rank is not mentioned in the episode nor given in the credits and he only appears out of uniform. The rank is inferred from the fact that, very often, the credits will state the ranks of G.I.s unless they are privates, in which case, only their last names are given. This is not, however, a consistent practice.
In "Out of Gas", Private Harkness arrives at the 4077th with a shoulder wound. Because of the shortage of sodium penthathol (an anesthetic), the MASH has decided to treat those with less serious wounds under local anesthesia only. At first Private Harkness is a little anxious about the procedure and asks Hawkeye if the wound is bad. Hawkeye replies that he wished he had shoulders that good. To take Harkness's mind off the operation, Hawkeye asks him about his home town. On hearing that it is Idaville, Indiana, Hawkeye seems to know about the place, mentioning that it has an American Legion Dance Hall, a diner on the edge of town which serves the world's greasiest French fries and a Studebaker dealership which always puts on a searchlight show when they bring in new models. Harkness recognizes all these landmarks and asks Hawkeye when he was in Idaville. Hawkeye say he has never been there - but he grew up in the same small town in Maine!