• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Advertising

My Sweet Charity

An Ongoing Conversation For the Good Of Dallas

  • Home
  • Photo Gallery
  • Event Calendar
  • Fundraisers
  • Health
  • Heroes
  • Contact

JUST IN: “SwitHeart” Loretta Swit Is Bringing Her Animal-Loving “Hotlips”To 2022 Fur Ball

Sep 21, 2022 3:30 PM by Jeanne Prejean

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

It was back in 1972 when CBS took a chance on launching a TV series based on a book that had had success when it was turned into a movie. Still it was a risky venture for a comedy-drama taking place during the Korean War while the Viet Nam engagement had politicos and protesters at odds. What’s more, it involved a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital that was mired in the mud most of the time with injured soldiers arriving around the clock.

But thanks to the scripts and the cast, that little show called “MASH” ran until 1983, gobbling up Emmys throughout its tenure. In fact, the series finale on February 28, 1983, was the highest-rated American TV show of all time, with a 60.2 percent rating and more than 120M viewers.

The cast was largely male with the exception of Major Margaret Houlihan, whose tag was “Hotlips,” portrayed by blonde actress Loretta Swit. MASH Co-Creator/head writer Larry Gelbart gave her the nickname “SwitHeart” for Sweetheart.

Loretta Swit and friends*

Over the past five decades of appearing in films, TV programs and stage productions, Loretta would incorporate  that tag tino her SwitHeart Animal Alliance to “promote and cooperate with numerous non-profit organizations and programs that protect, rescue, train and care for animals and preserve their habitat, while raising public awareness about issues that concern domestic, farm, exotic, wild and native animals and their well-being.”

Besides teaming up with Robert Redford for a PBS special centering on animal species threatened with extinction, she has tackled such programs as Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) for feral cats, spay-and-neuter programs for dogs and “worked to bring back the dogs from Afghanistan to reunite with their first handlers, as well as help to match veterans stateside with companion animals.”

Her “SwitHeart: The Watercolour Artistry And Animal Activism of Loretta Swit,” published in 2017, was such a success that a second edition was produced “chronicling that original artwork of Ms. Swit along with accompanying heartwarming anecdotes and stories” as well as an introduction by MASH castmate Mike “Captain BJ Hunnicutt” Farrell.

Dan Chadd-Pritchett, Steve Kemble, Chad Collum and Brad Pritchett

At this past weekend’s Cattle Baron’s Ball, SPCA of Texas cheerleader Steve Kemble looked like Paul Revere declaring high atop a carousel pony that with the deaths of longtime animal advocates Betty White and Doris Day, Loretta has taken on the entertainment industry mantle to help animals.

In support of the SPCA of Texas, Loretta will be on hand for the 2022 Fur Ball at The Hyatt Regency on Saturday, October 1. This isn’t her first Fur Ball, though. When Dana Rhoden chaired the 1994 Fur Ball, Loretta served as co-chair and she will be Dana’s guest for the upcoming fundraiser.

In addition to her presence, Loretta has “generously offered the following for the Fur Ball silent auction: a signed book, “SwitHeart;” her 21” by 19” artwork “WOLF” from her book; and a commissioned watercolor piece of any animal (dog, cat, horse, chicken, goat, etc.) with no limits on size shipped to the winner.

A limited number of Fur Ball tickets are available here, but you’d better be “swift.”

* Photo courtesy of SwitHeart Animal Alliance
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

Filed Under: A black tie affair, Animals, Announcement, Auction, Author, Birds, Call for cash, Cats, Celebrity, Cocktail reception, Dinner, Dogs, Entertainment, Events, Film/video, Fund raiser, FYI, In need of help, In-person, JUST IN, Live auction, Pets, Silent auction, Surprise!, Television and broadcast media, Uncategorized, Visual art, What a great idea!, Wildlife Tagged With: 2022 Fur Ball, Brad Pritchett, Cattle Baron's Ball, Chad Collum, Dan Chadd-Pritchett, Loretta Swit, MASH, SPCA of Texas, Steve Kemble, SwitHeart Animal Alliance, SwitHeart: The Watercolour Artistry And Animal Activitism of Loretta Swit

Primary Sidebar

We cover the people, organizations and activities that make the North Texas area unique thanks to philanthropic and nonprofit endeavors. We limit our coverage to only news that directly impacts and benefits the area, but we do it with an "honest but friendly" hand...

MySweetCharity does not cover activities or news of a controversial nature.

Materials on this site are © copyrighted. Images contained on this website are not within the public domain. To republish, please send request to [email protected] for permission.

Disclaimer: We are provided gratis invitations from organizations without any expectations on their part of any coverage.

Subscribe for Email Updates

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow MyTweetCharity on Twitter
Follow MySweetCharity on Facebook

MySweetCharity

Resources

  • After-School All-Stars North Texas
  • Baylor Scott & White Health
  • Callier Center
  • Children's Health
  • Community Partners of Dallas
  • Dallas CASA
  • Dallas Film Society
  • Dallas Symphony Orchestra
  • Equest
  • Family Gateway
  • Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
  • Goodwill Industries of Dallas
  • Housing Crisis Center
  • Leukemia Texas
  • North Texas Giving Day
  • Southwest Transplant Alliance
  • Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas
  • Texas Women's Foundation
  • The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture
  • The Dallas Opera
  • The Family Place
  • The Magdalen House
  • Trinity Park Conservancy

Categories

Archives

MySweetCharity sponsorships

  • Callier Cares Luncheon
  • Celebrating Women
  • Community Partners of Dallas
  • Crystal Charity Ball
  • Equest
  • Healing Hands Luncheon
  • KidneyTexas
  • Mad Hatter's Tea
  • North Texas Giving Day
  • Texas Women's Foundation Annual Luncheon
  • Turtle Creek Park Conservancy
  • Women's Auxiliary of The Salvation Army Dallas Fashion Show And Luncheon
Copyright © 2010-2024 My Sweet Charity · Website Design by Shauna Callaghan