How M*A*S*H Managed To Wedge A Pool Ball Into George Wendt's Mouth
The diameter of a regulation-size pool ball is 2.25 inches. The average human being can open their mouth between 1.4 and 2.2 inches. So if you're looking to insert the latter into the former, you'll need to be equipped with quite the gaping maw, especially if you're looking to get the billiards orb past your choppers. Why you'd want to do this in the first place is a question for the ages, one that would likely be asked by the admitting physician at your local psychiatric hospital.
One plausible circumstance for an individual to consider shoving a pool ball into their trap would be to win a bar bet. I've seen people do much dumber (and considerably more dangerous) things for as little as a shot of well whiskey. Also, I've seen the episode of "M*A*S*H" starring a pre-fame George Wendt attempting this feat, so you'd be an unoriginal moron to boot.
"M*A*S*H" and "Cheers" were legendary sitcoms passing each other in the night when Wendt made his first and only visit to the 4077th. The episode, "Trick or Treatment," aired a little over a month after the premiere of the series that would make Wendt a household name, and was evidence of a great show beginning to go through the motions (i.e. it's a Halloween episode wherein the writers lean on the sight of the main characters in zany costumes for laughs). But it's notable for early-career appearances by Wendt and Andrew Dice Clay, and for the fact that it did kinda look like Wendt got that pool ball good and lodged in his mouth. How did he pull off such a seemingly daunting stunt?
It was rubber
In a 2009 interview with the estimable Bullz-Eye.com, Wendt shocked the world by acknowledging he did not stuff an actual pool ball into his gob. Sorry to disappoint, but it was a bit of TV trickery. According to Wendt:
"It was rubber. It was a rubber ball that was painted green. I think it was a nine-ball or something like that. I forget what it was. And they just squished it into my mouth and then it popped into normal size once it was in."
First off, the nine ball is yellow. This was, as you can tell from the above image, the six ball, which is green.
Secondly, and far more importantly, this must've been really soft rubber. I'd think a Nerf ball would be much more forgiving, but, hey, Wendt wouldn't be the first guy to get his trademarked foam spheres confused with his tougher, less elastic polymeric substances. In any event, whatever it was the "M*A*S*H" prop crew lodged in this future Primetime Emmy nominee's mouth, it couldn't retroactively win Wilbert Montgomery the 1979 NFL rushing title. And this will forever haunt me.