Yep George Peppard was very vocal about not wanting a “chick” on the show. Peppard had a bit of an ego and wasn’t easy to get along with. He had an ongoing feud with Mr. T because he was jealous of the latter’s popularity. Peppard considered himself a real actor and the star of the show while Mr. T was hardly an actor but ended up being the breakout star on the show, an overnight success.

Another piece of trivia - James Coburn was initially considered for the Peppard role. This was a time when Coburn’s film career had pretty much fizzled out (same as Peppard’s). Of course Coburn had a bit of a career resurrection in the 90s, even winning an Oscar.