'M*A*S*H*' Star Sued -- Hot Lips Blew Us Off!

She was one of the BIGGEST stars of one of the BIGGEST shows of all time ... but now the woman who played "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H* is in the middle of a major financial crisis.

TMZ has learned ... 74-year-old Loretta Swit has been sued by a company she allegedly hired to help run her art business.

According to the docs, Swit asked the company to front her more than $10k in 2010 -- which she promised to pay back once she received a $50,000 insurance settlement check she said would be arriving shortly.

The company -- Heath Solutions, Inc -- says it never got its money ... and claims things got much, much worse.

Heath claims Swit commissioned to perform more than $44,562.50 worth of work to help develop and manage her website ... but she never paid that either.

Now, Heath wants a judge to force Hot Lips to fork over the cash, pronto.