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Writers gave them a page of dialogue at the last minute. Colonel Sherman Tecumseh Potter appears in the M*A*S*H and AfterMASH television series. "Abyssinia, Henry" is the 72nd episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the final episode of the series' third season. WebOriginally Answered: On the TV show M*A*S*H Why was colonel Blake killed off? However, nowadays, Three cars and a motorcycle were involved in a fatal crash in Lee County on Friday. This highly rated episode remains notable for its shocking ending: the (off-screen) death of Colonel Henry Blake.. Having the much-loved Henry Blake (wonderfully played by McLean Stevenson) killed off when his plane was shot down during his flight home was a sort of reality check provided for the viewers by the show's writers. WebMcLean Stevenson was Henry Blake, who in M*A*S*H, the TV series, was an Army reservist called up to serve in the Korean War as a doctor. . According to multiple accounts, one most famously from co-star Loretta Swift, corroborated by writer Ken Levine, McLean left because he wanted to be No. There are a few theories floating around. Appearances The next morning, Frank attempts to assemble the company for a formal send-off, but Hawkeye and Trapper are out of uniform and unshaven, and Corporal Klinger (Jamie Farr) wears a particularly elaborate dress made specially for the occasion. He studied tap dance and became a drummer, despite being born with brachydactyly caused by Poland syndrome, which made three fingers on his left hand significantly smaller than those on his right hand. show down over the Sea of Japan. [12], The final scene was spoofed on the Family Guy episode "Fifteen Minutes of Shame" when a cutaway shows Brian Griffin saying to the rest of the family, "I have an announcement. First appeared in: Roger Bowen (born May 25, 1932 died February 16, 1996) was an American comedic actor and novelist, known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake in the 1970 film MASH. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Henry's affectionate individual goodbyes to the others are cut short by the imminent arrival of his helicopter, but Hawkeye pulls him aside and persuades him to give a long parting kiss to Margaret, to her surprise and Frank's annoyance. On a later occasion (Life With Father), he gets a letter from Lorraine permitting him to cheat on her, but he jumps to the conclusion that she had cheated on him; when she told him over the phone that she was only attracted to someone else (See comment below], which hurt, but what hurt Henry even more was that the other man was an orthodontist. How did McLean Stevenson die? papers came through, but sadly on his flight home, his plane was Whatever the reason, it worked. It spun in. But more than that, it was a turning point for television. We decided his character could, not should, could die. The night before Blake left, Hawkeye, Trapper John and Radar threw a going-away party for him. WebM*A*S*H was both a television series and a movie, so several actors played the same character. The creators and also the network granted his wish. Only one cast member knew Henry Blake would die beforehand, and that was star Alan Alda. The death of Henry Blake was a turning point for television and proved that anything can happen on TV. Did He Cheat on Ariana Madix With Raquel Leviss? Why did Frank Burns leave? Job/Role in Unit: In 1975 Stevenson decided to leave the show. He wanted more of a starring, instead of a But M*A*S*H writers had another idea. submitted a fishing fly that once belonged to Henry; he suggested that it should symbolize all of the men who never made it back home. Sandy Brown [9] It is estimated that over 1,000 letters were received by the producers regarding the episode; "some were from people who understood. In the episode, Colonel Blake is flying a medical evacuation mission when his plane is shot down over North Korea. What episode of Mash did Henry Blake die? Radar walks into the operating room, without a mask, and announces that Blakes plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan. The episode opens with a typical operating room scene; Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff) enters and informs Henry Blake that Blake has received all of the needed Army service points to be discharged and sent home. WebOn the rare occasion when Henry actually stood his ground the maverick captains would criticize Henry for not being one of the guys; for example, when Henry decided to send a lost Korean boy to an orphanage, accurately insisting that the unit wasn't qualified enough to look after him, Hawkeye called him a villain, which offended Henry. After the news of Colonel Blake's death shocked the world, the very next night during her opening monologue on her musical variety show, Cher introduced Stevenson as her guest star, saying that he was "missing in action"; the video briefly cut away to a shot of Stevenson, in costume as Henry, rowing a raft as he looked straight into the camera and said, "Hey guys, Im OK. Im OK!" Why did RIP McLean and Roger. When Henry Blake was killed off on MASH, it sent shockwaves through the television world. Loretta Swit said it was because he was tired of being in an ensemble and wanted to be number one. (This is also confirmed by MASH writer Ken Levine) The departure would take place the last episode of the third season. No, youhaveto do it! he said. Colonel Henry Blake Written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, it was first aired by CBS on March 18, 1975. The teddy bear, which never officially had a name on MASH, but was secretly named Tiger according to Mr. Burghoff, does live on through the childrens show Sesame Street. In a related note, Ive found that there are two times when you can judge a person very well: How they behave when they have nothing, and how they behave when they have everything. The cigars that Colonel Henry Blake smoke in M.A.S.H are candela cigars,which are known for their distinctive green color.This color comes from the quick drying process that locks in the natural chlorophyll in the tobacco leaves before it can degrade. For instance, McLean Stevenson played Col. Henry Blake on TV but Roger Bowen played the role in the movie. That was the response we were hoping for.. 20th Century Fox sued him for breach of contract, but the lawsuit collapsed. Henry spots an emotional Radar saluting him and approaches to return the salute, hug him, and chide him like a loving father to behave himself, before boarding and flying away. Episodes following this represented a major change in focus for the show; the individual effects and psychological damages of war were explored more, often in parallel to the ending of the Vietnam War, and the Korean culture was portrayed in greater depth than had been done before, instead of focusing on a "boorish, military mindset" as before. WebThe episode is notable for its shocking ending, in which the unit's amiable commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake (played by McLean Stevenson) receives an honorable discharge and leaves for home, but in the Written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, it was first aired by CBS on March 18, 1975. This ending prompted more than 1,000 letters to series producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart, and drew fire from both CBS and 20th Century Fox. On the rare occasion when Henry actually stood his ground the maverick captains would criticize Henry for not being one of the guys; for example, when Henry decided to send a lost Korean boy to an orphanage, accurately insisting that the unit wasn't qualified enough to look after him, Hawkeye called him a villain, which offended Henry. After a commercial break, the episode closes with a "reluctant and affectionate farewell" to Blake by means of a light-hearted montage of clips from past episodes. WebOn the rare occasion when Henry actually stood his ground the maverick captains would criticize Henry for not being one of the guys; for example, when Henry decided to send a lost Korean boy to an orphanage, accurately insisting that the unit wasn't qualified enough to look after him, Hawkeye called him a villain, which offended Henry. [14], In 2005, TV Land included this episode as part of its "Top 100 Most Unexpected Moments in TV History", ranking it number 15.[15]. Farrell was one heck of a Captain Hunnicutt and such a great counterpart to Alan Alda. Majors Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit) and Frank Burns (Larry Linville) celebrate privately that Frank will become the unit commander. McLean Stevenson , who had established himself on Broadway, as well as in TV writing, played Blake on TV beginning in 1972. Gin is a flavored spirit, flavored with Juniper berry s. NOTE: Gwen Farrell is not related to Mike Farrell (B.J. McLean Stevenson (11/14/27 - 02/15/96) played COL Henry Blake in He was a skilled surgeon and a good friend to all of his staff. Farr then went on to say that the first take "was a blockbuster", with gasps being heard from the crew, but they had to shoot a second take due to a technical problem. [9] Another, more lighthearted response to the episode came from an unhappy viewer in Lubbock, Texas, who sent a telegram stating that "Henry Blake has been found in a raft in Lake Lubbock. The Chicago Tribune's Gary Deeb, for instance, revealed Blake's death nearly two months before the episode aired. Gary was born with a rare condition called Poland syndrome. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The departure took place in the last episode of the third season. Or, they applauded it. ", The final scene, in which Radar informs the 4077th of the death of Henry Blake, was unprecedented: it was the first time in American television history that a main character departing a comedy series was killed off in a tragic way. Know the Real Truth! Harry Morgan, as Sherman Potter, took over the 4077th. Of course, Mac was as torn apart as we all were. the CBS television comedy M*A*S*H from 1974-75. When Nancy leaves camp, Henry strangely finds himself relieved that she is now gone. B.J. The more earnest and faithful family man Captain B.J. He was in charge of the 4077th. He repeatedly refused to give Corporal Klinger his devoutly-wished Section Eight for being mentally unstable, despite all the exuberant dresses and ludicrous schemes Klinger concocted in order to convince his superiors that he was insane. "[9] Initially, Gelbart and Reynolds hand-wrote letters in response to the feedback, but eventually, due to the overwhelming number of letters, a form response was created explaining the rationale of their decisions. WebOriginally Answered: On the TV show M*A*S*H Why was colonel Blake killed off? He was in charge of the 4077th. Henry saw both Frank and Margaret as callous and overbearing, while the two majors incessantly criticized Henry's lack of command skill. For the first time, a major character had been killed off without warning and without explanation. Unfortunately he was right -- Another is that the producers wanted to shake things up and create some drama for the show. The stuffed bear was named by Big Birds performer Caroll Spinney as a tribute to actor Gary Burghoff, who played Walter Radar OReilly on M*A*S*H. In a Season 39 episode, Big Bird holds a nest sale and bumps Radar into the nest where he is selling toys without knowing. ", (Comforting Hawkeye after the death of a friend) "If I had all the answers I'd be at the Mayo Clinic. Why MASH WebOriginally Answered: On the TV show M*A*S*H Why was colonel Blake killed off?