Hunnicutt). Who Can Benefit From Diaphragmatic Breathing? Colonel (O-5), U.S. Army Reserve However, it is later revealed that he did not die in the crash and was instead captured by the North Koreans. 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. Henry saw both Frank and Margaret as callous and overbearing, while the two majors incessantly criticized Henry's lack of command skill. Heart attack Over time, however, Henry became more assertive and willing to stand his ground when it involved principle or serious medical matters. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". We wanted to say a lot of boys dont make it home.. The night before Blake left, Hawkeye, Trapper John and Radar threw a going-away party for him. Not everybody, not every kid gets to go back to Bloomington, Illinois. In 1980, the Argus-Leader reported that Alan Alda was the highest-paid TV actor of all time, earning $5.6 million a season on M*A*S*H, which also included the money he made as a writer. They called it gin as many have already said, but despite that it couldnt have been gin. The leading entertainment news publicationLeedaily. Some people thought it was great and others were very upset. Certain journalists revealed Blake's fate in the weeks leading up to the episode's broadcast. This highly rated episode remains notable for its shocking ending: the (off-screen) death of Colonel Henry Blake.. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? The episode of M*A*S*H in which Henry Blake died is one of the most famous and well-known episodes in television history. "Abyssinia, Henry" is the 72nd episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the final episode of the series' third season. And Rule Number 2 is doctors can't change Rule Number 1.". Henry made good use of his own downtime, as he was an avid golfer and fisherman, the latter of which is in frequent display on his non-uniform bucket hat which is covered with numerous fishing flies and lures (along with his rank insignia). Henry Blake left 'M*A*S*H' because the actor was ready to move on. WAYNE ROGERS WAS ABLE TO LEAVE THE SHOW BECAUSE HE NEVER SIGNED A CONTRACT. It seems their lives were always meant to intertwine. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. McLean Stevenson/Cause of death. (to Trapper) Boy oh boy, you gotta stay on top of these guys every second! In the 1970 film there seemed to be little to no father/son bond, though Henry entrusted everything to Radar, who was still company clerk, as opposed to SFC Vollmer, the camp's sergeant major, who invariably found himself one step behind Henry and Radar's machinations. "[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. Thirty-nine years ago today (March 18, 1975) one of the most memorableand shockingmoments in American television was broadcast: In the final episode of the third season of MASH, Lt. According to Wikipedia, Alan Alda had McLean Stevensons character (Lt. Col. Henry Blake) killed off. 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. 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. When Nancy leaves camp, Henry strangely finds himself relieved that she is now gone. Height: The character Henry Blake left the show because his discharge [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. One plot hole is Blake being a Lt Col after only being in the service 10 years {Since Dec 1941}; according to the 1959 US Army Almanic [p.148] the allowed service of time to rise up to the rank of Lt. Col. is 21 Years service; in real life his 10 years in the service rank would be that of Captain (US Army Alamanic service time 7 years). These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. After bringing Meg to the hearing to testify in Henry's behalf, the presiding officers were ready to drop the charges with Frank's approval, which he naturally refused at first, but when Hawkeye and Trapper threatened to tell Frank's wife about Margaret, Frank abruptly changed his mind. On the night before Henry's departure, Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda), Trapper McIntyre (Wayne Rogers), and Radar throw a drunken going-away party for Henry at Rosie's Bar and Grill, and present him with a tailored civilian suit as a parting gift. You made my little kid cry! You did it as vengeance! We got a letter from a 15-year-old girl who said she understood our motives. Your IP: He did not survive the crash. Henry is Christian, having mentioned his faith in many episodes, but his denomination remains unknown. In 1972, the United States was rocked by the death of a beloved television character. There were no survivors. Lorraine was most likely feeling guilty for just considering an affair." We decided his character could, not should, could die. "Over the River and Through the Woods" (, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 17:29. Majors Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit) and Frank Burns (Larry Linville) celebrate privately that Frank will become the unit commander. There were no survivors. Actor McLean Stevenson, who played Henry Blake, had grown unhappy on the show and wanted to leave to pursue other opportunities. "Abyssinia, Henry" (Season 3 TV series season finale) Andrew (son) Jane and Molly (daughters) Unnamed newborn son (born during Season 1 episode "Showtime") Appeared in: Similar to Henry, Potter was easygoing, fun-loving and compassionate enough to earn the deep respect of his staff (including Margaret, but not Frank, who resented being passed over for command), but in contrast, Potter was a career soldier and consummate leader and surgeon, and never hesitated to put his foot down when things got out of hand. 'M*A*S*H': 30th Anniversary Reunion (2002) at 1 hour, 4 minutes and 44 seconds in the movie, "Controversial Killoff True to MASH Form", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxmvqrCNwH8, "The 100 Greatest TV Episodes of All Time", "TV Guide and TV Land Join Forces To Count Down The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abyssinia,_Henry&oldid=1139542859, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes), Short description is different from Wikidata, Television episode articles with short description for single episodes, Pages using infobox television episode with unnecessary list markup, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 12. 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. These combined departures and their subsequent cast replacements also signaled the beginning of a shift in focus of the M*A*S*H series as a whole, with a greater focus on the character of Hawkeye Pierce, played by Alan Alda. After the production of this episode, both Stevenson and Wayne Rogers, who played the character of Trapper John McIntyre, left the series to pursue other interests. The Hollywood Reporter did an oral history on the award-winning show back in 2018. 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. The creators and also the network granted his wish. Why did Frank Burns leave? The episode centers on Henry leaving the 4077th MASH for the final time. It spun in. To avoid confusion, the Bowen family decided to wait a week to announce the death of Roger. "[13], In 1997, TV Guide included this episode in their list of the "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time," ranking it number 20. WebOriginally Answered: On the TV show M*A*S*H Why was colonel Blake killed off? Heart Heck, he attended West Hollywood Grammar School with the likes of Natalie Wood and Ricky Nelson. It was a move that would change television forever. Henry was not completely incapable of following military regulation. WebM*A*S*H was both a television series and a movie, so several actors played the same character. This highly rated episode remains notable for its shocking ending: the (off-screen) death of Colonel Henry Blake.. 1." WebM*A*S*H was both a television series and a movie, so several actors played the same character. Spouse(s): Gelbart acted as director for the episode, and the cast filmed all the other scenes before they learned of Blakes death. Hoda Kotb illness: Her Brave Fight Against Disease! The odd thing is, both actors died within hours of each other in real life. "[7] Many of those who objected also cited the fact that M*A*S*H was considered a situation comedy, and that Blake's "cheap" killing did not belong in the show; one caller to Reynolds stated after the episode aired that they "don't know why [they] did it; it's not necessary, it's just a little comedy show" and that "you've upset everybody [in the family]," before vowing never to watch the show again. MASH (film) /M*A*S*H/TV series But M*A*S*H writers had another idea. 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!" Who turned down the role of Hawkeye in mash? Henry Blake, the lovable and bumbling commanding officer of the 4077th on M*A*S*H, was killed in a helicopter crash off-screen. In The Trial of Henry Blake, Hawkeye and Trapper fought to secure Henry's command when Margaret and Frank brought formal charges against him for, as they put it, giving aid and comfort to the enemy. In the film, Henry is a career Army man, having been commissioned prior to World War II. The producers, Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds, decided almost at the last minute to add Henry's death to the episode. Last appeared in: February 15, 1996 Eerily enough, the drunken Margaret told Henry that he looked just like her father before he died, to which Henry merely shrugged and replied, Yeah, a lot of people have said that. (Later in the series, Margaret's father was retconned as still alive and visited her in camp). Stevenson decided to leave M*A*S*H after the third season when the series enjoyed the fifth highest ratings in the country. ", (Talking on the phone to his son) "I don't care if your sister. How did McLean Stevenson die? This highly rated episode remains notable for its shocking ending: the (off-screen) death of Colonel Henry Blake.. Gene and I thought we should use the departure of the character in some meaningful fashion. 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. Sandy Brown But as doctors, theyre forced to continue with their jobs despite their grief. Henry is being discharged because he has earned enough points. He is shown as having earned the following: The National Defense Service Medal was indeed awarded to personnel serving in Korea. Colonel Sherman Tecumseh Potter appears in the M*A*S*H and AfterMASH television series. In 1975 Stevenson decided to leave the show. M*A*S*H was not about happy endings. Who was the first Colonel Blake in Please whitelist to support our site. He left the show at the Season 3 finale. 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. How much money did Alan Alda make on MASH? Being a genuinely kind-hearted and forgiving person, Henry chose not to reprimand Margaret when she got herself so drunk that she could not even pronounce her own name properly. It showed that even in a comedy, life could be full of tragedy. That was gracious. supporting, role in the series, and he thought he could do better 185.126.219.251 The shows creators swore the writers to secrecy. 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. [19], In general, the show began to take on a more serious tone as a seriocomic (or dramedy) series, in which the focus was on the character rather than the character type, and moved away from its status as a situation comedy.[20]. 24th episode of the 3rd season of M*A*S*H. "Abyssinia, Henry." 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. The reason we kept it a secret, the primary reason, is to keep our actors from being influenced by that information, Gelbart said. Rogers said that aside from missing the castand his friendship with Alda in particularhe had no regrets about leaving the show after season three. 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. During the summer 1975 break between seasons three and four, he quit the series. In reality, the Army stopped using the point system after World War II, and doctors were never rotated according to points. WebWho replaced Henry Blake on MASH? The moment went down as one of the most memorable in the shows long run. Mike Farrell is best friends with Alan Alda and no stranger to Hollywood stars. The creators wanted fans to experience the loss associated with war, so they ultimately decided to kill Blake off. Sherman T. Potter. Whatever the reason, it worked. This was a comedy/drama, but in the final scene about Blake, it was heart-breaking drama. The character Henry Blake left the show because his discharge papers came through, but sadly on his flight home, his plane was show down over the Sea of Japan. (She wrote) I feel that I have joined that all too non-inclusive fraternity of those who have lost a dear one overseas. I thought that was such an incredible observation by someone so young. "Whatever you guys decide is fine with me. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. McLean Stevenson, who played the Colonel decided to leave the show Radar was visibly emotional throughout the whole episode. Commanding Officer/Senior Surgeon at the 4077th M*A*S*H Sadly, McLean died of a heart attack on February 15, 1996. RELATED: Ten Of The Saddest Moments From M*A*S*H. The episode centers on Henry leaving the 4077th MASH for the final time. Commercial Photography: How To Get The Right Shots And Be Successful, Nikon Coolpix P510 Review: Helps You Take Cool Snaps, 15 Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for your Android Marshmallow, Technological Advancements: How Technology Has Changed Our Lives (In A Bad Way), 15 Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for your Android Lollipop, Awe-Inspiring Android Apps Fabulous Five, IM Graphics Plugin Review: You Dont Need A Graphic Designer, 20 Best free fitness apps for Android devices. Instead, he welcomed B.J. A Katherine Baumann played a 21 year old girlfriend. When Henry Blake died on M*A*S*H, it was a major event for television. The odd thing is, both actors died within hours of each other in real life. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved Even when they were alive, there were other odd coincidences. In reality, the Army stopped using the point system after World War II, and doctors were never rotated according to points. Stevenson was recovering from bladder cancer surgery at the Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center on February 15, 1996, when he suffered a sudden fatal heart attack. Longtime recurring guest cast member Jamie Farr, who played Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger, was elevated to the regular cast, with his name being featured on the opening credits. Is Tom Sandoval Dating Raquel? Stevenson decided to leave M*A*S*H after the third season when the series enjoyed the fifth highest ratings in the country. The Vietnam War was still raging at the time this episode aired, and viewers were able to see how war could impact even those who were not directly involved in the fighting. 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. Look, I'm a doctor. He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series. Another is that the producers wanted to shake things up and create some drama for the show. Blakes death showed that television could be more than just entertainment and it revolutionized the medium. And they really could not believe what was on the page.. He left the show at the Season 3 finale. He will be missed by all who knew him. "Klinger, it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon and you're still in a housecoat?! Henry said goodbye to the camp, taking a little extra time with Trapper and Hawkeye, who gave Henry a kiss on both cheeks, and then talked him into giving Margaret a big goodbye kiss before making his way to the chopper arriving at the pad. In the 1970 film, though SFC Vollmer was the camps Sergeant Major, it was Radar who was company clerk and was invariably entrusted with everything by Colonel Blake.