Colonel Henry Blake They didn't expect it but it made the point. Gene Reynolds, one of the executive producers of M*A*S*H, said the decision to kill off Blake was deliberate. While M*A*S*H incorporated comedic elements, it was ultimately a show about war. "Pilot" (M*A*S*H TV series, Season 1 opening) 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. 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. In the episode, Colonel Blake is flying a medical evacuation mission when his plane is shot down over North Korea. Played by: It seems their lives were always meant to intertwine. For instance, McLean Stevenson played Col. Henry Blake on TV but Roger Bowen played the role in the movie. ("Abyssinia", pronounced "ab-ee-SIN-ee-ah" can be understood as "I'll be seeing you".)[1]. Big Birds teddy bear is named Radar in homage to Radar OReillys teddy bear. This highly rated episode remains notable for its shocking ending: the (off-screen) death of Colonel Henry Blake.. 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. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. As the tone of the series had evolved to more He once admitted causing his college football team to lose a championship game after Henry taped the wrong leg of the star running-back. Blake, Commanding officer of the 4077th. Here's an oldie but a goodie half of the family dying, other half pregnant. We were working on the story of McLean leaving. When Nancy leaves camp, Henry strangely finds himself relieved that she is now gone. Required fields are marked *. The title of the episode refers to the 1920s1930s slang use of "Abyssinia" for "goodbye". 1." In 1975, Henry Blake decided to leave the show. [3] When Stevenson decided to leave the series partway through the third season, producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart decided to make a statement regarding the unexpectancies and horror of war, especially with the Vietnam War fresh in viewers' minds. [8] Still, shortly after the episode originally aired, the reactions and feedback of viewers were intense, both in support and condemnation of the events of the episode. Colonel Henry Blake Written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, it was first aired by CBS on March 18, 1975. "[11], In Bobbie Ann Mason's 1985 novel In Country, the teenage protagonist recalls having watched the episode as a child and being "so shocked she went around stunned for days," and confesses that Blake's death on the show had seemed more real to her than the death of her own father in Vietnam. M*A*S*H was not about happy endings. WebThe show's writers reluctantly penned him an exit in the final episode of the 19741975 season (entitled "Abyssinia, Henry"), in which Lt. 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. 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. Henry is being discharged because he has earned enough points. 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!" His friends sent him off with a round of applause. Another time while drunk he claims he was sent to Korea after attending a party with a 30-year career military medical general; when the general made a remark about a coffee enema, Blake foolishly responded, "with cream and sugar?". Colonel (O-5), U.S. Army Reserve scene was kept a secret from the cast until immediately before filming; only then did Gelbart hand out the last page of the script. 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. Monster M*A*S*H is a FANDOM TV Community. How was Trapper John written out of MASH? It was probably actually Baijiu . Radar walks into the operating room, without a mask, and announces that Blakes plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan. if we turned on the [television] set we would see fifteen people [killed in Vietnam every night]. Dont you remember the promise we all made to each other? He was referring to always showing the reality of war whenever possible.. Both were canceled the same year and the finale episodes aired one day apart. The Hollywood Reporter did an oral history on the award-winning show back in 2018. Henry is Christian, having mentioned his faith in many episodes, but his denomination remains unknown. He left the show at the Season 3 finale. However, nowadays, Three cars and a motorcycle were involved in a fatal crash in Lee County on Friday. Are Kellyanne and George Conway Getting Divorced? They are unfortunately not accurately portrayed. It was a surprise, it was somebody they loved. Some time later, while the three remaining doctors were in surgery, a visibly shocked Radar came in to report that Henry's plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan and everyone on board was killed. Though a family man, Henry shared Hawkeye and Trapper's penchant for fraternizing with the nurses. He is shown as having earned the following: The National Defense Service Medal was indeed awarded to personnel serving in Korea. [9] It is estimated that over 1,000 letters were received by the producers regarding the episode; "some were from people who understood. In fact, CBS's distaste with the episode was so great that during a later rerun of the episode, the final O.R. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. "4/22/1979 - Steve Martin / The Blues Brothers" (, 37. His strongest bond in Korea was to Radar, for whom Henry became something of a father figure. Click to reveal The odd thing is, both actors died within hours of each other in real life. Why did Henry Blake leave mash? 24th episode of the 3rd season of M*A*S*H. "Abyssinia, Henry." Another is that the producers wanted to shake things up and create some drama for the show. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. What is the answer punchline algebra 15.1 why dose a chicken coop have only two doors? Trapper and Hawkeye make joking comments, but Radar announces, "I have a message. In the season 3 finale "Abyssinia, Henry", Henry had earned all his rotation points and was qualified for discharge. 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. The overwhelming combination of paperwork and incessant arrivals of incoming wounded often left Henry feeling exhausted, but like the others, Henry soldiered on as best he could. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. For the first time, a major character had been killed off without warning and without explanation. According to his colleague Loretta Swit, Blake left because he was tired of being in an ensemble and wanted to be number one. This was also confirmed by MASH writer Ken Levine. In return, Radar, more or less, was Henry's backbone, and kept the unit running like a well-oiled machine, utilizing his nearly magical skills for getting everything done, counter-balancing Henry's laissez-faire attitude. (Ironically, during the real Korean War, a non-hostile air crash occurred in the sea of Japan in Sept 1950 and at least one medical personnel, US Air Force Medical Squadron Captain Vera Brown, was killed.). He and Radar embrace before Henry gets back on the chopper to leave camp for the final time. 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. Henrys Exit In the third seasons finale, Abyssinia, Henry, Blake had finally gained enough points to get him discharged from the unit. Written by Fritzell, Jim and Greenbaum, Everett. Another is that the producers wanted to shake things up and create some drama for the show. All were short-lived, and he later conceded that leaving MASH was the mistake of his career. Know the Real Truth! Burghoff was born in Bristol, Connecticut, moved to Clinton, Connecticut, and then later moved to Delavan, Wisconsin. 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. It was written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, and first aired on March 18, 1975. The creators and also the network granted his wish. ", 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. Blue For instance, McLean Stevenson played Col. Henry Blake on TV but Roger Bowen played the role in the movie. The creators and also the network granted his wish. Actor McLean Stevenson, who played Henry Blake, had grown unhappy on the show and wanted to leave to pursue other opportunities. Look, I'm a doctor. But more than that, it was a turning point for television. His character dies, and he was that character., Gary Burghoff, who portrayed Radar, said he felt devastated by the cruel finality of it all., Burghoff said: I took Mac aside and said, If you dont want me to do this scene, I wont. I was hoping the shock of it would get him to change his mind. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. He will be missed by all who knew him. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. He was in charge of the 4077th. 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. TIL Gary Burghoff, who played Radar OReilly on MASH, has a visibly deformed left hand, which ironically would have made him unfit for military service.