why did henry blake leave mash

Why did You never know who might be coming around! Actor McLean Stevenson, who played Henry Blake, had grown unhappy on the show and wanted to leave to pursue other opportunities. He left the show at the Season 3 finale. 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. Appeared in: Gene Reynolds, one of the executive producers of M*A*S*H, said the decision to kill off Blake was deliberate. 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. On June 16th, 1963, Radar OReilly began his life term at the Iowa State Pen in Fort Madison. The characters learn the news and are shocked by Blakes death. Over time, however, Henry became more assertive and willing to stand his ground when it involved principle or serious medical matters. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved 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. The episode, titled The Colonels Last Flight, aired on February 28, 1975, and was the shows 16th episode. McLean Stevenson; Played Lt. Col. Blake When You Breathe In Your Diaphragm Does What. In 1975, Henry Blake decided to leave the show. 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!" [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. The Colonels Last Flight was a groundbreaking episode of television for a number of reasons. The Reason McLean Stevenson Left MASH Henry Blake The creators and also the network granted his wish. Henry Blake He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series. He and Radar embrace before Henry gets back on the chopper to leave camp for the final time. McLean Stevenson (11/14/27 - 02/15/96) played COL Henry Blake in Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. Radar then leaves the operating room as the camera pans across the stunned staff, each visibly fighting to retain composure and continue with their work. Is Tom Sandoval Dating Raquel? Many were from people that didn't. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Colonel (O-5), U.S. Army Reserve Why did As the tone of the series had evolved to more The 4077th were happy for him. MASH (film) /M*A*S*H/TV series Henry was the commanding officer of the 4077th. He was in charge of the 4077th. They both died of a heart attack as well. That was gracious. The creators wanted fans to experience the loss associated with war, so they ultimately decided to kill Blake off. Played by: 20th Century Fox sued him for breach of contract, but the lawsuit collapsed. M*A*S*H was both a television series and a movie, so several actors played the same character. Henry Blake left 'M*A*S*H' because the actor was ready to move on. Mike Farrell is best friends with Alan Alda and no stranger to Hollywood stars. Why did henry leave mash? - Answers Edgar McLean Stevenson Jr. (November 14, 1927 February 15, 1996) was an American actor and comedian. One is that the actor who played Henry Blake, McLean Stevenson, wanted to leave the show and they couldnt come to an agreement on his contract. Another is that the producers wanted to shake things up and create some drama for the show. After a quick phone call to Lorraine set up by Radar, Hawkeye and Trapper are worried that Henry will wreck his marriage, but realizing what he has back home, Henry thinks better of mentioning Nancy to Lorraine and ends the call with his marriage still intact. The death of a major character on a sitcom was practically unheard of. All were short-lived, and he later conceded that leaving MASH was the mistake of his career. Up until this point, death had largely been avoided as a topic on television. 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. Roger Bowen as Henry Blake in the 1970 film. Lorraine was a one-time Succotash Queen at Illinois Normal (now Illinois State). The episode centers on Henry leaving the 4077th MASH for the final time. Fifty thousand we left fifty thousand boys in Korea and we realized it was right for the show, because the premise of our show was the wastefulness of the war. 1." Written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, it was first aired by CBS on March 18, 1975. The odd thing is, both actors died within hours of each other in real life. Towards the end of the episode, in another typical operating-room scene, Radar enters, visibly shaken. Henrys Exit In the third seasons finale, Abyssinia, Henry, Blake had finally gained enough points to get him discharged from the unit. Actor McLean Stevenson, who played Henry Blake, had grown unhappy on the show and wanted to leave to pursue other opportunities. Radar was visibly emotional throughout the whole episode. Appearances And they really could not believe what was on the page.. {From ". Farr stated that show creator and writer Larry Gelbart showed a very top-secret script of the scene to the cast but not the crew, who were left uninformed until the scene was filmed. The creators wanted fans to experience the loss associated with war, so they ultimately decided to kill Blake off. 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. everyone loved Henry, but not necessarily McLean Stevenson. Another is that the producers wanted to shake things up and create some drama for the show. Henry saw both Frank and Margaret as callous and overbearing, while the two majors incessantly criticized Henry's lack of command skill. We decided his character could, not should, could die. 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). 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. Lorraine is an excellent cook, but irresponsible with money and, according to Henry, acted like Frank Burns in drag-(in fact in a film she sent to Henry of herself and their children she is actaully not bad looking) she also has a fistful of credit cards and $3,500 worth of Bridgework in her teeth (of which Henry owes $1,700). M*A*S*H Cast and Crew Once Discussed Making - Outsider Your email address will not be published. Family/Personal information WebOriginally Answered: On the TV show M*A*S*H Why was colonel Blake killed off? Henry dared him to do it saying "He's done it so many times I've got footprints on my scalp". 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. Henry is married to Lorraine (called "Mildred" throughout Season 1), and they have three children, Jane, Molly and Andrew, the latter of whom was born shortly after Henry shipped out for Korea. Blue Henry begins planning his return and places a telephone call to Bloomington, Illinois to inform his wife and family of the good news. Stevenson left the set almost immediately after the end of filming, and the party was canceled due to the dour mood of the cast. WebM*A*S*H was both a television series and a movie, so several actors played the same character. This was a comedy/drama, but in the final scene about Blake, it was heart-breaking drama. the CBS television comedy M*A*S*H from 1974-75. Just for playing Hawkeye, though, Alda earned $5.4 million that year. Both were canceled the same year and the finale episodes aired one day apart. In the latter episode, the final episode produced and the next-to-last aired, Margaret decided to bury a time capsule and asked others to volunteer various items from the camp. Though at one point he caved To Frank and Margaret's demand that Klinger undergo psychiatric evaluation. The episode centers on Henry leaving the 4077th MASH for the final time. In the episode, Colonel Blake is flying a medical evacuation mission when his plane is shot down over North Korea. Trapper and Hawkeye threw him a big farewell party where everyone said their goodbye to him. Routing number of commercial bank of Ethiopia? 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. Sherman T. Potter. 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. Radar was visibly emotional throughout the whole episode. Henry even ordered Hawkeye and Trapper to sober her up quickly for incoming wounded so that the incident would not show up on her permanent military record. We were working on the story of McLean leaving. The episode ends with a touching montage of flashbacks set to the song Suicide Is Painless.. This highly rated episode remains notable for its shocking ending: the (off-screen) death of Colonel Henry Blake.. Heart attack To his aggravation, Lorraine sent him her bills and used check books to balance their account, though Henry insisted that he was terrible with numbers; he once complained about an expensive Vet bill for their elderly house cat care. The Ottumwa native was fictionalized as Radar OReilly in the 1968 novel MASH by Richard Hornberger who wrote under the pen name Richard Hooker. Andrew Tate Lung Cancer: This Big News Has Arrived About Him! Heart 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 Abyssinia, Henry Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. His condition is called Brachydactyly. Second, the death of Colonel Blake was significant because it showed that even fictional characters were not immune to the horrors of war. He is best known for his role as Lt. Henry Blake left 'M*A*S*H' because the actor was ready to move on. Blake put friendship above his command, but there was the rare occasion when he had little choice but to assert his authority, which he did firmly, albeit uncomfortably. Henry generally let their insults roll off his back, but Frank and Margaret frequently went over Henry's head when they didn't get their own way, filing formal complaints to army brass, particularly senior officers whom Margaret is very close to. Eye Color: What Is Willie Spences Net Worth At The Time Of His Death? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". However, the army will credit time for civilian professional experience for commissioning officers with essential skills, such as medical doctors, and he may have received such credit. Why Did Henry Blake Leave So why did they do it? [3][4] As a result, Stevenson was still on the set and saw the final scene being filmed. The shows creators swore the writers to secrecy. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. In the premiere of season four, Hawkeye learned that Trapper John had been discharged. Written by Fritzell, Jim and Greenbaum, Everett. It was probably actually Baijiu . Why MASH It does not store any personal data. He was in charge of the 4077th. Though a family man, Henry shared Hawkeye and Trapper's penchant for fraternizing with the nurses. Everyone was overwhelmed with grief and shock, even Frank and Margaret, who could be seen sobbing at the news. Who was the first Colonel Blake in Several times throughout the series, the awards that Colonel Blake had earned during his service in the army could be seen on his uniform. 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. "4/22/1979 - Steve Martin / The Blues Brothers" (, 37. Actor McLean Stevenson, who played Henry Blake, had grown unhappy on the show and wanted to leave to pursue other opportunities. Radar walks into the operating room, without a mask, and announces that Blakes plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan. Gene and I thought we should use the departure of the character in some meaningful fashion. In reality, the Army stopped using the point system after World War II, and doctors were never rotated according to points. 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. Just send him home. Here's an oldie but a goodie half of the family dying, other half pregnant. because "everyone loved Henry". Another is that the producers wanted to shake things up and create some drama for the show. Its not often in your life that you see people stunned, Gelbart said. "Whatever you guys decide is fine with me. Sherman T. Potter. Radar was visibly emotional throughout the whole episode. years later that he regretted his decision to leave. scene was kept a secret from the cast until immediately before filming; only then did Gelbart hand out the last page of the script. When the series concluded in 1981, the bear mysteriously disappeared for nearly 30 years, prompting my non-ending search for my little on-camera companion and friend. Death. If they started filming the show knowing Henry was a dead man by the end of the episode, their performances would have been quite different. Abyssinia, Henry 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. McLean Stevenson, who played the Colonel decided to leave the show In the 1970 movie MASH, Henry Blake was portrayed by Roger Bowen. "Klinger, it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon and you're still in a housecoat?! The night before Blake left, Hawkeye, Trapper John and Radar threw a going-away party for him. Hunnicutt as the newest doctor. Lt. Colonel Henry Blake In 1983, they both starred in separate new sitcoms. 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. Hunnicutt). In the movie the girlfriend was played by actress Indus Arthur In Dear Dad, Hawkeye described Henry as a good doctor and a pretty good Joe, but then likened Henry's command style to "being on a sinking liner, running to the bridge and finding out the captain is Daffy Duck". It was a huge deal at the time because no one had ever seen anything like it before. Stevenson later said in an interview that he was deeply hurt that his character's death was revealed in this fashion and the party was "ruined". We were working on the story of McLean leaving. Job/Role in Unit: The creators wanted fans to experience the loss associated with war, so they ultimately decided to kill Blake off. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. How much money did Alan Alda make on MASH? He wanted more of a starring, instead of a supporting, role in the series, and he thought he could do better because "everyone loved Henry".

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