In March 1975, viewers were completely surprised by the shocking death of MASHLieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, in what became one of the series’ most shocking twists. Played by McLean Stevenson, Blake was the lovable and generally clumsy commander of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, best known for his laid-back but compassionate leadership style and intense love of fishing. Blake’s warm demeanor compared to some of MASHThe other characters helped balance the rigors of war around the series’ dark confines during the first three seasons.
The Season 3 finale, “Abyssinia, Henry,” opens with the happy news that Blake has earned much-needed rotation spots and is receiving his long-awaited release. The atmosphere is celebratory and joyful, peppered with touching farewells. As he prepares to return to his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois, Blake teeters between disbelief and joy, revealing how much he misses his wife Lorraine and the rest of his family as he bids an emotional farewell to his 4077th team.
After a tearful goodbye on the heliport, Blake is taken away from the base for the last time as surgeons head to the operating room to treat an injured soldier. Shortly afterwards, Radar (Gary Burghoff), injured, returns to deliver the shocking news: “Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake’s plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. He spun. There were no survivors.“The unprecedented moment was a tough pill to swallow for the show’s dedicated fans and a real flashpoint in MASHthe groundbreaking 11-season run.
The response to Blake’s death in the MASH episode “Abyssinia, Henry”
Viewers weren’t ready to say goodbye to the fan-favorite character
Blake’s shocking death hit home MASH public like a proverbial bomb. Complaints flooded the CBS offices and MASHThe production team reportedly received thousands of letters from upset fansmany expressing anger and disbelief. The CBS chief reportedly said the volume of criticism was the highest ever seen for a single event in the network’s history. Stevenson, who decided to leave the show to pursue other roles, even became an unintended target for disgruntled fans devastated by her departure.
Even critics were divided over the show’s stunning turn of events. TV critic Tom Shales of Washington Post said the show ruthlessly manipulated viewer emotions, calling the episode “a brutal punch in the stomach” for his abrupt change of tone. Shales argued that fans go to television looking for comfort and escapism, not heartbreak. Likewise, Cecil Smith of Los Angeles Times asked if Blake’s death was very dark for fans expecting weekly laughs. He noted: “While the narrative choice beautifully reflects the dangers of wartime, there’s a limit to how far a sitcom can lean into realism without alienating its light-hearted base..”
However, famous film critic Gene Siskel of Chicago Tribune praised the episode. He called the decision to kill Blake “harrowing but true”, noting the courage it took for producers to portray the senseless losses of war.
Why was Blake’s death so controversial?
The MASH Braintrust stood by the decision that left even the cast members stunned
Sitcoms aren’t usually the land of crazy plot twists and devastating character deaths. Blake was not only a cheerful and beloved character, but MASH It has quietly established itself as a true comfort program for viewers. For an audience desperate to find moments of light in war, less than a year after the end of the Vietnam conflict, Blake’s off-camera death was like a rude slap in the face to many of his fans.
Despite fan reaction, MASH showrunner and co-creator Larry Gelbart stood by the decision, saying the show’s writers wanted to remind viewers that although MASH it was a comedy, still focused on the realities of war – and tragedy could have been just a few minutes away. “We wanted to be able to show what it was like to have someone that America knew and cared about… when you lose a character like that“, MASH producer Burt Metcalfe told American Television Archive.
In fact, Gelbart and company knew all too well the possible hornet’s nest reaction that the painful episode could trigger. Radar Announcement Blake’s death was not originally included in the scripts given to most of the cast. They hoped Radar would report that Blake was safe and sound in the world. Instead, Burghoff was given his actual lines just minutes before the scene was filmed, eliciting genuinely shocked reactions from the other characters.
Blake’s death episode was a turning point for the show
New characters and darker themes may have ensured MASH’s continued popularity
As Blake’s death shook MASH fans, it was just the first major change that made “Abyssinia, Henry” a series-changing episode. It also turned out to be the last episode of Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers)one of the original main characters. During the hiatus between seasons 3 and 4, Rogers decided he too was tired of the series and left. While Trapper’s exit didn’t carry the dramatic weight of Blake’s shocking death (Trapper John left the 4077th off-screen), the double defeat marked Season 3 as an important transitional period for the series.
The changes were cosmetic and tonal. Henry Blake was replaced by Colonel Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan)which brought a calm authority in place of Henry’s awkward friendliness. Meanwhile, Trapper John’s position was filled by family man BJ Honeycutt (Mike Farrell), whose easy chemistry with Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce (Alan Alda) expanded what the show could do with its main pair.
Fans who felt Blake’s death marked the beginning of darker, heavier themes in the comedy series were ultimately proven right. The cast change represented a maturity for MASH and its main charactersallowing the show to explore even more complex narratives about friendship, morality and resilience in the face of the horrors of war.
The decision to show the cruelty of war in such a blatant way – through the loss of a beloved character – was a creative gamble that paid off in another 8 seasons for the venerable series. While Blake’s shocking exit didn’t please all fans, MASH remains a masterful example of how a comedy series can balance humor and pathos.
Source: American Television Archive