Drawing its plots and storylines from wars and conflicts, death shouldn’t be a rare occurrence, and should even be expected to some degree. But followers of M*A*S*H felt the blow of Henry Blake’s death as if it was real. That’s when you know a TV series has woven itself deeply into the lives of its general viewers.
Letters of complaint, calls, and general exasperation were expressed through many channels, following the decision of writers to end Blake’s character in the 72nd episode (titled, “Abyssinia, Henry”). It was only supposed to be a bid of farewell with actor McLean Stevenson playing the part, being supposedly discharged, until a twist in the plot shocked the public in the form of a plane crash. It seems they could’ve handled his character leaving on happy terms, but his death they took hard.
The Inimitable Alan Alda
Alan Alda’s career would go on to prosper in time, replete with six Emmy Awards, and an astounding 21 nominations. He even clinched a Golden Globe Award. Perhaps none of these would have been possible had he not been given the role in M*A*S*H wherein he appeared in every single episode that ran for 11 seasons—clear proof that he fit the job description perfectly—a mutually beneficial scenario for him and the program.
During the heydays of the show, Alda would travel every weekend from the set in Los Angeles to his family in New Jersey. He would have liked to move his family but wasn’t sure how long the series would last. With the benefit of hindsight, he surely would’ve taken the plunge and made the move!
Between Fiction and Reality
To increase the credibility of the show and overall performance, M*A*S*H was often based on real events, mostly scenarios that had happened during the Korean War. The actors, too, experienced them vicariously through tales told to them by those who have been on the battlefield themselves: veteran doctors and patients.
To maintain its appeal to a general audience, some of the details relayed by veterans to the writers and actors had to be censored and polished with humor. Actor, Gary Burghoff, who has a deformed hand in real life, had it kept off camera, covered in sets, slipped into his pocket, anything to keep it out of the view of the public.
Tension On Set
During the early stages of M*A*S*H, everyone was encouraged to have a say on how the series progressed. In a way, they went the direction of many-heads-are-better-than-one. Until, that is, the writers got fed up with all the tedious letters and notes they received from the cast.
The writers thought of ways to get back at the actors. Evidently, there was a growing division among them, and they wrote too many unnecessary details in their scripts. Everyone from both sides was now bent on making each other’s life difficult. This was stopped after one of the actors had to wear heavy parkas in a tropical scene, on a hot summer day in Malibu. McLean Stevenson got tired of the antics and left the show. Thankfully, things started simmering down after that.
Captain “Trapper”
Wayne Rogers, who played Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre, was one of those fan favorites in the M*A*S*H TV series. He was certainly important, with the business aspect of things considered, for being a factor for sales pull. However, legal trouble loomed when he declared that he intended to quit the show.
Management quickly threatened to sue for breach of contract, and they probably would have succeeded, except for one tiny hiccup: it turns out Rogers hadn’t signed a contract with them in the first place. He had originally been approached to play Hawkeye Pierce but wasn’t keen on how cynical the character was. He was offered the role of Trapper instead, but never actually put pen to paper. While the pair were supposed to have equally important roles, Rogers became increasingly bothered by the gradual increase in importance Alda’s character was given by the writers. In the end, he felt the integrity of the book the series was inspired by had been compromised and, with no contract pinning him down, was able to easily bow out of his role.