Plot: Henry is to be sent home, but never makes it.

Every time I see this episode, I cry at the end.

According to Jeff Maxwell, Igor, the take we see is actually the second take.

The story I heard is that when they filmed this episode, they filmed a fake ending with the audience present. They only filmed the ending we saw after the audience left.

What audience? They used a laugh track. I've always heard that none of the cast except Alan Alda knew about that last scene until right before. They filmed it, but because of a technical problem had to do a second take.
The look on Radar's face always makes me cry, no matter how many times I see the episode.

That is just the story that I heard.

Sorry Jason, MASH had no audience. I believe you're thinking of "Cheers." In Shelley Long's final episode, the ending they filmed in front of the audience had Sam and Diane getting married. Audience left, and they shot the real version, where Diane goes off to write her book.

I think that the reason they did a second take was that only the actors knew that Henry had died and so when they filmed the scene, the production crew reacted audibly when Radar said that Henry had died.

I heard it was a lighting problem.

What is the significance of the title?

"Abysinnia" is a way of saying "I'll be seeing you," only kind of slurred together. Henry uses it in a couple of episodes.

Ah....

I remember Henry saying that to the Greek commander over the phone in "Private Charles Lamb", but I thought he was just garbling a tradititional Greek farewell or something.

Several things about this episode. One definite cut I know of comes while Henry and Radar are discussing calling Lorraine to tell her her husband's coming home. As it exist we see Henry and Radar enter the C.O.'s office as the Colonel tells Radar that she won't be home at 1:00. What's cut is the explanation for why Henry knows his wife won't be home. She's working out. Henry tells Radar that Lorraine has great legs. Later, after Henry has talked to his wife (in the presence of Hawkeye, Trapper and Radar), the Corporal tells Pierce and McIntyre that she's got great legs.

There seems to be, judging by the end credits, a scene with Margaret and Frank in Henry's office. As I recall, it was the two of them "trying it on for size", so to speak. My memory's a bit vague on this. Also, wasn't Henry's going-away-party longer originally? These days everytime I watch it, I keep thinking something's missing.

One thing that doesn't seeem to immediately occur to anyone, is that this is also Trapper's last episode. Unless something's been cut, Trap's final words in the series are, "Radar, put a mask on!"

Henry may not have killed merely for dramatic purposes. By some accounts, the producers and the studio found McLean Stevenson difficult to work with. Many episodes don't have Henry in it because Mac was "on strike'. I think I've heard that one reason Blake was killed was to insure that they would not have to deal with Stevenson anymore. McLean, in the issue of TV Guide commemorating the final episode of M*A*S*H, stated that there was the possibility that Henry survived the crash and was living in Japan suffering from amnesia. This may have been wishful thinking on McLean's part.

I recall Stevenson saying something like that years ago--maybe in the book I have. He said that he deeply regretted leaving the show, and went on to say something like, "If the writers could work things out that I was found washed up on a beach in Japan, with fifty pounds of kelp in my nose, I'd jump at it."

Incidentally, this episode, according to the bullet key chain Radar gives Henry, takes place in 1952.

Noticed a nit during the farewell scene. Henry walks over to Margaret and plants a smooch on her. Margaret puts her right hand behind her neck, perhaps to keep her hat from falling off? The camera angle changes so that we see Henry from the back, and Margaret's right arm is clearly visible over his shoulders. Camera angle jumps back, and Margaret's hand is behind her head again.

The helicopter was arriving for the express purpose of transporting Henry Blake. Where did he stop to pick up a wounded man?

I thought only Gary Burghoff, not Alan Alda, knew about the ending and he was given it just before the first cut but there was something wrong with the film so it was actually the second take we see?

Apparently, the camera crew and others involved in filming audibly gasped at the bombshell, so they had to reshoot.

Why didn't Radar wait until after the doctors had finished in surgery before dropping this bombshell bad news on them. I know he was very upset and couldn't wait to tell but can you imagine how hard in must have been for the doctors to concentrate on their patients? Someone even dropped an instrument on the floor.

Probably too numbed by the shock to think his actions through. That, and the news was of such a magnitude that he needed to unburden himself very quickly. O.R. was probably the closest populated area.

When talking on the phone, Henry tells his daughter, Janie, to tell her brother to stop playing, "Ravel's Bolero". There was an earlier reference to Henry's son playing "Bolero" that's been cut for syndication. While discussing with Radar what would the best time to call Lorraine, Henry mentions that his son, Andrew is learning to play "Bolero" on the trombone.

It just occurred to me that the whole idea of Radar walking into O.R. to announce Henry's death was meant to act as a kind of bookend; a mirroring of the opening act. This episode starts with Radar walking into O.R. to announce Henry's discharge. It ends with the Corporal announcing the Colonel's death in the Operating Room.

Several things about this episode. One definite cut I know of comes while Henry and Radar are discussing calling Lorraine to tell her her husband's coming home. As it exist we see Henry and Radar enter the C.O.'s office as the Colonel tells Radar that she won't be home at 1:00. What's cut is the explanation for why Henry knows his wife won't be home. She's working out. Henry tells Radar that Lorraine has great legs. - me

This is incorrect. What's happening is that Lorraine is getting together with some friends of hers, Ella, Bea, Marie and Olive. They go to the Old Red Barn on Route 26 for water cress sandwhiches and two daquiris. That takes them about two hours. (Olive tells about her hysterectomy.) After which, they stop by the knit shop to feel the yarn for about an hour. While Henry does describe Lorraine's body in great detail (detailed enough that Radar decides he'll have that drink after all), no mention is made of Lorraine's legs.

Apparently neither Henry nor Radar know how to spell "fragile". Radar asks Henry if the word has one or two "jays" in it. Henry tells him it has one. On the other hand, it could be that the Colonel doesn't care that much about how the word is spelled...

After finding the jar of mayonaise, Henry pronounces it to be a "greeny". It looks white to me.

In a previous episode Henry, stating that he had been in Radar's hometown for about a week, pondered the possibility that he was Radar's father. In this ep, we learn that Radar's father didn't have him until he was 63. While it's possible for a man to impregnate a woman at the age of 63, it's not very likely. Kinda makes you wonder how seriously TPTB thought about making Henry the Corporal's father. He certainly was in the spiritual sense.

When the Korean woman at Rosie's brings another bottle to the table, she informs them that it's "Six bucks, tax included." I wasn't aware that one had to pay taxes in Korea for booze. It's just one of those things you never think about. Not to mention something that's never mentioned in another ep.

I've never noticed this before, but Trapper doesn't wear a wedding ring, does he? (Look at his left hand when he's giving Henry instructions on going to the "toidy".)

Uh, doesn't Rosie's have some sort of restroom facility beyond the trees outside?

Note that when Radar says, "Oh, that's a burny", he's quoting Henry from earlier in the episode.

Earlier in the ep, Radar declines a drink because it'll make his eyes red and he'll fall down. He certainly doesn't seem too worried about at the going away party.

Why aren't more of the unit at the party? Where's Klinger, Father Mulcahy, Frank, Margaret, Igor, Gwen, Nurses Baker and Able, etc.? You'd think the whole camp would want to celebrate Henry's discharge.

When Henry is saying goodbye to the unit, Kellye Nakahara stands behind Father Mulcahy and to his right. If you watch her carefully, it looks like she leans in so that her face will be in the shot. Almost like she wants to make sure she's in the scene.

Noticed a nit during the farewell scene. Henry walks over to Margaret and plants a smooch on her. Margaret puts her right hand behind her neck, perhaps to keep her hat from falling off? The camera angle changes so that we see Henry from the back, and Margaret's right arm is clearly visible over his shoulders. Camera angle jumps back, and Margaret's hand is behind her head again. - D.K. Henderson

Not quite, D.K. What happens is that Margaret switches which hand is holding the hat. In one shot, it's the right hand. In the other, it's the left hand.

Is there a reason Henry doesn't ride a jeep to the chopper pad? I mean, other than taking the jeep means the camp can't follow the (former) Colonel to the pad?

Just for the record, Henry's final words in the series are "You behave yourself, or I'm gonna come back and kick your butt."

I've mention this before, the end credits have a clip of Margaret and Frank in the Colonel's office. Frank is holding the wrist of the skeleton. The Majors each have a shocked look on their faces. Normally, the clips during the end credits are from the episode just shown. This clip, however, is not from any scene in this ep. (Despite what I've said earlier.) As a matter of fact, I don't recall ever seeing it in any episode. Was this scene deleted from any final cuts of the series?

Abyssinia!

Why aren't more of the unit at the party? Where's Klinger, Father Mulcahy, Frank, Margaret, Igor, Gwen, Nurses Baker and Able, etc.? You'd think the whole camp would want to celebrate Henry's discharge.

I get the impression from that scene that we're seeing the aftermath of a much bigger party. Y'know, the stage where everybody's trickled off except the real diehards.

Could be. But usually such parties are held in the Mess Tent. This, to me, had the feeling of a more intimate going away party, rather than the survivors of a bigger party. Remember, Pierce, McIntyre and Radar were treating Henry to supper, too. And there's no sign of a goodbye cake (Think Radar's going home party), or anything else like that. (Decorations, etc.) Still, you could be right, Kerrie.

Abyssinia!

Benn,

When the Korean woman at Rosie's brings another bottle to the table, she informs them that it's "Six bucks, tax included." I wasn't aware that one had to pay taxes in Korea for booze. It's just one of those things you never think about. Not to mention something that's never mentioned in another ep.

Do we know it's really a tax, or just the way Rosie calls it because she picked up the word? In another ep., its revealed that Rosie pays bribe money to a sergeant (when Hawk and the others take over Rosies duty and Klinger messes up the bribe-giving, which leads to a closed bar). So maybe Rosie is calling the part of the bribe money "tax" because the guys are used to it, and it sounds better than saying simply "6 dollars"?

First of all, it wasn't Rosie who used the word "tax". She wasn't even in this ep. Second of all, why use the word "tax" at all if this a means of picking up extra money. Korea, like pretty all other nations, would have had some sort of tax system in place, even in the 1950s. I somehow suspect that originally, Rosie's was meant to be a legitimate business. Therefore it would be subject to Korean tax laws. Moreover, wasn't Rosie paying Muldoon the bribe to cover up the other activities that went on at Rosie's? The illegal activities, like gambling and prostitution? Bribe money wouldn't have to be covered up as "tax money". Just charge more (without taxes) for the services provided. (This would be similar to how a bottle of beer can cost you 4 or five bucks at a bar these days. Whereas you can buy a six pack for that cost. The bar jacks up the cost of the beer to help it earn a profit. Rosie could easily jack up the cost of beer or a shot of whiskey and claim the price is to help cover "business expenses". No need to come up with a bogus "tax" charge.)

Abyssinia!

First, Korea certainly had a tax system befor the war, but I doubt that anybody would really bother still collecting taxes near the frontline (where MASH was supposed to be).

Second, we don't know if the korean tax system was anything like the american. It could be very different (it was a different society and culture, after all.)

Third, what I meant was that Rosie heard that phrase and told her waitresses to use it without really understanding what it meant, because she thought it sounded better if some extra is "included" in the high price of 6 dollars than asking outright for it. (just because someone uses English words doesn't mean he/she understands the concept behind these words.)

"In this ep, we learn that Radar's father didn't have him until he was 63. While it's possible for a man to impregnate a woman at the age of 63, it's not very likely." - Benn

In real life Jimmy Doohan's wife gave birth while Jimmy was in his 80's

Kenny Rodgers' wife gave birth when Kenny was in his 60's

So it can occur.

There were 2 takes filmed at the end apparently someone dropped a tool upon hearing about henry but they used the first take for transmission. They must have decided that made it more realistic or they dubbed it out.

According to Gary Burghoff, in his autobiography, To M*A*S*H and Back, there was actually an alternate ending filmed that involved the 4077^th receiving a "humorous" letter from Henry after he returned home. Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds, after the original ending had been shot, approached Burghoff and McLean Stevenson with the famous rewritten ending in which Henry dies. Burghoff states that he asked Stevenson if McLean wanted Gary to do the script, since that would mean there'd be no return for Henry Blake. Stevenson urged Burghoff to do it since it would help show the horrors of war.

"Abyssinia!"

When reflecting on this episode, Larry Gelbert wrote in his memoirs that "Killing a character in a half-hour show had never been done before." In 1959 the police drama NAKED CITY, still in a half-hour format killed off regular character Lt. Dan Muldoon after actor John McIntire wanted out of the show. Whether Gelbert was consciously lying or simply made a culpably ignorant statement is a matter of conjecture.