Henry Blake

Lt. Col. Henry Braymore Blake is a fictional character in the book M*A*S*H, written by H. Richard Hornberger under the pen name of Richard Hooker. He was also a character in the 1970 M*A*S*H movie, played by Roger Bowen, and most famously, the record breaking M*A*S*H television series, played by McLean Stevenson.

Lt. Col. Blake was the happy-go-lucky, easygoing commanding officer of the 4077 MASH during the Korean war. Beloved for his down-to-earth, laid back manner by many under his command, notably Captains "Hawkeye" Pierce and "Trapper" McIntyre, and scorned for it by those who preferred strict military discipline, such as Frank Burns and Margaret Houlihan, Blake always put himself forward as a friend first, and commanding officer second when it came to his post at the 4077, although in the rare occasion when he was boxed into a corner, he uncomfortably but firmly reminded his officers who was in charge.

His strongest bond was to the young Corporal "Radar" O'Reilly, for whom Blake was something of a father figure. The character of O'Reilly in M*A*S*H was that of the naive, fresh-faced farmboy from Iowa, vulnerable to the horrors of war, and Blake was like the father he never had, providing guidance, comfort, and support to the young Corporal.

Blake's death in the television series of M*A*S*H was one of the most heartfelt moments in television history. When McLean Stevenson left the show at the end of the third season, his character was scripted to be discharged and sent home. In the final scene of his last episode it was reported that Blake's plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan and that he had been killed. None of the cast (with the exception of Alan Alda, who wrote the scene) knew about that development until a few minutes before Gary Burghoff (who played Radar) was told to go in and report that Blake had died. Up until then, as far as anyone knew, they were going to get a message that Blake had arrived safely home. This was deliberately planned so that the emotions shown by the actors during that scene would be as real as possible, and it worked well.

When Stevenson left M*A*S*H and the character of Henry Blake was written out of the story, he was replaced by Harry Morgan as Colonel Sherman T. Potter in the position of commanding officer of MASH 4077.