Henry Blake (MASH)

Major General Henry Braymore Blake was a secondary protagonist in the novel M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors and the 1970 film MASH.

Blake was portrayed by Roger Bowen.

During the Korean War Blake held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was the commanding officer of the 4077 MASH. In November of 1951 new surgeons Hawkeye Pierce and Duke Forrest arrived at the camp. Blake informed the new arrivals that they had their slow periods, but when it got busy they'd be expected to do more surgery in a day than a civilian doctor would do in a month. He then instructed Company Clerk Radar O'Reilly to change the numbers on the jeep Hawkeye and Forrest commandeered to ride to the 4077.

Hawkeye and Forrest were exceptional surgeons, but being draftee doctors neither were very military in their bearing. Blake didn't really care as long as they did their jobs and it didn't affect him. The two men got him to move fellow surgeon Frank Burns out of their tent. Soon thoracic surgeon Trapper John McIntyre arrived and was put in the tent in place of Burns. Additionally new head nurse Major Margaret O'Houlihan arrived at the camp in time to witness Trapper punching Frank Burns for his behavior towards an orderly. Despite Trapper's behavior Blake went forward with naming Trapper Chief Surgeon.

Both Burns and O'Houlihan made no secret of their disdain for Blake, Hawkeye, Forrest, and Trapper. The two got together to compose a report to send to General Hammond while Blake was away at headquarters. The two went to O'Houlihan's tent where the couple proceeded to make love, with the noises being broadcast all over the camp due to a well placed microphone that Radar had hidden under O'Houlihan's bed.

The next day Blake returned to witness Burns attacking Hawkeye Pierce. Having Burns arrested the man was sent away for psychiatric evaluation. Forrest asked Blake if he punched Hawkeye and slept with O'Houlihan if he could go home.

After a practical joke at her expense O'Houlihan confronted Blake about his letting the surgeons get away with everything. When she said that she would resign her commission Blake told her to do just that, and O'Houlihan left his tent in tears. Agreeing to a football game with General Hammond's unit, Blake asked Hammond if O'Houlihan would complain, but Hammond made it clear he didn't care about her complaints.

Blake remained in charge of the 4077 after the departure of Hawkeye and Forrest from the camp. Before the two surgeons left he asked if Hawkeye had stolen that jeep, to which Radar replied that was the jeep the two men had arrived in.

Following the Korean War Blake remained in the Army, eventually reaching the rank of Major General by the 1970s.

Trivia

 * By a strange coincidence Roger Bowen passed away one day later than McClean Stevenson - who played Blake on the television series did. Bowen's family delayed reporting his death to the media, thinking that it would've been dismissed as a garbled version of Stevenson's obituary.