I guess it comes as no surprise to anyone, but they did things a little differently on television 35 years ago.
For one thing, cable did exist in 1975 — but mostly to deliver network TV to remote locations so the options were limited (mostly) to the Big Three networks.
And, at some point, TV series began wrapping up their seasons in May.
But, in 1975, it was customary for a TV series to finish its season in March, even though that did not coincide with what is now regarded as a pivotal "sweeps" period for ratings purposes.
Anyway, on this date 35 years ago, CBS aired one of its most classic TV episodes — "Abyssinia, Henry," the finale of the third season of M*A*S*H. And, if you saw it, you couldn't forget it.There were several things that made it noteworthy.
It was the final episode featuring Lt. Col. Henry Blake, played by McLean Stevenson. His time with the series was short, given that M*A*S*H ran for 11 years, and he often seems to be forgotten or overlooked, but he was a pivotal character in the first three seasons and frequently had some of the best lines.
In the storyline of the series, Henry got his discharge and the staff at the 4077th arranged to throw a going–away party for him. That was emotional enough for the series' fans, who had quite a fondness for Henry, but that was nothing compared to the final scene.
I have been told that the writers did not reveal the ending of the show to the cast until the last minute because they wanted the actors' reactions to be as genuine and unrehearsed as possible. So the cast and crew filmed the rest of the episode in the belief that, from time to time and in one way or another, Henry's character would return.
But then, when they filmed the conclusion, in which the audience learned that Henry's plane had been shot down and no one had survived, the cast learned Henry's fate. I'm told that only those who needed to know everything got all the information before the scene was shot. For the rest of the people in it, most of whom had non–speaking parts, it was a real stunner. Watch the attached clip and you will see the shock in their faces.
At one point, you can hear the clanging of a surgical instrument that was dropped off camera. That, I have been told, was entirely spontaneous, and the show's production crew decided to keep it because it gave the scene an aura of authenticity.
In hindsight, the episode marked the beginning of M*A*S*H's transition from a funny but not exactly groundbreaking ensemble sitcom to the brilliant comedy/drama it became in its later years.
At the time, it was so shocking to many viewers that they flooded the network with angry letters protesting the decision to kill off a main character in a TV series. Executive producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart personally wrote each aggrieved fan to tell them that they were trying to make a point about the horrors of war.
Stevenson later said that leaving the show had been a big mistake, and he regretted the fact that his character's death prevented him from being able to return later.
After Stevenson died at the age of 68, Gelbart (who, like Stevenson, was born in Illinois) observed that Stevenson had left too soon twice in one lifetime.
As good a job as Harry Morgan did playing Stevenson's replacement as commanding officer on the series, he could never take Henry's place in the hearts of the series' original fans.
