Although we know Radar and Trapper by their alternative nicknames, the only character in MASH who’s middle name we consistently hear is Charles Emerson Winchester, who was introduced in the sixth season to replace Frank Burns. Did Henry Blake have a middle name? Is it revealed in the show?
Charles Winchester, of course, is fond of reciting his full name, because it shows his “pedigree.” You can’t help but memorize from his first appearance. One is a famous writer’s name and the other a famous gun manufacturer.
We also hear Father Mulcahy’s full name from time to time, Francis John Patrick Mulcahy (which changed two times).And, we hear Hawkeye’s full name from time to time, Benjamin Franklin Pierce.
But back to Charles. He replaced Frank burns because Frank had lost his remaining marbles during a trip to Seoul. The army had therefore promoted him and given him a cushy job Walter Reed Hospital.
Henry Blake’s Middle Name
Before this, poor Henry Blake, portrayed by McLean Stevenson, was killed off on his way home when he plane was shot down “over the sea of Japan and…it spun in…there were no survivors.” Did we ever hear Henry’s middle name? No. His middle name is not mentioned in the show. Regardless, we know that Henry Blake’s middle name was Braymore, since that was the full name given to the character in the original book.
TV’s Henry Blake Was Different Than the Movie
In the original novel and the film adaptation, Henry Braymore Blake was a career Army man who had been an officer since before World War II. He was played by Roger Bowen in the movie. In the TV series, Henry was an Army reserve member who was called up to active duty. Therefore, he had to leave his private medical practice in Bloomington, Illinois.
In the book, Henry is a lot more like Col. Sherman Potter and not such an easy mark for Hawkeye and the others, but he does, like Potter, understand that the performance of the doctors is more important than their military discipline. Only in the TV series does he become the loveable goofball and reluctant leader who just wants to go home like everyone else. We also hear a lot about Henry’s home life in the show, including a lot about his wife Lorraine. Blake and the other regulars even watch home movies of Henry and his family. This too, differs from the book.
Speaking of Lorraine, in episode 20 of the first season, The Army-Navy Game, Henry Blake calls his wife Mildred. He also calls her Mildred in episode 21, Sticky Wicket. She only becomes Lorraine later on. Mildred so happens to be the name of Col. Sherman Potter’s wife. This is often considered a continuity error, and probably was, but many of the details of the first season were in flux and ever-changing during the next few seasons. Did Hawkeye have a sister? Was his mother alive? Is he from Vermont?