- The Trial of Henry Blake
Infobox Television episode
Title = The Trial of Henry Blake
Series = M*A*S*H
Caption =
Season = 2
Episode = 8
Airdate =November 3 ,1973
Production = K408
Writer =McLean Stevenson Larry Gelbart Laurence Marks
Director =Don Weis
Guests =Robert F. Simon Jamie Farr Jack Aaron Bobbie Mitchell Roy Goldman Hope Summers
Episode list = List of "M*A*S*H" episodes
Prev = "L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel)"
Next = "Dear Dad... Three"The Trial of Henry Blake is episode 8 from season 2 of the TV series M*A*S*H.
Synopsis
Henry Blake is accused of aiding the enemy, and to prevent Hawkeye and Trapper John from getting evidence to exonerate him, Major Burns (in temporary command) confines them to quarters and guts the swamp and even strip Hawkeye and Trapper to their underwear. Trapper and Hawkeye escape and go to the courtroom with proof that the North Koreans that Henry is accused of aiding were refugees and children at a civilian clinic near the border being run by American nurse Meg Cratty. When Burns and Major Houlihan arrive at the hearing, they cite Hawkeye and Trapper's escape (and technically being AWOL) as proof of Blake's being unfit to command. Blake defends himself, saying he never set out to be a junior General MacArthur, but that he was only a doctor trying to run a hospital. After Cratty gets up and tells the board that he was helping her with refugees, Blake stands and tells the board that before Nurse Cratty opened up shop in the hill country that seven out of every ten babies born to the hill people died. Henry's giving Cratty penicillin and other medications only made her job easier. He then tells the hearing panel that if they want to hang him for that, then go ahead. The head of the hearing board would like to drop the charges in light of the new evidence, but Frank refuses to drop the charges, so Hawkeye and Trapper use what they know best to change his mind: blackmail. Hawkeye jots down a letter threatening to tell Frank's wife about Hot Lips, and of course Frank gives in and drops the charges. When Hot Lips asks what he's doing, he shows her the note and she agrees and the charges are dropped against Henry.
Trivia
In this episode "Nurse Meg Cratty" is played by
Hope Summers
In Mash episode "The Kids" 4/8 Cratty is played byAnn Doran .
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.