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Abyssinia, Henry

Get ready for a TV episode with a super surprising goodbye that made lots of people write letters!

Images

map from 'Voyages and Travels to India, Ceylon, the Red Sea, Abyssinia, and Egypt. 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806. [With plates by Henry Salt.]'.

map from 'Voyages and Travels to India, Ceylon, the Red Sea, Abyssinia, and Egypt. 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806. [With plates by Henry Salt.]'.

openverse
map from 'Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia compiled by order of the Secretary of State for War. Under the direction of Colonel Sir Henry James, etc. [With plates and maps.]'.
Chief Abyssinia (ca. 1870) Henri
map from 'Voyages and Travels to India, Ceylon, the Red Sea, Abyssinia, and Egypt. 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806. [With plates by Henry Salt.]'.
bridge from 'Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia compiled by order of the Secretary of State for War. Under the direction of Colonel Sir Henry James, etc. [With plates and maps.]'.
Image taken from page 454 of 'Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia compiled by order of the Secretary of State for War. Under the direction of Colonel Sir Henry James, etc. [With plates and maps.]'
map from 'Voyages and Travels to India, Ceylon, the Red Sea, Abyssinia, and Egypt. 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806. [With plates by Henry Salt.]'.
map from 'Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia compiled by order of the Secretary of State for War. Under the direction of Colonel Sir Henry James, etc. [With plates and maps.]'.
map from 'Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia compiled by order of the Secretary of State for War. Under the direction of Colonel Sir Henry James, etc. [With plates and maps.]'.
map from 'Voyages and Travels to India, Ceylon, the Red Sea, Abyssinia, and Egypt. 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806. [With plates by Henry Salt.]'.
map from 'Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia compiled by order of the Secretary of State for War. Under the direction of Colonel Sir Henry James, etc. [With plates and maps.]'.
map from 'Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia compiled by order of the Secretary of State for War. Under the direction of Colonel Sir Henry James, etc. [With plates and maps.]'.

Key Facts

Episode Number
72nd episode of M*A*S*H.
First Aired
March 18, 1975.
Written By
Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell.
Surprise Element
The main character, Henry Blake, is reported killed after leaving.

What's This All About?

Imagine you're watching your favorite TV show, and one of the nicest characters suddenly has to leave. That's what happened in an episode called 'Abyssinia, Henry'! It's about a TV doctor named Henry Blake who gets to go home. But the way he leaves is a big surprise for everyone watching, even the people who made the show!

A Surprise Goodbye!

The title 'Abyssinia, Henry' sounds like a secret code, right? Well, it was a way of saying 'goodbye' a long, long time ago. Think of it like saying 'See ya later!' or 'Peace out!'. In the show, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake gets his wish to go home. But then, something really shocking happens right at the very end that nobody expected!

Why Did Everyone Write Letters?

When this episode was shown, it made over 1,000 people write letters to the TV show makers! That's like a whole classroom of kids writing letters. They were so surprised and maybe a little sad about how the story ended for Henry Blake. It was a very dramatic moment for a TV show.

More Than Just a Goodbye

This episode was special because it was the last one for Henry Blake. It also meant that another character, Trapper John, was leaving the show too. It was like two friends leaving your class at the same time! After this, the show started to change a little bit, focusing more on other characters.

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Based on content from Wikipedia · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0