## Henry Please Come Home ~ Season One ~ Episode Nine
[Synopsis](http://mash.wikia.com/wiki/Henry_Please_Come_Home_(TV_series_episode))
>Henry receives a citation for the camp, achieving the best efficiency rating, and then General Hammond reassigns him to Tokyo. Frank then changes the 4077th to make it more military. But then he goes further and confiscates Hawkeye's and Trapper's still. The two then use forged passes to go to Tokyo to convince Henry to come back. They succeed by having Radar pretend he is sick.
### <center>Henry Please Come Home</center>
was the 9th episode of Season 1 of the TV series M*A*S*H, also the 9th overall in the series. Written by Laurence Marks and directed by William Wiard, it originally aired on November 19, 1972. Although it was 9th in broadcast order, this episode was actually the 2nd to be produced.
>With all things of good entertainment quality, MASH is no exception to the rule that a plot, or driving idea must hit home with an audience.
### <center>In this episode Frank comes unhinged</center>
as the new company commander after Henry is transferred to Tokyo for other duties. His 'other duties' really end up amounting to the good life giving a few lectures a week and getting massages and hot baths the rest of the time.
>Frank’s character and actions are more than a metaphor for the OCD, by the book dictator who wouldn’t know how to give someone a break under any circumstances. His character plays the kind of person who relishes in his authority and does not earn respect by collaborative means, as much as simply instituting it as a rule of law. It would be safe to say that in most war zones people like Frank would be in danger of a friendly fire incident. I almost pity Major Frank Burns’ character played by Larry Linville during the first five seasons of MASH.
>Interestingly enough, one of my favourite actors of all time, Robert Duvall played Frank in the 1970 MASH movie although Duvall’s star faded a great deal in my own mind when he was overheard belittling Canadian acting talent in a general way. I can forgive it as some kind of locker room chat but that one stings from someone I have really loved seeing on the screen for so long. If you have never had the chance to see the complete Lonesome Dove series with Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones I am basically begging you not to miss out on such an incredible, slightly campy classic.
### <center>Any Frank Burns, by any other name</center>
who displays his style of patriotism at any cost, and ‘letter of the law’ leadership style is usually found to be the first to panic and show themselves to be a coward when the pressure is on. I have experienced this with close friends who spent years regaling me with stories of how tough they were, only to turn instant coward and meep meep off into the distance faster than the Road Runner himself. In defence of the blustering cowards I have known in my life, no one really has any way of knowing how they will react when the chips are down. Unless you’ve had all your chips down. Without characters like the Franks of this world there would be no way to measure what a better man would look like.
## Be that as it may, this was a thoroughly entertaining episode.
### <center>I hope you will watch the episode and enjoy it</center>
as much as I did. There is always so much to see, learn and wonder about. There is an unbelievably gorgeous nurse making an appearance in this episode who is uncredited and it’s fun to see forums speculate on who she is. She may be one of the nurses who runs for the choppers in the opening credit scene. I may have to dig into that one a bit more for fun, but you never know, maybe a fellow MASH buff will ferret it out!!
There is never too much sexism to start off an episode with when Hawkeye grabs and hugs a female military member as she's breezing past after a long surgery. The implication of entitlement always grabs me now, though I thought nothing of it as a kid watching MASH!!
Major Frank Burns, as per usual, wanted to bring someone up on insubordination charges. He always delighted in exerting his authority and grinding people down with the letter of the law.
Henry not only gets an award for the best run MASH unit in Korea, he then receives a promotion to a cushy administrative position, horrifically leaving Frank Burns in charge.
Frank pathetically hints that Hawkeye and Trapper should salute him which, as always, never goes over well.
Of course, Frank is petty to the core and confiscates their homemade still in retaliation.
A couple of forged passes to Medical Headquarters in Tokyo.
A little fib to Henry that his favourite army dude Radar is sick and dying.
Voila, Henry is back at the MASH 4077 checking on Radar
The jig is up and Hawkeye and Trapper have to come clean.
Frank is relieved of duty and all is well with the world till next week!
>We will be in memoriam of two MASH actors on this post. Lawrence Linville died at only age 60 from pneumonia, complicated by cancer surgery and he passed away in 2000. What is quite ironic is that a guest actor starring in this episode, George Wood as Brigadier General Hammond also died in 2000, but at the age of 80. He died at a good old age in Macon Georgia of congestive heart failure. He actually passed away after Lawrence in July of 2000, and Lawrence passed away just a few months earlier on April 10.
>I actually feel quite conflicted and truly brought to tears doing an In Memoriam for Major Frank Burns. I feel bad for understandably not liking his character while still loving the way he was acted and portrayed. He was just fabulous for Hawkeye to play to.
## Lawrence Lavon Linville September 29, 1939 to April 10, 2000 (aged 60)
Lawrence Lavon Linville as Major Frank Burns. His parents had an obvious love of alliteration! He is sadly missed.
Major Franklin Delano Marion Burns (A.K.A. "Ferret Face") was ranking surgeon and second-in-command at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. Early on in the series he had an ongoing affair with Major Margaret Houlihan which was well known throughout the Army, though the two were convinced that nobody else knew.
His character was portrayed by Larry Linville during the first five seasons of the TV series.
Although he and Margaret were both firm believers in military discipline and regularly espouse Army regulations to everyone around them, Burns, unlike Margaret, was portrayed as inept, and at times even clueless at his job. His ineptitude earned him the nickname "Ferret Face", which was given to him by his brother and first used by Trapper John in season 1.
## George Wood December 31, 1919 to July 24, 2000 (aged 80)
G. Wood or George Wood as he was sometimes credited, (December 31, 1919 – July 24, 2000) played Brigadier General Hammond in the 1970 Robert Altman directed film MASH as well as several episodes of the first season of the CBS-TV series MASH in 1972, appearing the show's first episode "Pilot". Before he ventured into TV in the late 1950's, Wood was a noted stage actor on and off Broadway.
Wood was born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He was one of four actors to appear in both the 1970 film MASH and the CBS-TV series MASH (the other three were Timothy Brown, Corey Fischer and Gary Burghoff.) Wood also played the psychiatrist in the film Harold and Maude, directed by Hal Ashby, and starring Bud Cort, who was also in the movie version of MASH.
Wood died of congestive heart failure in Macon, Georgia.
>I truly hope you enjoyed this episode of MASH with me.
>Please feel free to drop by the [MASH 4077th discord server](https://discord.gg/yDZjdMV) anytime. You are not alone in this world.
>In case no one told you today, you are beautiful.
>Love,
Bug