Wait. Did they forget to stencil this one letter in the M*A*S*H opening credits?

Looks like M*A*S*H forgot to cross some Ts.

On M*A*S*H, McLean Stevenson arguably had the most dramatic exit of any character to leave the show. There was not a dry eye in the audience after his final episode in the third season "Abyssinia, Henry." Apart from how beloved his character Henry Blake was, some of that had to do with being sad to say goodbye to the actor, too. He was the only one on the cast other than Alan Alda to win a Golden Globe for his work on the show, and his performances will forever remain a highlight for M*A*S*H fans.

Which brings us to our head scratch of the day. We were watching a second season episode of M*A*S*H when we noticed there was something a little off about Stevenson's name in the opening credits. Where every other letter shown is stenciled, the "T" in Stevenson did not get the same stencil treatment. What gives? Did they just forget to stencil this one letter?

In case you were wondering if maybe a "T" just doesn't leave much room for stenciling, all you need to do is check out Loretta Swit's credit which comes just a few beats later. She's got three Ts in her name, and all three of them managed to get stenciled. See photographic evidence below:

Now, looking at this credit, if you're on our level at this point, you likely noticed the "I" in Loretta Swit has no stencil treatment. This is consistent with how that letter is treated in everybody's names. See Larry Linville's credit to confirm:

This leaves us with just the lone "T" in McLean Stevenson being left out of the letter styling. Let's maybe lump it in with all the other tiny errors we found from the show?

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15 Comments

TonyClifton 21 months ago
It was imperative for MacLean to quit M*A*S*H so he could star in the mega-hit series "Hello Larry."
Hogansucks1 44 months ago
Ah- the small things in life! ☺️
Connor 65 months ago
William Christopher's name didn't have the C stenciled either but other people's C'S did like Burt Metcalfe
ETristanBooth 70 months ago
So the "I" was not stenciled in other names. Perhaps this was the plan, but Stevenson's name has no "I" so they used the "T" which is the letter most similar to an "I."
DaveTheBatMan 70 months ago
I can't guarantee anything, but shows as smart as M*A*S*H would likely sneak something like this in for a reason that only some insiders would know. As a completely-hypothetical example, the T wasn't stenciled because he (McLean Stevenson) hated tea, and they snuck that into the show (for whatever reason). (NOTE that this is a completely hypothetical example, as I have no idea.)
moax429 70 months ago
That font is called Cooper Black (stencil), created by Chicago typesetter Oswalt Cooper in the late 1920's.

GeorgeLyche 70 months ago
When McLean Stevenson left, he took the heart and soul of the show with him. He left behind the insufferable Henry Morgan, the moral hectoring of Alan Alda and the over acting scourge that is Jamie Farr. From the exit of Henry Blake to the very end, the show became an unwatchable series of formula jokes and laugh tracks.
ndebrabant GeorgeLyche 63 months ago
i liked Harry Morgan. He was not insufferable.
RedSamRackham GeorgeLyche 63 months ago
* In movie Hawkeye & Trapper were equals but TV sitcom was too much the Hawkeye show leading to Wayne Rogers (Trapper) quitting. Killing off Henry on his way home was just wrong. ♣
RedSamRackham ndebrabant 63 months ago
* True! Henry was 1 of the boys but Potter was a more beloved father figure, each a good CO in his own way. ☺
Flipper87 70 months ago
Lighten up people. I find it fun to see these things years after watching the show. It is fun to stumble on to mistakes. Reminds me of all that proof reading when writing term papers eons ago. It is a statement on the power of observation.
Joe Flipper87 70 months ago
I love finding errors. I have a computer folder full of screenshots. I attached one here and it's from the Today Show, too. It's not a local news station… it's a major network program.
djw1120 70 months ago
Does it really make that BIG a difference?
JeffTanner 70 months ago
Why are you making such a big deal out of this little thing for? Picky, Picky, Picky.
Pacificsun JeffTanner 70 months ago
Well it gives MeTV an opportunity to mention McLean Stevenson who sometimes gets glossed over when talking about all the others who stuck with (or were added to) the show. And reminds us that very human folks were in charge of some of the best shows we remember!
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