Search results
May 30, 2010 · Introduction. There are a number of actresses who had recurring roles on M*A*S*H, appearing both credited and uncredited in numerous episodes. Some, like Kellye Nakahara and Gwen Farrell, were with the series for the bulk of its run. Others, like Marcia Strassman, were only in a single season. These actresses help make the 4077th feel like a ...
Bobbie Mitchell is an actress, known for her appearances as various nurse roles on M*A*S*H TV series. Bobbie has also made appearances in such shows as Charlie's Angels and Starsky and Hutch, and the TV movies The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War (1973) and The Sunshine Boys (1977). Over the course of the first five seasons of M*A*S*H, Bobbie Mitchell is credited in 16 different ...
Feb 8, 2016 · I note with sadness that Patricia Stevens (Nurse Mitchell, Nurse Abel, Nurse Baker etc.) has passed away from breast cancer on 26 May 2010. In addition to her work on M*A*S*H, she did voice work as “Velma Dinckley” for a few years on the Scooby Doo cartoon series.
- Overview
- Early Ables: Season 2 to Season 3
- Seasons of Plenty: Season 4 to early Season 5
- Later Ables: Judy Farrell's era
- References
- External links
Nurse Able was a generic name for minor nurse characters in the M*A*S*H TV series. Like Nurse Baker and Nurse Charlie, the name Able was derived from the phonetic alphabet used by the US Army in the 1950s before it was changed to "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie" later.
From Seasons 2-11 there were at least 21 episodes with a character named Nurse Able. They do not necessarily refer to the same person, and these characters were played by at least 11 different actresses.
In the early seasons, Nurse Able was a minor or side role usually with only a single line, but this evolved so that by Season 4, some Nurse Ables had a significant part in the plot.
Most of the time in these early appearances (but not always), the name Nurse Able would not be spoken in dialogue, but seen only in the credits. As with Nurse Baker, the name was simply a placeholder to be used for any generic nurse who happened to get a line -- there was no expectation that a specific actor would play the part, nor was a specific consistent character being created.
The early Nurse Ables comprised five appearances from Season 2 to 3 which were played either by Kellye Nakahara or Bobbie Mitchell. All of these appearances used the Nurse Able name in the credits, but the name was never spoken in dialogue.
Nurse Able first appeared in Season 2 "As You Were", played by Kellye Nakahara. She is assisting Hawkeye in the O.R. when Frank doubles over in pain because of his hernia. Hawkeye asks Able to close and dashes over to help Frank.
The next three appearances of Able are in early season 3, all played by Bobbie Mitchell who had already played six other nurse characters in earlier episodes. In "Iron Guts Kelly" and "O.R." Able is seen in the early part of the episode helping Trapper and Hawkeye suit up in the scrub room. In both cases she only has a few lines, limited to bantering with the doctors while they are preparing for surgery.
Five episodes later, in "There Is Nothing Like a Nurse", Bobbie Mitchell is Able again although she has just played Nurse Baker in the previous episode. This time she is in the supply tent saying goodbye to Hawkeye just before the nurses are due to be evacuated because of an impending enemy attack. "Why are all the great guys married?" she asks. "Who said I was?" Hawkeye says. "You did," she replies. Obviously Hawkeye must have told her he is married in order to avoid commitment, much like what he did to the various nurses in Season 1 "Ceasefire". This is Bobbie Mitchell's final appearance as Nurse Able. She will appear as Nurse Baker again just a few episodes later.
From Season 4 to the first half of Season 5, there were eleven appearances (eight credited, three uncredited) of Nurse Able played by eight different actresses. This group included familiar recurring cast members like Patricia Stevens and Lynette Mettey who had already played other nurse characters, and actresses like Sherry Steffens or Susan Bredhoff for whom a single Nurse Able part would be their only appearance on the M*A*S*H series.
1.Character name seen in credits, but not used in dialogue: The first Able in this period appeared in Season 4 "The Late Captain Pierce". Played by Sherry Steffens, this is the first Able to have a substantial speaking part. Hawkeye is officially dead because of a clerical error. Lieutenant "Digger" Detweiler from the morgue detail comes to the MASH to collect his body but is upset to find Hawkeye alive and so prowls the camp to find a dead body, any dead body, to replace him. He waits outside the O.R. hoping for a dead body to emerge. Able who is assisting BJ and Hawkeye in the OR says that Digger's presence gives her the creeps. Hawkeye tells her that he is just doing his job: "He needs a body." Hawkeye suggests Able needs one too and asks what she is doing afterwards. She replies that she plans to wash her hair, if she can find some beer. Hawkeye offers his tent and his beer, adding, "Dead men tell no tales, you know." Coming out into the scrub room, Hawkeye tells Digger that the patient made it, so a disappointed Digger leaves. As the doctors and Able remove their surgical gowns, BJ suggests that they should organize a wake for Hawkeye. Able says, "That's sick," but Hawkeye thinks it's a good idea. "I would have wanted it that way." Sherry Steffens, who played Nurse Able in this episode, later changed her name to Connor Snyder and talked about her experience as Nurse Able. Perhaps Steffens was a stage name she used earlier on.
2.Character name seen in credits, but not used in dialogue: A few episodes later, in "Dear Mildred" Hawkeye again tries to hit on Nurse Able, this time played by Patricia Stevens. He suggests going to the generator shed to watch the valves go up and down, bird-watching, or because it is night, bat-watching. She turns down all these offers and his efforts are not helped by Radar, who interrupts, wanting to speak to Hawkeye.
3.Character name NOT seen in credits, and not used in dialogue: In "Of Moose and Men", Lois Foraker plays a nurse who summons Hawkeye to Post Op because his patient, Col. Spiker is anxious to speak to him. Hawkeye wonders why, because Col. Spiker's vital signs are good and in any case Spiker doesn't like him. Foraker suggests maybe the colonel wants to thank him. She was earlier seen playing baseball in the compound. Although uncredited, this part is sometimes considered among the Ables as this is Foraker's next credited role.
4.Character name seen in credits, but not used in dialogue: In "Dear Ma" the next Able is played by veteran recurring cast member Gwen Farrell. This is a small part in the O.R., with Able responding to BJ's instructions to get x-rays and an anesthetist for his next patient.
5.Character name seen in credits, AND used in dialogue: Two episodes later in "Some 38th Parallels", Hawkeye now has a relationship going with Able (Lynette Mettey). This is the first time the Able name is used in dialogue. In the O.R. Able asks Hawkeye out for a date, saying she will offer him a nickel. Hawkeye says, "Sold, I'm so easy," and adds later, "Do you have a license to troll for doctors?" They go to the Swamp but Hawkeye is impotent due to the tension he is feeling. Able reassures him but before they can try again, Radar interrupts because BJ needs him in Post Op. Hawkeye says he will be back before she can whistle Carmen, so she starts whistling as he leaves. Much later, Hawkeye feels much better after the MASH has pulled the practical joke and dropped garbage all over Col. Coner. He approaches Able and asks if she still has the nickel. "All I've got's a quarter," she says. "No problem. I think I can make change now," he replies.
The actress who had the most appearances as Nurse Able was Judy Farrell , the former wife of M*A*S*H co-star Mike Farrell; Judy first appeared in the role in “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” in early Season 5, but her era truly began in the last few episodes of Season 5 beginning with “Movie Tonight” where Nurse Able, along with several of her fellow nurses, had prepared for a trip to a party with some helicopter pilots but after seeing the fun that the rest of the camp was having, decided to stay. From this episode onwards and until the end of the series, all the remaining Nurse Able appearances would be played by Judy Farrell. And just like in "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" and "Movie Tonight", Judy Farrell would often be paired with Enid Kent's Nurse Bigelow.
In “Post Op”, in an uncredited appearance, Judy Farrell plays Able on Post Op duty when Potter and Frank are puzzling over an unconscious but otherwise uninjured patient. Potter turns around and calls to Able by name and asks if the patient arrived already unconscious and she confirms it. Next episode, in “Margaret’s Marriage” Able helps throw a bridal shower for Margaret and also does triage in her Class A uniform when Margaret's wedding ceremony is interrupted by the arrival of wounded.
In Season 6 “Images” Able, with Bigelow, convinces Hawkeye and B.J. to talk to Margaret about giving Nurse Cooper a break. Then in Season 7 “Ain’t Love Grand”, she tries to talk Hawkeye into going back to the Swamp during his feud with B.J. but to no avail.
Two late season Ables are attributed by IMDB to Gwen Farrell: in Season 8 Period of Adjustment and Season 9 Operation Friendship but these are not confirmed. In the first case, Farrell is credited simply as "nurse" and strangely doesn't appear in the show at all. In the second, Farrell has one brief line in pre-op but is uncredited. She is not addressed by name so there is no basis to link her character to the name Able. A look at the script might provide confirmation whether this role is really meant to be Able.
1.Hannibal Courier Post site, Hollywood veteran helps Bowling Green actors hone their skills, accessed on 26 Jan 2015 Archive URL
•Nurse Able (M*A*S*H character) at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
•Nurses of the 4077th: Nurses with Recurring Roles at MASH4077th.TV website
- Loretta Swit (1937-) Swit inherited the role of head nurse of the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan from Sally Kellerman, who held the part in the M*A*S*H movie.
- Alan Alda (1936-) After playing the beloved Dr. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Alda has gone on to have a successful acting career in TV and film, landing roles on ER, The West Wing, 30 Rock and The Big C, as well as movies like The Aviator and Wanderlust.
- Jamie Farr (1934-) Sgt. Maxwell Q. Klinger, who wore women’s clothes in the hopes that he could be discharged—as unfit for combat—and go home, appeared in 216 episodes of the hit sitcom from 1972-1983.
- William Christopher (1932-2016) After bringing Father Francis Mulcahy to life for M*A*S*H's 11 seasons, Christopher joined many former co-stars with stints on The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote.
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable.
People also ask
How many nurses did Bobbie Mitchell play on M*A*S*H?
How many nurses did Bobbie Mitchell appear in?
Who is Bobbie Mitchell?
What is the name of a nurse in M*A*S*H?
May 12, 2014 · Every Monday, I spotlight a random episode of M*A*S*H, providing a brief review and asking readers to offer their thoughts. “There Is Nothing Like A Nurse” (#58, 3×10) Originally Broadcast: Tuesday, November 19th, 1974. Written by Larry Gelbart. Directed by Hy Averback. Capsule Summary: The nurses of the 4077th are evacuated due to the ...
