MASH reference - he was a character in the first season - Spearchucker Jones. He was the 4077’s QB.
Full disclosure - I’ve seen every episode at least once
From Wikipedia -
Capt. Spearchucker Jones
Captain Oliver Harmon"
Spearchucker"
Jones is a character who appears in the novel
MASH (and its sequels), and was portrayed by
Fred Williamson in the movie and
Timothy Brown in the television series. In all iterations, the Spearchucker character is a superior surgeon who was also a stand-out collegiate athlete. "Spearchucker", a common
racial slur, is said to refer in this case to his
javelin-throwing prowess. Initially, he is transferred to the 4077th to help them win a
football game (Jones is said to have played with the NFL's
San Francisco 49ers) against the 321st Evac Hospital. In the novel, it is related that while a poorly paid resident, he had been scouted by the
Philadelphia Eagles playing semi-professional football in New Jersey for extra cash, and had been signed by the
Eagles, playing with them until he was drafted. Coincidentally, actor Timothy Brown played most of his nine-year NFL career with Philadelphia and was selected to the team's Hall of Fame in 1990.
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It is established in the novel that Jones is from
Duke Forrest's hometown of
Forest Park, Georgia, and knew Duke's father. Duke makes racist comments about Jones, causing Hawkeye and Trapper to punish Duke. In the sequel novels, particularly
M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, Jones joins the other doctors in their practice in Spruce Harbor, Maine, becoming a highly successful doctor and prominent citizen.
The character's middle name was Harmon in the film and Wendell in the novels. He is a
board-certifiedneurosurgeon in the film, and in Episode 1/04, "Chief Surgeon Who?" in which Hawkeye is named Chief Surgeon of the 4077th, Spearchucker's specialty is indicated as he struggles to do other types of surgery. When he asks Hawkeye for help, he says, "Anything outside the skull, I'm dead."
Spearchucker was shown during several episodes during the first season of the series. His full name was never mentioned in the series. He was one of the original Swampmen with
Trapper,
Hawkeye, and
Frank Burns, and was the sole black surgeon at the 4077th. In the pilot episode, to raise funds for Ho-Jon's education, Trapper "jokingly" suggests selling Spearchucker. During his brief run on the show, it was implied that he and nurse Ginger Bayliss (played by
Odessa Cleveland) were romantically involved.
Spearchucker's role was limited. It is implied he assisted Hawkeye and Trapper in their schemes on the sidelines. The producers decided to drop the character after the first few episodes, reasoning that they wouldn't be able to write enough meaningful episodes for Spearchucker if they were concentrating on Hawkeye and Trapper. Some accounts assert the producers were unable to find evidence for black Army surgeons in
Korea; there were, however, several black surgeons who served in the US military at the time.
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Oliver Harmon "Spearchucker" Jones was a surgeon who appears in the MASH novel by Richard Hooker, the MASH movie and also in the M*A*S*H television series. He was portrayed by Fred Williamson in the movie and by Timothy Brown , who also played the part of corpsman Corporal Judson in the film. In...
mash.fandom.com
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