Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Remembering Nurse Kellye, Cute As Hell


As I’ve noted on blog in the past, I am a big fan of M*A*S*H. I watch and re-watch and re-watch them again and again.

 

When someone watches a long running TV show over and over again, the characters gain an almost familial familiarity.  Even characters beyond those lucky enough to be in the opening credits.

 

At the 4077th M*A*S*H, Lt. Nurse Kellye Yamato became as much of the family as Hawkeye or Father Mulcahy or Col. Potter.

 

And sadly we’ve lost a member of that family. Kellye Nakahara Wallett  died at age 72 a couple on Sunday from cancer. 

 

Nurse Kellye was a constant mainstay as part of the background in M*A*S*H.  Frequently with nothing more to say than “Yes, Doctor” or “Yes, Major”, she became engrained in our recollections of M*A*S*H as a vital part of the unit. Loyal and dedicated with flashes of wit and charm.  Writer Ken Levine said they would give her jokes, rare for a supporting background player, and she would deliver them with warmth and humor. 

 

Lt. Nurse Kellye Yamato got a spotlight episode when she takes Hawkeye to task for flirting with every nurse in the outfit except her.  And she gives him hell for it: “For your information, I happen to have a fantastic sense of humor, a bubbly personality and I am warm and sensitive like you wouldn't believe. I also sing and play the guitar and I'm learning to tap dance. And on top of all that, I happen to be cute as hell.”

 

The punchline to that sequence comes later when Hawkeye, properly chastened, goes to call on Nurse Kellye only to find she already has a guy with her. Kellye wanted Hawkeye to notice her but she doesn’t need him. 

 

She also gets a scene with a dying soldier. She holds his hand and talks with him as he slowly slips away. It is an incredibly moving scene and Kellye Nakahara is on point perfectly. 

 

Nurse Kellye, whether she had a line or was just there in the background, was a valued part of the M*A*S*H family.  With the passing of Kellye Nakahara Wallett, she will be missed from that family. 

 

But she will be remembered as funny, sensitive, talented and cute as hell.  

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