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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