M*A*S*H: The reason "Spearchucker" Jones was cut from the television series

Spearkchucker Jones makes his debut

Dr. Oliver Harmon "Spearkchucker" Jones was a significant character in Richard Hooker's novel MASH. In the MASH film, the surgeon was portrayed by NFL player Fred Williamson and in the television series M*A*S*H another former NFL player Timothy Brown stepped into the role. Brown had also been in the movie as corpsman Corporal Judson in the film.

"Spearchucker" got his nickname because of the way he could throw a javelin but the term has long been used as a racial slur as a reminder to black male slaves that they came from Africa where they "chucked spears" or in other words lived an uncivilized lifestyle. The term continued in American culture and is considered by many as a replacement for the "N" word.

In the television series, during the early part of season one, Spearchucker appears as one of the original Swampmen, along with Frank Burns (Larry Linville) Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda), and "Trapper" John Macintyre (Wayne Rogers) . In the episode "Chief Surgeon Who?" it is revealed that Jones was a neurosurgeon and he was front and center in the episodes "The Moose" and "Henry Please Come Home."

The reason Dr. Jones disappeared

Jones displayed great comradery with fellow surgeons Hawkeye and Trapper but he disappeared from the 4077th after on;y six episodes and there are several theories as to why but none have been proven. It is believed by some that his racist nickname of "Spearchucker" was too offensive but this could have been remedied by calling the doctor by his given name moving forward.

Another suggestion is that the show wanted to focus on two close friends instead of three. The dynamic between Hawkeye and Trapper as a team was repeated after Rogers departed M*A*S*H and B J Honeycutt (Mike Farrell) and Hawkeye became comrades.

A third theory is that the character of Dr. Jones was historically incorrect because there were no black surgeons during the Korean war. In subsequent years, however, this was proven to be untrue as information came to light that verified there were indeed African American surgeons in the Korean war. It has been rumored that once the powers that be realized there were black surgeons, instead of recalling Brown they used the excuse of exploring the relationship between Trapper and Hawkeye.

Timothy Brown: Getting to know him

Timothy Brown was born Thomas Allen Brown on May 24, 1937, and became a running back who played in Super Bowl III with the Baltimore Colts. In 1967 during his final season with the Philadelphia Eagles, he decided he wanted an acting career. Brown made his debut when he appeared in the premiere episode of the third season of The Wild Wild West as Clint Cartwheel in "The Night of the Bubbling Death."

Brown later appeared in a few episodes of Adam-12 as Carl Owens, Kenneth James, and a Station Attendant. This is what led to his becoming a series regular on one of the long-running and most beloved television series ever.

Timothy Brown later life

Jones went on to appear in the television series TJ Hooker and Remington Steele and was in the first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In addition to MASH, his movie credits include Sweet Sugar and Black Gunn in 1972. Bonnie's Kids (1973), Girls Are for Loving (1973), and Dynamite Brothers in 1974, He was in the film Nashville in 1975 and also sang on the soundtrack. He was in Zebra Force, Black Heat, and Gus in 1976 and Midnight Ride in1990.

Additional accomplishments

Brown began singing and tap dancing while a student at Ball State College. In 1962, he recorded "I Got Nothin' But Time" and "Silly Rumors" at Imperial Records (Travis Music Co. & Rittenhouse Music, Inc. In 1964, he headed a stage show at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey where he was backed by a nine-piece orchestra. He made a guest appearance on the television show I've Got a Secret during which he sang a song of the same name.

Along with Gary Burghoff, Corey Fisher, and G. Wood, Brown is one of only four actors who appeared in both the original MASH movie and also the spin-off television series. In his later years, Brown worked as a correctional officer in Los Angeles but after retiring he began residing in Palm Springs, California which is where he passed away at age 82 on April 4, 2020, of complications from dementia.