'M*A*S*H' star Alan Alda, who kept boots & dog tags from show, to auction off TV memorabilia
boots and dog tags that Alan Alda wore to portray the wisecracking surgeon Hawkeye on the beloved television series «M-A-S-H» meant so much to him that when the show ended 40 years ago, he kept them. But he's now ready to let the pieces go, in service of another passion: his center dedicated to helping scientists and doctors communicate better. Heritage Auctions is offering up the worn boots and military identification tags on July 28 in Dallas. Alda, 87, said he wore the boots and dog tags for the 11-season run of the show centering on a Korean War medical unit. Alda's character, Benjamin Franklin «Hawkeye» Pierce, was a talented surgeon who helped ease the stress of working in a war zone with quick quips and practical jokes. When the show ended in 1983 with an episode written and directed by Alda, it attracted the largest U.S. audience for any TV show in history. The boots and dog tags, given to him by the costume department, «made an impression on me every day that we shot the show,» said Alda, who won five Emmys for his work on the sitcom. Over his long career, Alda has also been a writer and filmmaker, and has worked on Broadway and starred in movies. Currently, he hosts a podcast on communicating called «Clear+Vivid.» «There's an old belief among actors that when you put the shoes of the character on, it's easier to believe you're the character and I think the boots had that effect on me,» Alda said.
Combat boots and dog tags worn by Alan Alda as he portrayed the wisecracking surgeon Hawkeye on the beloved television series «M-A-S-H» are displayed at Heritage Auctions in Irving, Texas, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. The items are up auction on July 28. (AP Photo/LM Otero)After receiving the dog tags, Alda realized that
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