Alan Alda MEMORIES of M*A*S*H

THE BELOVED ACTOR LOOKS BACK AS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR TV SHOWS OF ALL TIME CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY 

- JULIE JORDAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it premiered on Sept. 17, 1972, M*A*S*H, the comedy-drama series following a team of American doctors and support staff stationed in South Korea during the Korean War, was a risky venture. Would its often-dark humor connect with an audience divided over the real-life conflict in Vietnam? Eleven seasons later, when its last episode aired, more than 100 million viewers tuned in, making it still the most-watched TV finale of all time. "I'm not sure we ever knew what kind of impact it was having," says Alan Alda, 86, who starred as Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce. "It took a while to catch on, lingering near the bottom of the ratings for the first season. We got used to coming to work, doing the best shows we could and not worrying about the numbers. By the time that huge audience watched the last episode, we were kind of shocked."

In an email interview, Alda (who revealed he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015) shared behind-the-scenes moments that resonate with him and how he hopes the show and his own legacy-will be remembered.

 

What goes through your mind anytime someone mentions M*A*S*H?

Gratitude that what we did all those years ago is still on people's minds.

Does it feel like it's been 50 years?

 No, it seems more like 100. It feels like it happened to a totally different person. Fortunately, though, this person still lets me live in his house.

Take us back to that first day on-set. What do you remember most?