Alan Alda - great guy!

I think he is OK, OP doesn't like him because OP is Russian.

Because he touched me!

He ruined MASH by turning it into some preachy anachronistic soapbox....the show became insufferably unwatchable in it's last years.

He aged horribly.

He's 81 for God's sake, R4.

LOVED him in "Same Time Next Year."

According to Catherine O'Hara, he's not that great. She just groans when asked about working with him.

There's a chapter in Jackie Cooper's book about his time directing "MASH" and he's not wild about the guy either.

Wasn't he "difficult to work with?" And rude to fans? I remember something about him in a thread here once...

[quote]LOVED him in "Same Time Next Year."

He was his usual smarmy grinning self. It just happened to be a good play and ELLEN BURSTYN was the one who ran with it.

On Broadway she did it with Charles Grodin and although she doesn't say it, I think she would have preferred him to have been in the movie with her. But he wasn't as bankable a 'star'.

I never cared for Alda. His acting is a little too over-the-top.

Isn't he one of the deplorables?

It's amazing how MASH does not hold up at all. Hammy, corny, and preachy.

How dare you! How very DARE you!

Why is Same Time Next Year so hard to find?

It’s never available to stream anywhere.

[quote]Why is Same Time Next Year so hard to find?

Taliking of Charles Grodin, watch Heartbreak Kid instead. It's much better >>

Actually, a lot of the good or OK films of the 70s are hard to find, for some reason.

Whose idea were those stupid glasses? What a putz!

I haven’t discussed feelings this much since we rented the Alan Alda collection...

It's not that he's a bad guy or a bad actor, it's that he's impossibly smug.

Sanctimonious git.

Didn't Woody Allen use him in a few things to NOT a great effect?

The only movie I liked him in was the preposterous WHISPERS IN THE DARK. When he bashes Jill Clayburgh in the face with that wine bottle - that's the real Alan Alda!!!

He's the male version of Mariska Hargitay.

He was excellent in “Crimes and Misdemeanors”.

RIP Alan

wow! He's REALLY interesting on twitter

[quote]One more thing to worry about: Your kitchen sponge harbors zillions of microbes. Cleaning it could make things worse

[quote]Thought for the day: In a can of cashews, the big nuts rise to the top. I'm just saying.

whadaguy!!

Very interesting about Catherine O’Hara, R6 — I’ve never known her to comment negatively on anyone! Would love to learn more about her feelings on Alda.

r24, He and Jaclyn Smith should hook up.

[quote]He was his usual smarmy grinning self. It just happened to be a good play and ELLEN BURSTYN was the one who ran with it. On Broadway she did it with Charles Grodin and although she doesn't say it, I think she would have preferred him to have been in the movie with her. But he wasn't as bankable a 'star'.

Actually, she does say it. She makes it perfectly clear.

Where does she say it?

In her book.

Saw him and his wife on the street in Manhattan during the MASH heyday. Yes, I am that old. He gave off a vibe that made me think that he was a nasty piece of work. I didn't try to approach him as I was never a fan, but those did he dismissed with sneers.

The poor thing got dumped in Wilmington, Delaware (a total hellhole now) with two crazy aunts, so his parents could go on the road with their burlesque act.

Gary Burghoff who is no prize himself, despised Alda. From his Twitter feed:

There were 2 Hawkeyes. Donald Sutherland was one. The other was known behind his back as “The turd.” — Gary Burghoff (@Gary_Burghoff) December 21, 2013

Alan Alda wanted his own bathroom. The producers wouldn’t give him one so he used to take dumps in paper bags and leave them around the set — Gary Burghoff (@Gary_Burghoff) December 17, 2013

Alan could dish out pranks but not take it Once someone spiked his drink & wanted to fight the culprit. As if he knows how to throw a punch — Gary Burghoff (@Gary_Burghoff) January 8, 2014

I was once nominated for an award & didnt go to the ceremony because Alan was presenting. It would have been about him. Its always about him — Gary Burghoff (@Gary_Burghoff) December 23, 2013

[quote]Alan Alda wanted his own bathroom. The producers wouldn’t give him one so he used to take dumps in paper bags and leave them around the set

OMG!

I wonder if that's actually true.

I never liked the way he seemingly never helped his sister Rutanya out. After she did 'Mommie Dearest' she had a little buzz, you would have thought he could've given her a small part in 'The Four Seasons' or a guest spot on 'Mash', but nothing...

Even I got a bit part on MASH!

He does tend to get mentioned in the "encounters with asshole celebrity" threads.

what they say, R36?

R22 he was. Also Flirting with Disaster.

When he stopped trying to push his likeable Every man act so hard is when I really began to like him as a performer.

He was actually great in all the Woody Allen movies he was in and deserved an Oscar nomination for Crimes & Misdemeanors.

he is annoying and his voice grates

ellen WAS the only high light in same time next year great movie

even if AA was in it.....

i vote

NO

Always hated Alan Alda-- his voice, his smarmy smirk, and his alleged "good guy" image, which I thought was total BS. Overrated.

Can't recall specifically, R37, but there was one encounter where he was addressed by a fan in a store as "Alan", and he insisted they refer to him as "Mr. Alda". Not sure if I have that 100% right, but that was the gist of it. Seemed pompous and entitled.

I had a friend who did a Jello commercial with Bill Cosby who insisted he be addressed as "Dr. Cosby." Apparently, he was quite unpleasant overall then (this was in the 1980's, before the rape allegations).

He was perfect in CRIMES

and I liked him in MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY

Bill Cosby has a PhD??

The Cosby allegations have been in the whispers since the late 60s

I enjoyed Alda in the blacklist.

He seemed to be giving a meta performance based on his reputation

I think he has an Ed.D. which was not given as an honorarium; I remember reading or hearing way back that he actually did the class work but not 100%v sure (too lazy to Google)!

He was good in the Allen movies, and "The Four Seasons" is one of my favorite films. Everything else...not so much.

I belive the 'Fat Albert' series was Cosby's dissertation (that is not a joke).

His best role was playing an asshole in The Aviator.

Actually, doesn't the Woody Allen film make a play on his seemingly nice persona?

I've seen him once or twice walking through Bryant park with his wife, a small white haired lady. He's quite tall.

I'm shocked that anyone is taking anything the poison dwarf Gary Burghoff says seriously. A hateful shrimp full of spite for everyone and everything.

I do agree though that the end of M*A*S*H became extremely preachy and PC largely thanks to Alda.

Alan Alda is 6ft 2in or 188 cm

Alan Alda‏ Verified account @alanalda Oct 10

I worry that when predators like Weinstein go away, the whole web of obstacles for women in business remains. Still lots of work to be done.

Really, Alan? You mean obstacles like having a famous brother who won't throw a bone to his struggling sister even after she plays Joan Crawford's devoted servant in an iconic film?

He was surprisingly good in The Mephisto Waltz.

He makes a great villain, e.g,, the Aviator or the Blacklist.

He sucks.

Agree with him being good in The Blacklist. He was genuinely scary/creepy in the part. I hated him in the execrable Sweet Liberty so much it was years before I could watch anything with him again. He co starred with Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Michelle Pfeiffer and an ancient Lillian Gish and he was a wet rag compared to any of them.

I never liked him as an actor until he started plying "against type". Bob Gallo in "And the Band Played On" and that jerk in "Crimes and Misdemeanors". I agree he was annoying in "Same Time, Next Year". Burstyn was great, Griffin would have made it much better.

Meryl Streep almost broke his penis in a movie.

R51, And Mike Farrell.

That leaving bags of shit around the set because they wouldn't supply him with a john, is both hilarious and ridiculous in equal measure.

Even a big star like Alda would have been fired for such a thing.

Even Elizabeth Taylor would have been fired for such a crime.

and the whole world would have heard about it.

Wasn't Mash supposed to be set in the 1950s?

Who had hair like this in the 50s? Least of all in the army.

[quote]The only movie I liked him in was the preposterous WHISPERS IN THE DARK. When he bashes Jill Clayburgh in the face with that wine bottle - that's the real Alan Alda!!!

ITA, that scene was so creepy---the way he's casually talking amiably to everyone at the table, and then he just smashes her in the face. He was such an over the top good guy in the movie that the scene comes as a shock. It's the turning point when you realize he's a psychopath. I don't remember much else about that movie, but that scene stayed with me because I did wonder if it mirrored who he was in real life. A good guy facade, but a creep underneath.

Alan Alda had a younger half brother named Antony. He was Robert Alda's son by his second wife. Antoy Alda was born in France I believe and raised in Italy. He came to the US at age 14 and was about 20 years younger than Alan.

He was a pretty good actor, spoke Italian and French fluently, appeared on Soaps, etc. Also never got a hand up from Alan. Antony Alda died at about age 50 of alcoholism.

There are videos devoted to him on youtube. There are columns written for MSM, eulogizing him. And nothing I have ever found refers to Alan Alda's acknowledging even his very existence. I just thought that was so odd. Everyone who ever met Antony Alda apparently loved him. And yet, Alan Alda? Not a word. I just think that speaks volumes.

Who, by the way, is Rutanya Alda?

He's lives near me and he is a nice person. One of my older neighbors used to work at house parties and galas and said he was the nicest and most generous person she ever worked for. Said he tipped the catering crew more than they got paid by the company.

R66 = Alan's agent

His daughter Beatrice, on the right in the photo, is married to Jennifer Brooke. They produced the documentary Out Late, about five individuals who came out after the age of fifty.

Blind Gossip has an item about him right now.

Rutanya is not related.

He was great in The West Wing.

What's the Blind Gossip item?

[quote]I'm shocked that anyone is taking anything the poison dwarf Gary Burghoff says seriously. A hateful shrimp full of spite for everyone and everything.

Say it ain’t so! Eight-year-old me worshipped Radar.

Here he is with Dame Edna, He's a good sport, Dame Edna's a genius!

I'm a fan but can see why he turns some people off. To dispel one piece of misinformation in this thread -- he's definitely not a deplorable. Has always been an outspoken liberal. Gary Burghoff on the other hand is a big right winger. I assume they didn't get along on MASH because they were both prima donnas.

I agree with others who said his career re-flourished later on when he starting playing villains and assholes. He's had the kind of career that any actor would want - working steadily in interesting roles over five decades, plus the chance to write, direct, etc.

I've recently been rewatching some of the later seasons of MASH. It's true many are overly preachy, although there's still plenty of good writing and acting. David Ogden Stiers is a constant highlight, as is Bill Christopher. But Alda seems bored in a lot of those episodes, unless he's on his soapbox.

Doesn't he have Parkinson's?

They're still showing reruns of MASH on TV. Looks like MASH shelf up almost as well as that poor kid and his Seinfeld show.

About 35 years ago I saw Alan Alda in NYC. He was walking with his arm around the shoulder of a younger girl (his daughter?) and staring straight ahead. Behind him were two young women literally screaming, "OH MY GOD IT'S HAWKEYE!!!"

[quote] The only movie I liked him in was the preposterous WHISPERS IN THE DARK. When he bashes Jill Clayburgh in the face with that wine bottle - that's the real Alan Alda!!!

[quote] TA, that scene was so creepy---the way he's casually talking amiably to everyone at the table, and then he just smashes her in the face. He was such an over the top good guy in the movie that the scene comes as a shock. It's the turning point when you realize he's a psychopath. I don't remember much else about that movie, but that scene stayed with me because I did wonder if it mirrored who he was in real life. A good guy facade, but a creep underneath.

So because he is an accomplished actor, you believed he was, in fact, just like the character he was playing.

It is a performance and the reason we have this asshole in the WH is that people can't distinguish a performance from reality.

Its called acting for a reason.

Well?

There is more queer envy on this thread than any thread before.

How so?

Alan is supposed to be well hung.

No one here is going to post about his father??

Robert Alda (born Alphonos Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo) was an incredibly dashing and charismatic actor on Broadway and created the role of Sky Masterson in GUYS AND DOLLS. He also starred as George Gershwin in the Hollywood bio-pic RHAPSODY IN BLUE.

Alan Alda hasn't been a celebrity for like 30 years.

I wish I had one tenth of his money.

I wish I had a tenth of his penis.

[quote] According to Catherine O'Hara, he's not that great. She just groans when asked about working with him.

More about this, please.

How much more could there be if she won't discuss it?

He was a real fucker!

He's good friends with Joy Behar so I doubt his a deplorable.

He was a psycho in "To Kill a Clown"

Isn't he well known to be a liberal?

All the stars from MASH seem insufferable.

I've met him twice and he's a complete asshole.

I'd give him a break and wonder if the daily routine of doing MASH and trying to maintain a certain standard just wore him down and brought out his unpleasantness?

He's was a very well-respected Broadway actor throughout the 1960s starring in The Apple Tree with Barbara Harris (I saw that one and he was wonderful) and The Owl and the Pussycat with Diana Sands (and made into a mediocre film with Barbra Streisand & George Segal), among other credits.

J saw him in Bryant Park a few years ago, strolling with his white haired little wife. He’s extremely tall and really stands out in a crowd. I didn’t catch any “vibe” from him.

According to Blind Gossip, he won't allow people working in stores to look at him or address him. One of THOSE.

How the hell does Alda prevent people working in stores from looking at him? That assertion makes no sense.

He’s ok, but really overrated as a science communicator. He supports training for scientists to communicate their research and there is a center for science communication named for him, but he has no actual training in science. To nonscientists, he seems brilliant, yet he is more a narrator than actual science writer or great thinker. It’s irritating that star struck fans think he’s like Carl Sagan, but that’s not his fault. He’s seems more fortunate than talented.

To Kill a Clown is a weird, great movie. With Blythe Danner!

I thought everyone in NY AND Hollywood found him smug, overbearing and insufferable? I've heard almost nothing nice about him.

My God he's pompous in this interview.

He has a podcast, and earlier this year he hosted a MASH reunion, with Swit, Farr, Burghoff, and Farrell. All seemed to get along just fine. A lot of reminiscing about the MASH production, and co-stars now gone. I wasn't the biggest MASH fan - just a kid when it first aired, and never got into the reruns - but found it interesting to hear their stories all the same.

Re The Happy Reunion.

Assuming they all got paid, it is called acting

Gwen Verdon was on Mash but they didn't cover it on Fosse / Verdon

I just watched this horrible pre-MASH movie he starred in with Marlo Thomas called "Jenny". It was from 1970, so they talk about "good vibes" and their signs and Jean-Luc Godard. And there's a terrible theme song. I guess Marlo Thomas's performance was marginally worse than Alda's, but if you're super bored, get high, watch it, and let me know what you think.

Speaking of bizarre Alan Alda movies.

I hate his voice.

He's always reminded me of Phil Donahue for some reason.

Hi dad had the best voice, which Alan failed to inherit.

He said his mother was mentally ill.

Op, if you stop channeling your self-hatred into these weird and pointless rants about the imaginary faults of people you know nothing about you might live a happier life.

He tried to foist a very unattractive daughter on us via some sitcom pilot.

Loved The Mephisto Waltz though.

Shouldn't he have a Kennedy Center Honor by now?

It was more important to get LL Cool J honored before he died.

He was always annoying, a sanctimonious blowhard.

He had a tough childhood.

Alan Alda is the worst. I've hated him since I was a young boy, rushing to switch the channel whenever a MASH rerun aired.

He's talented. But he seemed very full of himself, with no self awareness, on Gilbert Gottfried's podcast.

I’ll always kind of love him for doing a cartwheel when he was going to accept an Emmy.

He is fearless.

R103, seriously? What happened to Burghoff's endless vendetta against Alda?

Bygones.

I never hated him but totally get the smug, sanctimonious vibe he threw off in the '70s. Wasn't he in Marlo's "Free to Be" thing? He was overall like every woman of that era's ex-husband.

He sat in the row behind us at a show in NY last year. He's definitely 6'2. There was a crazed fan/vague acquaintance in the row behind him, who demanded his attention during intermission and the end of the play.

He was in the first class cabin on a flight I took a few years ago. Was friendly and charming to all around.

Alan Alda.