Is it even possible to pick a favorite Alan Alda character? What do you think of Senator Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”? Or lawyer Jack Burroughs in “The Four Seasons”? And of course, “Hawkeye” Pierce, the sarcastic Korean War combat surgeon, in “M*A*S*H”?
For his work on “M*A*S*H,” which aired on CBS for 11 seasons beginning in 1972, Alda won five of his six Emmy Awards for acting, writing and directing.
“I have doctors coming up to me on the street all the time and saying that seeing me on the show made them want to become a doctor,” Alda said. “Not a single one said it made them want to become an actor!”
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Long before she played Pierce, Alda – now 90 years old – was on the other side of the stethoscope. At the age of seven, he contracted polio, before there was a vaccine. “My dad had just landed a big role in a movie, playing George Gershwin,” he said. “And about a week after he started shooting, I got polio. And he and my mother had to administer the treatment, which was almost burning bundles of wool on each limb. They were practically torturing their child. I remember thinking that it was hard on them.”
As a child, Alda studied her father Robert Alda’s performances in vaudeville and burlesque, as well as on Broadway, when Robert starred in the original cast of “Guys and Dolls.” “I stood backstage and watched it every Saturday,” Alan said.
But Lady Luck gave the family a hard time. Her mother, Joan, a former beauty pageant winner, was complicated. “My mother suffered from mental illness, schizophrenia and paranoia,” Alda said. “So sometimes the communication was about the crack in the wall, where they had a camera that took pictures of us. I think that contributed a lot to the tools that I had later, to try to understand what’s real and what’s not. I had to choose a reality and try to stick to it. … It made me more observant. And I think it even helped – I realized it for the first time at that moment! – I think it made me a little more curious.”
He’s particularly curious about human connections, something he encouraged on the set of “M*A*S*H.” “We didn’t go back to our locker room between shots,” he said. “It took about an hour or two to light up the new set. We sat in a circle and made fun of each other and laughed. And that connection that we had, we took with us to the set.”
Which had a huge impact on viewers. More than 100 million people watched the final episode of the series. “They think 106. But I think it was probably more. Not that I’m greedy!” he laughed.
For years, Alda has been concerned that scientists and medical professionals often use technical language that is difficult for the general public to understand. It is with this in mind that in 2009, Stony Brook University in New York founded the Alan Alda Center for Science Communication. Back in 2013our own Tracy Smith saw Alda use methods from her own acting experience, including improvisation.
He said: “Improvisation really puts you in touch with the other person, and that’s when I realized the value of connection.”
Connection is one of Alan Alda’s superpowers. Since 2018, on his podcast “Clear+Vivid”, he has interviewed guests like Paul McCartney, Michael J. Fox, Noah Wyle and recently Joy Behar.
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For Alda, communicating with people means being clear and honest, which is why he will openly discuss his Parkinson’s disease. “I had a symptom that, at the time, was not very well known: achieving your dreams,” he said. “I dreamed that someone was attacking me. I picked up a sack of potatoes and threw it at them. What I was really doing was throwing a pillow at Arlene, my wife.”
At the time, he had no other symptoms: “I had no tics, no tremors, no voice problems.”
He was 79 years old. A few years later, Alda decided to reveal the diagnosis. “I definitely think reality is my friend,” he said. “I don’t want to wish for it. I can’t wish for it. I can’t hope for a better future. I have to accept what is.”
There is currently no cure for this neurological disorder, but there are medications and other treatments. “I don’t let Parkinson’s define me,” he said. “It’s not who I am. It’s just a hobby.”
Which brings us to what Alda considers the importance of a sense of humor: “Very important, because the best way to deal with anything that’s a little problem is to find out what’s funny and laugh about it.”
But what’s funny about Parkinson’s disease? “I’ll be at the computer keyboard writing an email, and Dr. Parkinson moves my hand all over the screen. I have the mouse, and he eliminates things and he deletes the elements that I need,” Alda laughed. “From time to time, I get frustrated. But I find what makes me laugh, and then I go and tell Arlene. Laughter first brought us together. We were invited to dinner at a friend’s house. And Arlene was sitting at one end of the table, and I was sitting at the other end. And I noticed that she was laughing at my jokes. So already I was under the spell. In March, we will be married 70 years.”
They have three daughters and eight grandchildren.
Alan Alda says he feels really good, even though Arlene has to help him button his shirt in the morning, which he admitted he hates. “Of course I feel that way from time to time,” Alda said. “I hate it, but the only thing that’s helpful is: What haven’t I tried? And pretty soon you get the feeling, ‘If I keep looking for new ways to try this, I’ll find a solution.’ It’s a headache. Will I ever be able to put on my socks? The last time I put on my socks was a great moment to celebrate!”
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Story produced by Jay Kernis. Editor: Carol Ross.
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