The year: 1972. The political backdrop: The Vietnam War, Watergate and passage of The Equal Rights Amendment in the Senate. The place: Somewhere in suburban New Jersey. The girl: A 13 year old creating her own Utopia through books, movies and television. The show that left a permanent mark in her heart: M*A*S*H.
The man who stole her heart: Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo, a tall, handsome actor who turned the world on with his smile (sorry, Mary). He stole her heart the minute she laid eyes on him; his eyes twinkled each time he smiled. Sigh.
Alda as Hawkeye
By now you know I’m talking about my celebrity crush. The one I had, and still have, on Alan Alda.
“No man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle and good, without the world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness.” ~Alan Alda
His peerless acting ability allowed me to feel the pain, frustration – and, yes, the comedy - of being an army doctor during The Korean “Conflict”. He carved a permanent place in my heart as I watched him every Sunday night as I lay on my parent’s orange and yellow bedspread in front of our 19 inch Zenith television.
My personal collection: 11 seasons of M*A*S*H
As I began to learn more about him, I decided the role he played, as Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, wasn’t the only part of him that I loved. I also admired Alan Alda, the man, who was a devoted husband and father. The filming of M*A*S*H took place in California, yet instead of uprooting his family he flew home to New Jersey every weekend to be with his wife and three young daughters. You have to admire a man for that.
I once heard him interviewed and asked the same tired question, “How do you maintain a long and happy marriage?” He quipped, “People ask me that all the time. I don’t get what the big deal is. I love my wife. I’d rather be with her than any other person in the world. If we’re at a party, I always know she’ll be the most interesting person in the room.” How can I not adore a guy who is passionately in love with his wife?
“When does she do all this thinking? We’re together all the time but she thinks deeply about things and with feeling and she can remember the facts. We’ve been married 48 years.” ~Alan Alda
My admiration and respect grew deeper as he became an activist for women’s rights. According to Wikipedia, “Alda has been a feminist activist for many years. He co-chaired, with former First Lady Betty Ford, the Equal Rights Amendment Countdown campaign. In 1976,The Boston Globe dubbed him "the quintessential Honorary Woman: a feminist icon" for his activism on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment.” A man fighting for women’s rights because he believes it's the right thing to do. How can I not admire this man?
Free To Be..You And Me
In 1972 Mr. Alda directed stories and poems, and narrated sketches, for the album “Free To Be…You and Me”, an album produced to encourage gender neutrality in young people. His friend, Marlo Thomas, conceived the idea and asked Alda to come on board. He was the perfect choice.
“The creative is the place where no one else have ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.” ~Alan Alda
Two meaningful books in my library
My celebrity crush began like most schoolgirl crushes, with romanticized love about a dashing older man. Yet my crush evolved into one of respect and admiration for a man who touched many lives in countless ways; he certainly added a rich fiber to my own. He never ceases to amaze me with each role he commands. Whether he’s acting, writing, hosting or speaking, he creates brilliance for us as his audience.
His most recent project is creating excitement for young people for one of his great loves: the wonders of science*. Now a new generation is discovering what I discovered long ago: that we are all the beneficiaries of the many talents and passions of Alan Alda.
Thank you Alphonso, with admiration and love.
*To learn more about the science center Alan Alda helped to inspire, go to the Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University)
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Wow. You are a hard-core fan with DVDs, books and insider info on original name. Yes, I agree that Alda is a man for all seasons. I suppose I could have been paying closer attention to his off-screen life. I did enjoy him in M.A.S.H. and in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdimeanors (1989). Thanks for the informative post!
Lovely, Cathy! Alan Alda was always one of my favourites, too.
I applaud your choice, Cathy. I love him too. I heard about his Science project on the news and thought it was just wonderful.
My favorite Alan Alda movie is "Same Time Next Year." And I have always been a huge "MASH" fan. Great choice!
My parents were such huge fans of MASH that we were allowed to stay up late to watch it. Late being past 9:00pm. That is interesting about his name. I'd assumed that Robert had legally changed his name to Alda.
What a rich and informative post, Cathy. I knew a little of this about Alda, but not all of it. Certainly a man worth admiring - and so many marvelous quotes full of wisdom.
Thank you for this.
(Loved it so much, I stumbled it!)
I have always admired Alan Alda and the series M*A*S*H. I remember taping the final episode for my brother-in-law who was deployed overseas. Great show. Great man!
After this post, Alan Alda is now my crush too! I never knew those facts about him, even though I too was a devoted MASH watcher. Great post for the link-up!
Especially loved the quote about creativity.
Not sure the comment went through..Loved the part about his current projects and quote on creativity.
I did not know his real name. He is great. I can't recall a recent movie he was in but he played a bad guy. It was out of character and he did it well!
I didn't know all this about Alan Alda. He seems like a really great guy. And I love the part where he talks about loving his wife. I could a person not like that? Thanks Cathy!
I don't recall ever having a crush on Alan Alda, but he definitely has always had my respect. I admired him as both an actor and an activist... And I still recall exactly where I was (on vacation, sitting in a restaurant) when I watched the final episode of M.A.S.H.
Cathy: I included Alan Alda in my blog hop as well!! I was sure I'd be the only one with the hots for Hawkeye. I've always loved Alda's talent, his intelligence, and his absolute support of women. Thanks for the additional info!
Very convincing. I think I'll borrow this crush, if you don't mind!
I totally understand your crush on Alan Alda. What a good man. There is nothing sexier that a man who adores his wife and family.
M*A*S*H was such an important show. It is sad there isn't anything like it on any more. And now I must admit to a long-standing crush on Alan Alda as well. We might have to thumb-wrestle for him.
I loved that show! I used to watch it every week with my dad. I had a crush on Hawkeye too 🙂
Great post! Alan Alda is such a worthy person to be honored in a crush post! Thank you for sharing all of the current information, I learned a lot.
I have to admit I didn't discover Mash until the early 80's, but my husband and I both loved it. I remember watching the final episode with a heavy heart. Good choice!
Cathy, I'm ordering MASH on Netflix and pretending I'm in need of chief surgeon Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce.
Oh, I loved him, too! What a heart throb. I think I saw EVERY show they produced.
Informative post about Alan Alda. When I watched M*A*S*H* there was a quiet quality to Hawkeye that reminded me of my dad. I'm a softy for science lovers too, so hats off to your crush.
Who knew that his name was Alphonso. Thinking about it, I don't know why I'm surprised. He kinda looks like I imagine an Alphonso would.
Alan Alda is an all time favorite. That cannot be denied. One of my most favorite movies is an oldie called Same Time Next Year. It was such an unusual premise and so brilliantly acted out that I still remember some of the lines. I didn't know about his comments about his wife. Makes me love him more!
Alan Alda is a great choice. I have always been a fan, also.
Cathy, he has always been one of my favorites. He was so good (and sexy) in M.A.S.H. Like you, I have admired the way he has lived his personal life. Great choice.
I admired Alan as a family man too. I also liked his dad.
He is truly one of the good guys! Great post.
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