Alan Alda Is Auctioning His 'M*A*S*H' Boots and Dog Tags 40 Years Later
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The actor explained that the boots and dog tags "made an impression on me every day that we shot the show"
Alan Alda is giving up his combat boots and dog tags for a good cause!
The 87-year-old actor, who rose to fame by playing Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, a wisecracking surgeon on the hit television show M*A*S*H, is donating his precious keepsakes for an auction, according to the Associated Press.
Proceeds from the event will go to the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York. The television star helped create the center in 2009 to allow scientists and doctors to improve their communication skills with various exercises and strategies.
AP Photo/LM Otero
Alda wore the boots and the military identification pieces during M*A*S*H’s 11-season run. The show aired its first episode back in 1972 and told the story of a medical unit during the Korean War. Hawkeye was an accomplished surgeon who often eased tension by sharing witty remarks and playing practical jokes.
The actor wrote and directed the final episode of the show and won five Emmy awards for his performance in the series.
Alda shared that the boots and dog tags had been gifted to him by the costume department, which he accepted because they “made an impression on me every day that we shot the show.”
“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,” he told the outlet.
Related: Patrick Dempsey and Noah Wyle Reveal Why They're 'in Awe' of Fellow TV Doctor Alan Alda
Upon receiving the items, Alda found that the tags say Hawkeye, but carried the names of two men he believes to have been actual soldiers.
“I saw those names every day,” he continued. “It was an interesting experience to put them on. I wasn’t dealing with props. I was dealing with something that put me in touch with real people.”
According to AP, Hersie Davenport and Morriss D. Levine were the soldiers listed on the tags who were later discharged in 1945.
20th Century Fox/Everett
The actor also revealed that he initially displayed the mementos on a shelf in his office but later moved them into a closet.
As the boots and the tags have been stowed away after many decades, Alda said that the auction presented an opportunity for them to see new life. “I saw this as a chance to put them to work again,” he added.
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The auction will be organized by Heritage Auctions and will take place on July 28 in Dallas.
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