Alan Alda Movies
The son of actor Robert Alda, Alan Alda grew up around vaudeville and burlesque comedians, soaking up as many jokes and routines as was humanly possible. Robert Alda hoped that his son would become a doctor, but the boy's urge to perform won out. After graduating from Fordham University, Alda first acted at the Cleveland Playhouse, and then put his computer-like retention of comedy bits to good use as an improvisational performer with Chicago's Second City and an ensemble player on the satirical TV weekly That Was the Week That Was. Alda's first film was Gone Are the Days in 1963, adapted from the Ossie Davis play in which Alda had appeared on Broadway. (Among the actor's many subsequent stage credits were the original productions of The Apple Tree and The Owl and the Pussycat.)Most of Alda's films were critical successes but financial disappointments. He portrayed George Plimpton in the 1968 adaptation of the writer's bestseller Paper Lion and was a crazed Vietnam vet in the 1972 movie To Kill a Clown. Alda's signature role was the wisecracking Army surgeon Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H, which ran from 1972 through 1983. Intensely pacifistic, the series adhered to Alda's own attitudes towards warfare. (He'd once been an ROTC member in college, but became physically ill at the notion of learning how to kill.) During his M*A*S*H years, Alda also began auxiliary careers as a director and scriptwriter, winning numerous Emmy awards in the process. He also developed a separate sitcom, 1974's We'll Get By.
In 1978, Alda took advantage of an unusually lengthy production break in M*A*S*H to star in three films: California Suite, Same Time, Next Year, and The Seduction of Joe Tynan. He made his theatrical-movie directorial debut in 1981 with The Four Seasons, a semiserious exploration of modern romantic gamesmanship; it would prove to be his most successful film as a director, with subsequent efforts like Sweet Liberty (1986) and Betsy's Wedding (1989) no where close. Long associated with major political and social causes and well-known both offscreen and on as a man of heightened sensitivity, Alda has occasionally delighted in going against the grain of his carefully cultivated image with nasty, spiteful characterizations, most notably in Woody Allen'sCrimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and as death row inmate Caryl Chessman in the 1977 TV movie Kill Me if You Can. Alda later continued to make his mark on audiences with his more accustomed nice-guy portrayals in films such as Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Flirting With Disaster (1996), and The Object of My Affection (1998).
The next several years saw Alda show up in a handful of supporting roles, but in 2004, he had his biggest year in more than a decade. First, he appeared opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorcese's critically-acclaimed Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator. Playing Senator Ralph Owen Brewster, Alda would go on to receive a Best Supporting Actor Oscar-nomination, the first nod from the Academy in his long and impressive career. Meanwhile, on the small-screen, Alda played presidential-hopeful Arnold Vinick on NBC's political drama The West Wing, another Senator and his first regular series role since M*A*S*H. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When the sadomasochistic sexual fantasies of a Manhattan psychiatrist's disturbed patient begin leaking into the troubled doctor's subconscious, a heated love affair leads to a series of shocking murders in this erotic thriller from Off Limits director Christopher Crowe. The confessions of a sexually obsessed patient are slowly working their way into the dreams of psychiatrist Ann Heckler (Annabella Sciorra), and though the practical advice of her university mentor, Dr. Leo Green (Alan Alda), does little to quell her erotic visions, a torrid affair with handsome pilot Doug McDowell (Jamey Sheridan) at least provides a satisfying momentary distraction. When one of Ann's patients is discovered murdered and all evidence suggests that her new lover is the culprit, Ann must make a choice to put her trust in Doug or escape with her life while she still can. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annabella Sciorra, Jamey Sheridan, (more)
Offbeat fashion student Betsy Hopper (Molly Ringwald) and her straight-laced investment-banker fiancé, Jake Lovell(Dylan Walsh), just want an intimate little wedding reception, but Betsy's father, Eddie (Alan Alda), a Long Island construction contractor, feels so threatened by Jake's rich WASP parents (Nicolas Coster and Bibi Besch) that he blows the ceremony up into a bank-breaking showpiece, sending his wife, Lola (Madeline Kahn), into a financial panic. Pressure from Betsy's extended family to include their joint Jewish and Italian-Catholic heritage in the ceremony doesn't do much to assuage the title character's worries, nor does the lovelorn bitterness of her older sister, Connie (Ally Sheedy), who's single, her parents assume, because she has the audacity to pursue the unfeminine profession of police officer. With all of his funds tied up into the money pit of a house he's building, Betsy's dad has to turn to his crooked brother-in-law, Oscar (Joe Pesci), for financial assistance, and soon a soft-spoken but menacing young mobster named Stevie Dee (Anthony LaPaglia) is supervising Eddie's construction project and casting his romantic aspirations toward the clueless Connie. Underworld hijinks and unconventional matrimonial practices ensue in this broad domestic comedy written and directed by star Alan Alda. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Madeline Kahn, (more)
- 1989
See bloopers that would not make it past the network censors. Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Laugh-In, Peyton Place, Happy Days, The Waltons, The Lone Ranger, Mash, The Newlywed Game and many more shows are featured. ~ All Movie Guide
Woody Allen spent most of the 1980s and '90s veering between comedy and drama, and he rarely combined the two with greater success than in Crimes and Misdemeanors, in which he weaved together two stories, one deadly serious, one often funny, both ending in sadness. Martin Landau plays Dr. Judah Rosenthal, a prominent ophthalmologist with a successful practice, a loving family, and a reputation for generous charity work. But Rosenthal also has a secret: his mistress, Dolores (Anjelica Huston). What began as a casual fling has become uncomfortably intimate, and as he tries to break off the relationship, Dolores threatens to expose his infidelity to his wife and some unorthodox financial arrangements to his colleagues. Fearful that Dolores will make good on her threats, Judah confesses his secret to his brother Jack (Jerry Orbach), who has ties to organized crime and offers to "make the problem go away." Meanwhile, Cliff Stern (Woody Allen) is a filmmaker working on his pet project, a documentary about philosopher Prof. Louis Levy (Martin Bergmann). However, films about philosophers don't pay the rent, so Cliff's wife Wendy (Joanna Gleason) arranges for him to make a documentary for public television about her brother Lester (Alan Alda), a famous TV comedian whose vapidity is exceeded only by his arrogance. While Cliff tries to bite the bullet and finish the film, he finds himself falling in love with PBS producer Halley Reed (Mia Farrow). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Landau, Woody Allen, (more)
- 1988
- PG13
After 20 years of marriage, Steve Giardino (Alan Alda) and his wife Jackie (Ann-Margret) agree to a divorce in this situation comedy. The focus is on both of them as they suffer through matchmaking, blind dates, and their new life as eligible singles. Donna (Mary Kay Place) is Jackie's friend, while Mel Arons (Hal Linden) is the confidante of the vain but likeable Steve. Steven worries that he will never find anyone decent to date until he meets the pretty Dr. Kay Hutton (Veronica Hamel). Jackie is enamored with a sculptor (John Shea) before his glaring faults become too much for her. While Jackie's new relationship is on the outs, Steve prepares for a new life with Kay. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Ann-Margret, (more)
Alan Alda wrote, directed, and starred in this satirical film about the corruption of the film industry's approach to history. Alda plays Michael Burgess, a college professor who has written a historical novel about the American Revolution. The book has been turned into a script, and a Hollywood film crew descends on his North Carolina hometown to make the movie. Predictably, the director and actors make a mess of his concept, and Burgess becomes frustrated as the town is turned upside down. Desperately, he tries to salvage his concept with some last-minute script changes. To make things more complicated, Burgess falls in love with the glamorous female lead in the film, Faith Healy (Michelle Pfeiffer). Meanwhile, his long-time girlfriend, Gretchen (Lise Hilboldt) is pressuring him to get married. The film's male star, Elliott James (Michael Caine), finally shows up in town and becomes Burgess's rival for Faith's affections. Silent film star Lillian Gish appears as Burgess's smother. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Michael Caine, (more)
- 1986
Lily Tomlin is more than a filmed record of the comedienne's stage show The Search for Signs of Life in the Intelligent Universe. The film follows Tomlin and her collaborator Jane Wagner as they put together their production, wandering up hill and down alley in search of comic inspiration. Seldom has there been a more thorough or perceptive cinematic document of the creative process in action. It isn't always funny, but the birth pangs of comedy seldom are. The end result of Tomlin and Wagner's efforts can be seen in the 1991 feature-film adaptation of The Search for Signs of Life in the Intelligent Universe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, (more)
- 1983
- Add M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell & Amen to QueueAdd M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell & Amen to top of Queue
Goodbye, Farewell and Amen was the instant-classic final installment of the long-running TV series M*A*S*H. After nearly three bloody years of combat in Korea (and 11 years' worth of TV time!), a truce has been declared and the 4077th is going home. News of the cease-fire affects different people different ways. The happiest of the bunch should be Captain "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda), but he is undergoing a mysterious bout of depression over a horrible incident in his past. Meanwhile, the insufferable Major Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) shows signs of mellowing as he trains a group of musically-inclined Korean prisoners in the niceties of European chamber music. Others who must begin seriously considering a future unblemished by the threat of war are newly married Corporal Klinger (Jamie Farr), newly divorced Major Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit), and the hearing-impaired Father Mulcahy (William Christopher). The central mystery of the episode concerns the nature of Captain B. J. Hunnicutt's "special" goodbye to his roommate and best friend Hawkeye. Originally telecast February 28, 1983, the 2 1/2 hour Goodbye, Farewell and Amen was the most widely watched TV program of all time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
As the 11th season of M*A*S*H* got under way in the fall of 1982, everyone involved with the series knew it would be their last (the program had already lasted eight years longer than the actual Korean War!) Looking back, the cast and crew could take pride in the series' many accomplishments, not least of which was its making palatable and entertaining a number of hot-button issues that had previously been verboten on American network television. The series had also come a long way from its zany, iconoclastic, hit-or-miss "anything for a laugh" origins, maturing into a thoroughly credible blend of comedy, drama and tragedy (its credibility enhanced by the decision to complete eliminate a canned laughtrack), with fully rounded, three-dimensional characterizations. The fact that the series had managed to win eleven Emmy awards further served to enhance the participants' sense of achievement. Viewers were honestly saddened that their favorite series, which had long since transcended the boundaries of standard sitcomery to become a national institution, would cease production at the end of season 11. Perhaps because the faithful fans were determined to savor every final moment of the series' existence, M*A*S*H was propelled from the ninth most popular TV program of 1981-82 to number three in 1982-83, with the now-legendary 2 1/2 hour finale, "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen," being seen by the largest audience ever to watch a single TV episode. Although this landmark episode would bring M*A*S*H to a poignant close, it was not quite the end of the story. Debuting September 26, 1983, the CBS sitcom AfterMASH detailed the further adventure of several M*A*S*H regulars, all hired by a Missouri VA hospital upon the Korean cease-fire. Carryovers from the original M*A*S*H included Harry Morgan as Sherman Potter, Jamie Farr as Max Klinger, William Christopher as Father Mulcahy, and a character that had been introduced in the penultimate M*A*S*H episode "As Time Goes By," Klinger's Korean-born wife Soon-Lee, played by Rosalind Chao. Suffering the ignominous fate of most such spinoffs, AfterMASH failed to live up to the standards of its distinguished predecessor, and was cancelled after only a season and a half on the air. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, (more)
- 1982
In the opening episode of M*A*S*H's 11th and final season, Margaret (Loretta Swit) drives the nurses of the 4077th mercilessly while her own superior officer, the notoriously severe Colonel Buckholtz (Peggy Seury), conducts an inspection. In the process, Margaret learns to fully appreciate the women in her command. So does Hawkeye (Alan Alda), as he witnesses an act of effortless efficiency and unexpected compassion performed by the hitherto taken-for-granted Nurse Kellye (Kellye Nakahara). This episode was directed by veteran actress Susan Oliver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
En route to an aid station on the frontlines, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) is pinned down by a heavy barrage of enemy gunfire. As the shelling increases, Hawk becomes convinced that his number is finally up. Thus he begins to draw up his last will and testament, bequeathing all sorts of strange and sometime sentimental paraphernalia to his colleagues at the 4077th. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
M*A*S*H makes its only venture into the paranormal in this episode, in which the ghost of a dead GI adamantly refuses to accept the fact that he is no longer among the living. Dazed and confused, the spirit of Private James Weston (Kario Salem) looks on as the surgeons of the 4077th try to save the life of his wounded buddy. Naturally, no one can hear or see Weston--with the exception of Klinger (Jamie Farr), who is suffering from a high fever which has temporarily "enhanced" his sixth sense. The last scenes in this compelling drama finds Klinger and Weston carrying on a rambling yet somehow rational conversation about life, death and What Lies Ahead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Four Seasons follows the trials and tribulations of a group of middle-aged friends during a 12-month period. Alan Alda (who also directed) and Carol Burnett play a married couple who consider themselves paragons of sensitivity and sensibility. Alda and Burnett are the instigators of a series of vacations (from New England to the Virgin Islands), which they take in the company of two other couples: Jack Weston and Rita Moreno, and Len Cariou and Sandy Dennis. Everyone's interrelationships are put to the test when Cariou and Dennis divorce, and Cariou subsequently marries the much-younger Bess Armstrong. Not too surprisingly, the comings and goings of The Four Seasons are underscored by the music of Antonio Vivaldi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, (more)
Its ninth season shortened to a mere 20 episodes thanks to a Hollywood writers' strike, M*A*S*H returned to a full 24-episode manifest for its tenth season, which began in October of 1981. With the defection of series regular Gary Burghoff two seasons earlier, the starring-cast lineup was now firmly "set" at seven actors--Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, Loretta Swit, David Ogden Stiers, Jamie Farr and William Christopher--and would remain so until its 11th and final season one year later. Although there were signs of fatigue and repetition during season 10, for the most part M*A*S*H managed to remain fresh and surprising with the occasional "gimmick" episode. The most noteworthy of these was the program's only foray into the paranormal, "ollies of the Living--Concerns of the Dead", in which the ghost of a dead GI looked on as the surgeons of the 4077th saved the life of his wounded buddy--and also occasionally carried on other-worldy conversations with a feverish Cpl. Klinger (Jamie Farr). M*A*S*H's ratings continued to be impressive during the 1981-82 season, though its drop from fourth to ninth place indicated that viewers might have been taking the decade-old series for granted. The same could not be said of the people responsible for the Emmy awards, who bestowed upon M*A*S*H its tenth and eleventh Emmys, with costars Alan Alda and Loretta Swit as the lucky recipients. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, (more)
- 1981
Everybody is anxious to hear news from home, but the only member of the 4077th in possession of stateside newspapers is Charles (David Ogden Stiers). To be sure, Charles will share the papers with his colleagues--but only after he reads them himself, from cover to cover, one edition at a time. The rest of the 4077th tries to hatch a scheme to wrest the precious papers from Charles' ink-stained clutches. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
After a near-death experience, Charles Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) becomes obsessed with his own mortality. This leads to an uncharateristic spell of introspection for the otherwise bombastic Charles. As for the other doctors, they have their hands full wrestling with a massive new-duty assignment. "The Life You Save" was the final episode of M*A*S*H's ninth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Gail Strickland guest stars as Helen Whitfield, one of the 4077's best nurses. What head nurse Margaret (Loretta Swit) doesn't know--but, alas, will soon find out--is that Helen is a closet drinker. As for the doctors, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) is cold-shouldered by the camp after one of his practical jokes humiliates Charles (David Ogden Stiers) in the operating room. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
500,000 tongue depressors are mistakenly delivered to the 4077th. Outraged at this spectacular blunder--especially since several more necessary supplies are still missing--Hawkeye (Alan Alda) decides to use the wooden stick to erect a "monument to stupidity." This proves to be a hot scoop for Klinger (Jamie Farr), who has just launched his own camp newspaper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Hawkeye (Alan Alda) again crosses the path of arrogant older doctor Anthony Borelli (played by Alda's father Robert Alda). With ample reason to dislike one another, Hawk and Borelli are none too happy when they are forced to collaborateon an operation in the field. Back in camp, B.J. (Mike Farrell) holds a curious "anniversary" party where everyone is invited. In addition to the guest appearance of Robert Alda, this episode also features Alan Alda's half-brother Antony Alda as an intern. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
In this near-surrealist episode, everyone at the 4077th is suffering from the fatigue of a medical crisis. Unable to go to sleep for any great length of time, the staff begins taking little cat-naps. The result is a series of dreams and nightmares that are as bizarre as anything out of a Luis Bunuel or Ingmar Bergman movie. Strangest moment: The imaginary honeymoon of Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Andrew Duggan guest stars as Alvin "Howitzer" Houlihan, the retired-colonel father of the 4077's head nurse Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit). When the old man pays a visit to the camp, Margaret falls all over herself trying to prove that she is worthy of her "Regular Army" dad. Naturally, things don't quite pan out the way that either father or daughter expect them to. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After a late start thanks to a Hollywood writer's strike, M*A*S*H launched its ninth season on November 17, 1980. With the past defections of Wayne Rogers, Maclean Stevenson, Larry Linville and Gary Burghoff, Alan Alda (as Hawkeye), Loretta Swit (as Margaret Houlihan), Jamie Farr (as Klinger) and William Christopher (as Father Mulcahy) were the sole survivors from the series' first season cast lineup--and of those four, only two (Alda and Swit) had been "regulars" from the beginning. The series' occasional digressions from its established format was represented by one memorable "gimmick" episodes during season nine. In " War for All Seasons," the men and women of the 4077th celebrated the New Year by looking back on the events of 1951. Going a step farther than the familiar "letter home" episodes of previous seasons, in which the events of a single week were highlight in flashback fashion, "A War for All Seasons" boldly telescoped an entire year into a mere 22 minutes' screen time--and succeeded brilliantly. Still dominating the ratings on CBS' Monday-evening lineup, M*A*S*H sustained its ranking from the previous season as America's fourth most-watched network program. And though no additional Emmy awards came the its way during season nine, the series garnered eight Emmy nominations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, (more)
- 1979
A wartime fling between an American GI and a Korean woman has resulted in an abandoned infant. The gang at the 4077th realize that the baby will be shunned by the Koreans for being "mixed." Thus it is that the M*A*S*H gang dedicates itself to the difficult task of finding a good and loving home for the little castaway. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
In an episode cowritten by M*A*S*H's medical consultant Walter Dishell), the 4077th must perform immediate surgery on a soldier with a severely lacerated aorta. With only 20 minutes to close the wound and restore circulation, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and B.J. (Mike Farrell) must rely upon an aortic graft. This puts the doctors in the unenviable position of hoping that the potential graft donor, a GI with a fatal head wound, will die in enough time to save the life of their patient. "Life Time" is the famous episode in which the precious seconds are ticked off by a clock superimposed in the lower corner of the screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
