Considering how long-running and beloved MASH was, it’s no surprise there is high interest in memorabilia from the MASH production. And as it happens, an actor who starred in one of the best comedy series kept his own souvenirs.
Fans will be interested to hear that these souvenirs are up for auction, too, so you can actually get your hands on pieces of history from the show.
If you’re more compelled by revisiting the past than the new movies and best TV series of 2023, you’ll be intrigued by the combat boots and dog tags up for sale that were worn by Alan Alda’s Hawkeye.
After holding on to them for over 40 years, Alda is letting go of them to support the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York, which he started to facilitate communication between scientists and doctors.
Alda told Assosiated Press, “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.”
As for the dog tags, Alda realized some time ago they didn’t have his character’s name on them, but the names of two men he thinks were likely soldiers. “I saw those names every day,” he said. “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.”
Those names were Hersie Davenport and Morriss D. Levine. Research by Heritage Auctions showed that both men were discharged from the Army in 1945. Davenport died in 1970, and Levine, whose name was misspelled on the tag, died in 1973.
We think it’s wonderful Alda is using his time on the series to further his philanthropic endeavors. For more classic TV, find out what the best drama series, best thriller series, and best actors of all time are.