Alan Alda Brilliantly Improvised Hawkeye's Very First M*A*S*H Scene
The long-running Korean War sitcom series "M*A*S*H" was full of fun, fascinating characters, but the heart and soul of the series was Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (portrayed by actor Alan Alda). The series balanced serious story beats with outrageous comedy, and that required a lead who could carry both with heart. To that end, Hawkeye was a complex character, a womanizer who drank dry gin martinis and played practical jokes but was also an excellent surgeon and loyal friend. Over the show's 11 seasons, he would fall in lust, fall in love, form a surprisingly deep friendship with head nurse Major Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit), and grow tremendously in his treatment of women, but in the beginning Alda had to figure out exactly how to play such a ladies' man. Thankfully, the terrific actor was able to improvise and improve the series from his very first scene, making Hawkeye a character we would all grow to know and love.
In an interview with People for the 50th anniversary of the "M*A*S*H" premiere, Alda shared the inside scoop on his very first day filming the now-legendary sitcom. Despite some nervousness about whether or not he could pull off such a lascivious ladies' man, he managed to make the most of it — and the rest, as they say, is television history.
Stepping into character for the first time
While both Alda and Hawkeye are exceptionally charismatic, Alda is a bit more straight-laced than his onscreen counterpart. That meant he had to practice being Hawkeye, and on his first day on-set, he stepped cleanly into the role with a bit of non-verbal improv:
"After 10 days of rehearsal, I was standing behind the door of the aluminum building waiting to shoot the first scene of the first episode, and I still didn't feel like I knew how to play this character. He didn't seem anything like me. It was a silent shot. All I had to do was walk across the compound, but I wasn't convinced I could be this guy who drank too much, hit on women, and was something of a smart aleck. When I heard, 'Action!' I stepped out onto the compound and saw a nurse headed toward me. I'd never seen her before, but I made the instant decision that she and Hawkeye had some kind of relationship and gave her a little hug. She played along, we exchanged smiles and walked on. I had a little extra spring in my step. 'Okay,' I thought. 'I'm him.'"
It's hard to believe that Alda isn't more like the rascally Hawkeye from the ease with which he seems to play the charming Captain even from the earliest episodes, but maybe he's really just that darn good of an actor. Alda's boyish charm makes some of Hawkeye's more irritating aspects feel funny instead of frustrating, and by the end of the series, he'd become one of the most lovable television characters of all time.
Alda's lasting impact
While that tiny bit of improv might have helped Alda get into character as Hawkeye, it would be far from the last time he added his own spin to "M*A*S*H." Not only did the actor win two separate Emmy awards for his portrayal of Hawkeye, but he also won an Emmy for an episode he directed and another for an episode he wrote! Alda became a driving creative force on "M*A*S*H," not only starring in the series but writing and directing it, which helped to shape the direction the series would eventually go. In many ways, just as Hawkeye is the heart and soul of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit, Alda is the heart and soul of the series itself.
Alda wasn't the only "M*A*S*H" actor who was able to make an impact on their character, of course, as the series' creators really put a lot of trust in the cast. In fact, one of the best episodes, "The Interview," allowed the actors to help shape the script, improvising as their characters during interviews with a visiting journalist. By allowing Alda and the rest of the cast to have a bit of input on their characters, "M*A*S*H" had a lot of authenticity and heart that it might not have had otherwise. Alda probably didn't mean to set the tone for the whole series with his first moment on-set, but that bit of winging it showed that a little improv can go a long way.