Hawkeye's combat boots and dog tags sell for $125,000 at Heritage Auctions
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Saturday, November 2, 2024


Hawkeye's combat boots and dog tags sell for $125,000 at Heritage Auctions
Alan Alda "Capt. Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce" Screen Used Dog Tags and Boots from M*A*S*H Donated by Alda Including Signed LOA (CBS, 1972-1983).



DALLAS, TX.- The combat boots and dog tags Alan Alda wore during the 11 seasons he spent as Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce on M*A*S*H sold Friday at Heritage Auctions for $125,000. Every cent from the sale of the actor's sole remaining M*A*S*H mementos will help fund what has become the actor, writer and director's greatest passion: the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University.

"It's amazing to see how M*A*S*H still has the power to make a contribution," Alda said following Friday's auction. "And Heritage Auctions donating their usual fee is very generous. The Alda Center for Communicating Science will be thrilled. I know I am."

Several client-collectors, all lifelong M*A*S*H fans, fought doggedly over the boots and dog tags, which had belonged to World War II soldiers before Alda reported to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in the summer of 1972.

Before filming began, costumers handed Alda a pair of scuffed-up combat boots, inside which someone had written in black marker the name of his character: "HAWKEYE." He was also given a pair of dog tags, two tiny rectangles made of nickel and copper upon which the names of strangers had been stamped: Hersie Davenport and Morriss D. Levine.

Every day, throughout 251 episodes as Capt. Benjamin Franklin Pierce, Alda slipped on those boots. Every day, he put those dog tags over his head. And every day, he thought about the men who had worn them before him. These boots and tags were the sole mementos Alda held on to upon bidding goodbye, farewell and amen to the beloved series in 1983.

"Putting on the boots and lacing up the boots, I was literally stepping into somebody's shoes," the 87-year-old Alda said before the auction. "That feel of the leather on my foot, the comfort of being in those shoes ... makes you feel more at home in the character."

He helped found The Alda Center for Communicating Science after 12 years spent on another long-running series, PBS' Scientific American Frontiers. That experience sparked in Alda the idea that scientists could more clearly and vividly communicate with audiences if they had experience in combining the skills of improvisation with good message design. Alda brought improvisational exercises to classrooms at Stony Brook and to institutions around the world. As a result, the center has trained more than 20,000 scientists in nine countries.

That experience also led Alda to host the popular podcast Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda, where he interviews scientists, authors, doctors, musicians, actors — anyone who interests him and has something substantive to say. The show's revenue also goes to the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.

"It has been Heritage's honor to work with Mr. Alda, who is, of course, an American treasure," says Heritage Auctions' President, Greg Rohan. "We are also delighted to donate our portion of the proceeds to The Alda Center for Communicating Science and the important work it's doing. An enormous thank-you to Mr. Alda — and, of course, to those clients who made today such an emotional and rewarding experience."










Today's News

July 29, 2023

Jeffrey Gibson to represent United States at 60th Venice Biennale in 2024

Contemporary African royals, in regalia and complexity

'Abstract Flash: Unseen Andrew Wyeth' opening at Brandywine Museum of Art

A guide to art exhibitions in New York and Massachusetts

Santa Barbara Museum of Art announces appointment of new Director

Summer Fine Jewelry & Timepieces auction by Clars this August

Toledo Museum of Art appoints Mike Deetsch as director of development

'Elizabeth Blackadder and John Houston: A Journey Shared' opens today at Royal Scottish Academy

New Museum elects new members to Board of Trustees

Has Scott Joplin's 'Thoroughly American Opera' found its moment?

François Ghebaly opens "This Must Be the Place"

Mirko Baselgia depicts diversity and complexity of our reality in exhibition at Galerie Urs Meile Ardez

'Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea' at the Smithsonian American Art Museum features 48 artists

'Purgatory and Conflicted' opens at C24 Gallery

Photofairs New York announces exhibitor and program highlights for its inaugural edition in September

Julian Barry, who made Lenny Bruce into 'Lenny,' dies at 92

Grief in the small Irish village where a singer sought sanctuary

Bill Geddie, a creator of 'The View,' is dead at 68

Review: Young bros and maidens harmonize in 'Love's Labor's Lost'

Wrestling with his past. And an animatronic shark.

Jesse Krimes to officially join Jack Shainman Gallery as Founder and Director of the Center for Art & Advocacy

Historic New Paltz documents translated with a grant from the Dutch Consulate

Hawkeye's combat boots and dog tags sell for $125,000 at Heritage Auctions

Ernie Banks' first pro contract and Baseball Hall of Fame ring bookend historic auction from the estate of Mr. Cub

Best 5 Watchseries Alternative Sites to Stream Movies and TV Shows

Best Gifts On Raksha Bandhan For Sister To Show Your Brotherly Love

Boost Team Morale with Memorable Michigan Corporate Retreats

Loris Gréaud Prepares to inflitrate the Petit Palais

Buy YouTube Views 100% Real, Active, Cheap




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful