Talk:Alan Alda/Archive 1

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Jim Lehrer mention
It seems overly trivial to mention that Alan Alda shares the same number of children with Jim Lehrer.
 * I entirely agree. He has the same number of children as thousands of other celebrities, so why single Jim Lehrer out for special mention?  He also has the same ethnic background as Al Capone, the same colour eyes as (insert name here), and the same number of siblings as (insert name here).  I reverted the inserter of this information twice today already.  Over to somebody else. JackofOz 01:37, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

Second wife red herring
Seems we've been duped. Tbe penny dropped that both his wives were named Arlene, and I thought "how likely is that". So I checked it out. He's only ever married once, to Arlene Weiss, who took his name and became Arlene Alda. I've made the correction. JackofOz 10:16, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

author vs director discrepancy
In the "Family life" section of the article, it is stated that Alda wrote 20 episodes and directed 30, but in the "Acting career, fame, and M*A*S*H" section it is stated that Alda wrote 30 episodes and directed 20. Could someone confirm which is correct? --Nantuk 22:23, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

Devout Catholic
I've read his autobiography, he did indeed go to a Catholic boarding school, but stated did not like it. From what I read, his parents traveled with a theater company and his father performed with burlesque dancers. No where in the book does Alda state that he's a devout Catholic but implies he doesn't follow the faith.

remove advertisting
i removed the academy award advertising. no need to advertise an awards show. --71.112.7.212 03:47, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Two unsourced statements removed
According to the Biographies of living persons policy, unsourced statements shouldn't be tagged as such, but removed from the article if they concern living persons. Accordingly I've removed the following:

From "Family and early life":
 * Raised in a devoutly Catholic family, he continues to attend weekly Mass and celebrate religious holidays and events.

And from "Career":


 * Some fans prefer the greater emotional and political depth explored in the later episodes to what they view as the more superficially comedic early years, while others have criticized Alda for taking more creative control of the series, feeling that the political sympathies he imbued the show with got in the way of writing quality stories.

The latter seems to be more a bit of weaseling to express personal opinions, but it might be possible to source both statements with a little effort. --Tony Sidaway 14:53, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

According from beifnet
Could you describe your spiritual path? I was brought up as a Catholic and I’m no longer a Catholic. I don’t talk about my beliefs too much in public probably because I feel very strongly that it’s something personal—more than personal, it’s private. I always make a distinction between what’s personal and what’s private. As an artist, as an actor, as a writer, you have to use what’s personal to you. You have to be personal about your work; otherwise, it doesn’t ring true. But there are some things that are private. And I think belief is one of those things that comes to people in their own way. And just because I believe in something doesn’t mean I think that you should. So part of not talking about them is also not wanting to influence anybody about beliefs. I do try to figure things out. I think sometimes it can be interesting and even funny to see somebody go through that maze, that obstacle course of trying to figure out what life is and where it leads. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.58.123.3 (talk) 00:17, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Great photo
i can clearly see that that person could be Alan Alda --AnY FOUR! 02:56, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Agnosticism
I added him to the category of American agnostics, while Alda is somewhat dodgy with labels, this source seems to indicate he is most comfortable with the label agnostic. Granted, he also expresses some bristling at even being called that, but his explanation of his beliefs seems to fall in line with that of an agnostic. (You'll have to scroll down a bit, Alda's interview is towards the bottom) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 155.247.166.32 (talk) 04:20, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

M*A*S*H*
Why is the section so small BaconBoy914 (talk) 21:38, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I MET ALAN ALDA'S GRANDPARENTS MANY YEARS AGO
I WOULD LIKE TO WRITE THIS IN HOPES THAT SOMEONE COULD POSSIBLY PASS THIS ON TO MR.ALDA (D'ABRUZZO). MY GRANDMOTHER WAS HIS FATHER'S ROBERT ALDA-D'ABRUZZO'S)GODMOTHER. WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG I REMEMBER MEETING MR.ALDA'S GRANDPARENTS AT MY GRANDPARENTS HOME IN LOCUST VALLEY, LONG ISLAND. I ALSO REMEMBER MEETING ROBERT ALDA WHEN I WAS A YOUNG GIRL-WHILE WE ARE NOT BLOOD RELATED THERE IS FAMIGLIA TIES. PATRICIA M. HOLIDAY FLORIDA

good for you, wikipedia is not a forum —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.134.70.139 (talk) 07:22, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

Yes, but let's not be mean-spirited. It may be quite a stretch for some of us to understand exactly what Wikipedia is and is not. Be compassionate; remove the entry to the discussion page (which you did, thank you). The sarcastic tone is unnecessary. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.177.252.140 (talk) 04:45, 22 January 2010 (UTC)
 * This is your typical Wikipedia moderator at work. It's a shame Wikipedia doesn't have a forum.108.23.147.17 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 15:30, 11 September 2011 (UTC).

Family and early Life
I am happy to refer to him by his surname, and the change has been made. Whatsmore, the part about his feminist activism has now been cited and moved to a more apropriate section ('charitble work and other interests'), And the part about his residence was refit into the "family and early life section" (I do still wonder if it belongs there, as it does seem to be miscelaneous). You will notice then, that the only information removed from the article is the fact that two of his grandchildren attended the academy awards. I am sure you will agree that that has nothing to do with an Alan Alda bio.Jonnyhottrod (talk) 01:30, 22 December 2008 (UTC)jonnyhotrod

Service as Army Officer?
While Military.com says he was a gunnery officer "during" Korean War, this does not make sense. He graduated from Fordham and then entered the army -- correct? But the Korean War ended in 1953 with the Armistice, when Alda was 17. So how did he get through college, through basic officer and advanced training, and ship out to Korea so quickly? Now the article says he graduated in 1956, and that sounds correct. But reservists usually have much more than a 6 month commitment, at least in an inactive status. So was he really commissioned as a "gunnery officer"? I've tagged as dubious. --S. Rich (talk) 19:52, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

This article says it was following the Korean War that he did a six month tour of duty. http://www.militaryhub.com/military-people.cfm?id=4


 * Looks good. I've changed the article to a more specific wikilink & changed the category..--S. Rich (talk) 16:01, 2 October 2010 (UTC)

After mash
Given that the title of the section is also the name of the series that followed mash aftermash, I was wondering if there is consensus (and ideas) to change that section's heading? The section talks about political notes and some activities during mash, I had thought of Other works of note but that is very simmilar to the next section, is there any ideas out there for a different title for this section on this? and do we even need to change this?, thanks for input Ottawa4ever (talk) 20:07, 14 November 2010 (UTC)

GOCE
Mlpearc  powwow  15:08, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Alan Alda's star on Hollywood Walk of Fame?
The source (#19) about Alda's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has no information about him. Did he actually get a star? One source I found suggested that he only was nominated for one. Does anyone have information about this? 198.102.147.253 (talk) 13:43, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Alan Alda's comment on inaccuracy on his Wikipedia page
Regarding these edits, I heard Alda on Q (episode of Fri March 29) joking with Jian Ghomeshi about his Wikipedia page being inaccurate. It seemed to me the point of dispute was whether he grew up in the Bronx; Alda specifically said that he did not. But Wikipedia didn't say he grew up in the Bronx, just that he was born there, which to my recollection Alda did not specifically deny. Mathew5000 (talk) 00:11, 30 March 2013 (UTC)


 * At the moment, this episode can be streamed from the CBC web site or downloaded as a slightly shorter podcast . I don't know how long those links will remain active, maybe a couple of months? Or maybe longer. The podcast version is shorter because it excludes some music, the interview with Alan Alda should be intact but the time codes of it will be different in the podcast version than in the streaming version. Mathew5000 (talk) 00:15, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Looking for Source
I've been researching, but I need help...can anyone find a source to confirm or reject any relation to Stephanie D'Abruzzo? I've heard it before, but I have not yet found an actual source or reference. ~  PH  DrillSergeant ... §  17:53, 23 May 2007 (UTC)


 * D'Abruzzo is a pretty common Italian name. It could belong to anyone whose family originally came from Abruzzo, a fairly large region in central Italy. ubiquity (talk) 19:03, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Name
His legal name remains Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo. Never did he legally change his name. "Alan Alda" is a stage name. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.151.165.249 (talk) 19:00, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Death?
--75.0.35.88 (talk) 19:49, 11 December 2011 (UTC)I heard it reported on CNN that he died on Dec 7, 2011, but can't seem to confirm it. Is this true???


 * No. -- 71.102.133.72 (talk) 07:07, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

Request for Comments
There is an RfC on the question of using "Religion: None" vs. "Religion: None (atheist)" in the infobox on this and other similar pages.

The RfC is at Template talk:Infobox person.

Please help us determine consensus on this issue. --Guy Macon (talk) 05:39, 24 April 2015 (UTC)

Religion?
Who cares? Or rather why does it seem that this is one of the most important parts of this article? Does there really need to be so much on it? I could understand if it was relevant if he was say, a well known priest or religious figure but why does it matter what a celebrity's religion is?--Senor Freebie (talk) 22:54, 19 May 2009 (UTC)


 * You read my mind. This is like THE longest religious non-belief entry in a bio about anyone who wasn't Madelyn Murray O'Hare!
 * Alan Alda is an actor; is the hugely LONG paragraphs about his agnosticism or lack thereof THAT important to this entry?

Simplemines (talk) 03:37, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

Just wanted to add: at one point in the series, Hawkeye openly states he is agnostic. Also, the only time he is shown "attending Sunday services" is when he is a) forced to be there, or b) doing it as a favor to someone he respects. he never attends as if he were having leanings towards belief, as the article seems to imply. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jtjones66 (talk • contribs) 02:11, 8 August 2015 (UTC)

Summary
What is an "archetypal sympathetic male?" Shouldn't something like that have more explanation or a wikilink? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.172.111.31 (talk) 18:54, 10 December 2008 (UTC) <!--Autosigned by SineBot-

Arts Or Science?
I've read elsewhere that Alan Alda's college degree was in science, a B.S. (unspecified as to which area, if any, he specialized in), while Wiki has him with a B.A. in English. This is, God knows, not an earth shaking issue, but given Mr. Alda's obvious interest in science, space and the natural world a science degree of some kind somehow makes more sense to me than an English degree even as Alda is, after all, an actor, which might incline one to believe that he would have specialized in the arts and humanities. But we're all different when it comes to our interests and I see no reason why a person with a passion for science could not also have an equally strong passion for art. Such things happen all the time...

Retirement rumor
There is a rumor Mr. Alda may announce his retirement. There is no need to add the rumor, but if someone does then... well probably that will get deleted as well. If/When he does retire, I am sure we will have a number of sources, and can add that to the article. In the meantime, please stop it. Thanks.Shajure (talk) 02:35, 2 January 2017 (UTC)

Born in Manhattan?
In his recent interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Alda stated he was "born in Manhattan on 32nd Street and 3rd Avenue." (link) I don't see a source with him saying he was born in The Bronx. --Zimbabweed (talk) 04:05, 18 June 2017 (UTC)

Alan Alda appeared in the TV version of Paul Sills' Story Theater (1971)
I remember first becoming aware of Alan Alda on the Story Theater TV show that aired in the US in 1971, but I do not see it included in the article or filmography. I found a few non-authoritative sources on the Web that referenced this (e.g., http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303535/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_48), but nothing else substantial. I am hoping someone can confirm this and, if so, add it to Mr. Alda's article.

* UPDATE: I found another reference indicating Mr. Alda was a guest (not the lead) on at least one episode of Paul Sills' Story Theater (http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/story-theatre/cast/204628/''), though I am uncertain whether this reference is authoritative enough to warrant an addition of this experience to the article. '' Drbb01 (talk)