


Actor Alan Alda, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce in MAS*H, announced he is auctioning the boots and dog tags he wore for the show.
Alda, 87, was gifted the boots and tags following the release of "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" in 1983, which served as the closing chapter for MAS*H.
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He wrote and directed the film, which had the largest recorded domestic audience for a television show, according to a report.
The items set to be auctioned "made an impression on me every day that we shot the show," Alda said.
"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."
The tags do not display Alda's character's name but rather the names of actual servicemen Hersie Davenport and Morriss D. Levine, the report noted.
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"I saw those names every day," Alda 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."
The boots and tags are being sold on July 28 in Dallas through Heritage Auctions, according to the report.