โM*A*S*Hโ: Alan Aldaโs Final Words of Tribute to the ๐๐๐ฅ๐ Wayne Rogers are Absolutely โ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐
โM*A*S*Hโ actor Alan Aldaโs trademark humor shined when he paid tribute to his former show co-star Wayne Rogers, and it was absolutely โ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
Alda wrote a tribute in The Hollywood Reporterย magazineย soon after Rogers ๐๐๐๐ in 2015.
โWayne was warm and funny and very, very smart,โ Alda recalled. โBut, as smart as he was, he never told you what to think.โ
The actor said if Rogers disagreed with you, heโd ask aย questionย that โinnocently invited you to think about what you thought.โ Alda then joked that he was thinking about Rogers after making the statement.
After Rogers left the โM*A*S*Hโ show, Alda said they met for decades when they happened to be in the same city. Alda expressed his new, unhappy feeling about the friends. He stated, โWeโll never again be in the same city.โ
Starting โMASHโ Together
The men starred in the war televisionย seriesย starting in 1972. Bothย menย served as captains in the โM*A*S*Hโ showโs Korean War story.
According to IMDB, Rogers auditioned for Aldaโs Hawkeye Pierce character but didnโt like it. But he liked the show, interviewed for the other co-star role, and stayed with the show.
Rogers starred in 72 episodes with Alda but left after three seasons. Rogers died on Dec. 31, 2015, at 82 from complications due to pneumonia.
According to IMBD, Rogersโ exit from the โM*A*S*Hโ show came with a little bit of drama. Show producers sued him for breach of contract. However, the court dismissed the case when everyone learned Rogers never signed his contract.ย
Alda stayed on for 11 seasons with the show.
Alda, Rogers Fast Friends On โM*A*S*Hโ
The 85-year-old actor said he missed his co-star friend afterย Rogersย left the โM*A*S*Hโ show in 1975.
Before the show started production, the men ate dinner the night before together. Alda recalled both wanted the show to be successful and vowed to give it โeverything we had.โ The duo knew the show could be more than a situational comedy and the funnyman said the two โwanted to treat it as seriously as anything weโd ever been asked to do.โย
According to IMDB, both men started the show with producers considering them as equal co-stars. However, Aldaโs performance and creative input led to his Hawkeye Pierce character stealing the show. The move started a rift in the menโs friendship, and it turned into a primary reason why Rogers left the show.
But out of those three years together, the men formed a strong post-โM*A*S*Hโ friendship.
Alda is a six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, but he is best-known for playing Hawkeye Pierce in the ๐จ๐๐ฃ television series. Rogers played his buddy, Trapper John McIntyre. Interestingly enough, show producers spun Rogersโ character into a new series, โTrapper John, M.D.โย
Former โBonanzaโ star Pernell Roberts starred in the leading role, and the series went from 1979 until 1986.