Who made the better Hawkeye Pierce?

[Beaker]

[TrogL]

1. Sutherland's character was too one-sided

Alda's character was very complex.

[Beaker]

3. Alan Alda also had a l-o-o-o-ng time to develop the character.

his 1st season Hawkeye didn't seem very complex.

[dedhed]

2. Alda... by a mile!

I love Sutherland, but Alda was the better funny-man!

:bounce:

edit: grammar

[Servo300]

4. Alda

But in the later episodes he wasn't as good.

[jdsmith]

5. I voted Alda, too

But you're right. In later episodes, Hawkeye was a martyr and Alda was an artiste--too fraught with meaning.

[alvis]

7. Alda

I grew up watching Alda as Hawkeye. In the past few years I've grown to appreciated him more.

I also like Sutherland, always loved that whistle he did in the movie.

[mitchum]

6. I go with Sutherland's laconic Hawkeye over Alda's Groucho redux

[Delano]

8. I preferred Sutherland. Alda was too earnest & overwrought

Anyone who had been in such a situation, day in, day out for years would have a bit more crust built up not not be so aghast at every injustice as Alda was, and he would also know that the other MASH guys were all dealing with as much shit as he was and thus wouldn't have been constantly preaching at everybody. He would have also laid off on the dark jokes all the time. An attitude like his in such a high-pressure environment in REAL life would have gotten him innumerable broken noses.


Subtlety wasn't Alda's way - it was always hamhanded moralizing. But his performance, and the show itself were still head and shoulders above most anything else on TV at the time other than maybe All in the Family.