Triumph Over Adversity: ‘MAS*H’ Star Alan Alda’s Childhood Struggles and Ongoing Fight Against Parkinson’s

The wartime mix of comedy and drama, “MAS*H,” aired from 1972 to 1983, earning its place as one of the highest-rated shows in U.S. television history. Its final episode remains a memorable and widely-watched finale.

Alan Alda, a key figure in the series, clinched the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series six times, marking his outstanding contribution to the beloved show.

Despite hailing from a showbiz family, the esteemed actor’s childhood was marked by upheavals, struggles, and early trauma. Born in the Bronx in 1936, Alan spent his formative years on the move as his parents traveled across the United States. His father, Robert Alda, an actor and singer, performed in burlesque theatres, and his mother, Joan Browne, balanced homemaking with her past as a beauty-pageant winner.

In his memoir, “Never Have Your Dog Stuffed — and Other Things I’ve Learned,” Alan candidly shared the challenges his family faced. His father often spent nights away for work, and his mother grappled with mental health struggles, a topic surrounded by taboo during the 40s and 50s, with limited resources for families in need.

Reflecting on the past, Alan expressed the potential ease that could have come from facing his mother’s illness together with his father. In his 2005 memoir, he wrote, “How much easier it could have been for my father and me to face her illness together; to compare notes, to figure out strategies. Instead, each of us was on [our] own.”

One poignant childhood memory stands out, where six-year-old Alan stayed up late with his mother while his father worked. Upon his father’s return, a heated argument ensued, with Alan’s mother accusing him of infidelity. The confrontation escalated to the point where Alan’s mother attempted to stab his father with a paring knife. In a moment of bravery, young Alan intervened, grabbing the knife and plunging it into the table to prevent harm.

Opening up about a distressing incident from his childhood, Alan revealed that when he mentioned the traumatic event weeks later to his parents, they adamantly denied any knowledge, with his mother insisting he had imagined it.

The subsequent year brought another challenge as Alan received a diagnosis of Polio, a debilitating and life-threatening disease. Reflecting on the onset of the illness at the age of 7, he shared with AARP magazine, “I got it when I was 7. I had a stuffy nose at Warner’s movie theater—honking the whole evening. I couldn’t clear my nose. When I got home, I threw up, and my legs were unsteady. The next day, I had a stiff neck. I couldn’t sit up in bed.”

Enduring a challenging journey, Alan spent two weeks in the hospital followed by six months of arduous therapy. This treatment involved wrapping his arms and legs with hot towels, aiming to boost blood flow and counteract the muscle weakness associated with the disease.

Recalling the demanding process, Alan shared, “I had nearly scalding blankets wrapped around my limbs every hour. It was hard on me. It was harder, I think, on my parents, who couldn’t afford a nurse and had to administer the treatment themselves. It’s always better to pay somebody to torture your kid.”

Fortunately, the dedicated treatment proved successful, leading to an astonishing recovery with no visible remnants of the disease’s impact on Alan.