The Feud Between Alan Alda and Emmy-Winning MASH Director Jackie Cooper

Besides the original book’s author and the director of the original “M*A*S*H” film, Robert Altman, it’s hard to think of anyone with a reason to hate Alda. He was largely responsible for the tone of the series because he was insistent that the show not use tired humor or resort to punching down, and it led to a series that mixed drama and comedy in equal measure. (Honestly, it feels so much like the prototype for the beloved hospital dramedy “Scrubs” that it’s eerie sometimes.) So, it’s not really a surprise that when Cooper commented on the ability of the cast to act comedically, Alda got a little defensive. Cooper said that he told the actors, “‘If the producers had only wanted a funny person, they would have hired a Carl Reiner. But they wanted good actors, so they hired you,'” thinking for some reason that this would make them like him more. Instead people were furious, because it was important on “M*A*S*H” to be both dramatic and funny, and they were insulted.

Cooper related that Alda came to him and dressed him down, telling the director that he had “no idea what kind of people we are,” defending himself and his co-workers. It sounds like Cooper really didn’t understand M*A*S*H and could have used a few lessons on leadership, but Alda comes out squeaky clean.