Alan Alda Signs Books in Birmingham, Alabama

Alan Alda met a crowd of nearly 200 fans at a Birmingham bookstore today, signing copies of his latest book, "Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself." Alda, best known for his TV role as Hawkeye Pierce on "M*A*S*H," made his appearance at the Books-a-Million store in Birmingham's Brookwood Village.

Alda's latest book is a humorous look at the value of life. Its insights were inspired by his brush with death due to medical complications from an intestinal blockage. His major theme: enjoy life, be open to new experiences, and pay attention to the little things that make life better.

Alda was scheduled to autograph the book from 2-to-4 p.m. He surprised the audience by arriving ten minutes early. "I heard you were out here waiting on me, so I decided we might as well get started," he explained to the crowd.

That made the crowd happy, particularly after hearing what many considered bad news from the store's management. Just prior to Alda's appearance, a Books-a-Million representative announced that Alda would personalize the "Overheard" book, but would not pose for photographs. The store also offered copies of Alda's earlier book, "Never Have You Dog Stuffed," but noted he would be unable to personalize those copies.

And, in news that seemed to bother some in attendance, they announced that Alda would not sign "M*A*S*H" memorabilia. One college student, who arrived with a "M*A*S*H" DVD, was intercepted by another staff member before he approached the actor.

Alda's visit to the store came on relatively short notice. Books-a-Million only began advertising his appearance a week earlier. A spokesperson for the store said the company's original plans were to bring the actor into Birmingham - its corporate headquarters - for a district meeting of its employees. Only later was it decided to also have him do a book signing in the city. "We had about two weeks notice," the spokesperson said.

That was enough to get word out to many of the actor's fans. One person commented on two of his films that "many people hadn't seen - 'The Moonshine War' and 'The Four Seasons.'" Alda noted that many people were unfamiliar with "The Moonshine War," a 1970 film based on an Elmore Leonard story. Alda's other films include "Paper Lion" (1968), "Same Time, Next Year" (1978), "Betsy's Wedding" (1990), and "What Women Want" (2000).

Another fan got two books signed and told the actor, "I'm a college professor, and you and 'M*A*S*H' have contributed immensely to my lectures." "That's nice of you to say," Alda replied. "Thank you for telling me that."

Such remarks probably explained the stream of smiling people leaving the store. "He is unbelievably nice," one woman said. She seemed to be speaking for the crowd.

REFERENCES
Alda, Alan (2007). Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself. New York: Random House.

Alda, Alab (2007). Never Have Your Dog Stuffed. Arrow Books.