more retro rewinds

“The West Wing” (Amazon, Netflix): As U.S. Senator, presidential candidate and Secretary of State nominee Arnold Vinick in the last three seasons of the 1999-2006 NBC drama, Alan Alda took on a character who was moderate in his politics, direct in his manner and compassionate when it came to his sense of humanitarian responsibility. Emmy voters liked what they saw, bestowing him with an Emmy for best supporting actor in 2006.

“Flirting With Disaster” (HBO Max): David O. Russell’s 1996 black comedy about a man’s (Ben Stiller) cross-country search for his birth parents featured a hilariously unhinged Alan Alda as the man who would turn out to be his father, an aging hippie and former government chemist who was terrified at the thought of going back to prison after his homemade LSD accidentally wound up in the stomach of one of his dinner guests, an FBI agent (Richard Jenkins).

“Betsy’s Wedding” (Hulu): Alan Alda was a triple threat as writer, director and co-star of this 1990 romantic comedy in which he played the well-meaning father of the bride (Molly Ringwald) who conspires with the groom’s dad (Nicolas Coster) to hijack their kids’ intimate wedding plans and turn the day into a major event.

“The Aviator” (Hulu): Martin Scorcese’s Oscar-nominated 2004 biographical drama about the life and career of mid-20th century industrialist Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) featured an Oscar-nominated turn by Alan Alda as a sleazy, corrupt U.S. senator who has it in for the film’s protagonist.