Harry Morgan


Actor
Harry Morgan

About

Also Known As
Henry Morgan (Harry), Harry Bratsburg, Henry Morgan
Birth Place
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Born
April 10, 1915
Died
December 07, 2011
Cause of Death
Pneumonia

Biography

A familiar face to film and television audiences for over five decades, Emmy-winning character actor Harry Morgan perfected the role of the lovable curmudgeon on one of the most beloved programs in television history. After proving himself on the stages of Broadway, the gruff-voiced actor became a fixture in features films with supporting roles opposite big names like Henry Fonda in "The...

Photos & Videos

How the West Was Won - Program Book
The Apple Dumpling Gang - Movie Poster
The Barefoot Executive - Movie Poster

Family & Companions

Eileen Morgan
Wife
Barbara Morgan
Wife
Born c. 1926; married on December 12, 1986; in July 1996 filed charges of spousal abuse against Morgan; charges were dropped in June 1997.

Biography

A familiar face to film and television audiences for over five decades, Emmy-winning character actor Harry Morgan perfected the role of the lovable curmudgeon on one of the most beloved programs in television history. After proving himself on the stages of Broadway, the gruff-voiced actor became a fixture in features films with supporting roles opposite big names like Henry Fonda in "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943), Gary Cooper in "High Noon" (1952) and Jimmy Stewart in the big band biopic "The Glenn Miller Story" (1953). By the mid-1950s Morgan had begun to establish himself as the ubiquitous television presence with an endearing performance on the sitcom "December Bride" (CBS, 1954-1960) and its spin-off "Pete and Gladys" (CBS, 1960-62). Equally adept at serious drama, he memorably played Jack Webb's taciturn partner Bill Gannon on the revived version of "Dragnet" (NBC, 1967-1970). It was, however, his lengthy run as the fatherly Colonel Sherman T. Potter on the wartime comedy-drama "M*A*S*H" (CBS, 1972-1983) that would earn the veteran actor TV immortality. Though he would go on to portray other increasingly flinty, avuncular types on a variety of programs well into his eighth decade, it was his role as the no-nonsense leader of the 4077th that Morgan would later describe as "the best part I ever had."

Born Harry Bratsburg in Detroit, MI on April 10, 1915, Morgan intended to pursue a law career while attending the University of Chicago, but speech and debate classes turned his interest towards performing. He gained experience in summer stock in Washington, D.C. and New York before making his Broadway debut in the original 1937 production of Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy" opposite such future stage and screen luminaries as Lee J. Cobb, John Garfield and Frances Farmer. He remained with the show until 1939 when he lit out for California. There, he was discovered by a talent scout from 20th Century Fox while starring in William Saroyan's play "Hello, Out There."

Morgan made his feature debut as a soldier in 1942's "To the Shores of Tripoli." For that film and numerous others, he was billed as Henry Morgan, but changed it to Harry in 1962 to avoid confusion with the acerbic radio comedian and television panelist of the same name. Blessed with keen observational skills and a husky, drawling voice, he was a natural for skeptical, world-weary character parts in Westerns, war pictures and crime films. Within a few years of his debut, he was sharing screen time with Henry Fonda as his cautious pal in "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943), Ray Milland in the noir thriller "The Big Clock" (1948), and Gary Cooper as fair-weather friend Sam Fuller in the classic Western, "High Noon" (1952). Morgan clicked well with Jimmy Stewart, with whom he appeared in several projects, including "The Glenn Miller Story" (1953), "Strategic Air Command" (1955) and several of the actor's collaborations with director Anthony Mann, including "Bend in the River" (1952) and "The Far Country" (1955). Morgan also co-starred in two police procedurals with Jack Webb, with whom he had established a relationship while he was a member of Webb's radio acting company.

Though his film schedule seemed filled to capacity in the mid-1950s, Morgan ventured into television during that decade and found himself a bona fide star, thanks to the sitcom "December Bride." Ostensibly a starring vehicle for Oscar-nominated actress Spring Byington, Morgan became the show's breakout draw, thanks to his performance as hen-pecked neighbor Pete Porter. His deadpan delivery earned him an Emmy nomination in 1959, and the character was eventually given his own series, "Pete and Gladys" after "December Bride" left the air in 1960. Comedienne Cara Williams played Gladys, who made life complicated for husband Pete with her poorly planned schemes. Though never a ratings favorite, the show was significant for launching Morgan as a comic talent.

Morgan returned to active duty in features in the early 1960s, where he played slightly older versions of the cynical working Joe's he essayed in the 1940s and 1950s. There were more authority figures in his palette, albeit ones with little time or patience for thinking outside the box, like the presiding judge at the Scopes Monkey Trial in "Inherit The Wind" (1960), or Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the epic "How the West Was Won" (1962). He remained a draw on television, both as a guest star and as a regular on "The Richard Boone Show" (NBC, 1963-64) and the short-lived family comedy "Kentucky Jones" (NBC, 1964-65). Morgan also began to branch out into directing, eventually helming numerous episodes for the "Boone Show," as well as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (CBS/NBC, 1955-1965), "Adam-12" (NBC, 1968-1975) and "M*A*S*H."

In 1967, he re-teamed with Webb to co-star as Officer Bill Gannon on the revived "Dragnet," then known as "Dragnet '67" to distinguish it from reruns of the 1955-59 edition. Gannon was as terse and by-the-books as Webb's Friday, though the world they encountered in the '67 "Dragnet" was markedly different than the noir-influenced L.A. in the earlier series. There were plenty of unsavory types to be collared by their dogged detective work, but the changing times also dictated that the show give equal time to scenes of the police working with members of the community and otherwise putting forth a less hardboiled exterior. As Gannon, Morgan kept crime off the streets until the show's demise in 1970.

The seventies found Morgan more on television than in movies. He made his TV movie debut in 1970's "But I Don't Want to Get Married!" and subsequently appeared in numerous TV features and series throughout the decade; the best of which was perhaps "Backstairs at the White House" (1979), for which he gave a note-perfect turn as Harry Truman. Morgan also starred in several series, including "The D.A." (NBC, 1971-72) with Robert Conrad and "Hec Ramsey" with Richard Boone. His film output during this period seemed to be comprised mainly of comedies, many of which were Disney product like "Charley and The Angel" (1973) and "The Apple Dumpling Gang" (1975). There was, however, a pleasant return to his dramatic roots as the crusty local sheriff in John Wayne's final feature, "The Shootist" (1976).

Morgan's connection with "M*A*S*H" began with the 1974 season opener, "The General Flipped at Dawn," in which he played an action-hungry officer who wants to move the 4077th closer to the frontlines. He returned for fulltime duty at the end of the season to replace McLean Stevenson as Sherman Potter, commanding officer of the medical unit. Potter was 360 degrees away from Stevenson's Henry Blake; a career soldier who had served in World War I, he was a superior surgeon and demanded the same degree of care from the doctors under his command, which occasionally created clashes with Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce. But Potter was also allergic to military red tape, as well as any sort of perceived injustice, and bent unfair rules in favor of decency and fair play. His personality was deeply Midwestern; he loved horses, baseball and his wife Mildred (a photo of Morgan's real-life spouse, Eileen Detchon, stood in for Mildred's portrait on Potter's desk) and had a flair for colorful language. Ultimately, his method of command earned the respect of the eccentric crew of the 4077th, who paid him the highest honor in the series finale by saluting him as they departed the camp.

Morgan's stellar work on "M*A*S*H" earned the respect of viewers and critics alike. He received an Emmy nomination for each year of his run with the series, and landed the trophy once in 1980. He also received an Emmy nod for his direction on the show in that same year. In interviews, Morgan frequently cited Potter as his favorite role, and was among the minority of cast members who voted for an 11th season prior to its celebrated finale in 1983. Though he did not receive his wish, he got to play Potter for an additional two years on "AfterMASH" (CBS, 1983-85), a short-lived spin-off that also featured original cast members Jamie Farr and William Christopher. As Potter, who was now in charge of a VA hospital after the end of the Korean War, Morgan remained the show's anchor, but even his presence was not enough to grant it the same longevity as its predecessor.

Like Potter, Morgan's post-"M*A*S*H" career was extraordinarily active. He attempted to return to active series work opposite Hal Linden in "Blacke's Magic" (NBC, 1986-88), a crime drama about a magician (Linden) who solves cases with the help of his con-man dad (Morgan). It was followed by what seemed like a can't-miss idea: a TV series based on the venerable stage play "You Can't Take It With You," with Morgan as the show's narrator, the cuddly patriarch of a large and eccentric East Coast family. But the end result (syndicated, 1987-88) paled in comparison to the source material, and was gone after just two seasons.

Morgan reprised "Dragnet's" Bill Gannon twice in the 1980s and 1990s - once in the appalling 1987 feature film version with Dan Aykroyd as Joe Friday's nephew, and later in a 1995 episode of "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ) which found the veteran cop investigating Homer's faked death. He was also featured as a Southern judge who aids lawyer Walter Matthau in three fine television movies starting with 1990's "The Incident," and continued as a featured guest star on TV series and features until apparently retiring in 1999. An unfortunate black mark on his otherwise blemish-free career came to light in 1996 when Morgan was charged with spousal abuse. Police arrived at his home to discover that his second wife, Barbara Bushman Quine, had suffered physical injuries by Morgan's hand. The charges were dropped in 1997 after Morgan completed a six-month domestic violence program. In 2006, the actor was inducted him into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Five years later, the TV favorite passed away at age 96 on Dec. 7, 2011.

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick (1995)
Himself
Incident in a Small Town (1994)
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore (1992)
The Incident (1990)
14 Going on 30 (1988)
Uncle Herb
Dragnet (1987)
Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide (1983)
Rivkin: Bounty Hunter (1981)
Scout's Honor (1980)
You Can't Take It With You (1979)
Better Late Than Never (1979)
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979)
The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979)
Robert T Malone
The Cat From Outer Space (1978)
Maneaters Are Loose (1978)
Toby Waites
Murder at the Mardi Gras (1978)
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid (1978)
The Magnificent Magnet of Santa Mesa (1977)
Exoman (1977)
The Shootist (1976)
The Last Day (1975)
Narrator
The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
Sidekicks (1974)
Charley and the Angel (1973)
Hec Ramsey (1972)
Snowball Express (1972)
Jesse McCord
Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You (1971)
Inspector Richard Queen
The Feminist and the Fuzz (1971)
Dr Horace Bowers
Scandalous John (1971)
Sheriff Hector Pippin
Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971)
Taylor Barton
The Barefoot Executive (1971)
E. J. Crampton
Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)
Olly Perkins
Viva Max! (1969)
Police Chief George Sylvester
The Flim-Flam Man (1967)
Sheriff Slade
Frankie and Johnny (1966)
Cully
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
Major Pott
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
Deems Sarajevo
How the West Was Won (1963)
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
Cimarron (1960)
Jesse Rickey
Inherit the Wind (1960)
Judge
The Mountain Road (1960)
Sgt. Michaelson

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick (1995)
Other

Cast (Special)

M-A-S-H 30th Anniversary Reunion (2002)
Lincoln (1992)
Voice
Memories of M*A*S*H (1991)
More Wild Wild West (1980)
The Paul Lynde Comedy Hour (1978)
McLaren's Riders (1977)
Sheriff Bill Willett
Jack Benny's Second Farewell Show (1974)
Cat Ballou (1971)
The Marriage Broker (1957)
Mike Feeney (Guest)

Cast (Short)

Operation Teahouse (1956)
Himself

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Roughnecks (1980)
Backstairs at the White House (1979)
Roots: The Next Generations (1979)
The Bastard (1978)

Life Events

1935

Planned to study law at the University of Chicago until public speaking and debating classes turned him to acting

1937

Spent two years in the original Broadway production of "Golden Boy"

1942

Feature acting debut (as Henry Morgan), "To the Shores of Tripoli"

1942

Signed by 20th Century Fox after being spotted by a talent scout in William Saroyan's one-act play "Hello, Out There" in a Santa Barbara stock company

1942

Moved to California

1943

Prominently featured as Henry Fonda's traveling companion in the Western drama "The Ox-Bow Incident"

1952

First of six films with director Anthony Mann, "Bend of the River"

1954

Debut as a TV series regular, played cranky neighbor Pete Porter on the popular sitcom "December Bride" (CBS), garnered first Emmy nomination, for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy in 1959

1960

Starred as Pete Porter in the sitcom spin-off "Pete and Gladys" (CBS)

1960

Last film with director Mann, "Cimarron"

1963

Appeared as a "repertory" member on "The Richard Boone Show," an ambitious dramatic anthology series (NBC)

1964

Played a regular on the family comedy-drama "Kentucky Jones" (NBC)

1967

Co-starred as Officer Bill Gannon opposite Jack Webb's Sgt. Joe Friday on the NBC revival "Dragnet 1967"

1969

Directed episodes of the Jack Webb-produced "Adam-12" (NBC)

1970

TV-movie debut, "But I Don't Want to Get Married!" (ABC)

1971

Co-starred with Robert Conrad on the short-lived legal drama "The D.A." (NBC), also directed episodes

1972

Narrated and played a recurring role on the Western detective series "Hec Ramsey" (NBC), also directed episodes

1974

Appeared in an acclaimed guest spot as a crazed general on the hit comedy-drama series "M*A*S*H" (CBS), the third season opener episode titled "The General Flipped at Dawn"

1975

Became series regular on "M*A*S*H" (CBS) the following season as acerbic but kindly Colonel Sherman Potter; also directed episodes; nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for the "M*A*S*H" episode "Stars and Stripe" (aired 12/17/79)

1979

Appeared in "Roots: The Next Generation" (ABC), the sequel to the landmark miniseries

1979

Perfectly cast as President Harry S. Truman in the docudrama miniseries "Backstairs at the White House" (NBC)

1983

Starred as Dr. Sherman Potter on the sequel series "After MASH" (CBS)

1986

Co-starred as the recovering con man father of magician-detective Hal Linden on "Blacke's Magic" (NBC)

1987

Returned to features after an eight-year absence to reprise the role of Bill Gannon, now a Captain, for the feature spoof of "Dragnet" starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks

1990

Cast as Judge Stoddard Bell opposite Walter Matthau and Susan Blakely in the CBS TV-movie "The Incident"

1992

Reprised Judge Stoddard Bell role, co-starring with Walter Matthau and Susan Blakely in the CBS sequel "Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore"

1994

Third appearance as Judge Bell, reteamingwith Matthau for "Incident in a Small Town" (CBS)

1995

Voiced the animated version of Bill Gannon on Fox series "The Simpsons"

1996

Landed a recurring guest apperance on NBC's "3rd Rock from the Sun"

1997

Final feature film appearance, "Family Plan" with Leslie Nielsen and Judge Reinhold

1999

Acted in the comedy short "Crosswalk"

2002

Featured in the documentary special "'M*A*S*H': 30th Anniversary Reunion" (Fox)

2006

Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma

Photo Collections

How the West Was Won - Program Book
Here is the souvenir Program Book sold at Roadshow engagements for the 1962 epic in Cinerama, How the West Was Won.
The Apple Dumpling Gang - Movie Poster
Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Disney's The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.
The Barefoot Executive - Movie Poster
Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Disney's The Barefoot Executive (1971). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Videos

Movie Clip

Inherit The Wind (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Read Your Darwin Preliminaries in the rural Tennessee trial over the teaching of evolution in public school, heavyweight lawyers Brady (Fredric March) and Drummond (Spencer Tracy) with a jury candidate (Gordon Polk), Harry Morgan presiding, Dick York the accused, in Stanley Kramer's Inherit The Wind, 1960.
Cimarron (1960) -- (Movie Clip) You're Gonna Get Buried Here Bustle on April 21, 1889, eve of the Oklahoma Land Rush, Yancey and Sabra (Glenn Ford, Maria Schell) meet his old friends the Peglers (Robert Keith, Aline MacMahon) and intervene as Yountis (Charles McGraw) and thugs hassle an Indian (Ben Red Feather) and family, also Harry Morgan as Jesse, in Cimarron, 1960.
Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) -- (Movie Clip) -- Sobered Up The Whole Town Accident-prone daughter Prudy (Joan Hackett) is preparing her first meal for her father (Harry Morgan) and their new boarder, the new sheriff, McCullough (James Garner), upon whom she’s made an erratic impression, in Support Your Local Sheriff!, 1969.
How The West Was Won (1962) -- (Movie Clip) You Can't Fight Front And Rear Confused Union solder Zeb (George Peppard) and a Confederate acquaintance (Russ Tamblyn) are discussing deserting together when they overhear a talk between generals Sherman (John Wayne) and Grant (Harry Morgan), during the Battle Of Shiloh, in John Ford’s brief segment of How The West Was Won, 1962.
Apple Dumpling Gang, The -- (Movie Clip) Piece Of Cake Amos (Tim Conway) and Theodore (Don Knotts) are casing the bank and planning their heist when Sheriff McCoy (Harry Morgan) happens by in Disney's The Apple Dumpling Gang, 1975.

Trailer

Family

Chris Morgan
Son
Charles Morgan
Son
Paul Morgan
Son
Daniel Morgan
Son

Companions

Eileen Morgan
Wife
Barbara Morgan
Wife
Born c. 1926; married on December 12, 1986; in July 1996 filed charges of spousal abuse against Morgan; charges were dropped in June 1997.

Bibliography