Harry Morgan (1915-2011) didn’t have his name above the title but we all know him well and value his contribution to Hollywood history.
Born Harry Bratsberg, he was In the original stage production of Golden Boy and made his film debut in 1942 In To The Shores of Tripoli, using the name Henry Morgan (which he used for a good part of his career).
Averaging three or four films a year, Harry was never out of work for the next 50 years.
With Henry Fonda. THE OX-BOW INCIDENT.
With Richard Widmark, Robert Arthur.YELLOW SKY.
With Jack Webb .DARK CITY.
DRAGNET
With Lon Chaney Jr.,Thomas Mitchell. HIGH NOON.
With James Stewart, Charles Drake. THE GLENN MILLER STORY.
With Spencer Tracy, Fredric March.INHERIT THE WIND.
Harry had his own TV comedy series, Pete And Gladys, costarring Cara Williams. The show ran for two years from 1960 and was a spin-off of a show called December Brides.
Episodes are available on You Tube.
Guesting on an episode of Gunsmoke, with James Arness.
MASH.
Harry played a no-nonsense judge in two very good TV movies in which he costarred with Walter Matthau.
After his first wife, Eileen died in 1985, Harry married again in 1986 to Barbara Bushman (daughter of Francis X. Bushman).
Vienna's Classic Hollywood
I first became familiar with him via MASH and only later, as I got more into movies, discovered how prolific he had been and how long a career he’d had, I soon seemed to run across him in what felt like every other western or film noir I watched.
He was in M*A*S*H from 1974-83 and was nominated for an Emmy for that show every year from 1975-83, winning once (1980).
He really carved a niche for himself , playing many different roles.
I first became aware of Harry Morgan when I saw The Glenn Miller Story (1954) in which he played the part of Miller’s pianist Chummy McGregor. I have always enjoyed his performances in movies since that time.
I liked him too in Glenn Miller Story.
Of course a main and perhaps only reason, he would have changed from Henry to Harry, surely involved the huge success of cantankerous Henry Morgan’s satirical radio show from the 40s, and popularity also in 50s-early 60s TV although I don’t think he was ever quite as personally liked as I think Harry was!
Good to know.
A good example of Henry’s irascible humor getting the better of him, was as guest player on “What’s My Line?” when moderator Daly was so angered by Morgan’s putdown of a joke Bennet Cerf had told, he forced him to apologize on live television! Young Phyllis Newman on Morgan’s left, looked ready to sink through the floor in embarrassment!