Posted on 12/07/2011 9:18:42 AM PST by Borges
Harry Morgan, the prolific character actor best known for playing the acerbic but kindly Colonel Potter in the long-running television series “M*A*S*H,” died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles. He was 96. His son Charles confirmed his death.
In more than 100 movies, Mr. Morgan played Western bad guys, characters with names like Rocky and Shorty, loyal sidekicks, judges, sheriffs, soldiers, thugs and police chiefs.
On television, he played Officer Bill Gannon with a phlegmatic but light touch to Jack Webb’s always-by-the-book Sgt. Joe Friday in the updated “Dragnet,” from 1967 to 1970. He starred as Pete Porter, a harried husband, in the situation comedy “Pete and Gladys” (1960-62), reprising a role he had played on “December Bride” (1954-59). He was also a regular on “The Richard Boone Show” (1963-64), “Kentucky Jones” (1964-65), “The D.A.” (1971-72), “Hec Ramsey” (1972-74) and “Blacke’s Magic” (1986).But to many fans he was first and foremost Col. Sherman T. Potter, commander of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit in Korea. With a wry smile, flat voice and sharp humor, Mr. Morgan played Colonel Potter from 1975 to 1983, when “M*A*S*H” went off the air. He replaced McLean Stevenson, who had quit the series, moving into the role on the strength of his performance as a crazed major general in an early episode.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
He was also in the version of Dragnet with Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd. He can convincingly play a serious and a humorous part.
...or a cast iron stomach...
Enjoyed his work, saw him at the LA Auto show about 25 years back. Just a regular apparently on his own checking out Caddies. RIP
All the old Dragnet episodes are on youtube... you can download the 480p .flv episodes using the Firefox Downloadhelper add-on.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Dragnet%2C+long
Play the files using VLC, or convert to any other codec using AviDemux. All the software is free.
Ditto that. One of my favorite lines from Morgan in this movie (explaining his daughter's erratic behavior), "Pooberty hit her real hard."
He was a B-36 crewman in the Jimmy Stewart movie “Strategic Air Command”. Good old movie from a time when all of believed we were the good guys.
Every New Year’s Eve, I post one of my favorite quotes from Col. Potter...
“Here’s to the new year. May it be a damn sight better than the old one was.”- from the ‘M*A*S*H’ episode ‘A Year In The Life’
This year, that quote will be just a bit more melancholy.
“Ten-HUT!”
“Pre-sent ARMS!”
To Harry Morgan, forever to my world as Colonel Sherman T. Potter. Rest in Peace.
rip Mr Morgan
Wasn’t the Death Pool hit last week and Howie said he’d get around to a new one? Otherwise, we know what the 4:00 hour will be.
A nice interview of Harry Morgan can be found on this youtube channel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TVLEGENDS/videos?view=pl
Frank Burns “It’s nice to be nice... to the nice.”
“Well I’ll be a horse’s patoot”.
Rest in peace, sir.
Great picture!
Recently on Antenna TV they showing episode about those couple who try justified them dropping LSD at end of the episode baby drown in bathtub Bill Gannon told Friday I got get out of here for first time on the job I going be sick that episode prove that even tough bad*** cop like Friday or Gannon the job can get to them
Dragnet to me. We lived in LA so we could watch crime for reals and on Dragnet. That was one of the first cop shows.
You got that right about SO CAL LOL!
Living in LA real life Dragnet episode ROFL
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