"M*A*S*H" star Harry Morgan dies at 96
 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_16...an-dies-at-96/



CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - Harry Morgan, who played the gruff-but-lovable Col. Sherman T. Potter on the long-running series "M*A*S*H," has died. He was 96.


His daughter-in-law, Beth Morgan, says the actor died at his home in Brentwood after suffering from pneumonia.


Pictures: Harry Morgan, 1915-2011


Morgan appeared in mostly supporting roles on the big screen, playing opposite such stars as Henry Fonda, John Wayne, James Garner, Elvis Presley and Dan Aykroyd.


On television, he was more the comedic co-star. His roles included playing Officer Bill Gannon, Sgt. Joe Friday's loyal partner, in the revived version of "Dragnet" from 1967-1970, Pete Porter in both "December Bride" and its spin-off "Pete and Gladys."


But it was his role as Col. Sherman Porter on "M-A-S-H" for which Morgan became best known. He first appeared on the show in 1975, when he replaced McLean Stevenson, until it went off the air in 1983.


In an interview for the Archive of American Television, Mr. Morgan said of his role: "He was firm. He was a good officer and he had a good sense of humor. I think it's the best part I ever had. I loved playing Colonel Potter."


Other shows he made guest appearances on include "The Love Boat," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Jeff Foxworthy Show." He also reprised his role as Gannon for an episode of "The Simpsons."


Morgan is survived by his second wife, Barbara Bushman (he was married to Eileen Detchon from 1940 until her death in 1985), three sons from his first marriage and eight grandchildren, according to the New York Times. A fourth son died in 1989

:(

RIP

Bummer, he was an amazingly versatile actor. But 96 is a full and happy life. He didn't get cheated.

He talks about his experience doing M*A*S*H here:

http://youtu.be/CSsNagf0do0

RIP Colonel

I liked his roll in the Shoot-est

Great actor. He was really good in "Support Your Local Sheriff". He took that role to places that other actors would be afraid to go.

RIP

FAX

I only remember him from MASH, but liked him in that role.

By the way....

Blake was slightly better than Potter
Winchester was slightly better than Burns
Honeycutt wasn't quite as good as McIntyre
Klinger was fine as Klinger, but couldn't fill Radar's shoes in an expanded role

Overall, they filled in the roles well, though none were really as good as the originals.

The bolded part is incorrect. He first appeared on M*A*S*H in 1974 as Maj. Gen. Bartford Hamilton Steele.

That said... RIP Harry Morgan, easily my favorite supporting actor of all time.

Is he going to be buried in Hannibal?

Rip

RIP Officer Gannon!
We enjoyed watching you on the small screen over the years. Thank you!

Holy shit - Colonel Potter was still alive?

Man, I figured him for dead a decade ago. Way to go down swinging, Harry.

He played in a lot of Westerns back in the 50 & 60s
Bend of the River. Staring Jimmy Stewart. Was another movie Harry Morgan was in.

This is absolutely correct. He did a guest star spot as an inspection-crazy general named General Steele. When inspecting the troops, Klinger came straight at him in a cocktail dress. Gen Steele looked at him and said "Not now, Marjorie, I'm inspecting the troops!"

That guest spot showed everyone how funny he could be, and had a big bearing on choosing Col. Blake's replacement.

BTW:

Frank Burns was a FAR better character than Winchester. Larry Linville was unbelievably good as playing Burns. It's hard to be a convincing weasel. Linvelle was an amazing guy, and died way too young.

Honeycutt and Trapper, about equal. Both good character actors.

Radar better than Klinger. Both funny guys, Radar did drama better.

Blake better than Potter, but just barely.

:(

RIP
Damn good actor!!!!

Always liked him in any role I saw him in. Thought he was an excellent actor. While I liked the "zanier" early years of MASH better with Col. Blake, I thought Potter was also excellent.

Which one was it that he beat the shit out of all the time...?

I remember that well.

Harry Morgan had great sense of comedic timimg, and wasn't afraid to stretch boundaries.

RIP.

I liked Potter better than Blake.

Never found the Blake character to be at all credible.

That sucks, what a great long life at 96 though

this reminds me....Do they even show MASH reruns anywhere anymore? I havent seen any in years.

TV Land, I think.

RIP.....you will be remembered!

That is what I said.

Spot on....You will be missed Colonel Potter.:(

RIP

Loved him in MASH

These are just the movies he was in:

• To the Shores of Tripoli (1942)
• The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe (1942)
• Orchestra Wives (1942)
• The Omaha Trail (1942)
• A Scrap of Paper (1943)
• Crash Dive (1943)
• The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
• Happy Land (1943)
• The Eve of St. Mark (1944)
• Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944)
• Wing and a Prayer (1944)
• Gentle Annie (1944)
• A Bell for Adano (1945)
• State Fair (1945)
• From This Day Forward (1946)
• Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946)
• Dragonwyck (1946)
• Somewhere in the Night (1946)
• It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (1946)
• Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (1946)
• The Gangster (1947)
• All My Sons (1948)
• The Big Clock (1948)
• Race Street (1948)
• The Saxon Charm (1948)
• Moonrise (1948)
• Yellow Sky (1948)
• Hello Out There (1949)
• Down to the Sea in Ships (1949)
• The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949)
• Madame Bovary (1949)
• Strange Bargain (1949)
• Red Light (1949)
• Holiday Affair (1949)
• Outside the Wall (1950)
• The Showdown (1950)
• Dark City (1950)
• Belle Le Grand (1951)
• When I Grow Up (1951)
• Appointment with Danger (1951)
• The Highwayman (1951)
• The Well (1951)
• The Blue Veil (1951)
• Boots Malone (1952)
• Scandal Sheet (1952)
• Bend of the River (1952)
• My Six Convicts (1952)
• High Noon (1952)
• What Price Glory? (1952)
• Big Jim McLain (1952)
• Apache War Smoke (1952)
• Toughest Man in Arizona (1952)
• Stop, You're Killing Me (1952)
• Thunder Bay (1953)
• Arena (1953)
• Champ for a Day (1953)
• Torch Song (1953)
• The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
• Prisoner of War (1954)
• The Forty-Niners (1954)
• About Mrs. Leslie (1954)
• The Far Country (1955)
• Strategic Air Command (1955)
• Not as a Stranger (1955)
• Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)
• The Bottom of the Bottle (1956)
• Backlash (1956)
• Operation Teahouse (1956)
• Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers (1956)
• Star in the Dust (1956)
• The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)
• Under Fire (1957)
• It Started with a Kiss (1959)
• The Mountain Road (1960)
• Inherit the Wind(1960)
• Cimarron (1960)
• How the West Was Won (1962)
• John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965)
• Frankie and Johnny (1966)
• What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
• The Flim-Flam Man (1967)
• Star Spangled Salesman (1968)
• Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)
• Viva Max! (1969)
• The Barefoot Executive (1971)
• Support Your Local Gunfighter! (1971)
• Scandalous John (1971)
• Snowball Express (1972)
• Charley and the Angel (1973)
• The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
• The Shootist (1976)
• The Cat from Outer Space (1978)
• The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979)
• The Wild Wild West Revisted (1979)
• More Wild Wild West (1980)
• The Flight of Dragons (1982)
• Sparkling Cyanide TV Movie (1983)
• Dragnet (1987)
• The Incident (1990)
• Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore (1992)
• Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick (1996)
• Family Plan (1998)
• Crosswalk (1999)

I have the complete series on DVD and VHS....one of the best series ever. Still watch them regularly.

I just realized something pretty cool. In one of the M*A*S*H episodes, they're watching a movie in the mess tent. The movie was "State Fair." Harry was actually IN that movie. Pretty cool!

I think some of the characters that had to come in as replacements were judged more harshly. Honeycutt, Potter, Winchester were all filling big shoes. They all did a wonderful job, which is why M*A*S*H was a special show.

TV now has nothing that can come close. Reality TV is total crap, and few comedy shows have the writing chops.

I've never seen M*A*S*H, but I remember him acting in other stuff. RIP.

Disagree.

Show started going downhill with Blake leaving; way funnier than Potter.

Got worse when touchy, feely, crybaby Honeycutt came on board.

Lost way more when Winchester took over for Burns; Burns was a great character; almost as important as Barney Fife was to the Andy Griffith Show.

Show lost it's way entirely once Alda started directing. Went from being good for a couple of belly laughs each week to some underlying sappy-ass sub-plot. By the time it went off the air I couldn't care less.

I remember seeing a rerun of Steele and finding it mind-bending. Barney Miller was another show that brought back single-episode actors in different roles. I think they had a couple of criminals who ended up returning as cops - Dietrich, and I think either Ron Carey or Inspector Luger. Not worth looking up today.

I'll respectfully disagree on Burns vs. Winchester, though I suspect your view is more common. I always found Burns to be a little shallow for my liking. Winchester had depth and could thrust and parry back against Hawkeye. Burns was just a big dartboard. That said, I agree that Linville played the role well. I didn't know that he'd passed away, either.

donger...you've never seen the movie or you've never watched at least one episode of the tv show?
sec

The writing style of the show changed a lot from the first years to the last years. You're right that Winchester was more complex. Burns had some moments, like after Hot Lips got married, where they gave him some complexity. He also was great in the period between Blake leaving and Potter coming in, when he was in charge.

Don't get me wrong, all the core actors on M*A*S*H were excellent. it's what made the show memorable.

This.

That dudes been old since I can remember.
He had a role in MASH once before he was on full time. He played a nut-job general. It was funny as hell. If you have a chance to watch it, do so.
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RIP Colonel Potter. You were great in MASH though I could never totally accept you in the place that Colonel Blake built.

How.......is this possible? For either the movie or the show?

I'll give you this one....I loved the Hawkeye character, but Alda was and still is a moonbat IRL.

Too bad for you. Everybody should at least see the first 4 or 5 seasons.

No, I have not.

Alan Alda is like kryptonite to right wingers....

R.I.P Harry Morgan

&

R.I.P John Goodman


Both good actors & will be missed.

wow...you really should check it out, man.

seriously, and i don't mean to sound like an a-hole, but when i picture you in my mind, i actually see charles emerson winchester.

it's not a bad thing.
sec

He's got a point. The show did suck towards the end. And I didn't even know Alda was directing it.

:eek: Holy crap, you're right!

Along with being nuts.

Mike Farrell isn't too far behind either. Wayne Rogers on the other hand is a very intelligent guy.

sayin...all that culture amongst those like us. and still able to coexist.
sec

More like Frank Burns. :D

And a Republican. LMAO

Glad you caught that :), but he did graduate from Princeton.

I don't know who that is. I'll have to look him up.

Recall that he grew up in another country. Albania, if I remember right.

do it when you get a chance. my feelings on the guy were that when he first came on the show, he was hard to get to know and like. but after some time the viewer was able to see a side of the guy that was very funny and likeable in his own way.

i just find in interesting.
sec

Yeah, and like Alan Alda is the face of the liberal left...talk about irrelevant.

I arrived in the US in 1978 and didn't watch much TV at all. When I did later in life, that show was already canceled.

Oh, I see. But, no, I don't think I'll choose to watch any of it.

that's cool, man...LMAO
not much for old reruns, huh?
sec

So do they bury him in Potter's Field?

I've seen a few episodes of:

The Lucy Show (or whatever it was called)
Happy Days
Laverne and Shirley
Gilligan's Island

I can't really think of any others. TV wasn't big in our house.

MASH is better than those shows, with the exception of I Love Lucy, maybe. Still, people are correct, the last few seasons of MASH deteriorated into this self righteous, whiny, almost didactic platform for Alda.

i see. so, who do you think was hotter...ginger or maryann?
there's got to be something we have in common, donger.
sec

Yes.

****...ok, let's try it again.
laverne or shirley?
sec

Was Shirley the dark-haired one? If so, Shirley.

ding! ding! ding!
that's it! we could be long lost brothers!
sec

RIP

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/201...an_244x183.jpg

Speaking of brothers, I remember (I hope accurately) one episode of Happy Days where Lenny and Squiggy showed up. I was confused and asked one of my brothers how that was possible. Said brother then hit me in the head.

Yes, the shows crossed over. Laverne was also on Happy Days. As was Mork from Ork.

were lenny and squiggy brothers?
didn't know that.
sec

edit- ok, ok...i see what you're saying now.

M*A*S*H Swearing!
NSFW, naughty language:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z3OXdEGr91E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Not crossed over. They were both spinoffs from Happy Days.

Ahhh,... This explains everything.
:D

:hmmm:

Harry Morgan. Colonel Potter............... HARRY POTTER!!!!

Coincidence?!

I had someone at work who asked me what he died from after I told them the news. I responded that he was 96, he died from being on the Earth too long.

RIP Colonel Potter. Loved the chemistry between the colonel and Radar.

After-MASH...
We hardly knew yee...
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That was a terrible idea, most likely by some network suits who still wanted to milk MASH's popularity. What an abortion of a show!

BTW, before I saw HM in good stuff I knew him from Dragnet and always thought of him as a no range cardboard actor.

Is that when he came into camp and was crazy as a rat in tin sh1thouse? Drove Hawkeye crazy the whole time?

Crazy and racist.

The first three seasons of MASH were great (although far too liberal for somebody like Donger to appreciate them). After Henry and Trapper left the show started to slide, and when they broke up Frank and Hot Lips and made the show basically Frank v. the World, that was the end. In later seasons it was basically unwatchable. I never saw an episode of After MASH (came out when I was first in the Navy), and I never even heard of it until IMDb.

As such, Potter didn't do much for me, although the character had his moments. MASH reruns still air up here, but I won't watch any of them past season 4.

But anyway, RIP.

Yep, they also tried another show with Radar as the main character. I think it was called W*A*L*T*E*R. It was supposed to be a sitcom but they just ended up showing the pilot as a one-time special.
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