Harry Morgan, of ‘Dragnet’ and ‘M*A*S*H’ Fame, Passes On
Harry Morgan, who graced the small and big screen, has died. Morgan is best known for two roles in iconic television series, “Dragnet” and “M*A*S*H,” to which both his acerbic persona added considerable spice.
In the 1960s version of “Dragnet,” Morgan played Officer Bill Gannon, the partner of Detective Joe Friday, played by Jack Webb. “Dragnet” was the progenitor of the police procedure series in which detectives solved a crime during each episode. Unlike the 1950s version of the show, the ’60s version dealt with what were then topical issues such as drug abuse and counterculture, albeit from a conservative point of view.
Morgan was most popular in his role on the long running “M*A*S*H” as Colonel Sherman Potter, the commander and chief surgeon of the MASH 4077 unit in the Korean War. Potter’s stern, though somewhat grandfatherly style of command was a good counterbalance to the rebellious hijinks of some of the other doctors, especially Alan Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce. Potter is depicted as a regular Army soldier who saw action in both World Wars, first in the cavalry and then as a doctor. Potter loved horses and also painted. Several paintings seen in Potter’s office during the show were actually executed by Morgan himself. Morgan reprised the role in the short lived spin-off series “After M*A*S*H.”
In 1987, Morgan reprised his role of Bill Gannon in the big screen version of “Dragnet,” this time with Dan Aykroyd as Friday’s nephew and Tom Hanks as his partner. The movie played a lot for laughs, contrasting the younger Friday’s outdated, authoritarian police style against the modern world, especially Hank’s character, a more modern, hip rogue cop.
Morgan appeared in a number of movies as well, starting in the 1940s. They include “The Ox Bow Incident,” “All My Sons,” High Noon,” “Inherit the Wind,” “How the West was Won,” and “The Shootist.” Morgan thus appeared as a supporting actor alongside such film greats as Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, and Gregory Peck.
Morgan did not have a wide range of characters. But he played what he was, a gruff man with usually a soft spot inside him, well. He lived to the age of 96, but even so he will be missed.
