Howard Morris 1919-2005

[Lolac]

Rest in Peace, Mr. Howard Morris. As many of you know, Mr. Morris directed many episodes of TDVDS and played the role of Mr. Holdecker, the art dealer, in episode# 65, "The Masterpiece." He was on "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Cesar and Carl Reiner and most memorably, played Ernest T. Bass on the Andy Griffith Show. He was a great talent who will be terribly missed. He died yesterday of heart disease.

Lolac

[Pentimento]

Damn, this is sad. I was just reading the thread here about "the thing" and remembering him fondly. I'm sure far more people knew his face and voice than his name, but he was unquestionably among the greatest comedic actor/writer/directors in the early decades of television. He'll be missed.

[SawgrassSteve]

Also, I remeber some of the cartoon voices he did for Hannah-Barbera. I suppose all good things must come to an end.
Rest in peace, Howard.

Steve

[Lolac]

Originally Posted by SawgrassSteve

Also, I remeber some of the cartoon voices he did for Hannah-Barbera. I suppose all good things must come to an end.
Rest in peace, Howard.

Steve

Steve, do you remember some of the characters he did? I didn't know he did Hanna-Barbera cartoons until I read his obit yesterday.

Lolac

[SpunkiiMonkii7078]

Rest in peace, Howard.

Didn't he give the voice of Fred Flintstone? I think I read an article on that yesterday, but I certainly didn't know he passed away, which was probably the focus of the article! LOL.

Jessica

[JudgeGarth]

No, that was somebody else that died who was the voice of Fred Flintstone. Actually the guy that died was the SECOND voice of Fred Flintstone. The first voice, Alan Reed, passed away in 1977.

[Samme]

I always liked Howard Morris too. Funny guy. I liked how he put on that eye piece to examine the painting on the show. I guess he was quite a character in real life too. Mel Brooks used to tell some funny stories about him when he talked
about working with Sid Caesar. That take-off of
"This is Your Life" is hilarious and you always
remember Howard Morris in it after you see it.
There's quite a few memories of his career at
www.newsfromme.com if you just keep scrolling
down. I think Howard Morris was married quite a
few times, and I think once again not too many
years ago. Sad to hearing of his passing and ya
always sorta wish great character actors like him
got more credit than they do. In life and when they pass away.

[Lolac]

TV Land is planning a tribute to Howard Morris tonight Wed. 5/25. Details below. Lolac

TV LAND CELEBRATES THE LIFE OF COMIC ACTOR AND

FILM DIRECTOR HOWARD MORRIS

Santa Monica, CA, May 24, 2005 - TV Land will honor the life and work of
acclaimed television actor Howard Morris with a six-episode presentation of
The Andy Griffith Show on Wednesday, May 25 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Morris, who passed away in Los Angeles on Saturday at the age of 85,
co-starred in The Andy Griffith Show - one of the most beloved sitcoms of
all time -- as the rock-throwing, poetry-spouting Ernest T. Bass. TV Land
has selected six memorable episodes from The Andy Griffith Show featuring
Morris to showcase on Wednesday evening.

"We are all deeply saddened by the passing of Howard Morris," explains Larry
W. Jones, President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "Howard was one of the most
prolific comedians and directors in the entertainment industry, and we
cherish the legacy he left behind."

Morris, who was born in New York, was in his teens when he befriended the
legendary Carl Reiner. In 1951, he joined the cast of the TV comedy/variety
series Your Show of Shows alongside Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca and Reiner. He
then joined Caesar and Reiner in Caesar's Hour when Your Show of Shows was
cancelled in 1954. Among the films in which he acted included The Nutty
Professor, High Anxiety and History of the World, Part I. Although he played
Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show for only a handful of episodes, the
role was a memorable one.

His directorial career took off when he began directing several TV programs
such as the pilot for Get Smart, Gomer Pyle USMC and The Dick Van Dyke Show.
His theatrical-film directorial credits included Who's Minding the Mint? in
1967 and Goin' Coconuts in 1978. Morris was also a fixture of the animated
cartoon voice-over world such as "Atom Ant and "Jughead" on The Archie
Comedy Hour.

The episodes in TV Land's tribute to Howard Morris are as follows (all times
ET/PT):

7p #94 - "Mountain Wedding"
Howard Morris guest stars as Ernest T. Bass as the Darling clan returns to
Mayberry with its own kind of mountain trouble.

7:30p #098 - "Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army"
Ernest T. Bass is a mountain man very disgruntled with being rejected by the
army.

8p #112 - "My Fair Ernest T. Bass"
Howard Morris, playing a mountain-bred would-be Romeo, is brought into the
sheriff's home in an effort to teach him some manners.

8:30p #131 - "The Education of Ernest T. Bass"
Ernest T. Bass goes back to school when his girl spurns him as an
illiterate. He quickly proves he won't win any gold stars for deportment of
scholarship.

9p #140 - "Andy and Helen Have Their Day"
Andy and Helen are supposed to have a day off, but are continually
interrupted at their secluded picnic spot by Barney asking questions about
his duties.
(Howard Morris guest stars as the TV Repair man, and also directed this
episode)

9:30p #174 - "Malcolm at the Crossroads"
Andy hires a rock-throwing rustic as a school crossing guard and compounds
the problem by replacing him with a bicyclist. (This was the last episode
Ernest T. Bass appeared in.)
__________________

[Carrie]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Thanks for letting us know Lolac. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

[SawgrassSteve]

Originally Posted by Lolac

Steve, do you remember some of the characters he did? I didn't know he did Hanna-Barbera cartoons until I read his obit yesterday.

Lolac

Oh yes, Lolac!
I remember them well. Morris was prolific. In fact, I was shocked to actually see his face when I started watching (and was old enough to pay attention to) "The Andy Griffith Show." I remember saying, "That's the man who talks for..." and then I started listing the characters, something I can't do as well today, but believe me, there are many.
If you've ever seen Magilla Gorrilla, Ricochet Rabbit, Breezly & Sneezly, Wally Gator, Pixie & Dixie, Yogi Bear, The Hillbilly Bears, Huckleberry Hound, Quickdraw McGraw, etc, etc, you've heard characters voiced by Howard Morris!
This article (4th one down) barely scratches the surface, but it's short and sweet. Cartoon Brew

Steve

[Lolac]

I remember all of those cartoons! I just didn't place Howard Morris in them! It's so funny, because my family is so used to me waking them up in the morning by saying, "Up and at 'em, Atom Ant!" I used to love that show!

Lolac

[SpunkiiMonkii7078]

Originally Posted by JudgeGarth

No, that was somebody else that died who was the voice of Fred Flintstone. Actually the guy that died was the SECOND voice of Fred Flintstone. The first voice, Alan Reed, passed away in 1977.

Oh, okay, LOL. I did not know that. I hope the other guy(s) rest in peace as well.

Jessica

[Lolac]

Originally Posted by JudgeGarth

No, that was somebody else that died who was the voice of Fred Flintstone. Actually the guy that died was the SECOND voice of Fred Flintstone. The first voice, Alan Reed, passed away in 1977.

Alan Reed played the auctioneer in "The Masterpiece." If you listen carefully, you can hear Fred Flintstone!

Lolac

[SawgrassSteve]

Originally Posted by Lolac

Alan Reed played the auctioneer in "The Masterpiece." If you listen carefully, you can hear Fred Flintstone!

Lolac

Wow, Lolac!
I didn't know that! You're right, I can hear Fred in his voice.
BTW, here's a pic of the actors who played Fred, Wilma, Betty, & Barney, respectively.
(Courtsey of Wingnuttoons.com)

Steve

[Lolac]

I didn't know Bea Benadarette was Betty! But now that I think of Betty Rubble, it couldn't be anyone else but her! Thanks for the picture.

Lolac