Howie Morris, the compact comic whirligig from the early days of television who loaned his raspy voice to hundreds of cartoon and commercial voice-overs, died Saturday at his home in Hollywood. He had heart ailments in recent years. He was 85.
Morris was a bar mitzvah band drummer, a radio performer and briefly a Shakespearean actor before he shot to prominence as part of the Sid Caesar ensemble casts of the 1950s, along with Carl Reiner and Imogene Coca.
Although “second banana” to the domineering forces of Caesar and Reiner, Morris was regarded as a staple of “Admiral Broadway Review,” “Your Show of Shows” and “Caesar’s Hour” – programs beloved by tens of millions of viewers.
Morris’s favorite sketch role, which appeared on “Your Show of Shows,” was a spoof of the mawkish reunion show “This Is Your Life.”
He played Uncle Goopy, the emotional wreck who constantly leaps into the arms of his long-lost nephew (Caesar). He also sticks to the leg of the host (Reiner) like an adhesive and cries inconsolably. Morris was largely responsible for tearing down the set and ending the episode on a high note.
Morris also directed the pilot episode of “Get Smart,” the spy comedy created by his friend Mel Brooks.
Perhaps one of the more memorable characters he created was on the “The Andy Griffith Show.” Playing hillbilly Ernest T. Bass, he wooed the local women by throwing too-large rocks through their windows and reciting doggerel.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
