Howard Morris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Howard Morris
Morris as Ernest T. Bass (1960s)
Born	Howard Jerome Morris (1919-09-04)September 4, 1919 The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Died	May 21, 2005(2005-05-21) (aged 85) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting place	Hillside Memorial Park
Other names	Howie Morris
Occupation	Actor comedian director
Years active	1937–2005
Spouse(s)	Mary Helen McGowan ​ ​ (m. 1945; div. 1962)​ Dolores A. Wylie ​ ​ (m. 1962; div. 1977)​
Children	4

Howard Jerome Morris (born September 4, 1919 – died May 21, 2005) was a talented American actor, comedian, and director. He was famous for playing the funny character Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show. He was also known as "Uncle Goopy" in a very popular comedy skit on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows.

Howard Morris also lent his voice to many cartoon characters. You might have heard him in shows like The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Atom Ant Show, and Garfield and Friends.

Life and Career Highlights

Howard Morris was born in the Bronx, New York. His family was Jewish. His father worked as an executive for a rubber company. Howard went to New York University on a scholarship for dramatic arts. This helped him start his acting journey.

Serving in World War II

During World War II, Howard Morris joined the United States Army. He was part of a special unit called Special Services. Their job was to entertain American troops. He worked with other famous people like Carl Reiner and Werner Klemperer. They performed for soldiers across the Pacific Ocean from their base in Honolulu.

Becoming a Comedy Star

Howard Morris became well-known on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows. This was a live sketch comedy series that aired weekly from 1950 to 1954. In April 1954, he joined Sid Caesar and Carl Reiner in a skit called "This Is Your Story." It was a funny parody of another show called This Is Your Life.

Morris played "Uncle Goopy" in this skit. He would hug and slobber over his nephew, making everyone laugh. Many people, including The New Yorker magazine, thought this was one of the funniest skits ever on Your Show of Shows. Comedian Conan O'Brien said watching it as a kid made him want to make people laugh. You can watch the skit here. Howard Morris appears at the 4:14 mark.

Famous TV Roles

Howard Morris is perhaps most famous for his role as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show. Ernest T. Bass was a wild and funny mountain man character. Morris also played George, a TV mechanic, in one episode of the show. He had practiced southern accents while in the army.

He also appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone called "I Dream of Genie." In movies, he played Elmer Kelp in The Nutty Professor (1963). He also appeared in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. On Broadway, he played Og the leprechaun in a 1960 show called Finian's Rainbow.

Voice Acting Adventures

Howard Morris started doing voices for cartoons in the early 1960s. He and Allan Melvin worked together on a 50-episode series called Beetle Bailey. Morris also voiced the main character in the Oscar-winning short film Munro. This film was about a four-year-old boy who was drafted into the Army.

Starting in 1962, Morris voiced many characters for Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

• He was Jet Screamer in The Jetsons, singing the famous "Eep opp ork ah ah!" song.
• He voiced characters in The Flintstones.
• He was the original voice of Atom Ant.
• He voiced Mr. Peebles in The Magilla Gorilla Show.
• He was also the voice of Breezly Bruin.
• He voiced Forsythe "Jughead" Jones in The Archies cartoon series.
• He was the voice of Leonard Blush, "The Masked Singer," on The Andy Griffith Show.

Morris also voiced Professor Icenstein and Luigi La Bounci in Galaxy High. He voiced Mayor McCheese and later the Hamburglar for McDonald's commercials. He was Wade Duck in the U.S. Acres parts of Garfield and Friends. He also voiced Webbly in Bobby's World and Flem in Cow & Chicken. For many years, he was the voice of the koala in Qantas airline commercials, saying, "I hate Qantas." He also voiced "Gopher" in the Disney Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day cartoons.

Directing Behind the Scenes

Besides acting and voice acting, Howard Morris also directed many TV shows and movies. He directed episodes of:

• The Andy Griffith Show
• Gomer Pyle
• Hogan's Heroes
• The Dick Van Dyke Show
• Get Smart (the pilot episode)
• Bewitched

He also directed films like With Six You Get Eggroll (1968), starring Doris Day. Other movies he directed include Don't Drink the Water (1969) and Who's Minding the Mint? (1967).

Howard Morris often worked with comedian Mel Brooks. He appeared in Brooks' films like High Anxiety (1977), History of the World, Part I (1981), and Life Stinks (1991). In 1984, he was in the movie Splash, directed by Ron Howard. He also reunited with his old friend Sid Caesar in the 1998 movie The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit.

In 1986, he played Ernest T. Bass again in the TV movie Return to Mayberry. He also guest-starred on Murder, She Wrote in 1989.

Personal Life

Howard Morris had four children: three daughters and one son. He also had three grandchildren.

Later Years and Passing

Howard Morris passed away on May 21, 2005, at the age of 85. He died from heart failure. At his funeral, his famous "Uncle Goopy" skit was shown. His friend Carl Reiner spoke at the funeral, praising Morris's amazing ability to make things up on the spot. He is buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in California.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

• Your Show of Shows (1950–1954) – Various roles
• The Twilight Zone (1963) (Episode: I Dream of Genie) – George P. Hanley
• The Flintstones (1962–1965) – Many voices
• The Jetsons (1962–1987) – Jet Screamer, Henry Orbit, and other voices
• The Andy Griffith Show (1963–1965) – Ernest T. Bass, Leonard Blush, George the TV Repairman
• The Magilla Gorilla Show (1964–1965) – Mr. Peebles
• The Atom Ant Show (1965–1966) – Atom Ant
• The Archie Show (1968–1978) – Forsythe "Jughead" Jones, "Big Moose" Mason, Dilton Doiley
• Garfield and Friends (1988–1994) – Wade Duck, and many other voices
• Murder, She Wrote (1989) (Episode: "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue") – Uncle Ziggy
• Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (1990) – Maltese de Sade
• Cow and Chicken (1997–1999) – Flem

As a Director

• The Dick Van Dyke Show (1963–1965) – 5 episodes
• The Andy Griffith Show (1964) – 8 episodes
• Get Smart (1965) – Episode: "Mr. Big"
• Bewitched (1965–1966) – 3 episodes
• Hogan's Heroes (1965–1967) – 14 episodes
• Who's Minding the Mint? (1967) – Film
• With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) – Film
• Don't Drink the Water (1969) – Film