Originally, M*A*S*H was supposed to be Henry Morgan's final television performance

"I've never really figured out whether people liked the characters or liked Harry Morgan," said the M*A*S*H actor.

Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution

Sometimes an actor and the character they play can blur together. It's a testament to that actor's talent that some audiences may forever associate them with their character.

While an actor like Harry Morgan made his mark on television playing Officer Bill Gannon in Dragnet, he will perhaps forever be remembered as Colonel Sherman T. Potter of M*A*S*H.

With the popularity of a show like M*A*S*H, it's no wonder that viewers connected to Potter, and by extension, Morgan himself.

During an interview, Morgan actually revealed that he wasn't totally able to tell whether a fan appreciated him for his acting ability, or for the characters he was responsible for playing.

"I've never really figured out whether people liked the characters or liked Harry Morgan," said the actor during an interview with the Chicago Tribune. "Never gave it much thought. I started out playing mostly heavies in the movies and in various TV parts, and people seemed to like me just as much doing that. They haven't all been M*A*S*H, you know."

But while Morgan entertained a variety of roles, he had originally planned for M*A*S*H to be his final foray into television.

"I'm pretty sure that will be my swan song," said Morgan of M*A*S*H during an interview with Knight-Ridder. "I don't think I'll ever do another series." Obviously, Morgan did return to television for programs like AfterM*A*S*H, a series that explored the lives of several M*A*S*H characters after the original series had ended. Of course, Morgan maintained that it wasn't necessarily the medium that kept him returning to the role, but the character and series itself.

"I'll do something if it's interesting," said the actor during an interview with the Kitsap Sun.

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6 Comments

Antenna2 26 days ago
My father was a WW2 veteran, and though he never watched MASH, I think Veterans of WW1 and 2 really connected with Morgan's character, because like my father he also liked to "smoke a fine cigar and have a shot of brandy" like many men his age. In his second episode, he and Hawkeye and BJ are heard singing an old WW1 tune, "There's a long long trail." and again that must have really made an impression with Veterans of that war, the reason the show of the Potter era had more fans of his age than the viewers of the first 3 seasons who were just there for the comedy.
cperrynaples 1 month ago
He did 2 series after AfterMASH! Blacke's Magic was a show where he solved mysteries with his magician son Hal Linden [AKA Barney Miller]! He also did a show based on the movie You Can't Take It With You!
WordsmithWorks 1 month ago
One of the best M*A*S*H* scenes is when they played "State Fair" instead of "The Moon is Blue." As most M*A*S*H* fans know, Morgan played the Barker in that film.
Antenna2 WordsmithWorks 26 days ago
I laugh about that film - I'd like to think it was the only film, where the Director fell asleep - during filming!
ElizabethBoop 1 month ago
He may have made his mark on Dragnet, but he was already known to audiences for a show called Pete & Gladys. (That may have been right around the time he changed his billing from Henry to Harry to avoid confusion with the columnist and occasional game show panelist.)
Pete & Gladys was a spinoff of December Bride! On that show his wife was NEVER seen!
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