Dennis Morgan

src: classicmoviechat.com

For other people of the same name, see: Dennis Morgan (disambiguation)

Dennis Morgan (December 20, 1908 - September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. Born as Earl Stanley Morner, he used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame.

Video Dennis Morgan

Life and career

Early life

Morgan was born Earl Stanley Morner in the village of Prentice in Price County in northern Wisconsin, the son of Grace J. (née Vandusen) and Frank Edward Morner. He was of Swedish descent on his father's side.

He enrolled at Carroll College, now known as Carroll University, in Waukesha, Wisconsin as a member of the 1930 graduating class. He was awarded the Carroll College Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1983.

Stanley Morner at MGM

After relocating to Los Angeles, California, Morgan began appearing in films. He signed a contract with MGM as "Stanley Morner".

Unbilled, he sang the Irving Berlin song, A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody, in The Great Ziegfeld (1936). He was billed as "Stanley Morner" in Suzy (1936) and could be seen in Piccadilly Jim(1936), and Old Hutch (1936).

He was given a decent role in Mama Steps Out (1937) and Song of the City (1937) but went back to small parts in Navy Blue and Gold (1937).

Richard Stanley at Paramount

He signed with Paramount who billed him as "Richard Stanley". He was in Men with Wings (1938), King of Alcatraz (1938), Illegal Traffic (1938), and Persons in Hiding (1939).

Warner Bros

He went over to Warner Bros who billed him as "Dennis Morgan". He was given the lead in a B, Waterfront (1939), followed by No Place to Go (1939) and The Return of Doctor X (1939).

Morgan was promoted to "A" films with The Fighting 69th (1940), supporting James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. He supported Priscilla Lane in Three Cheers for the Irish (1940) and went back to "B"s for Tear Gas Squad (1940), Flight Angels (1940), and River's End (1940).

Morgan's career received a boost when RKO borrowed him to play Ginger Rogers' love interest in Kitty Foyle (1940), a big hit.

Warners put him in some comedies, Affectionately Yours (1941) and Kisses for Breakfast (1941), then a Western, Bad Men of Missouri (1941). He supported Cagney again in Captains of the Clouds (1942) and Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland in In This Our Life (1942).

Morgan co-starred with Ann Sheridan in Wings for the Eagle (1942) and Ida Lupino in The Hard Way (1943). He had the lead in some big Warners musicals: Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), full of cameos from Warner stars; The Desert Song (1943); Shine On, Harvest Moon (1944), with Sheridan. The latter also featured Jack Carson in a key role. He and Morgan were in The Hard Way together and would go on to be a notable team.

Morgan was in The Very Thought of You (1944) and cameoed in Hollywood Canteen (1944). He had the lead in God Is My Co-Pilot (1945) and Christmas in Connecticut (1945) with Barbara Stanwyck.

Jack Carson

Morgan was teamed with fellow Wisconsinite Jack Carson in One More Tomorrow (1946). Warners liked them as a combination, seeing them as similar to Bing Crosby and Bob Hope at Paramount. They were reunited in Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946) and The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946).

Without Carson, Morgan made a Western, Cheyenne (1946), a musical My Wild Irish Rose (1947), and To the Victor (1948).

He was back with Carson for Two Guys from Texas (1948) then made One Sunday Afternoon (1948) with Janis Paige. He and Carson were in It's a Great Feeling (1949) with Doris Day. Exhibitors voted him the 21st most popular star in the US for 1948.

Morgan made The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949) then Perfect Strangers (1950) with Rogers and Pretty Baby (1950) with Betsy Drake. He made a Western Raton Pass (1950), and a musical Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (1951). He supported Joan Crawford in This Woman Is Dangerous (1952) then went back to Westerns with Cattle Town (1952). After that his contract with Warners ended.

Later career

He appeared in sporadic television guest roles in the 1950s, including the ABC religion anthology series, Crossroads, in the 1955 episode "The Gambler" and as Senator designate Fairchild in an episode of the dramatic anthology series Stage 7, titled "Press Conference" in 1955.

Morgan made films for Sam Katzman, The Gun That Won the West (1955) and Uranium Boom (1956) and went to RKO for Pearl of the South Pacific (1956). He was cast as Dennis O'Finn in the 1958 episode "Bull in a China Shop" on Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

In 1959, Morgan appeared as a regular, Dennis Chase, in eleven episodes of the crime drama, 21 Beacon Street, with Joanna Barnes and Brian Kelly.

By 1956, he had retired from films but still made occasional appearances on television, such as the role of Chad Hamilton in the 1962 episode "Source of Information" of the short-lived NBC newspaper drama series, Saints and Sinners. In 1963, he portrayed Dr. Clay Maitland in "The Old Man and the City" on NBC's The Dick Powell Theater. In 1968 he was cast as Dennis Roberts in the episode "Bye, Bye, Doctor" of the CBS sitcom, Petticoat Junction, and he played a cameo as a Hollywood tour guide in the all-star comedy Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood in 1976. His final screen performance was on March 1, 1980, as Steve Brian in the episode "Another Time, Another Place/Doctor Who/Gopher's Engagement" of ABC's The Love Boat. Jane Wyman and Audrey Meadows appeared in the same episode.

In 1983, Dennis Morgan, along with his film pal, Jack Carson, who had died in 1963, was inducted into the Wisconsin Performing Artists Hall of Fame.

Morgan died in 1994 of respiratory failure.

He was a staunch Republican and a member of the Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church in Oakhurst, California.

Maps Dennis Morgan

Charity work: Two Strike Park

Dennis Morgan dedicated "Two Strike Park" on July 4, 1959, named for his belief that "a kid forced to play in the streets, with no place to play already has two strikes against him".

From 1946 Dennis Morgan had championed the cause for children with nowhere to play In 1949, as "honorary mayor" of La Crescenta, representing Two Strike Series, Inc., he "offered to donate five acres of land for the park if the County of Los Angeles would purchase two more adjoining acres to complete the initial parcel. In 1950, the Board of Supervisors responded with an additional 3.54 acres of parkland." In 1958 Morgan spearheaded the drive to establish a new public park in La Crescenta in Los Angeles County. He raised funds for the park, located at 5107 Rosemont Avenue, by "organizing exhibition baseball games featuring celebrity friends and professional athletes".

Dennis Morgan Stock Photos & Dennis Morgan Stock Images - Alamy

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Filmography

Features:

Short subjects:

Annie Laurie (1936) as William Douglas
Ride, Cowboy, Ride (1939) as Dinny Logan
The Singing Dude (1940) as Rusty
March On, Marines (1940) as Bob Lansing
Stars on Horseback (1943) as Himself (uncredited)
The Shining Future (1944) as Himself
Road to Victory (1944) as Himself (uncredited)
I Am an American (1944) as Himself (uncredited)
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Goes to Bat (1950) as Himself

THE HARD WAY 1943 Warner Bros film with from left: Joan Leslie ...