Howard Morris

Howard Morris' (1919-2005) was a comic actor, director, writer, producer, and voice actor. Morris began his acting career during World War II, appearing in army productions of Shakespeare tragedies, where he first met Carl Reiner. Post war, both Morris and Reiner became staff writers and performers on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows; Morris' notable roles included a member of the rock trio The Crewcuts and, in one well-known sketch, the hysterical Uncle Goopy, whoappearing on a reunion show, affectionately latches onto Caesar's leg and refuses to let go. From there, he went on to appear on such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, Make Room for Daddy, and even the 1967 Tarzan TV series. His best known on-camera role was deranged rock-throwing hillbilly Ernest T. Bass in five episodes of The Andy Griffith Show; Morris also directed episodes of that series, as well as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Hogan's Heroes, and the pilot for Get Smart. In films, he helmed Who's Minding the Mint (with Milton Berle), With Sixe You Get Egg Roll, and The Cocoanuts (with Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond).

In films, Morris played Jerry Lewis' sad-sack father in The Nutty Professor and also had roles in 1960s comedies like Forty-Pounds of Trouble and Boys' Night Out with Tony Randall. Later on, Morris appeared on-camera in films directed by old colleagues like Ron Howard (Opie on The Andy Griffith Show), playing a professor in Splash!, and Mel Brooks (writing partner on Your Show of Shows), with memorable supporting roles in High Anxiety, History of the World: Part I, and Life Stinks. Perhaps his most prolific work was in animation, however, voicing Jughead Jones in the Filmation Archie series and in a spot on Sesame Street

Still other voice roles included playing Beetle Bailey in a King Features animated series, an he was heard in the Oscar-winning short film Munro. Morris originated the part of Gopher in Disney's Winnie the Pooh featurettes, and was a favorite of Hanna-Barbera Studios, with turns as rock star Jet Screamer in The Jetson, many roles in The Flintstones, Mr. Peebles in Magilla Gorilla, and the original voice of Atom Ant, until the actor told Joseph Barbera to perform an "anatomically impossible" task, and was replaced by Don Messick. His last roles included guest spots on Baywatch and an appearance on the 2004 TV Land Awards.