On this day in 2005 - actor, director & writer Howard Morris passed away at age 85 in Los Angeles, California. Who was Howard Morris? You've heard his voice, seen his face, and probably watched at least one of his directed television programs.
Born in the Bronx, New York in 1919, Morris' first major exposure was on Sid Caesar's
Your Show of Shows (a popular live sketch comedy series in the early days of television). Throughout the 1950s he appeared on such programs as
Kraft Television Theatre and
The DuPont Show of the Month.
But it was during the 1960s that Morris really found success as a full-time successful actor and director. In 1963, he appeared on an episode of The Twilight Zone titled "I Dream of Genie," and on such popular sitcoms as
The Dick Van Dyke Show and
Make Room for Daddy.
It was around this same time that he began to get work as a voice actor - in particular on episodes of the animated
Beetle Bailey, The Flintstones,
The Magilla Gorilla Show, and
The Famous Adventures of Mr Magoo. Morris also began to appear on the popular live-action sitcom
The Andy Griffith Show, playing the role of Ernest T. Bass - the rock-throwing ignorant mountain man who wreaked comedic havoc on the quiet town of Mayberry. Although he only played the character for 8 episodes ... Ernest became a classic TV character.
In 1966 Morris first voiced a cartoon that went on to become one of his most famous roles ... Pooh's hard-working forest neighbor Gopher in
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. The voice of Samuel J. Gopher was distinct as he whistled out his sibilant consonants. Gopher lived in tunnels under the 100 Acre Wood and was always seen with a helmet and toolbox. Morris continued the role for the 1968
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day and later the 1977
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. (Interestingly, Gopher does not appear in A.A. Milne's original Pooh stories.) Voice actor and singer Michael Gough took over the role of Gopher after Morris retired.
Throughout the 1960s, Morris directed episodes of
The Andy Griffith Show,
The Dick Van Dyke Show, and
Hogan's Heroes, and
was responsible for the pilot episode of
Get Smart (which went on to run for 5 years). His directing also crossed over into commercials - many of them for McDonald's ... in which he also performed the voice of Mayor McCheese!
Morris continued to play small roles in some pretty big pictures such as Disney/Touchstone's 1984
Splash and Mel Brooks'
High Anxiety and
History of the World, Part 1. He even appeared in the 1998 movie of Ray Bradbury's
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (a Touchstone Pictures release co-produced by Roy E. Disney). Morris played one of two comedic janitors ... along with veteran funnyman Sid Caesar! (Morris' career had come full-circle.)
"That supercilious scoundrel confiscated my honey!" -Gopher
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On this day in 2005 - actor, director & writer Howard Morris passed away at age 85 in Los Angeles, California. Who was Howard Morris? You've heard his voice, seen his face, and probably watched at least one of his directed television programs.
On this day in 1944 - film producer, screenwriter, director and founder of Lucasfilm Limited, George Walton Lucas was born in Modesto, California. Best known to Disney fans for his Star Wars and Indian Jones movies which have in turn inspired Disney theme park attractions, Lucas is one of the film industry's most successful independent directors/producers.
On this day in 2009, the 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival (a 12-day event) kicked off in Cannes, France (a town along the French Riviera).
On this day in 2009, the 49,000 square-foot Virgin Megastore in Downtown Disney, Florida had its final day of business. Opened since September 15, 1997 as part of Disney World's new West Side, the 11th Virgin Megastore in the U.S. was located between DisneyQuest and the AMC 24 Theatres Complex.
On this day in 2005, Disney Legend, artist and writer Joe Grant passed away at his home in California, just 9 days short of his 97th birthday.
On this day in 2005, Walt Disney World officially opened the Epcot attraction Soarin' (as part of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary global celebration).
On this day in 2006 at Disneyland, a 12-year-old from Colorado named Emmalee Mason became the honorary two-billionth person to visit a Disney theme park!
On this day in 1989, Disney World's 3rd theme park Disney-MGM Studios had its grand debut. Today known as Disney's Hollywood Studios, it was also Disney's 5th park in the world.
