‘M*A*S*H’ Star Explained the Bizarre Hilarity of Legendary Colonel Potter Actor Harry Morgan
According to one of the stars of “M*A*S*H,” the show was a production that was filled with laughter behind the scenes.
That star was Alan Alda. And, during an interview with the Television Academy Foundation in 2000, he said there was one costar whose sense of humor stood out above the rest. The popular wartime television series aired from 1972 until 1983, according to IMDb.com.
So, which costar really kept Alda laughing on the set of “M*A*S*H”? It was none other than Harry Morgan. As fans of the show are aware, Morgan played the character of Colonel Sherman. T. Potter. Morgan, who also appeared only other classic shows including “Dragnet,” passed away in 2011. He was 96 years old.
“Harry was one of the most – and continues to be for me – one of the most enjoyable people I’ve ever worked with,” Alda said.
It was Morgan’s unique take on things that was part of the appeal of his sense of humor.
“He could make you laugh and you wouldn’t be able to write down what he said that made you laugh. There was just something about the way he said ordinary things,” Alda aid of Morgan. “He had a little twinkle in his eye. And a little, there was a little attitude behind everything he said. And, we were laying on the floor laughing – all the time at him. It was amazing.”
Alda also described Morgan as “very reserved and courteous and hilariously funny.”
There Was Another ‘M*A*S*H’ Actor Who Often Made Alan Alda Laugh
Harry Morgan was not the only one of Alan Alda’s costars on “M*A*S*H” that kept the cast laughing. The other was McLean Stevenson. He played Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the series. Stevenson passed away in 1996 at the age of 68.
“And McLean was like that, only McLean was different,” Alda also said. “McLean had a different … McLean did comic routines that he would improvise that were hilarious and disjunctive and sort of insane. I mean, there was something … he opened up a part of his head (and) strange stuff would come out. But you couldn’t help laughing. It was just really funny.”
Thanks to Morgan and Stevenson, the set of “M*A*S*H” was a funny place to be.
“But, we laughed all the time. Those two guys made us all laugh,” Alda also said. “You know, one replaced the other. So, it was interesting. They were completely different characters and different kinds of people as actors. They worked in a different way as actors.”
Watch Alan Alda talk about how his “M*A*S*H” costars Harry Morgan and McLean Stevenson would make him laugh with the Television Academy Foundation below.
