Henry Morgan (comedian) - Morgan's Secret

Morgan's Secret

Morgan's longest-lasting television image, however, was struck in June 1952, when he was invited to join CBS's I've Got a Secret, produced by game show giants Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Morgan's tenure on the show was marked by his periodic complaints about the (allegedly) horrid conditions in which he had to work, in between firing questions at the show's guests with the secrets. Morgan's mordant wit played well against the upbeat personalities of the other panelists, and producer Allan Sherman would deliberately stage elaborate "secrets" involving Morgan personally. On one occasion, Morgan was sent to Africa; on another he was dispatched to an undisclosed location in the Caribbean to try a theoretical betting system; on a third, he was partially undressed on the air while trying to read a dramatic script (and to his credit, his composure didn't break once during the bedlam); on a fourth he was given a job by cowboy Roy Rogers on his San Fernando Valley ranch in California; and on a fifth he was given janitorial equipment and told to clean up a messy, confetti-strewn theater stage.

Still, he stayed with the show for its original 14-season run and rejoined it when it was revived twice: in syndication in 1972, and on CBS once more for a brief 1976 summer run.