Henry Morgan (comedian) - On and Off and On The Air

On and Off and On The Air

Morgan continued radio appearances, most often on the NBC weekend show NBC Monitor (1955–70), which also afforded the final airings to longtime radio favorites Fibber McGee and Molly, until co-star Marian Jordan's death, as well as playing guest panelist on other game shows produced by the Goodson-Todman team—including What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth, and The Match Game. Morgan also took a turn hosting a radio quiz show, Sez Who, in 1959; the quiz involved guessing the famous voices making memorable comments that had been recorded over the years. Panelists included comedians Joey Adams and Orson Bean, model and personality Dagmar, and future Gilligan's Island co-star Jim Backus. In the 1960s, Morgan was seen at times on the legendary weekly news satire That Was The Week That Was in 1964–65, made numerous appearances in the early years of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and became a regular cast member of the short-lived but respected James Thurber-based comedy series, My World and Welcome to It in 1969. During the 1970s, he wrote humorous commentaries for national magazines. His radio career gained an early-1980s revival in his native New York City, thanks to his two-and-a-half minute The Henry Morgan Show commentaries, broadcast twice daily on WNEW-AM (now WBBR) starting in January 1981. The following year, he added the Saturday evening show Morgan and the Media on WOR. In what might be called inadvertent iconoclasm, Morgan used a 1981 WNEW commentary on pre-inflation prices to sing, rather wistfully, an old Pepsi jingle ("Pepsi-Cola hits the spot / Twelve full ounces, that's a lot/Twice as much for a nickel, too/Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you"). The irony abounded as well, remembering Morgan's controversies with his sponsors in the classic radio days; the only thing wrong with singing that ancient Pepsi jingle was that that day's Morgan commentary was sponsored by rival Coca-Cola.

On October 13, 1972, he turned up as a last minute fill-in on the Merv Griffin Show, and, getting increasingly irritated by Charo butting in every few seconds and mangling the English language, he finally stood up, told Griffin off, "...you dragged me out of bed because you said you were stuck for a guest, and I have to sit and listen to this nonsensical babble..." and walked off the set. Griffin was uncharacteristically completely flustered.