Dennis Morgan (bornEarl Stanley Morner; December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the actingpseudonymRichard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame.

Dennis Morgan
in the trailer for the film The Hard Way (1943)
Born	Earl Stanley Morner (1908-12-20)December 20, 1908 Prentice, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	September 7, 1994(1994-09-07) (aged 85) Fresno, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Carroll College
Years active	1929–1980
Spouse	Lillian Vedder ​ (m. 1933)​
Children	3

According to one obituary, he was "a twinkly-eyed handsome charmer with a shy smile and a pleasant tenor voice in carefree and inconsequential Warner Bros musicals of the forties, accompanied byJack Carson."^[1] Another said, "for all his undoubted star potential, Morgan was perhaps cast once too often as the likeable, clean-cut, easy-going but essentially uncharismatic young man who typically loses his girl to someone more sexually magnetic."^[2]David Shipman said he "was comfortable, good-looking, well-mannered: the antithesis of the grittyBogart."^[3]

Morgan was born in the village ofPrentice inPrice County, in northernWisconsin, the son of Grace J. (née Vandusen) and Frank Edward Morner.^[4] He was of Swedish descent on his father's side.^[5]

He enrolled atCarroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin, as a member of the 1930 graduating class. He was awarded the Carroll College Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1983.^[6]

He joined a troupe of performers at the State Lake Theatre in Chicago, and toured the midwest inFaust. He landed a job as a featured singer in the Empire Room of the famousPalmer House hotel in Chicago.^[7] He remained in Chicago as a radio announcer at theNBC Radio affiliate in Milwaukee, and went on to broadcast Green Bay Packers football games.^[8]

In 1936, after relocating to Los Angeles, Morgan began appearing in films. He signed a contract with MGM as "Stanley Morner".^[9] Unbilled, helip synced asAllan Jones sang theIrving Berlin song,A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody, inThe Great Ziegfeld (1936).

He was billed as "Stanley Morner" inSuzy (1936) and could be seen inPiccadilly Jim (1936), andOld Hutch (1936). He was given supporting roles inMama Steps Out (1937) andSong of the City (1937) but went back to small parts inNavy Blue and Gold (1937).^[2]

Independent producer-directorVictor Halperin gave the actor his first leading role (under his given name of Stanley Morner) inI Conquer the Sea (1936). He then signed withParamount, who billed him as "Richard Stanley". He was inMen with Wings (1938),King of Alcatraz (1938),Illegal Traffic (1938), andPersons in Hiding (1939).

He went over to Warner Bros. who billed him as "Dennis Morgan". According to Shipman the studio "put him on the assembly-line withWayne Morris,Arthur Kennedy,Jeffrey Lynn,Eddie Albert, andRonald Reagan – likeable young lugs squiring the heroine till Bogart, Cagney, orFlynn came crashing down to sweep her up."^[3]

He was given the lead in aB picture,Waterfront (1939), followed byNo Place to Go (1939) andThe Return of Doctor X (1939) with Humphrey Bogart.

Morgan was promoted to "A" films withThe Fighting 69th (1940), supportingJames Cagney andPat O'Brien. He supportedPriscilla Lane inThree Cheers for the Irish (1940) and went back to "B"s forTear Gas Squad (1940),Flight Angels (1940), andRiver's End (1940).

Morgan's career received a boost whenRKO borrowed him to playGinger Rogers's love interest inKitty Foyle (1940), a big hit.^[2]

Warners put him in some comedies,Affectionately Yours (1941) andKisses for Breakfast (1941), then a Western,Bad Men of Missouri (1941). He supported Cagney again inCaptains of the Clouds (1942) andBette Davis andOlivia de Havilland inIn This Our Life (1942).

Morgan co-starred withAnn Sheridan inWings for the Eagle (1942) andIda Lupino inThe Hard Way (1943). He had the lead in some big Warners musicals:Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), full of cameos from Warner stars;The Desert Song (1943);Shine On, Harvest Moon (1944), with Sheridan. The latter also featuredJack Carson in a key role. He and Morgan were inThe Hard Way together and would go on to be a notable team.^[1]

Morgan was inThe Very Thought of You (1944) and cameoed inHollywood Canteen (1944). He had the lead inGod Is My Co-Pilot (1945) andChristmas in Connecticut (1945) withBarbara Stanwyck.

Morgan was teamed with fellow WisconsiniteJack Carson inOne More Tomorrow (1946). Warners liked them as a combination, seeing them as similar toBing Crosby andBob Hope at Paramount. In the words of Shipman, the films would feature "Morgan as the easy-going singer who always got the girl and Carson as the loud-mouthed but cowardly braggart-comic who was given the air. No one thought they were Hope and Crosby, least of all themselves."^[3] They were reunited inTwo Guys from Milwaukee (1946) andThe Time, the Place and the Girl (1946).^{[citation needed]}

Without Carson, Morgan made a Western,Cheyenne (1946), a musicalMy Wild Irish Rose (1947), andTo the Victor (1948). In 1947, he was voted Singer of the Year.^[10]

He was back with Carson forTwo Guys from Texas (1948) then madeOne Sunday Afternoon (1948) with Janis Paige. He and Carson were inIt's a Great Feeling (1949) withDoris Day. Exhibitors voted him the 21st most popular star in the US for 1948.^[11]

Morgan madeThe Lady Takes a Sailor (1949) thenPerfect Strangers (1950) with Rogers andPretty Baby (1950) withBetsy Drake. He made a WesternRaton Pass (1950), and a musicalPainting the Clouds with Sunshine (1951). He supportedJoan Crawford inThis Woman Is Dangerous (1952).

Jack L. Warner wanted to terminate Dennis Morgan's expensive contract with Warner Bros., and assigned Morgan toCattle Town (1952), a quickie western to be produced by B-movie specialistBryan Foy. The director was silent-era veteranNoel M. Smith, known as a fast-and-cheap director who staged reckless action scenes. Jack Warner was certain that Morgan would refuse the strenuous assignment and break the contract, but Morgan refused to forfeit his salary. He reported for work as scheduled, made the film for Smith, and collected his customary salary. After that his contract with Warners ended. Morgan later said, "My mistake was, I stayed at one studio too long. Another mistake: I turned down early television, believing then... that people should pay to see us."^[12]

He appeared in sporadic television guest roles in the 1950s, including theABC religionanthology series,Crossroads, in the 1955 episode "The Gambler" and as Senator-designate Fairchild in an episode of the dramatic anthology seriesStage 7, titled "Press Conference" in 1955.^{[citation needed]}

Morgan made films forColumbia's low-budget producerSam Katzman,The Gun That Won the West (1955) andUranium Boom (1956) and went to RKO forPearl of the South Pacific (1956). He was cast as Dennis O'Finn in the 1958 episode "Bull in a China Shop" onAlfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1959, Morgan appeared as a regular, Dennis Chase, in eleven episodes of the crime drama,21 Beacon Street, withJoanna Barnes andBrian Kelly.^{[citation needed]}

By 1956, he had retired from films but still made occasional appearances on television, such as the role of Chad Hamilton in the 1962 episode "Source of Information" of the short-livedNBC newspaper drama series,Saints and Sinners.^[13] In 1963, he portrayed Dr. Clay Maitland in "The Old Man and the City" on NBC'sThe Dick Powell Theater. He performed with the Milwaukee Symphony and on the summer stage circuit.^[14]

He returned to films withRogue's Gallery (1967).^[12]In 1968, he was cast as Dennis Roberts in the episode "Bye, Bye, Doctor" of theCBS sitcom,Petticoat Junction, and he played a cameo as a Hollywood tour guide in the all-star comedyWon Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood in 1976. His final screen performance was on March 1, 1980, as Steve Brian in the episode "Another Time, Another Place/Doctor Who/Gopher's Engagement" of ABC'sThe Love Boat.

In 1983, Morgan, along with his film pal,Jack Carson, who had died in 1963, were inducted into the Wisconsin Performing Artists Hall of Fame.

Morgan married Lillian Vedder inMarshfield, Wisconsin on September 7, 1933.^[15] The couple had three children: Stanley Morner Jr., Krista Kennedy, and Jim Morner. After his retirement as an actor in the late 1960s, Morgan became a rancher in Madera County, California.^[16]

On January 21, 1983, Morgan and his wife Lillian were critically injured in a car crash.^[17] The station wagon they were driving in drifted off Interstate 580 southwest ofTracy, California, went over a 50-foot embankment and burst into flames. The couple were pulled from the wreckage by passersby; they suffered critical injuries and recovered in a nearby hospital.^[18]

Morgan was a staunchRepublican and a member of the Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church inOakhurst, California.^[16]

Morgan dedicated Two Strike Park on July 4, 1959, named for his belief that "a kid forced to play in the streets, with no place to play, already has two strikes against him".^[19]

Starting in 1946, Morgan championed the cause of children with nowhere to play.^[20] In 1949, as "honorary mayor" of La Crescenta, representing Two Strike Series, Inc., he "offered to donate five acres of land for the park if the County of Los Angeles would purchase two more adjoining acres to complete the initial parcel. In 1950, the Board of Supervisors responded with an additional 3.54 acres of parkland."^[20] In 1958 Morgan spearheaded the drive to establish a new public park inLa Crescenta inLos Angeles County. He raised funds for the park, at 5107 Rosemont Avenue, by "organizing exhibition baseball games featuring celebrity friends and professional athletes".^[21]

After being ill with heart problems for some time, Morgan died September 7, 1994, of respiratory failure inFresno, California.^[16] Lillian died April 7, 2003.^[15]

• Jealousy (1929) as Hugo (credited as Stanley Morner)
• True to the Navy (1930) as Bob Oldfield (credited as Stanley "Tiny" Morner)
• Anybody's Woman (1930) as Nick Stephenson (credited as Stan Morner)
• They Call It Sin (1932) as Gregory Russell (credited as Jack Morner)^{[citation needed]}
• I Conquer the Sea! (1936) as Tommy Ashley
• The Great Ziegfeld (1936) as Stage Singer in 'Pretty Girl' Number (uncredited)
• Suzy (1936) as Lieutenant
• Piccadilly Jim (1936) as Chrystal Club Singer (uncredited)
• Old Hutch (1936) as Passerby at Fishing Lake (uncredited)
• Mama Steps Out (1937) as Chuck Thompson
• Song of the City (1937) as Tommy
• Navy Blue and Gold (1937) as Marine 2nd Lieutenant
• Men with Wings (1938) as Galton
• King of Alcatraz (1938) as First Mate Rogers
• Illegal Traffic (1938) as Cagey Miller
• Persons in Hiding (1939) as Mike Flagler
• Waterfront (1939) as James 'Jim' Dolen
• No Place to Go (1939) as Joe Plummer
• The Return of Doctor X (1939) as Michael Rhodes
• The Fighting 69th (1940) as Lieutenant Ames
• Three Cheers for the Irish (1940) as Angus Ferguson
• Tear Gas Squad (1940) as Tommy McCabe
• Flight Angels (1940) as Chick Farber
• River's End (1940) as John Keith / Sergeant Derry Conniston
• Kitty Foyle (1940) as Wyn Strafford
• Affectionately Yours (1941) as Richard 'Rickey' Mayberry
• Kisses for Breakfast (1941) as Rodney Trask
• Bad Men of Missouri (1941) as Cole Younger
• Captains of the Clouds (1942) as Johnny Dutton
• In This Our Life (1942) as Peter Kingsmill
• Wings for the Eagle (1942) as Corky Jones
• The Hard Way (1943) as Paul Collins
• Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) as Tommy Randolph
• The Desert Song (1943) as Paul Hudson / El Khobar
• Shine On, Harvest Moon (1944) as Jack Norworth
• The Very Thought of You (1944) as Sergeant David Stewart
• Hollywood Canteen (1944) as himself
• God Is My Co-Pilot (1945) as Colonel Robert Lee Scott
• Christmas in Connecticut (1945) as Jefferson Jones
• One More Tomorrow (1946) as Thomas Rufus 'Tom' Collier III
• Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946) as Prince Henry
• The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946) as Steven Ross
• Cheyenne (1947) as James Wylie
• Always Together (1947) as The Bridegroom (uncredited)
• My Wild Irish Rose (1947) as Chauncey Olcott
• To the Victor (1948) as Paul Taggart
• Two Guys from Texas (1948) as Steve Carroll
• One Sunday Afternoon (1948) as Timothy L. 'Biff' Grimes
• It's a Great Feeling (1949) as Dennis Morgan
• The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949) as Bill Craig
• Perfect Strangers (1950) as David Campbell
• Pretty Baby (1950) as Sam Morley
• Raton Pass (1951) as Marc Challon
• Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (1951) as Vince Nichols
• This Woman Is Dangerous (1952) as Dr. Ben Halleck
• Cattle Town (1952) as Mike McGann (last film for Warner Bros.)
• Pearl of the South Pacific (1955) as Dan Merrill
• The Gun That Won the West (1955) as Jim Bridger
• Uranium Boom (1956) as Brad Collins
• Rogue's Gallery (1968) as Dr. Jonas Pettingill
• Busby Berkeley (1974) as himself (documentary)
• Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) as Tour Guide

• Annie Laurie (1936) as William Douglas
• Ride, Cowboy, Ride (1939) as Dinny Logan
• The Singing Dude (1940) as Rusty
• March On, Marines (1940) as Bob Lansing
• Stars on Horseback (1943) as himself (uncredited)
• The Shining Future (1944) as himself
• Road to Victory (1944) as himself (uncredited)
• I Am an American (1944)^[23] as himself (uncredited)
• Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Goes to Bat (1950) as himself

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1958) (Season 3 Episode 26: "Bull in a China Shop") as Detective Dennis O'Finn

• Dennis Morgan atIMDb
• Dennis Morgan atFind a Grave
• Jack Carson Tribute
• Stanley Morner '30, Carroll University