Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, with a career spanning 35 years[1] mostly as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He is best-known for his multiple roles, including the title role of The Wizard in the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz. He was also briefly billed early in his career as Frank Wupperman and Francis Morgan.
Frank Morgan | |
|---|---|
 Morgan publicity picture | |
| Born | Francis Phillip Wuppermann June 1, 1890 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | September 18, 1949 (aged 59) |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery |
| Other names |
|
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1914-1949 |
| Known for | Playing the Wizard and others in The Wizard of Oz |
| Spouse |
Alma Muller
(m. 1914) |
| Children | 1 |
| Family | Ralph Morgan (elder brother) Claudia Morgan (niece) |
Early life
editMorgan was born on June 1, 1890, in New York City, to Josephine Wright (née Hancox) and George Diogracia Wuppermann. He was the youngest of 11 children and had five brothers and five sisters. The elder Mr. Wuppermann was born in Venezuela but was brought up in Hamburg, Germany, and was of German and Spanish ancestry.[2][3][4] His mother was born in the United States, of English ancestry. His brother Ralph Morgan was also an actor of stage and screen. The family earned their wealth distributing Angostura bitters, allowing Wuppermann to attend Cornell University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and the Glee Club.[5][6]
Career
editTheater
editMorgan began his acting career in theater. An aspiring vaudevillian following in his brother's footsteps, he changed his name from Wuppermann to Morgan.[7] He made his acting debut in the show Mr. Wu on October 14, 1914. [8] After many years of starring in theater productions, he finally caught the attention of critics with his role as Count Carlo Boretti in The Lullaby alongside Florence Reed. In 1927, he played Henry Spoffard in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (play). [9] Three years later, Morgan played what he considered to be one of his best roles in Topaze (play).[9]
Morgan's theatrical career ended shortly after he began his contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His last two shows were The Band Wagon (musical) and Hey Nonny Nonny. [8]
Film
edit
From 1916 to 1936, Morgan starred in several silent films. He made his debut as Sir Richard in The Suspect (1916). [10] Following that, he starred in Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1917) as Bunny Manders, alongside costar John Barrymore.[10] He also starred in the propaganda film, Who's Your Neighbor?, along with others such as, At the Mercy of Men, Manhandled (1924 film), Born Rich (1924 film), and other roles in small films.
After signing onto a contract with MGM, Morgan starred with Al Jolson in Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (film) in 1933. [11] In 1934, Morgan received an Academy Award nomination for Best Leading Actor for his performance as Alessandro, Duke of Florence.[12] In the next year, he starred in The Good Fairy (1935 film). He also starred as Jack Billings in The Great Ziegfeld. In 1936, Morgan played alongside Shirley Temple as Professor Appleby in Dimples. Speaking about Morgan, Temple wrote, " . . Dimples pitted me against an accomplished veteran of the legitimate stage who was not about to let any little curly headed kid steal his scenes. Competition for camera attention had always been a fact of life for me. The kid and the expert could not help but collide."
In The Wizard of Oz (1939), Morgan played five roles: the Wizard, the carnival huckster "Professor Marvel", the "bust my buttons" Gatekeeper (who initially refuses to let Dorothy and her friends into the city), the "horse of a different color" carriage driver of Emerald City, and the Palace Guard (who refuses to let Dorothy and her friends in to see the Wizard). Morgan was cast in the role on September 22, 1938. W. C. Fields was originally chosen for the part of the Wizard, but the studio ran out of patience after protracted haggling over his fee.[citation needed]
An actor with a wide range, Morgan was equally effective playing comical, befuddled men such as Jesse Kiffmeyer in Saratoga (1937) and Mr. Ferris in Casanova Brown (1944), as he was with more serious, troubled characters like Hugo Matuschek in The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Professor Roth in The Mortal Storm (1940) and Willie Grogan in The Human Comedy (1943). MGM's musical comedy film The Great Morgan (1946), is a compilation film featuring Frank Morgan supposedly as himself but playing the familiar bumbler. Occasionally a co-star (as in The Human Comedy, and, once established, invariably a featured player), he also saw the occasional lead deep in his Hollywood career, as the philanthropic tycoon falsely accused of murder in 1941's Washington Melodrama and The Great Morgan (in which he is the Morgan of the title, the picture's central player).
During the 1940s, Morgan appeared in such diverse genres and roles as an oil wildcatter in Boom Town (supporting Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Claudette Colbert); Tortilla Flat in 1942 (based on the John Steinbeck book, again supporting Tracy); a jungle doctor in White Cargo (supporting Walter Pidgeon and Hedy Lamarr); a shepherd in the Courage of Lassie in 1946; a doctor again in Green Dolphin Street in 1948 in support of Lana Turner, Van Heflin, and Donna Reed; King Louis XIII in The Three Musketeers in 1948, supporting Gene Kelly and Turner again; and as Jimmy Stewart’s boss in The Stratton Story in 1949. He played a fire chief in his final picture, Key to the City, filmed in 1949 but released posthumously in 1950.
Radio
editMorgan also had a career in radio. In the 1940s, Morgan co-starred with Fanny Brice in one version (of several different series) of the radio program Maxwell House Coffee Time, aka The Frank Morgan-Fanny Brice Show. During the first half of the show Morgan would tell increasingly outlandish tall tales about his life adventures, much to the dismay of his fellow cast members. After the Morgan segment there was a song, followed by Brice as 'Baby Snooks' for the last half of the show. When Brice left to star in her own program in 1944, Morgan continued solo for a year with The Frank Morgan Show.[13] In 1947, Morgan starred as the title character in the radio series The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy. He also recorded a number of children's records, including the popular Gossamer Wump, released in 1949 by Capitol Records.
Personal life and death
editMorgan married Alma Muller in 1914; they had one son, George. They were married until his death in 1949.[citation needed]
Morgan was widely known to be an alcoholic, according to several people who worked with him, including Margaret Hamilton and Aljean Harmetz. Morgan sometimes carried a black briefcase to work, fully equipped with a small mini-bar.[4]
Morgan's niece Claudia Morgan (née Wuppermann) was a stage and film actress, and his brother was playwright Carlos Wuppermann.[14]
Morgan had filmed a few scenes as Buffalo Bill in the musical Annie Get Your Gun (1950) when he died suddenly of a heart attack on September 18, 1949, at the age of 59. He was replaced in the film by Louis Calhern.[15] Morgan is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. His tombstone carries his real name, Wuppermann, as well as his stage name.[16]
Awards and honors
editMorgan was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Actor in The Affairs of Cellini (1934) and one for Best Supporting Actor in Tortilla Flat (1942). He has two stars dedicated to him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California: one for his films at 1708 Vine Street and one for his work in radio at 6700 Hollywood Boulevard. Both were dedicated on February 8, 1960.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | The Suspect | Sir Richard | Film debut, as Frank Wupperman Lost film |
| The Daring of Diana | John Briscoe | As Francis Morgan Lost film | |
| The Girl Philippa | Halkett | As Francis Morgan Lost film | |
| 1917 | A Modern Cinderella | Tom | Lost film |
| A Child of the Wild | Frank Trent | Lost film | |
| The Light in Darkness | Ramsey Latham | ||
| Baby Mine | Alfred | ||
| Who's Your Neighbor? | Dudley Carlton | Lost film | |
| Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman | Bunny Manders | ||
| 1918 | The Knife | Dr. Robert Manning | Lost film |
| At the Mercy of Men | Count Nicho | Lost film | |
| The Gray Towers Mystery | Billy Durland | Lost film | |
| 1919 | The Golden Shower | Lester | Lost film |
| 1924 | Manhandled | Arno Riccardi | |
| Born Rich | Eugene Magnin | ||
| 1925 | The Crowded Hour | Bert Caswell | Lost film |
| The Man Who Found Himself | Lon Morris | Lost film | |
| Scarlet Saint | Baron Badeau | Lost film | |
| 1927 | Love's Greatest Mistake | William Ogden | Lost film |
| 1930 | Belle of the Night | Short | |
| Dangerous Nan McGrew | Muldoon | ||
| Queen High | Mr. Nettleton | ||
| Laughter | C. Mortimer Gibson | ||
| Fast and Loose | Bronson Lenox | ||
| 1932 | Secrets of the French Police | François St. Cyr | |
| The Half-Naked Truth | Merle Farrell | ||
| 1933 | The Billion Dollar Scandal | John Dudley Masterson | |
| Luxury Liner | Alex Stevenson | ||
| Hallelujah, I'm a Bum | Mayor John Hastings | ||
| Reunion in Vienna | Dr. Anton Krug | ||
| The Kiss Before the Mirror | Paul Held | ||
| The Nuisance | Dr. Buchanan Prescott | ||
| Best of Enemies | William Hartman | ||
| When Ladies Meet | Rogers Woodruf | ||
| Broadway to Hollywood | Ted Hackett | ||
| Bombshell | Pops Burns | ||
| 1934 | The Cat and the Fiddle | Daudet | |
| Success at Any Price | Merritt | ||
| Sisters Under the Skin | John Hunter Yates | ||
| The Affairs of Cellini | Alessandro – Duke of Florence | Academy Award nomination - Best Actor | |
| A Lost Lady | Forrester | ||
| There's Always Tomorrow | Joseph White | ||
| By Your Leave | Henry Smith | ||
| The Mighty Barnum | Joe | Uncredited | |
| 1935 | The Good Fairy | Konrad | |
| Enchanted April | Mellersh Wilkins | ||
| Naughty Marietta | Governor d'Annard | ||
| Escapade | Karl | ||
| I Live My Life | G.P. Bentley | ||
| The Perfect Gentleman | Major Horatio Chatteris | ||
| 1936 | The Great Ziegfeld | Jack Billings | |
| Dancing Pirate | Mayor Don Emilio Perena | ||
| Trouble for Two | Colonel Geraldine | ||
| Piccadilly Jim | James Crocker – Sr./Count Olav Osric | ||
| Dimples | Prof. Eustace Appleby | ||
| 1937 | The Last of Mrs. Cheyney | Lord Kelton | |
| The Emperor's Candlesticks | Col. Baron Suroff | ||
| Saratoga | Jesse Kiffmeyer | ||
| Sunday Night at the Trocadero | Himself | Short | |
| Beg, Borrow or Steal | Ingraham Steward | ||
| Rosalie | King | ||
| 1938 | Paradise for Three | Rudolph Tobler | |
| Port of Seven Seas | Panisse | ||
| The Crowd Roars | Brian McCoy | ||
| Sweethearts | Felix Lehman | ||
| 1939 | Broadway Serenade | Cornelius Collier, Jr. | |
| The Wizard of Oz | The Wizard of Oz/Professor Marvel/The Gatekeeper/The Carriage Driver/The Guard | ||
| Henry Goes Arizona | Henry Conroy | ||
| Balalaika | Ivan Danchenoff | ||
| 1940 | The Shop Around the Corner | Hugo Matuschek | |
| Broadway Melody of 1940 | Bob Casey | ||
| The Ghost Comes Home | Vern Adams | ||
| The Mortal Storm | Professor Viktor Roth | ||
| Boom Town | Luther Aldrich | ||
| Hullabaloo | Frankie Merriweather | ||
| Keeping Company | Harry C. Thomas | ||
| 1941 | The Wild Man of Borneo | J. Daniel Thompson | |
| Washington Melodrama | Calvin Claymore | ||
| Honky Tonk | Judge Cotton | ||
| 1942 | The Vanishing Virginian | Robert Yancey | |
| Tortilla Flat | The Pirate | Academy Award nomination - Best Supporting Actor | |
| White Cargo | The Doctor | ||
| 1943 | The Human Comedy | Willie Grogan | |
| A Stranger in Town | John Josephus Grant | ||
| Thousands Cheer | Dr. Frank Morgan | ||
| 1944 | The White Cliffs of Dover | Hiram Porter Dunn | |
| Kismet | Narrator | Voice, Uncredited | |
| Casanova Brown | Mr. Ferris | ||
| 1945 | Yolanda and the Thief | Victor Budlow Trout | |
| 1946 | Courage of Lassie | Harry MacBain | |
| The Cockeyed Miracle | Sam Griggs | ||
| Lady Luck | William Audrey | ||
| The Great Morgan | Himself | ||
| 1947 | Green Dolphin Street | Dr. Edmond Ozanne | |
| 1948 | Summer Holiday | Uncle Sid | |
| The Three Musketeers | King Louis XIII | ||
| 1949 | The Stratton Story | Barney Wile | |
| The Great Sinner | Aristide Pitard | ||
| Any Number Can Play | Jim Kurstyn | ||
| 1950 | Key to the City | Fire Chief Duggan | Final film |
Radio appearances
edit| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Amos & Andy | Amos and Andy with Frank Morgan |
| 1940 | Screen Guild Players | The Shop Around the Corner[17] |
| 1941 | Art Museum | January 9, 1941 |
| 1942 | Pat O'Brien | April 23, 1942 |
| 1942 | Command Performances | October 27, 1942 |
| 1942 | The Pied Piper | December 21, 1942 |
| 1943 | Nothing But The Truth | May 3, 1943 |
| 1943 | The Human Comedy | July 12, 1943 |
| 1943 | Holy Matrimoney | December 13, 1943 |
| 1944 | Wallpapering | September 23, 1944 |
| 1944 | The Frank Morgan Show | NBC August 31, 1944 - May 31, 1945 |
| 1945 | The Devil and Miss Jones | March 12, 1945 |
| 1945 | Birdseye Open House | September 13, 1945, host Dinah Shore |
| 1945 | Huckleberry Finn | October 14, 1945 |
| 1945 | Names On The Land | December 24, 1945 |
| 1946 | The Bickersons | 60 episodes |
| 1947 | The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy | 5 episodes |
| 1948 | The Jimmy Durante Show | January 14, 1948 |
| 1949 | Kraft Music Hall | 35 episodes |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Obituary Variety, September 21, 1949, page 63.
- ^ White, James Terry, ed. (1967). Frank Morgan Wuppermann. University Microfilms. p. 26. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ New England Vintage Film Inc Society (December 1, 2010). Playbills to Photoplays. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 488–523. ISBN 978-1453587751. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "Frank Morgan". Hollywood's Irish Mafia. Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
- ^ Grand Catalogue of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity (Twelfth ed.). Bernard C. Harris. 1985. p. 377.
- ^ Slon, Michael (January 1, 1998). Songs from the Hill: A History of the Cornell University Glee Club. Cornell University Glee Club. ISBN 978-0962010316.
- ^ "Frank Morgan". latimes.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Dennis, Ken (January 3, 2008). "Frank Morgan: The Merriest Man". Muscatine Journal. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Dennis, Ken (January 3, 2008). "Frank Morgan: The Merriest Man". Muscatine Journal. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ a b "Frank Morgan". prod.tcm.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ Milestone, Lewis (February 3, 1933), Hallelujah I'm a Bum (Comedy, Drama, Musical), Al Jolson, Madge Evans, Frank Morgan, Lewis Milestone Productions, Feature Productions, retrieved November 28, 2024
- ^ "1935 Academy Awards | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 259–260. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ "The Triumph of X". Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ "Frank Morgan, Local Property Owner, Dies". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, Calif. September 20, 1949. p. 8 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (2001). Resting Places : The Burial Sites of Over 7,000 Famous Persons. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 258. ISBN 0-7864-1014-0.
- ^ "Those Were The Days". Nostalgia Digest. Vol. 41, no. 3. Summer 2015. pp. 32–39.
Further reading
edit- Alistair, Rupert (2018). "Frank Morgan". The Name Below the Title: 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age (First ed.). Great Britain: Independently published. pp. 180–184. ISBN 978-1-7200-3837-5.
External links
edit
- Frank Morgan at IMDb
- Frank Morgan at the TCM Movie Database
- Frank Morgan at the Internet Broadway Database
