Frank Morgan
| Frank Morgan | |
|---|---|
 from the trailer for Sweethearts (1938) |
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| Born | Francis Phillip Wuppermann June 1, 1890 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 18, 1949 (aged 59) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1914–49 |
| Spouse | Alma Muller (1914–1949) (his death) 1 son |
Frank Morgan (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949) was an American actor.[1] He was best known for his portrayal of five characters, including the title character, in the film The Wizard of Oz.
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[edit] Early life
Born as Francis Phillip Wuppermann in New York City, the youngest of eleven children (six boys and five girls) born to George and Josephine (née Hancox) Wuppermann. The family earned its wealth distributing Angostura bitters, permitting Frank to attend Cornell University where he joined Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity.[2] He then followed his older brother Ralph Morgan into show business, first on the Broadway stage and then into motion pictures.
[edit] Acting career
His first film was The Suspect in 1916. In 1917 he provided support to his friend John Barrymore in Raffles The Amateur Cracksman, an independent film produced in and about New York City. Morgan's career expanded when talkies began, his most stereotypical role being that of a befuddled but good hearted middle-aged man. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1934's The Affairs of Cellini, where he played the cuckolded Duke of Florence and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1942's Tortilla Flat, where he played a simple Hispanic man.
Other movies of note include Hallelujah, I'm a Bum, The Great Ziegfeld, The Shop Around the Corner, The Human Comedy, The Mortal Storm, The White Cliffs of Dover and his last movie, Key to the City, which was released after his death, in Beverly Hills, California.
He also recorded a number of children's records, including the popular Gossamer Wump, released in 1949 by Capitol Records.
Like most character actors of the studio era, Frank Morgan had numerous roles in many motion pictures. One of his last roles was as a key supporting player in The Stratton Story, a true story about a ballplayer (played by James Stewart) who makes a comeback after losing a leg in a hunting accident.
[edit] "The Wizard": The Wizard of Oz
Morgan's most famous performance was in The Wizard of Oz (1939), in which he played the carnival huckster "Professor Marvel", the gatekeeper of the Emerald City, the driver of the carriage drawn by "The Horse of a Different Color", the armed guard leading to the Wizard's hall, the apparition of the Wizard as a monstrous disembodied Head, and the Wizard himself. Like Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West, his characters appear on screen for only a few minutes in total, but they are memorable. He was so popular that MGM gave him a lifetime contract. Morgan was cast for the role on September 22, 1938. W. C. Fields was originally chosen for the role of the Wizard, but the studio ran out of patience after protracted haggling over his fee.
[edit] Personal life
Morgan married Alma Muller in 1914; they had one son. Their marriage ended with his death in 1949.
He was widely known to have had a drinking problem, according to several who worked with him, including actress Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, 1939) and "Oz" historian Aljean Harmetz. Morgan sometimes carried a black briefcase to work fully equipped with a small mini bar.[3]
Frank Morgan's niece, Claudia Morgan (née Wuppermann) was a stage and film actress, most notable for playing the role of Vera Claythorne in the first Broadway production of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
Morgan was also a brother of playwright Carlos Wupperman, who was killed in the Rhineland in 1919 while on duty there with the Army of Occupation. Wupperman had only one play produced on Broadway. The Triumph of X opened at the Comedy Theater in New York City on August 24, 1921,[4] but ran only 30 performances. The production is notable for several reasons; besides starring Frank Morgan, the play's female lead was Helen Menken (who would marry Humphrey Bogart in 1926), and in his first Broadway outing,[5] character actor Robert Keith, father of actor Brian Keith and one-time husband of Theater Guild actress Peg Entwistle, who committed suicide by jumping from the Hollywood Sign in 1932.
Frank Morgan entered show business on the coattails of his older brother, Ralph Morgan (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), who was a Hollywood film, stage and character actor. Born in New York City as Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann, Ralph Morgan graduated from Columbia University with a law degree. However, he abandoned the world of jurisprudence for the vocation of journeyman actor, having already appeared in Columbia's annual Varsity Show. Morgan became so successful in stock and on Broadway that his younger brother, Frank, was encouraged to give acting a try. Frank's career would eventually overshadow that of his elder brother.
[edit] Death
Morgan died after suffering a heart attack in 1949 while filming Annie Get Your Gun. He was replaced in the film by Louis Calhern. He was the one major player from The Wizard of Oz who did not live to see the film become both a television fixture and an American institution. He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. His tombstone carries his real name on the front, while noting his appearance as the Wizard on the back.[citation needed]
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1708 Vine Street.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] References
- ^ Obituary Variety, September 21, 1949, page 63.
- ^ Grand Catalogue of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity - Twelfth Edition, p.377: Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company, 1985.
- ^ "Frank Morgan at Hollywood's Irish Mafia". http://www.irishmafia.us/morgan.html. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
- ^ Theater Review by Alexander Woollcot New York Times, August 25, 1921.
- ^ "Internet Broadway Database". http://www.ibdb.com/index.php.
[edit] External links
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