Henry Morgan (comedian)

Henry Morgan
Morgan (late 1940s-early 1950s)
Birth name	Henry Lerner Van Ost, Jr.
Born	(1915-03-31)March 31, 1915 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	May 19, 1994(1994-05-19) (aged 79) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Humorist, comedian, game show panelist
Spouse	Isobel Gibbs Morgan (m. 1946; div. 1948) Karen Sorensen (m. 1978–94)

Henry Morgan (born Henry Lerner Van Ost, Jr. March 31, 1915 – May 19, 1994) was an American humorist. He is remembered best in two modern media: radio, on which he first became familiar as a barbed but often self-deprecating satirist; and television, where he was a regular and cantankerous panelist for the game show I've Got a Secret. Morgan was a second cousin of Broadway lyricist/librettist Alan Jay Lerner.

He began his radio career as a page at New York City station WMCA in 1932, after which he held a number of obscure radio jobs, including announcing. He strenuously objected to the professional name "Morgan". What was wrong with his own name, Henry van Ost, Jr.? he asked. Too exotic, too unpronounceable, he was told. "What about the successful announcers Harry von Zell or Westbrook Van Voorhis?" he countered. But it was no use, and the bosses finally told Henry he could take the job or leave it. Thus began a long history of Henry's having arguments with executives.

In 1940, he was offered a daily 15-minute series on Mutual Broadcasting System's flagship station, WOR. This show was a 15-minute comedy, which he opened almost invariably with "Good evening, anybody; here's Morgan." In his memoir Here's Morgan (1994), he wrote that he devised that introduction as a dig at popular singer Kate Smith, who "...started her show with a condescending, 'Hello, everybody.' I, on the other hand, was happy if anybody listened in." He mixed barbed ad libs, satirizing daily life's foibles, with novelty records, including those of Spike Jones. Morgan stated that Jones sent him his newest records in advance of market dates because he played them so often.

Morgan appeared in the December 1944 CBS Radio original broadcast of Norman Corwin's play, The Plot to Overthrow Christmas, taking several minor roles including the narrator, Ivan the Terrible and Simon Legree. He repeated his performance in the December 1944 production of the play.