ACTOR DENNIS MORGAN DIES - The Washington Post
FRESNO, CALIF. -- Dennis Morgan, 85, a ringing tenor and wavy-haired leading man of the 1940s who played opposite such stars as Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck and Ginger Rogers, died Sept. 7 at a hospital here. He had a heart ailment.
He starred in MGM's "The Great Ziegfeld" in 1936, singing "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" before a huge, white, revolving staircase filled with women in lavish gowns. His other film credits included "Kitty Foyle," "My Wild Irish Rose" and "God Is My Co-Pilot."
His breakthrough role came in 1940, as a society snob in "Kitty Foyle." Ginger Rogers won an Oscar for her role in the movie.
A robust, handsome 6-foot-2 with wavy brown hair, he graduated to first-rate productions at Warner Bros., starring in "The Desert Song" and appearing with Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland in "In This Our Life," with Ida Lupino in "The Hard Way" and with Ann Sheridan in "Shine on Harvest Moon."
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He played a Pacific War flier in "God Is My Co-Pilot" and romanced Barbara Stanwyck in "Christmas in Connecticut." In "My Wild Irish Rose," he starred as Irish tenor Chauncey Olcott.
In 1946, Mr. Morgan was teamed with Jack Carson as Warner's answer to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Mr. Morgan and Carson starred in "Two Guys From Milwaukee," "Two Guys From Texas" and "It's a Great Feeling," with Doris Day.
In later years, he performed in summer theater in such musicals as "Show Boat," made occasional appearances on television -- including "The Love Boat" -- and served as spokesman for the American Cancer Society. He became a rancher after his retirement as an actor in the late 1960s.
Mr. Morgan was born Stanley Morner. He began his career as a radio announcer in Milwaukee and later was a sportscaster for the Green Bay Packers.
Survivors include his wife and three children.
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