Lawrence Keating (June 13, 1899 – August 26, 1963) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

best known for his roles as Harry Morton on ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

'', which he played from 1953 to 1958, and next-door neighbor Roger Addison on ''

Mister Ed ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which orig ...

'', which he played from 1961 until his death in 1963.

Early years

Keating was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Career

On April 6, 1937, Keating created ''Professor Puzzlewit'', a quiz program on KMJ radio in Fresno, California, and Blue Network west coast network. He also was the program's quizmaster. Keating was an announcer for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

in the 1940s, an announcer for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

radio's ''This Is Your FBI'' from 1945 to 1953, and a regular on the short-lived series ''

The Hank McCune Show ''The Hank McCune Show'' is an American television sitcom. Filmed without a studio audience, the series is notable for being the first television program to incorporate a laugh track. The series began as a local Los Angeles program in 1949. NBC ...

''. Keating was the longest of several actors to play neighbor Harry Morton on ''

''. Keating took over the role of Harry Morton from

Fred Clark Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American film and television character actor. Early years Born in Lincoln, California, Clark was the son of Fred Clark Sr. He attended Stanford University with plans to become ...

in 1953 and continued in this role on the short-lived sequel, ''

The George Burns Show ''The George Burns Show'' is a comedy television program that aired on NBC for one season ( 1958–59). The program was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. ''The George Burns Show'' immediately followed the eight-season run of ''The George Burns and ...

''. During his first episode on ''The Burns and Allen Show'', George Burns stopped the action just before Harry's entrance and explained that Clark had left the show. Then he introduced Larry Keating to Bea Benaderet who played Blanche Morton saying, "This is Larry Keating and he is going to be your husband now". The pair greeted and complimented each other on their previous work. George remarked that if they are going to be so nice to each other, no one will believe they are married. Keating played Roger Addison, the next door neighbor (of Wilbur Post, who was played by

Alan Young Alan Young (born Angus Young; November 19, 1919 – May 19, 2016) was a British, Canadian and American actor, comedian, radio host and television host, whom ''TV Guide'' called "the Charlie Chaplin of television". His notable roles includ ...

) on the television series ''

'' from 1961 until his death in 1963. Keating's film credits include '' The Mating Season'' (1951), ''

When Worlds Collide ''When Worlds Collide'' is a 1933 science fiction novel co-written by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie; they also co-authored the sequel ''After Worlds Collide'' (1934). It was first published as a six-part monthly serial (September 1932 through Fe ...

'' (1951), '' Monkey Business'' (1952), and ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'' (1953).

Death

Keating was diagnosed with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

in February 1963 while Season 3 of ''

'' was in production. Despite his illness, Keating returned to the series when filming began for the fourth season that summer. He filmed three episodes for Season 4 and worked up to the week before his death on August 26, 1963. His final movie role was in '' The Incredible Mr. Limpet''. He is entombed in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

's Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Complete filmography

*''

Song of the Sarong ''Song of the Sarong'' (1945) is a musical film starring Nancy Kelly and William Gargan. The film was written by Gene Lewis and directed by Harold Young. Plot There are valuable pearls worth millions of dollars being guarded by a formidable ...

'' (1945) as Larry Keating aka Potter *''

Whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

'' (1949) as Mr. Simms (uncredited) *'' Dancing in the Dark'' (1949) as Board Member (uncredited) *''

When Willie Comes Marching Home ''When Willie Comes Marching Home'' is a 1950 World War II comedy film directed by John Ford and starring Dan Dailey and Corinne Calvet. It is based on the 1945 short story "When Leo Comes Marching Home" by Sy Gomberg. The film won the Golden L ...

'' (1950) as Gen. G. "Larry" Reeding (uncredited) *''

Mother Didn't Tell Me ''Mother Didn't Tell Me'' is a 1950 American comedy film written and directed by Claude Binyon. It is based on the 1949 book ''The Doctor Wears Three Faces'' by Mary Bard. The film stars Dorothy McGuire, William Lundigan, June Havoc, Gary Merril ...

'' (1950) as Doctor Tracy (uncredited) *''

Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town ''Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town'' is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont. It is the second installment of Universal-International's ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride. Plot At the conclusion of ...

'' (1950) as Police Lt. Klein (uncredited) *''

I Was a Shoplifter ''I Was a Shoplifter'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Scott Brady and Mona Freeman. Plot A shoplifter, Faye Burton, is being watched by Herb Klaxon, a security guard at a Los Angeles department sto ...

'' (1950) as Harry Dunson *'' Stella'' (1950) as Gil Wright (uncredited) *''

Three Secrets ''Three Secrets'' is a 1950 American drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal and Ruth Roman. It was released by Warner Bros. Plot A private plane crashes in the California mountains and a 5-year-old boy sur ...

'' (1950) as Mark Harrison *'' My Blue Heaven'' (1950) as Doctor (uncredited) *''

Mister 880 ''Mister 880'' is a 1950 American light-hearted romantic drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire and Edmund Gwenn, about an amateurish counterfeiter who counterfeits only one dollar bills, and manages ...

'' (1950) as James F. Lee - Skipper's Attorney (uncredited) *''

Right Cross ''Right Cross'' is a 1950 sports drama film released by MGM, directed by John Sturges, written by Charles Schnee and starring June Allyson, Ricardo Montalban, Dick Powell, Lionel Barrymore and (in a small uncredited role) Marilyn Monroe. Plot ...

'' (1950) as Second Reporter *'' The Mating Season'' (1951) as Mr. Kalinger, Sr. *'' Follow the Sun'' (1951) as Sportswriter Jay Dexter *''

Bright Victory ''Bright Victory'' is a 1951 American drama romance war film directed by Mark Robson and starring Arthur Kennedy and Peggy Dow. Plot During World War II, American sergeant Larry Nevins is blinded by a German sniper while fighting in North Afr ...

'' (1951) as Jess Coe *''

Francis Goes to the Races ''Francis Goes to the Races'' is a 1951 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Arthur Lubin, that stars Donald O'Connor, Piper Laurie, and Cecil Kellaway. The distinctive voic ...

'' (1951) as Head Steward *''

'' (1951) as Dr. Cole Hendron *''

Bannerline ''Bannerline'' is a 1951 American drama film directed by Don Weis. The film stars Keefe Brasselle, Sally Forrest and Lionel Barrymore. Plot Young Mike Perrivale (Keefe Brasselle) is an ambitious reporter for the Carravia ''Clarion'', who resents ...

'' (1951) as Stambaugh *'' Come Fill the Cup'' (1951) as Julian Cuscaden *''

Too Young to Kiss ''Too Young to Kiss'' (also ''All Too Young'') is a 1951 American comedy film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Van Johnson and June Allyson. The film, in which the 34-year-old Allyson's Cynthia Potter masquerades as a 14-year-old child prodi ...

'' (1951) as Danny Cutler *''

The Light Touch ''The Light Touch'' is a 1951 film starring Stewart Granger, Pier Angeli, and George Sanders, written and directed by Richard Brooks. Plot Art thief Sam Conride (Stewart Granger) steals a Renaissance-era painting on loan to an Italian museum by ...

'' (1951) as Mr. R.F. Hawkley *'' About Face'' (1952) as Col. Long *''

Glory Alley ''Glory Alley'' is a 1952 musical drama film directed by Raoul Walsh. It stars Ralph Meeker and Leslie Caron. Plot New Orleans newspaper columnist Gabe Jordan, about to retire, tells the story of a most unforgettable character, boxer Socks Bar ...

'' (1952) as Philip Louis Bennson (uncredited) *''

Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

'' (1952) as William Sharon *'' Monkey Business'' (1952) as G.J. Culverly *''

Something for the Birds ''Something for the Birds'' is a 1952 film directed by Robert Wise and starring Victor Mature and Patricia Neal. Plot Johnnie Adams, an engraver in Washington, uses some of the invitations his firm makes to crash Washington parties. He gets to ...

'' (1952) as Roy Patterson *'' Above and Beyond'' (1952) as Maj. Gen. Vernon C. Brent *'' She's Back on Broadway'' (1953) as Mitchell Parks *''

'' (1953) as Dave Emory *'' A Lion Is in the Streets'' (1953) as Robert L. Castleberry IV *''

Give a Girl a Break ''Give a Girl a Break'' is a 1953 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen, starring Debbie Reynolds and the dance team of Marge and Gower Champion. A young Bob Fosse has a featured role. As Martin Gottfried wrote in his ...

'' (1953) as Felix Jordan *''

Gypsy Colt ''Gypsy Colt'' is a 1954 American drama film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Donna Corcoran, Ward Bond and Frances Dee. Shot in Ansco Color, it was produced and distributed by Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film's basic plot w ...

'' (1954) as Wade Y. Gerald *'' Daddy Long Legs'' (1955) as Ambassador Alexander Williamson *''

The Eddy Duchin Story ''The Eddy Duchin Story'' is a 1956 Technicolor film biopic of band leader and pianist Eddy Duchin. It was directed by George Sidney, written by Samuel A. Taylor, and starred Tyrone Power and Kim Novak. Harry Stradling received an Academy Award ...

'' (1956) as Leo Reisman *''

The Best Things in Life Are Free "The Best Things in Life Are Free" is a duet between American singers Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, recorded for the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced soundtrack to the 1992 American film '' Mo' Money'', starring Damon Wayans. The song was ...

'' (1956) as Winfield Sheehan *''

The Wayward Bus ''The Wayward Bus'' is a novel by American author John Steinbeck, published in 1947. The novel's epigraph is a passage from 15th-century English play ''Everyman'', with its archaic English intact; the quotation refers to the transitory nature of ...

'' (1957) as Elliott Pritchard *''

The Buster Keaton Story ''The Buster Keaton Story'' is a 1957 American biographical drama film directed by Sidney Sheldon and written by Sidney Sheldon and Robert Smith, following the life of Buster Keaton. The film stars Donald O'Connor, Ann Blyth, Rhonda Fleming, Pet ...

'' (1957) as Larry Winters *'' Stopover Tokyo'' (1957) as High Commissioner *''

Who Was That Lady? ''Who Was That Lady?'' is a 1960 black and white American comedy film directed by George Sidney and starring Tony Curtis, Dean Martin, and Janet Leigh. The movie was made by Ansark-Sidney, distributed by Columbia Pictures and produced by Norman ...

'' (1960) as Parker *'' Boys' Night Out'' (1962) as Mr. Bingham *'' The Incredible Mr. Limpet'' (1964) as Admiral P.P. Spewter

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keating, Larry 1890s births 1963 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from leukemia Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota Burials in Oregon 20th-century American male actors Burials at Mount Calvary Cemetery (Portland, Oregon) Radio and television announcers