RALPH MORGAN
July 6th, 1882 -- June 11th, 1956

Above: Ralph Morgan, a unique serial heavy and a very busy man in the acting world.

With an appearance that mixed in equal parts menace and benevolence, mild-mannered politeness and fierce intensity, Ralph Morgan created two of the most disturbing, twisted bad guys in serials. Like fellow serial heavy Noah Beery Sr., Ralph was the brother of a more famous Hollywood actor--Frank Morgan, immortalized as the Wizard of Oz. While Ralph never attained his brother's fame in major films, he managed many, many roles in some highly respected films such as THE KENNEL MURDER CASE and WELLS FARGO as well as his four cliffhangers. He was also very much in evidence behind the Hollywood scene; he was twice President of the Screen Actor's Guild, and a lifelong, dynamic campaigner for fair treatment of his fellow thespians.

Ralph was born Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (a mouthful of a name derived from his German-Spanish father) in New York City. He adopted the name of Ralph Morgan after abandoning his law practice in his early twenties and going upon the stage. His wealthy parents initially disapproved of this choice, but eventually gave Ralph their approval when they realized that he had chosen the profession he seemed to have been born for. Morgan came to Hollywood in 1915, and quickly totted up a long, noteworthy list of films (including RASPUTIN AND THE EMPRESS, in which he played the Czar) that can't be possibly be properly catalogued here. Let me skip ahead to 1941, when Ralph debuted upon the cliffhanger screen in DICK TRACY VS. CRIME INC., a Republic serial. The last of Republic's highly successful Dick Tracy cliffhangers, CRIME INC. pitted Tracy (Ralph Byrd) against a vengeful master criminal known as the Ghost, who was out to destroy the Council of Eight, a crimefighting group of wealthy and respectable citizens. The Council had brought the Ghost's gangster brother to the electric chair, and the mysterious madman (who possessed the power of invisibility) attempted to wipe out the entire group in retribution for this act, all the while battling Tracy, who he also held responsible for his brother's execution. The Ghost (SPOILERS AHEAD! Those who have not seen DICK TRACY VS. CRIME INC. should proceed to the next paragraph) was actually Morton, a member of the Council of Eight played by Ralph Morgan. In addition to playing a suspect, Morgan also voiced the evil Ghost, the second and last time (the first was in 1937's DICK TRACY) a Republic mystery villain was actually played by the actor he turned out to be. Morgan achieved a magnificent contrast between the two roles, donning pince-nez and a walrus moustache and assuming a mousy voice as Morton, while using a snarling, threatening, yet intelligent delivery for the Ghost. Morgan's inspired interpretation of the villain lent complete credence to his twisted goal; Morgan as the Ghost sounded so scary that you could believe him capable of any insane crime.

Above: The bespectacled Ralph Morgan attempts to open a door while Ralph Byrd (right) watches in DICK TRACY VS. CRIME INC. (Republic, 1941).

Great as he was as the Ghost, most serial fans believe Morgan's ultimate serial triumph came the next year, in Universal's crime thriller GANGBUSTERS. As Dr. Mortis, a mad scientist who sought revenge on an entire city through his sinister "League of Murdered Men", Morgan made an indelible impression of menace on those who saw the serial, including cliffhanger scholar William C. Cline. Of Morgan's Mortis, Cline wrote, "Throughout the film, there was a consistent feeling of disconcertion about his Mortis characterization. His dignified, venerable appearance was continuously belied by his viciously threatening manner and hoarsely uttered invective. It was much like seeing a favorite uncle about to tear the wings off a bird." One nasty customer, Mortis controlled the League (who consisted of criminals he had "restored to life" by a mysterious process) by threatening to cut off their supply of a drug that was necessary for their continued existence. He spread terror and destruction with his acts of violence and sabotage until tracked to his lair by police detective Bill Bannister (Kent Taylor). Attempting to escape, the demonic mastermind met a gruesome but well-deserved death when run over by a subway train in the final chapter. Everyone (and there are several) who name GANGBUSTERS among their favorite serials always list Morgan's peerless villain performance as their favorite thing about the cliffhanger.

Above: In this scene from the last chapter of GANGBUSTERS (Universal, 1942), Dr. Mortis (Ralph Morgan), hotly pursued by the law, attempts to escape through his secret entrance in a subway tunnel, unaware that his doom, in the shape of a subway train, is bearing down on him.

Morgan had given the cliffhanger genre two of its greatest villains, and, possibly because the Ghost and Mortis were impossible to top, he never again played a serial heavy. Instead, his other two serial roles were as good guy inventors in THE GREAT ALASKAN MYSTERY (Universal, 1944) and THE MONSTER AND THE APE (Columbia, 1945). In the first, he was Dr. Miller, the inventor of a weapon known as the Peratron, sought by Nazi spies in the Arctic wilderness, and in the second, as Prof. Arnold, he created a mechanical man and became the target of archvillain George MacReady. Both roles were relatively unchallenging for someone of Ralph's talent, but he played both of them with verve and conviction.

Above: Hero Milburn Stone, inventor Ralph Morgan, and his daughter Marjorie Weaver prepare to operate the Peratron in THE GREAT ALASKAN MYSTERY (Universal, 1944).

Above: Ralph Morgan demonstrates his robot for a flabbergasted Willie Best in THE MONSTER AND THE APE (Columbia, 1945).

Morgan continued to act until the early fifties, retiring in 1952. He passed away in 1956, lamented by his fans, friends, and fellow actors. Somewhat earlier, in 1940, when Ralph concluded his second term as Screen Actor's Guild President, the SAG had presented him with a scroll of appreciation for his sterling work for them (he had even combated an attempted takeover of the SAG in the thirties, a takeover that was engineered by the Chicago mob). The scroll read "Devotion to the Cause of Actors, Courage to Fight for the Right, Sacrifice of Self for Others, Have Made the Name of Ralph Morgan a Symbol of Loyalty."

And, the serial fan might add, consistently magnificent performances in his cliffhangers have made the name of Ralph Morgan a hallowed one to the serial fraternity.