"I've Handled Jaywalkers Who Were Tougher Than You"

Harry Morgan, an invaluable character actor who said the above line while portraying Officer Bill Gannon in Dragnet 1967 (the third version of Jack Webb's police drama), passed away today at 96. Gannon and his partner, Sgt. Joe Friday, were interrogating a suspect who began by giving them some attitude, probably thinking that the medium-sized Friday and even slighter Gannon were easily intimidated. He was, of course, incorrect.

Morgan was also well-known as Col. Sherman T. Potter, the commanding officer of the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H*) chronicled in the long-running TV show M*A*S*H*. As Col. Potter, Morgan had a number of memorable lines, most of which summed up his blunt, no-nonsense and unvarnished persona. I'll leave you with this one, spoken when the 4077th receives some welcome fresh fruit after a long time of only processed meals: "I haven't had fresh fruit in so long, my colon will think it's a stick-up."