Larry Keating


Lawrence Keating was an American actor best known for his roles as Harry Morton on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, which he played from 1953 to 1958, and next-door neighbor Roger Addison on Mister Ed, 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 in the 1940s, an announcer for ABC radio's This Is Your FBI from 1945 to 1953, and a regular on the short-lived series The Hank McCune Show. Keating was the longest of several actors to play neighbor Harry Morton on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. Keating took over the role of Harry Morton from Fred Clark in 1953 and continued in this role on the short-lived sequel, The George Burns Show.
During his first episode on The Burns and Allen Show, George Burns stops the action just before Harry's entrance and explains that Clark has 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 were going to be so nice to each other, no one would believe they were married.
Keating played Roger Addison, the next door neighbor on the television series Mister Ed from 1961 until his death in 1963.
Keating's film credits include The Mating Season, When Worlds Collide, Monkey Business, and Inferno.

Death

Keating was diagnosed with leukemia in February 1963 while Season 3 of Mister Ed was in production. Despite his illness, Keating returned to the series when filming began for the fourth season that summer. He filmed four episodes for Season 4 and worked up to the week before his death on August 26, 1963. His final film, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, was released posthumously in March 1964. He is entombed in Portland, Oregon's Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Complete filmography

  • Song of the Sarong as Larry Keating aka Potter
  • Whirlpool as Mr. Simms
  • Dancing in the Dark as Board Member
  • When Willie Comes Marching Home as Gen. G. "Larry" Reeding
  • Mother Didn't Tell Me as Doctor Tracy
  • Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town as Police Lt. Klein
  • I Was a Shoplifter as Harry Dunson
  • Stella as Gil Wright
  • Three Secrets as Mark Harrison
  • My Blue Heaven as Doctor
  • Mister 880 as James F. Lee - Skipper's Attorney
  • Right Cross as Second Reporter
  • The Mating Season as Mr. Kalinger, Sr.
  • Follow the Sun as Sportswriter Jay Dexter
  • Bright Victory as Jess Coe
  • Francis Goes to the Races as Head Steward
  • When Worlds Collide as Dr. Cole Hendron
  • Bannerline as Stambaugh
  • Come Fill the Cup as Julian Cuscaden
  • Too Young to Kiss as Danny Cutler
  • The Light Touch as Mr. R.F. Hawkley
  • About Face as Col. Long
  • Glory Alley as Philip Louis Bennson
  • Carson City as William Sharon
  • Monkey Business as G.J. Culverly
  • Something for the Birds as Roy Patterson
  • Above and Beyond as Maj. Gen. Vernon C. Brent
  • She's Back on Broadway as Mitchell Parks
  • Inferno as Dave Emory
  • A Lion Is in the Streets as Robert L. Castleberry IV
  • Give a Girl a Break as Felix Jordan
  • Gypsy Colt as Wade Y. Gerald
  • Daddy Long Legs as Ambassador Alexander Williamson
  • The Eddy Duchin Story as Leo Reisman
  • The Best Things in Life Are Free as Winfield Sheehan
  • The Wayward Bus as Elliott Pritchard
  • The Buster Keaton Story as Larry Winters
  • Stopover Tokyo as High Commissioner
  • Who Was That Lady? as Parker
  • Mister Ed as Rodger Addison
  • Boys' Night Out as Mr. Bingham
  • The Incredible Mr. Limpet as Admiral P.P. Spewter