jmorgan.jpgJohn David Morgan, a popular comedian who starred on the CBC TV show “Royal Canadian Air Farce,” died on Nov. 15 of a heart attack. He was 74.
Born in Aberdare, Wales, Morgan worked as a teacher for a short time before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. He moved to Canada in 1957, freelanced for several Ontario newspapers then landed a job as a general assignment reporter for The Windsor Star. In the 1960s, Morgan relocated to Montreal where he edited a publication called The Montrealer.
A desire to entertain as well as inform led Morgan and his friend Martin Bronstein to write scripts for the CBC TV comedy “Funny You Should Say That!” The pair founded the improvisational theatre revue, The Jest Society, and performed plays in Toronto and Ottawa. Other original members were Patrick Conlon, Gay Claitman and Roger Abbott.
After adding Dave Broadfoot to the group in 1973, they became The Royal Canadian Air Farce and launched a live radio program on CBC Radio. The show remained on the air for 24 years. “Air Farce” made its debut on CBC Television in 1980. The program ran for three seasons, but a change in management at the network forced it off the air. In 1993, “Air Farce” returned to television and became one of the CBC’s highest rated shows.
A witty and prolific comic, Morgan penned half of the show’s scripts (nearly 4,000 sketches) and played many memorable characters, including the opinionated Scotsman Jock McBile, the lascivious socialite Amy De La Pomp and the simpleminded Mike from Canmore. In 2000, he was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award. The “Air Farce” cast was also inducted into the International Humour Hall of Fame.
Morgan retired from show business in 2001. He spent his final years reading, piloting his own plane and traveling.
• Access Audio and Video Clips of Morgan