Oh, Crap! He's Gone!
Harry Goz Passes Away at Age 71

	1932-2003
	Harry Goz made many laugh with the voice of Captain Murphy.

might not ever again hear the phrase “Oh, crap!” uttered in a tone that can only be described as mellifluous. That is, if my apartment didn’t largely consist of a monstrous hoard of VHS tapes containing precious hours of 12-minute “Sealab 2021” episodes recorded from Cartoon Network.

Many of us here at RED magazine feel a personal loss in the death of actor Harry Goz, beloved voice of Captain Murphy, ultimate figure of undeserved authority from the obstinately bizarre cartoon. Goz died of unknown causes on Sept. 5. Information is not yet available on the continued production of “Sealab 2021.”

No one ever exclaimed such phrases as “Shut, up, mailbox head!” and “It’s like a koala bear crapped a rainbow in my brain!” quite like Harry Goz. Whether innate or gleaned from his 50 years in showbiz, the talent with which he created the indomitable voice of Capt. Murphy undeniably fueled the huge success of “Sealab,” a cornerstone of Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” lineup, which has become a yardstick for measuring 20-something geek chic.

Goz’s melodic voice was not limited to cultish late-night manifestations of post-modern sensibility.

He also starred as Tevye in Broadway’s longest-running production of “Fiddler on the Roof” as well as countless productions at the St. Louis Municipal Opera. His TV work includes roles in the series “Wiseguy” and “Ned and Stacey” and guest appearances on “Third Watch,” “Law and Order,” “Kojak” and “Tales from the Darkside.” You undoubtedly remember him best as the dancing apple in the visually stunning Fruit of the Loom commercials from the days before NBA superstars sold us our underwear.

Why Goz ultimately ran with a pack of warped, self-indulgent pranksters addicted to distorting the purity of their childhood cartoon heroes such as Harvey Birdman (whom, through the magic of copyright transferal, they gave a law practice) and Space Ghost (whom they made the host of a late-night talk show) is beyond me.

Maybe he sympathized with the acute pains of choosing a career path when all you want to prioritize and synergize are the melodramatic posturing of lame heroes whose superpowers make as little sense as your own life. Or maybe he just blew all his savings earned from more illustrious moments in his career. In any case, “Adult Swim” will never be the same.

You can hear for yourself the voice of Harry Goz as Capt. Murphy on the Sealab Transcripts Project Web site at rtf.kracked.com/sealab_murphyboard.html.

rachael@red-mag.com