# Harry Goz, Captain Murphy of Sealab 2021, 1932-2003

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 15, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814 "2003-09-15T21:49:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/1 "2003-09-15T21:49:44Z")

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[Harry Goz](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0333100/), veteran character actor and voice talent, died last week of natural causes (no details available) at age 71. He was the voice of Captain Murphy on Sealab 2021, the uber-surreal Adult Swim Comedy cartoon, and the highlight of my TV week.

Last night’s Sealab episode was “All That Jazz”, in which Captain Murphy is trapped alone underneath a vending machine for almost the entire show. There is no word yet from the producers on whether the show will continue without him.

Captain Murphy:  
(disrobing)  
“Do you want the moustache on or off?”

Debbie:  
(in bed)  
“mmmm…off”

Murphy:  
“Too bad.”

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/2 "2003-09-15T22:01:13Z")

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Noooooooooooooo!!!

I think I accidentally taped over the extended-extended-“Uh Oh” remix episode. Hope they play it again soon. Great show but sad news. ☹

“It’s like a koala bear crapped a rainbow in my brain!”

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**Author:** ![Siegfried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Siegfried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siegfried)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/3 "2003-09-15T22:02:20Z")

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Oh, how sad. I love _Sealab 2021_; I’ve even gotten my roommate to watch a few of them (although he doesn’t see what I love about it). It’s my favorite of the short comedic Adult Swim shows. I really hope production continues, but I don’t know if they’ll be able to find someone who does a good a job as Captain Murphy. ☹

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**Author:** ![Undead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b3f665/32.png) [@Undead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undead)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/4 "2003-09-15T22:09:10Z")

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Sad news.

“Alright, sea monkeys, you’re on the prowl with Howlin’ Mad Murphy! So, get your fignuts on!”

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**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/5 "2003-09-15T22:12:10Z")

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Was the Goz in the live action scenes at the end of the episode?

Sigh, I loved Captain Muphy. Best character in AS comedy.

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/6 "2003-09-15T22:28:20Z")

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Crap. First Johnny Cash, now this. Somebody’s gotta do something about this dying business and soon.

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**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/7 "2003-09-16T00:22:44Z")

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“What would Michael Caine do in a situation like this?”

“With big chainsaw hands. Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

“Equilibrium?”  
“It means horse.”

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**Author:** ![Tallayan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Tallayan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tallayan)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/8 "2003-09-16T01:41:58Z")

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☹ why does it seem alot of entertainers are dieing at once. Its weird, I never knew his name up till now, and i’ve never seen his face, but he still was one of my favorite actors, even if I just heard his voice.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/9 "2003-09-16T01:46:42Z")

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I actually remember him from Broadway, when he played Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.”

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**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/10 "2003-09-16T01:50:53Z")

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Damn. The core of the Adult Swim shows are not only the voices, but the people improvising. This is a big loss: that was a classic show.

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**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/11 "2003-09-16T02:24:51Z")

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I was really impressed with the Adult Swim tribute. They really showed their love for the guy.

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**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/12 "2003-09-16T03:31:12Z")

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This has been a bad week for the entertainment industry. Why do we keep losing the talented ones?

So long, Captain. We’ll keep the flashlights destroyed and the mailbox-heads in line.

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**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/13 "2003-09-16T05:43:39Z")

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What was the tribute?

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**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/14 "2003-09-16T07:18:04Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \*  
> \*\*Crap. First Johnny Cash, now this. Somebody’s gotta do something about this dying business and soon. \*\*

I have been trying to kill death for awhile now, but he is a quick little bastard. But one of these eons, I am going to rip him a new one.

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**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/15 "2003-09-16T08:02:05Z")

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_hangs head_  
He will be missed, I hope if they do carry on the with the show that the change is obvious, but still well done.

“Nice try, doppelganger!”

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/16 "2003-09-16T11:41:15Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> I actually remember him from Broadway, when he played Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Ditto here – I saw him in Fiddler – it was the second Broadway show I ever saw. Even though I later saw Zero Mostel and Topol in the role, Harry Goz shaped my image of Tevye.

I had no idea he was even doing cartoon voices. Hadn’t heard anything about himj in forty years.

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**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/17 "2003-09-16T15:31:37Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Was the Goz in the live action scenes at the end of the episode?

No, that was George Lowe, the voice of Space Ghost on Coast to Coast and Dad on the Brak Show. According to [TV Tome](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-75307), he is also the voice of Atlanta’s MARTA train. I would say that he is the logical choice to take over the role of Captain Murphy if they decide to keep Sealab going.

I was unsuccessful in my search for an image of Goz, but I did find a statement from one of Sealab’s editors indicating the Goz had cancer. Incidentally, Goz was the same age as Johnny Cash.

The Adult Swim tribute was in the form of the black title cards they’ve been using as between-show bumpers. The cards announced his death and said “To us, he was a show business legend.” There was no music. After the episode (which is a voice acting tour de force, BTW), they ran “Harry Goz, 1932-2003” for a long, silent minute.

“That’s it, Ben! Sting and move! Sting and move!”

“I want to be an Adrienne BarbotBot!”

“Pod 6 is jerks!”

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**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/18 "2003-09-16T20:18:59Z")

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“Doctors and other wizards are not welcome on the red planet.”

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**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/19 "2003-09-16T20:23:14Z")

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I hear the Martian Knights are inconsolable.

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**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-goz-captain-murphy-of-sealab-2021-1932-2003/201814/20 "2003-09-16T22:26:23Z")

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Its weird how losing someone who did voicework can get me like this. I never knew his name, saw his face, or saw him act.

All I can say now is;

" Pudding can’t fill the emptiness inside me! But it’ll help."

and

We’ll get you Pod 6, and you too Eggers!
