Artist:Gordon MacRaeSong:Oh What A Beautiful Mornin'
Album:Oklahoma!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Though Gordon MacRae had a lengthy acting and recording career, he is probably best known for his performance in two very popular film musicals; Oklahoma! and Carousel. He was born Mar. 12, 1921 in East Orange, NJ and went to high school in Syracuse, NY. After serving in the Air Force in WWII, he made his Broadway debut in 1946 and then signed a recording contract with Capitol Records. He recorded several hit duets with Jo Stafford. Then he signed a film contract with Warner Bros. and became known for several film musicals with Doris Day. Meanwhile, there were continuing attempts to produce a film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein hit Broadway musical Oklahoma!. The film was produced by Michael Todd, a guy who liked to make very big films. Oklahoma! was the first film to be filmed in the widescreen process TODD-AO. Fred Zinnemann directed his first musical and most of the outdoor scenes were filmed in Arizona. James Dean and Paul Newman were among those who auditioned for the male lead Curly but Gordon MacRae won the role. Joanne Woodward was offered the role of Laurey but Shirley Jones made her film debut in the role. She was in the Broadway production. Others in the cast included Gloria Grahame and Rod Steiger. The film was a huge success and won two Oscars for the music scoring by Adolph Deutsch and the sound. MacRae opened the film with Oh What A Beautiful Morning. The film holds up well today. EMI Angel released the soundtrack on CD in 2001 and you can get the film on DVD. MacRae also starred in the film musical Carousel. In the 60s, he concentrated more on TV and had his own variety show. He was married to Sheila MacRae and the had two actress daughters. MacRae struggled with alcoholism for years and suffered a stroke in 1982. He died Jan. 24, 1986 at age 64. He probably could have been a bigger star in films but seemed to enjoy singing more than acting. He was perfect in Oklahoma! Here's Gordon MacRae performing Oh What A Beautiful Mornin' in the 1955 film Oklahoma! along with a couple of other songs.
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