AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Cullum

Artist:John Cullum

Song:On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

Album:The Only Other Broadway CD You'll Ever Need

Actor John Cullum is best known for playing tavern owner Holling Vincoeur on the 90s TV series Northern Exposure. He was nominated for an Emmy. But he started out on Broadway and was Tony nominated for playing Dr. Mark Bruckner in the 1966 musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. And he sang the title song. He was not a singer but he appeared in a few musicals. He was born Mar. 2, 1930 in Knoxville, TN. He attended Knoxville High School and the University of Tennessee. He majored in speech and played on the tennis team. And he also appeared in over 30 theater productions in school. He married in 1959 and his son JD Cullum is an actor mostly on TV. He made his Broadway debut in the 1960 musical Camelot as King Arthur's son Mordred after Roddy McDowell left the show. Of course Richard Burton played King Arthur and Cullum also appeared in Burton's 1964 Broadway production of Hamlet and the film version. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is based on  the 1926 play Berkeley Square. The songs were written by Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane. Lerner wrote several shows with Frederick Loewe including Camelot. But Loewe retired in 1960. Lane wrote Finian's Rainbow. French actor Louis Jourdan was supposed to star in the show. He was having trouble with the role during Boston previews and Cullum replaced him. It was quite a risk as a complete unknown was replacing an established star. But the show was a hit and Cullum was nominated for a Tony. The original cast album is available as a digital download. But if you only want Cullum's performance, it's on this various artists CD. Cullum's other successful Broadway shows include 1776, Shenandoah and On the Twentieth Century. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever was turned into a 1970 film starring Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand. Of course on TV Cullum is best known for the 90s series Northern Exposure. Other significant TV appearances include as Dr. Mark Greene's father in ER and as a judge in several episodes of Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit. Notable films include the 1966 film Hawaii and the 1972 film of the Broadway musical 1776. He's been more active on TV. Cullum was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2007. Cullum has recently had health problems. But he is not retired. He appeared on TV in 2021. Here's John Cullum performing On a Clear Day You Can See Forever on the 1982 TV special Broadway Plays Washington on Kennedy Center Tonight.