Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer, and television and radio host. He appeared in the film versions of two

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...

musicals, ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

'' (1955) and ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

'' (1956), and played the leading man opposite

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

in '' On Moonlight Bay'' (1951) and its sequel, '' By The Light of the Silvery Moon'' (1953).

Early life

Gordon MacRae was born in

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...

, to parents William LaMont MacRae, a toolmaker and radio singer, and Helen Violet Sonn, a concert pianist. His father was descended from Clan MacRae. MacRae attended Nottingham High School in Syracuse, New York, where he was active in the Drama Club. He later attended and graduated in 1940 from

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy (often called Deerfield or DA) is an Independent school, independent College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding and day school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schoo ...

in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and thereafter served as a navigator in IX Troop Carrier Command in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Career

Singer

MacRae was a baritone. Winning a contest enabled him to sing at the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

with the

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...

and Les Brown orchestras.

Broadway

He made his Broadway debut in 1942, acquiring his first recording contract soon afterwards. Many of his recordings were made with

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical tr ...

Radio

On the radio in 1945, his talents were showcased on the ''Gordon MacRae Show'' on the CBS network in collaboration with the conductor

Archie Bleyer Archibald Martin Bleyer (June 12, 1909 – March 20, 1989) was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive. Early life Bleyer was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. His father was a well-k ...

. In 1946, his fifteen minute variety show ''Skyline Roof'' also featured emerging musical talent, including the accordionist John Serry Sr. MacRae was also the host and lead actor on '' The Railroad Hour'', a half-hour

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

made up of condensed versions of hit Broadway musicals. The programs were later released as popular studio cast albums, most of which have been reissued on CD. In 1946, he was in the revue '' Three to Make Ready'', which ran for 326 performances.

Film

MacRae signed a contract with Warner Bros. in 1947. In 1948, he appeared in his first film, '' The Big Punch'', a drama about boxing. He followed this with a film noir with Virginia Mayo, '' Backfire'' (made in 1948, released 1950). MacRae's first on-screen musical was '' Look for the Silver Lining'' (1949), a biopic of Marilyn Miller (

June Haver June Haver (born Beverly June Stovenour; June 10, 1926 – July 4, 2005) was an American film actress, singer and dancer. Once groomed by 20th Century Fox to be "the next Betty Grable," Haver appeared in a string of Musical film, musicals, but sh ...

), where MacRae played Frank Carter. David Butler directed. MacRae was reunited with Haver and Butler in '' The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady'' (1950). Warners put him in a Western, '' Return of the Frontiersman'' (1950). Then he starred with Doris Day in '' Tea for Two'' (1950), a reworking of '' No, No, Nanette'', also for Butler. Public response was enthusiastic. MacRae and Day were teamed again in '' The West Point Story'' (1950) starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

and Mayo, '' On Moonlight Bay'' (1951), and the all-star

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

tribute, '' Starlift'' (1951). MacRae was in a military school musical, '' About Face'' (1952) with Eddie Bracken, then he and Day did a sequel to ''On Moonlight Bay'', '' By the Light of the Silvery Moon'' (1953). That same year, he starred opposite

Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. From the age of 12, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ...

in the third film version of '' The Desert Song'' and teamed with Jane Powell in '' Three Sailors and a Girl'' (1953). MacRae's best known film role was Curly in the big screen adaptation of ''

'' (1955) alongside

Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as ''Oklahoma! (film), Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel (fi ...

. He and Jones were used on another

adaptation, ''

'' (1956), at 20th Century Fox (now

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

). MacRae played Buddy De Sylva in '' The Best Things in Life Are Free'' (1956) for 20th Century-Fox.

Television

MacRae was host and singer on '' The Gordon MacRae Show'' on NBC in 1956. He appeared frequently on television, on such variety programs as '' The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford''. He also appeared on drama shows such as ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...

''. During Christmas 1958, MacRae and Ford performed the Christmas hymn "

O Holy Night "O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a sacred song about the night of the birth of Jesus Christ, described in the first verse as "the dear Saviour", and frequently performed as a Christmas carol. Based on the French-language poem ''Minuit, ch ...

". Earlier in 1958, MacRae guest-starred on the short-lived NBC variety series ''The Polly Bergen Show''. He starred in the TV musical ''

The Gift of the Magi "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by American writer O. Henry, first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little mone ...

'' (1958). Thereafter, MacRae appeared on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'', '' The Dinah Shore Chevy Show'', ''

The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'', and '' The Bell Telephone Hour''.

Later career

MacRae guest starred on '' McCloud''. He had supporting roles in the films '' Zero to Sixty'' (1978) and '' The Pilot'' (1980).

Personal life

MacRae was married to Sheila MacRae from 1941 until 1967. They met on the set of a play and it was "love at first sight." The couple were the parents of four children, including actresses Heather and Meredith MacRae. Sheila later married television producer Ronald Wayne. MacRae's second marriage was to Elizabeth Lambert Schrafft on September 25, 1967, and together they had one daughter. They remained married until his death. He battled alcohol problems for many years, but overcame them by the late 1970s. MacRae had cancer of the mouth and jaw. He died in 1986 of pneumonia, at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, aged 64. He was buried at the Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Filmography

Stage work

* '' Junior Miss'' (1942, Broadway, replacement for Walter Collins) * '' Three to Make Ready'' (1946, Broadway) * ''

'' (1955, Music Hall at Fair Park) * '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (1960, Starlight Theatre) * '' Bells Are Ringing'' (1961, Columbus, Ohio) * ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'' (1963, summer stock tour) * ''Bells Are Ringing'' (1964, summer stock tour) * ''Jerome Kern's Theatre'' (1966,

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, designed by Max Abramovitz, was o ...

) * '' Kismet'' (1966, Columbus, Ohio) * ''

'' (1967, summer stock tour) * '' I Do! I Do!'' (1967, Broadway, replacement for Robert Preston) * '' Golden Rainbow'' (1969, summer stock tour) * '' Milk and Honey'' (1972, Columbus, Ohio) * '' Paint Your Wagon'' (1978, Columbus, Ohio)

Radio

MacRae replaced

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

on a radio program in 1943, but he soon had to leave for military service. In 1946, he was the "singing emcee" of ''The Teentimers Club'', a Saturday morning program. From 1945 to 1948 he also hosted and performed on ''The Gordon MacRae Show'' for the CBS radio network. He also appeared in programs as shown in the table below.

Discography

Solo albums

* '' Gordon MacRae Sings'' (1950) * '' Gordon MacRae Sings with Walter Gross’ Orchestra'' (1952) * '' Gordon MacRae Sings Operetta Favorites'' (1955) * '' Romantic Ballads'' (1955) * '' The Best Things in Life Are Free'' (1956) * '' Cowboy’s Lament'' (1957) * '' Motion Picture Soundstage'' (1957) * '' This Is Gordon MacRae'' (1958) * '' Gordon MacRae in Concert ''(1958) * '' The Seasons of Love'' (1959) * '' Songs for an Evening at Home'' (1959) * '' Our Love Story'' (1960) * '' Hallowed Be Thy Name'' (1961) * '' If She Walked Into My Life'' (1966) * '' Only Love'' (1969)

Albums with Jo Stafford

* '' Kiss Me Kate'' (1949) * ''Sunday Evening Songs'' (1950) * '' Memory Songs'' (1956) * '' Whispering Hope'' (1962) * '' There's Peace in the Valley'' (1963)

Singles

References

External links

* * * *
Gordon MacRae Discography on Discog.com

Appearance On What's My Line 9/30/62

Gordon MacRae on NBCs "The Railroad Hour"

Gordon MacRae Discography on CastAlbums.og

Gordon MacRae on MusicBrainz.org

Biography
from Starpulse

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macrae, Gordon 1921 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American people of Scottish descent American radio singers Deaths from cancer in Nebraska Capitol Records artists Deaths from oral cancer in the United States Nottingham High School (New York) alumni Deerfield Academy alumni Musicians from East Orange, New Jersey United States Army Air Forces officers Apollo Records artists 20th-century American singers Warner Bros. contract players Male actors from Lincoln, Nebraska Musicians from Lincoln, Nebraska Male actors from East Orange, New Jersey 20th-century American male singers Traditional pop music singers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Military personnel from Essex County, New Jersey

Early life

Career

Singer

Broadway

Radio

Film

Television

Later career

Personal life

Filmography

Stage work

Radio

Discography

Solo albums

Albums with Jo Stafford

Singles

References

Further reading

External links