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Gordon MacRae

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For the hockey player, see Gord McRae.

Gordon MacRae
MacRae in 1953
Born
Albert Gordon MacRae

(1921-03-12)March 12, 1921
East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJanuary 24, 1986(1986-01-24) (aged 64)
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.[1]
Resting placeWyuka Cemetery, Lincoln, Nebraska
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
  • TV and radio show host
Years active1939–1980
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1941; div. 1967)​
Elizabeth Lambert Schrafft
​
​
(m. 1967)​
Children5, including Heather and Meredith

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 musicals, Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956), and played the leading man opposite Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay (1951) and sequel By The Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).[2]

Early life

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Gordon MacRae was born in East Orange, New Jersey,[2] to parents William LaMont MacRae, a toolmaker and radio singer, and Helen Violet Sonn, a concert pianist.[3] His father was descended from Clan MacRae. MacRae attended Nottingham High School in Syracuse, New York, where he was active in the Drama Club.[4] He later attended and graduated in 1940 from Deerfield Academy 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

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Singer

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MacRae was a baritone. Winning a contest enabled him to sing at the 1939 New York World's Fair with the Harry James and Les Brown orchestras.[5]

Broadway

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He made his Broadway debut in 1942, acquiring his first recording contract soon afterwards. Many of his recordings were made with Jo Stafford.[2]

Radio

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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.[6] In 1946, his fifteen minute variety show Skyline Roof also featured emerging musical talent, including the accordionist John Serry Sr.[7][8][9] MacRae was also the host and lead actor on The Railroad Hour, a half-hour anthology series made up of condensed versions of hit Broadway musicals.[10] The programs were later released as popular studio cast albums, most of which have been reissued on CD.[11]

In 1946, he was in the revue Three to Make Ready,[2] which ran for 326 performances.

Film

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MacRae signed a contract with Warner Bros. in 1947. In 1948, he appeared in his first film, The Big Punch, a drama about boxing.[2] 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),[2] a biopic of Marilyn Miller (June Haver), where MacRae played Frank Carter. David Butler directed. MacRae was reunited with Haver and Butler in The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (1950).[2] 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 and Mayo, On Moonlight Bay (1951), and the all-star Korean War tribute, Starlift (1951).[2]

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).[2] That same year, he starred opposite Kathryn Grayson in the third film version of The Desert Song and teamed with Jane Powell in Three Sailors and a Girl (1953).[2] MacRae's best known film role was Curly in the big screen adaptation of Oklahoma! (1955) alongside Shirley Jones.[2] He and Jones were used on another Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptation, Carousel (1956), at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios).[2] MacRae played Buddy De Sylva in The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956) for 20th Century-Fox.[2]

Television

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MacRae was host and singer on The Gordon MacRae Show on NBC in 1956.[12] 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.

During Christmas 1958, MacRae and Ford performed the Christmas hymn "O Holy Night".[13] 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 (1958). Thereafter, MacRae appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, and The Bell Telephone Hour.

Later career

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MacRae guest starred on McCloud. He had supporting roles in the films Zero to Sixty (1978) and The Pilot (1980).[2]

Personal life

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MacRae was married to Sheila MacRae from 1941 until 1967.[14] They met on the set of a play and it was "love at first sight."[15] The couple were the parents of four children, including actresses Heather and Meredith MacRae. Sheila later married television producer Ronald Wayne.[15]

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.[2]

MacRae had cancer of the mouth and jaw.[2] He died in 1986 of pneumonia, at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, aged 64.[16] He was buried at the Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Filmography

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MacRae with Doris Day in Tea for Two (1950)
MacRae with Day in Starlift (1951)
Feature films
Year Title Role Notes
1948 The Big Punch Johnny Grant
1949 Look for the Silver Lining Frank Carter
1950 Backfire Bob Corey
1950 The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady Tony Pastor
1950 Return of the Frontiersman Logan Barrett
1950 Tea for Two Jimmy Smith
1950 The West Point Story Tom Fletcher
1951 On Moonlight Bay William Sherman
1951 Starlift Himself
1952 About Face Tony Williams
1953 By the Light of the Silvery Moon William Sherman
1953 The Desert Song El Khobar / Paul Bonnard
1953 Three Sailors and a Girl "Choirboy" Jones
1955 Oklahoma! Curly McLain
1956 Carousel Billy Bigelow
1956 The Best Things in Life Are Free Buddy DeSylva
1978 Zero to Sixty Officer Joe
1980 The Pilot Joe Barnes (final film role)
Short subjects
Year Title Role Notes
1951 The Screen Director Himself
1952 Screen Snapshots: Fun in the Sun Himself
1953 So You Want a Television Set Himself

Stage work

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Radio

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Marion Hutton, Mel Tormé and MacRae on The Teentimers Club radio show (1947)

MacRae replaced Frank Sinatra 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.[5] From 1945 to 1948 he also hosted and performed on The Gordon MacRae Show for the CBS radio network.[6]


He also appeared in programs as shown in the table below.

Program Episode Date Notes
Stars in the Air Christmas in Connecticut March 20, 1952 [17]
Lux Radio Theatre On Moonlight Bay May 5, 1952 [18]

Discography

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