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 its sequel, By The Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).
Early life Albert Gordon MacRae was born on March 12, 1921, in East Orange, New Jersey. His father, William LaMont MacRae, was a toolmaker and radio singer. His mother, Helen Violet Sonn, was 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 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 with the Harry James 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.
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. In 1946, his fifteen-minute variety show Skyline Roof also featured emerging musical talent, including the accordionist John Serry Sr.Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection Series 4 Recordings: Item 8 audio disc "John Serry guest on the Gordon Macrea Show as "outstanding accordionist of the year" p. 18 in The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester Eastman School of MusicRadio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalogue of Over 1800 Shows. Terrace, Vincent. McFarland 1999 p. 306 Gordon MacRae Skyline Roof on Google Books ISBN 9780786403516Eastman School of Music: Sibley Music Library: Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections Dept.- "The John Serry Sr. Collection" - Items donated to the library include an audio recording of John Serry who is named in the recording of the August 22, 1946 show as the featured accordionist by Gordon MacRae on his live broadcast and performs with Archie Bleyer's Orchestra on the show, www.esm.rochester.edu 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. 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), 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 and Mayo, On Moonlight Bay (1951), and the all-star Korean War 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 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 Oklahoma! (1955) alongside Shirley Jones. He and Jones were used on another Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptation, Carousel (1956), at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios). 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.
During Christmas 1958, MacRae and Ford performed the Christmas hymn "O Holy Night". Earlier in 1958, MacRae guest-starred on the short-lived NBC variety series The Polly Bergen Show.
He starred in the television 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 MacRae guest starred on McCloud. He had supporting roles in the films Zero to Sixty (1978) and The Pilot (1980).
Personal life and death MacRae was married to Sheila MacRae from 1941 until 1967.Milestones: August 4, 1967 from Time magazine 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 was an alcoholic for many years, but he overcame the addiction by the late 1970s.
MacRae had cancer of the mouth and jaw. He died in 1986 of pneumonia, at a hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, aged 64. He was buried at the Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Filmography
+Feature filmsYearTitleRoleNotes 1948 The Big Punch Johnny Grant 1949 Look for the Silver Lining Frank Carter 1950 Backfire Bob Corey 1950 Tony Pastor 1950 Return of the Frontiersman Logan Barrett 1950 Tea for Two Jimmy Smith 1950 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 El Khobar / Paul Bonnard 1953 Three Sailors and a Girl "Choirboy" Jones 1955 Oklahoma! Curly McLain 1956 Carousel Billy Bigelow 1956 Buddy DeSylva 1978 Zero to Sixty Officer Joe 1980 Joe Barnes(final film role) +Short subjectsYearTitleRoleNotes 1951 The Screen Director Himself 1952 Screen Snapshots: Fun in the Sun Himself 1953 So You Want a Television Set Himself
Stage work Junior Miss (1942, Broadway, replacement for Walter Collins) Three to Make Ready (1946, Broadway) Carousel (1955, Music Hall at Fair Park) Annie Get Your Gun (1960, Starlight Theatre) Bells Are Ringing (1961, Columbus, Ohio) Guys and Dolls (1963, summer stock tour) Bells Are Ringing (1964, summer stock tour) Jerome Kern's Theatre (1966, Avery Fisher Hall) Kismet (1966, Columbus, Ohio) Oklahoma! (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 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.
Program Episode Date Notes Stars in the Air Christmas in Connecticut March 20, 1952 Lux Radio Theatre On Moonlight BayMay 5, 1952
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