Showing posts with label musical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musical. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Horton Hears a Tune

 

Robert Horton (Mead Howard Horton Jr. 1924-2016) was an American actor best known as Flint McCullough in Wagon Train (1957–1962). During his six decades of television, Horton also became known for his voice, leading him into a career in musical theater. After graduating cum laude from UCLA in the mid-Forties, he relocated from California to New York City but the struggling actor returned to California, eventually signing a contract with MGM. It was there he met fellow actors Robert Fuller and James Drury, both of whom became Horton's lifelong friends. 

The ruggedly handsome Horton, who was often not assigned a shirt, made dozens of appearances on television beginning in its infancy, most notably in several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. About a decade later he had an offbeat role as an amnesiac in the 1965-1966 television western, A Man Called Shenandoah. As a talented singer, in the 1960s Horton recorded on the Columbia Records label and performed in theaters and nightclubs all over America and Australia. He was hired as the male lead in a successful run of the musical version of N. Richard Nash's play, 110 in the Shade (aka The Rainmaker) on Broadway. Before retiring in 1989, he took a brief turn in the daytime soap, As the World Turns.

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Not All Smiles

 

On this date in 1930, the 2-act Broadway musical "Smiles" premiered in New York City and closed sixty-three performances later. Among the extensive cast on opening night were Fred Astaire and sister Adele as Bob and Dot Hastings, respectively. Swallowed up in the ensemble cast was Bob Hope. Produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. with music by Vincent Youmans, Ring Lardner provided some additional lyrics for the music numbers.

Monday, March 8, 2021

A Royal Wedding and Then Some

 

On this date in 1951, Royal Wedding premiered. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical comedy is set in 1947 London and starred Fred Astaire and Jane Powell with direction by Stanley Donen. Astaire and Powell play siblings, echoing the real-life theatrical relationship of Fred and Adele Astaire, who are persuaded to take their Broadway success to London to coincide with the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten. The highly influential event leads to two additional marriages with fellow cast members, Sarah Churchill, and Peter Lawford, respectively. 

The film features Astaire's innovative set design idea from the 1920s which has him "dancing" on the walls and ceiling singing, "You're All the World to Me." Other signature dance routines by Astaire, along with a competent performance by Powell helped make the film one of the top box office hits of the year with an MGM profit of $584,000.