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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZKEEL, Howard(b Harold Clifford Leek, 13 April '19, Gillespie IL; d 7 November 2004) Singer, actor. He had a terrible childhood, he said, and was saved when he discovered music; a very well-liked man in Hollywood, he had a wonderful life. He worked as a singing busboy in Los Angeles, then sang in an aircraft plant during WWII to keep up employee morale. He followed John Raitt in Carousel on Broadway '46, then starred in the London opening of Oklahoma! for 18 months. Next he went to Hollywood, where MGM signed him at three times the money he was getting from Rodgers & Hammerstein, and his big voice and good looks immediately made him a star of musical films. The first was Pagan Love Song '50; with no plot but pretty to look at (Esther Williams in her famous bathing suit) the film had Keel singing the 20-year-old title song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, plus they hired Harry Warren to write something with Freed called 'The Sea Of The Moon', and the film had five uncredited composers of incidental music. After that the only way to go was up: he co-starred with Betty Hutton in Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun '50, with Kathryn Grayson in Jerome Kern's Show Boat '51 and Lovely To Look At '52 (a remake of Kern's Roberta), with Grayson in Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate! and Doris Day in Calamity Jane with Sammy Fain songs '53, and a remake of Rudolph Friml's Rose-Marie with Ann Blyth '54. Also in '54, perhaps his best film and his own favorite was Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, written for the screen rather than a transfer from Broadway, with Jane Powell, Johnny Mercer songs and terrific dancing in the legendary barn-raising scene from the likes of Russ Tamblyn. The Sigmund Romberg biopic Deep In My Heart '54 had Keel down the list in a huge cast including Powell, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Martin and many others. Kismet '55 saw Keel in the starring role originated by Alfred Drake on Broadway (he had also followed Drake into Oklahoma! on the stage). The music was originally from Russian composer Alexander Borodin for the stage version: see entry for Wright and Forrest. Keel made about 30 films altogether, later including straight dramatic roles and quite a few westerns. He was back on Broadway in Saratoga '59 and toured in No Strings '63. When his career should have been winding down he landed a role '81 in TV's Dallas, playing J.R. Ewing's step-father-in-law for ten years; he probably found that child's play. |