MovieChat Forums > Show Boat (1951) Discussion > Howard Keel Forever

Howard Keel Forever

posted 20 years ago by Doctor_Mabuse
7 replies | jump to latest

God bless Howard Keel. I love him forever. He is my favorite male Musical star. In high school in 1974, when everyone else was listening to rock, I was listening to Keel and Kathryn Grayson in the Show Boat (1951) soundtrack every day. I had been a fan of Judy Garland and Julie Andrews since childhood but it was with my discovery of Howard Keel that I first exploded into the world of movie Musicals. Several years later I met Keel at a performance of I Do, I Do. He was very kind to me and invited us into his dressing room. He was gentle and unassuming, in contrast to his macho and swaggering screen roles. My overall impression was one of humility. He revealed to me, with frank sadness, that MGM had not treated him well. As a star-struck teenager, full of visions of Techicolor magic, I did not then understand this. Only later, in studying Keel's career, did I recognize that MGM starred him in five major Musicals (Annie Get Your Gun, Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate!, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kismet) and two minor ones (Lovely to Look At, Rose Marie [1954]), but did nothing to build up his star career in between, using him as a utility man in three Esther Williams movies and wasting him in a passle of forgettable "B" pictures. When Keel was dumped by MGM when Musicals were prematurely judged to have gone out of fashion, he was relegated to low-budget films and westerns while carrying on a struggling stage career. At the time I met him, Keel was on the dinner-theater circuit (South Pacific, Camelot, etc.), having just experienced the first of two miracles which saved him: his third wife, Judy. His totally unexpected second career as a co-star of Dallas, then the #1 show on television, was just around the corner. As we know, this led to best-selling solo albums and the discovery of his classic Musical films on video, DVD and CD by new generations. "Only Make Believe" came true and the big, beautiful baritone lives on forever in his movies and recordings, in the hearts of his fans, and in heaven. To Howard!

Doctor_Mabuse

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] morgbsbll 19 years ago

Keels singing is perfection. Listening to his voice is like watching Gene Kelly dance; it is flawless, powerful, masculin, warm, and beautiful in every sense. He is truly one of the greatest Barritones to ever grace a stage or screen.

[–] ijonesiii 19 years ago

Howard Keel was a gifted musical performer who was one of MGM's greatest assets. His work in this film, KISS ME KATE, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS is beyond memorable. His voice was dark, smooth, and robust...the perfect baritone. I read on another board that prior to his death he wrote a book about his years at MGM, that doesn't paint the studio in a very favorable light. Should be a very interesting read.

[–] TigerlilyBramble_of_WillowBottom 16 years ago

Keel was wrong for this role - it's a tenor role, and he's TOO swaggering and masculine. Ravenal is actually a simpering coward at the core. That said, his voice still sounded fabulous singing the beautiful music. That also said, he was pitch-perfect in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. I haven't seen KISS ME KATE yet because it's my favorite stage musical, and I hear they made some changes for the film that I don't think I'd like. But Keel is a fabulous baritone - basically at the operatic level.

As for MGM, I could probably make an endless list of people whose lives and careers were screwed over by them. Even though her contract ended long before her life did, I truly believe MGM killed Judy Garland.

I pronounce you man and wife. Proceed with the execution.

[–] joeparkson 12 years ago

With his strapping physical presence, Keel should have had a career like Clark Gable's. It could be that he was too broad shouldered and tall. A lot of really tall men did well on TV but didn't make it big in movies.

Think Chuck Connors, James Arness and Clint Walker. Good actors who did well on TV, but didn't become big movie stars. It was hard to find a heavy that could stand up to these guys without making them look like bullies.

Inexplicably, Keel chose not to go the TV route until late in life.

Absurdity: A Statement or belief inconsistent with my opinion.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] marktayloruk (2507) 3 years ago

If Keel.sounded great where's the problem? Tenor- baritone- just words to me.