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Gordon MacRae 1921 - 1986

Gordon MacRae of Lincoln, Lancaster County, NE was born on March 12, 1921 in East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey United States, and died at age 64 years old on January 24, 1986 in Lincoln, Lancaster County, NE. Gordon MacRae was buried in 1986 at Wyuka Cemetery S 19th St, in Nebraska City, Otoe County.

Gordon MacRae

Gordon MacRae, Albert Gordon MacRae

Lincoln, Lancaster County, NE 68502

March 12, 1921

East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey, United States

January 24, 1986

Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States

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Gordon MacRae Gordon MacRae (1921 - 1986)

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Gordon MacRae's History: 1921 - 1986

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Introduction

Gordon MacRae American actor Albert Gordon MacRae was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals Oklahoma! and Carousel and who played the leading man of Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay and sequel By The Light of the Silvery Moon. Born: March 12, 1921, East Orange, NJ Died: January 24, 1986, Bryan Memorial Hospital Height: 5′ 8″ Spouse: Elizabeth Lamberti (m. 1967–1986), Sheila MacRae (m. 1941–1967) Children: Meredith MacRae, Heather MacRae, Robert Bruce McRae, Gar MacRae, Amanda MacRae
03/12

1921

Birthday

March 12, 1921

Birthdate

East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Gordon MacRae was born March 12, 1921, in East Orange, N. J., to William Lamont MacRae, a toolmaker from Scotland who became a radio baritone in Syracuse, and the former Helen Violet Sonn, a concert pianist.
Nationality & Locations

Gordon MacRae was born March 12, 1921, in East Orange, N. J., to William Lamont MacRae, a toolmaker from Scotland who became a radio baritone in Syracuse, and the former Helen Violet Sonn, a concert pianist. Actor, Singer. He is best remembered for his starring roles in the movies "Oklahoma" (1955) and "Carousel" (1956). Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, he was the son of radio star "Wee Willie" MacRae, and his concert pianist mother. When he was very young, his family moved to Syracuse NY, where he attended Nottingham High School, participating in the Drama Club. It was during this time that he also learned to play the piano, the clarinet and the saxophone. He also attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, where he actively participated in varsity football, baseball, basketball, track, hockey and swimming. In later years, he became an avid golfer, playing occasionally against his acting friends Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Shortly after his graduation from high school, he won a singing contest sponsored by Picture Magazine; the prize was a two week engagement at the New York World's Fair performing with the Harry James and Les Brown bands. Shortly afterwards, he obtained work as a singer with the Horace Heidt Band in New York City. In May 1941, he wed actress Sheila Margot Stephens; they would have four children: Meredith, Heather, William and Robert. Of the four, Meredith and Heather MacRae would both pursue acting careers. During World War II, he joined the Army Air Force, serving as a navigator for two years. At the end of the war, he returned to New York City, where he made his Broadway debut in the show "Junior Miss." In 1946, he appeared in the Broadway show "Three to Make Ready" in which a Capitol Records talent scout saw him and signed him to a long term recording contract; he would stay with Capitol Records for the next twenty years. In 1948, he signed a seven year contract with Warner Brothers Studio, and made his film acting debut in "The Big Punch" (1948). His next film was a musical, "Look for the Silver Lining" (1949) in which his singing talent made him the lead actor, and a number of musical films were soon to follow which highlighted his singing ability. His best remembered roles were as Curly in "Oklahoma!" (1955), and as Billy Bigelow in "Carousel" (1956). In 1956, he moved to television with his own show, "The Gordon MacRae Show" which lasted only one season. At this stage, he also began drinking heavily, becoming an alcoholic. Eventually, he conquered the disease, but it may have cost him his marriage; Sheila divorced him in 1967, although he remarried just four months later to Elizabeth Lambert Schrafft; she would remain with him until the end of his life. During the 1960s he appeared often on the Ed Sullivan Show. His last film was in 1979, in the supporting role of Joe Barnes in "The Pilot" in which Cliff Robertson held the lead role. Suffering a stroke in 1982, he continued with the support of his second wife, Elizabeth, and his children, touring and singing hits from his earlier years, until his health began to fail. He died in 1986 of pneumonia, from complications due to cancer of the mouth and jaw at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the age of 64. Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson Family Members Spouses Photo Sheila MacRae 1921–2014 (m. 1941) Photo Elizabeth J. Lambert MacRae 1925–2010 (m. 1967) Children Photo Meredith MacRae 1944–2000 Inscription "Nothing Is Lost In God's World" Gordon Will Always Be Remembered Wherever Beautiful Music Is Heard President Ronald Reagan
Early Life & Education

The youth attended schools in Buffalo and Syracuse, played the piano and clarinet, spent spare time at lacrosse and football and was graduated from Deerfield Academy, where he sang in many shows.
Religious Beliefs

Lutheran.
Military Service

He joined the Army Air Corps and worked as a navigator for the next two years. Served in World War II.
Professional Career

Gordon MacRae Born March 12, 1921 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA Died January 24, 1986 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA (mouth and jaw cancer) Birth Name Albert Gordon MacRae Height 5' 8" (1.73 m) Mini Bio (1) Gordon MacRae was born on March 12, 1921, in East Orange, NJ. During his early years, he resided in Syracuse, NY, and, while in high school, spent much of his time singing and acting in the Drama Club. It was also during this time that he learned to play the piano, clarinet and the saxophone. At 19, he entered a singing contest and won a two-week engagement at The World's Fair in New York, performing with the Harry James and Les Brown bands. In 1940, while working in New York City as a page, he was "discovered" and hired to sing for the Horace Heidt Band. After a two-year stint, he joined the Army Air Corps and worked as a navigator for the next two years. He made his Broadway debut in a show called "Junior Miss", as a replacement in the role of "Tommy Arbuckle". Next, he appeared, again on Broadway, in Ray Bolger's 1946 revue, "Three To Make Ready". It was here that he was spotted by Capitol Records and signed to a long-term recording contract in 1947. He stayed with the label for more than 20 years. In October 1948, on ABC, he starred on the radio show "The Railroad Hour". The show moved to NBC in October 1949 and continued until June of 1954. It presented operettas and musical dramatizations, all starring Gordon and many different leading ladies. Also in 1948, he was signed to a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers Pictures and, soon after, made his film debut in the non-musical, The Big Punch (1948), opposite Lois Maxwell (well-known later as "Miss Moneypenny" in the James Bond films). What followed was a string of hit musicals, starting with Look for the Silver Lining (1949), in which MacRae had a featured role opposite June Haver and Ray Bolger, and five fondly remembered films with Doris Day, beginning with Tea for Two (1950). Perhaps his two best and well-known films were two of his last: Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956), both written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and both opposite screen newcomer Shirley Jones. MacRae began to suffer, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, from bouts of heavy drinking and, by his own admission, developed into an alcoholic. He revealed that he had been "picked up for drunk driving" during the filming of "Carousel". He conquered the disease in the 1970s and went on to counsel other alcoholics. He continued recording and performing on dozens of television shows. He and his wife, Sheila MacRae, appeared together frequently and even released an album together. His daughters, Meredith MacRae and Heather MacRae, acted in films and on TV. On September 22, 1974, he appeared as a sheriff on an episode of McCloud (1970), starring Dennis Weaver, entitled "The Barefoot Girls of Bleeker Street". His final film came in 1979, a fine dramatic role in The Pilot (1980), which starred Cliff Robertson. He suffered a stroke in 1982. He continued on with the support of his second wife, Elizabeth, and his five children. This brilliant performer continued to tour, when his health would permit, allowing audiences to relive some of his biggest film hits. On January 24, 1986, Gordon MacRae died at the age of 64, at his home in Lincoln, NE, of pneumonia, the result of complications from cancer of the mouth and jaw. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Patrick Fullerton Spouse (2) Elizabeth Lambert Schrafft (25 September 1967 - 24 January 1986) ( his death) ( 1 child) Sheila MacRae (21 May 1941 - 15 April 1967) ( divorced) ( 4 children) Trade Mark (1) The songs "Oklahoma!" and "If I Loved You" Trivia (14) The father of actresses Meredith MacRae and Heather MacRae. Ex-father-in-law of Greg Mullavey. Suffered a stroke in 1982 but managed to tour occasionally upon his recovery. In the fall of 1985, however, he underwent a carotid artery operation. At that time he was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to retire completely. Was supposed to co-star with Judy Holliday in the original Broadway musical production of "Bells Are Ringing" in 1956. There were contractual problems, however, and he was replaced by Sydney Chaplin. In high school (Nottingham High School in Syracuse, NY) he was quite athletic, participating in football, hockey, swimming, baseball, basketball, track, and lacrosse. The National Rifle Association awarded him a marksmanship medal. At age 11 he was an emcee for a local radio station. At age 19, he won a talent contest sponsored by Picture Magazaine, earning a two-week engagement at the New York World's Fair Outdoor Dancing Pavilion singing for Harry James and Les Brown. Had four children with Sheila MacRae: Meredith MacRae (born 1944); Heather MacRae (1946); William Gordon (1948) and Robert Bruce (1954). Some of his bigger songs with Capitol Records were "A Fellow Needs a Girl" and "Body and Soul." While appearing in a nightclub act with his wife at Lake Tahoe, he received an emergency phone call to replace Frank Sinatra as "Billy Bigelow" in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's stage hit "Carousel", after Sinatra walked out on the filming when he discovered that every scene was to be filmed twice - once for regular CinemaScope and once for CinemaScope 55. Within three days MacRae, who was already familiar with the Broadway show and had wanted to play the role, reported to the set. Ironically, the producers then discovered a way to shoot in CinemaScope 55 and then convert it to regular CinemaScope without filming the movie twice. Born of Scottish immigrant parents. He performed in two film musicals with music by Richard Rodgers. Carousel (1956) and Oklahoma! (1955). He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6325 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Had a son, Gar MacRae. Personal Quotes (1) "Some of my friends have jokingly accused me of sticking pins into an image of Frank Sinatra or exercising some other kind of voodoo charm to get him out of the role of "Billy" in Carousel (1956) so that I could inherit the role. As most everyone knows by now, Frank did bow out of the picture. His decision on this matter, however, was reached without assistance--mystic, telepathic or otherwise--from me. But I always felt that I would end up with Billy. I wasn't surprised when my agent called to say that 20th Century-Fox wanted me for it. I was excited that, at last, it was mine, but I wasn't surprised".
Personal Life & Family

National Council on Alcoholism, 12 West 21st Street, New York, N.Y. 100l0.
01/24

1986

Death

January 24, 1986

Death date

Pneumonia.

Cause of death

Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska United States
Death location

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1986

Gravesite & Burial

1986

Funeral date
Wyuka Cemetery S 19th St, in Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska 68410, United States
Burial location
Obituary

Gordon MacRae, the singer and actor who starred in the film versions of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein 2d's benchmark musicals ''Oklahoma!'' and ''Carousel,'' died yesterday at Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Neb. He was 64 years old and lived in Lincoln. Mr. MacRae had been undergoing treatment for cancer of the mouth and jaw as well as pneumonia. His 1955 performance as a robust cowboy in ''Oklahoma!'' was acclaimed by Bosley Crowther of The New York Times as ''wonderfully relaxed and unaffected.'' The critic praised Mr. MacRae's portrayal of a swaggering carnival barker in the 1956 fantasy ''Carousel'' as ''most attractive.'' The tall, athletic actor-singer made four genial, old-fashioned musical films with Doris Day - ''Tea for Two'' (1950), ''The West Point Story'' (1950), ''On Moonlight Bay'' (1951) and ''By the Light of the Silvery Moon'' (1953). Their teamwork prompted Thomas H. Pryor of The Times to conclude that ''these two complement each other like peanut butter and jelly.'' Other MacRae movies included a 1953 remake of Sigmund Romberg's ''Desert Song,'' co-starring Kathryn Grayson; ''Three Sailors and a Girl'' (1953), with Jane Powell, and ''The Best Things in Life Are Free'' (1956), co-starring Sheree North, in which Mr. MacRae played the Tin Pan Alley composer-lyricist Buddy DeSylva. A Self-Taught Actor Mr. MacRae, who was self-taught in both singing and acting, lent his rousing baritone voice, clean-cut good looks, and boy-next-door personality to 16 movies. But in the mid-1950's, audiences' interest in musicals waned, and he got no more good offers. He returned to television, where he had been a singing host and master of ceremonies on a series of programs, including ''The Railroad Hour'' and the ''Colgate Comedy Hour.'' Philosophic about the end of his movie career, he remarked in 1956: ''What counts is that what you're doing, you're doing well; that you're happy in what you're doing and it's not a chore. Nothing that you like is hard.'' The performer was the host of television's live ''Gordon MacRae Show'' in 1956, starred in a string of book-musical broadcasts and was one of the first popular singers to appear on the ''Voice of Firestone'' program. For decades, on radio and television, the show had featured only opera singers. Mr. MacRae starred in national tours of musicals and in summer stock, and for nearly a decade he and his wife, Sheila, performed in nightclubs, on television and in concerts from coast to coast. They both sang, and she did satiric impersonations of show business figures. Starred With Four Children In 1961, the MacRaes starred in a summer-stock version in Kansas City of ''Annie Get Your Gun'' with their four children - Meredith, Heather, Garr and Bruce. Gordon MacRae was born March 12, 1921, in East Orange, N. J., to William Lamont MacRae, a toolmaker from Scotland who became a radio baritone in Syracuse, and the former Helen Violet Sonn, a concert pianist. The youth attended schools in Buffalo and Syracuse, played the piano and clarinet, spent spare time at lacrosse and football and was graduated from Deerfield Academy, where he sang in many shows. At 19, he went to New York City and won an amateur singing contest at the 1939-40 World's Fair. This won him a two-week stint at the fair with the Harry James band. He became a page at NBC, was heard singing by a scout for Horace Heidt and sang with the Heidt band for two years. In World War II, he was a navigator in the Air Force. After the war, Mr. MacRae resumed radio singing and gained a role as a military policemen in a 1946 Broadway revue, ''Three to Make Ready,'' starring Ray Bolger. The show drew mixed reviews, but Mr. MacRae's singing won him a movie contract with Warner Brothers. Returned to Broadway in 1967 He did not appear on Broadway again for 21 years, returning in 1967, when he and Carol Lawrence took over the roles originated by Robert Preston and Mary Martin in the musical ''I Do! I Do!'' and were praised by reviewers. In 1967, he and Sheila MacRae were divorced. Later that year, he married Elizabeth Lambert Schrafft. In recent years, Mr. MacRae, acknowledging he was an alcoholic, made many public appearances on behalf of the National Council on Alcoholism. He had been the national honorary chairman of the council and a member of its board since 1983. Surviving are his wife, Elizabeth, and five children - three daughters, Meredith, Heather and Amanda, and two sons, Garr and Bruce. A memorial service is scheduled for Monday at 11:30 A.M. at the Sheridan Lutheran Church in Lincoln. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that contributions be given to the National Council on Alcoholism, 12 West 21st Street, New York, N.Y. 100l0.

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Gordon MacRae lived 12 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of 64.

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