British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D. 150. Photo: Warner Bros.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. W 918. Photo: Warner Bros.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 818. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones in Carousel (1956).
Performing at the New York World's Fair
Albert Gordon MacRae was born in East Orange, New Jersey, in 1920. He was the son of radio singer and tool maker ‘Wee Willie’ MacRae, and Helen Violet Sonn, a concert pianist. 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 graduated from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, in 1940 and won a singing contest sponsored by Picture Magazine at age 19,. 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. The singer stayed with Heidt's outfit for a couple of years before enlisting in the armed forces.
In 1941, he wed actress and singer Sheila Margot Stephens. They would have four children: Meredith, Heather, William and Robert, and both, Meredith and Heather MacRae would 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’, as a replacement in the role of Tommy Arbuckle.
In 1946, he appeared in Ray Bolger's Broadway revue ‘Three to Make Ready’. A Capitol Records talent scout saw him in it and signed him to a long-term recording contract. He would stay with Capitol Records for the next twenty years. Beginning in 1947, MacRae's releases for Capitol were quite successful. Through 1954 he scored numerous hits, among them ‘Rambling Rose’, ‘So in Love’, ‘It's Magic’, ‘I Still Get Jealous’, ‘Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue’, and ‘At the Candlelight Café’.
Following an absence of four years from the charts, ‘The Secret’ brought about his return. Many of his hit recordings were made with Jo Stafford. MacRae also put out an album in collaboration with his wife, Sheila MacRae. During the late 1940s MacRae landed a starring role in the music-based program ‘The Railroad Hour’, where he remained through 1954 despite a change of networks. It presented operettas and musicals, all starring MacRae and many different leading ladies.
West German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin-Charlottenburg, no I 281. Photo: Warner Bros. Gordon MacRae in Return of the Frontiersman (Richard L. Bare, 1950).
West German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin-Charlottenburg, no T 880. Photo: Warner Bros. Gordon MacRae in Return of the Frontiersman (Richard L. Bare, 1950).
Vintage postcard, no. 352. Photo: Warner Bros. Doris Day and Gordon MacRae in The West Point Story (Roy Del Ruth, 1950).
Five fondly remembered films with Doris Day
In 1948, Gordon MacRae signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers Studio. His first film was a non-musical boxing drama, The Big Punch (Sherry Shourds, 1948), opposite Lois Maxwell, later known as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films. His next film was a musical with June Haver and Ray Bolger, Look for the Silver Lining (David Butler, 1949). Several musical films were soon to follow which highlighted his singing talent.
He starred in five fondly remembered films with Doris Day, beginning with Tea for Two (David Butler, 1950) and The West Point Story (Roy Del Ruth, 1950). In 1951, they starred in On Moonlight Bay (Roy Del Ruth, 1951, followed by the sequel By the Light of the Silvery Moon (David Butler, 1953).
That same year, he also starred opposite Kathryn Grayson in the third film version of The Desert Song (H. Bruce Humberstone, 1953). This was followed by his two best-remembered roles as Curly in Oklahoma! (Fred Zinnemann, 1955), and as Billy Bigelow in Carousel (Henry King, 1956).
In both Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, he had appeared previously on Broadway and in both films, he co-starred with Shirley Jones. 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'.
Frank 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 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 shooting the film twice.
Belgian postcard. Photo: Warner Bros. Doris Day and Gordon MacRea in On Moonlight Bay (Roy Del Ruth, 1951). Collection: Marlene Pilaete.
Dutch postcard by Takken, no. F 97. Photo: Warner Bros. Doris Day and Gordon MacRae in By the Light of the Silvery Moon (David Butler, 1953).
Dutch postcard by Takken / 't Sticht, no. 1176. Doris Day and Gordon MacRae in By the Light of the Silvery Moon (David Butler, 1953). Sent by mail in 1954.
Alcohol addiction
In 1956, Gordon MacRae moved to television with his own show, The Gordon MacRae Show which lasted only one season. He also frequently turned up on such popular television shows as The Colgate Comedy Hour. At this stage, he began drinking heavily, eventually becoming an alcoholic which may have cost him his marriage. Sheila divorced him in 1967.
MacRae remarried just four months later to Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Lambert Schrafft. She would remain with him until the end of his life and the couple raised one daughter, Amanda Mercedes MacRae born in 1968. During the 1960s he appeared often on the Ed Sullivan Show.
In 1974, he appeared as a sheriff on an episode of the TV series McCloud, starring Dennis Weaver. By the late 1970s he claimed to have wrested control over his alcohol addiction and he went on to counsel other alcoholics.
His last film appearance was in 1979. He played the supporting role of Joe Barnes in the drama The Pilot (Cliff Robertson, 1980) in which Cliff Robertson held the lead role of an alcoholic pilot.
In 1982, MacRae suffered a stroke. With the support of his wife and children, he kept touring and singing hits from his earlier years. In the fall of 1985, he underwent a carotid artery operation. At that time, he was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to retire completely. Gordon MacRae died in 1986 of pneumonia, from complications due to cancer of the mouth and jaw at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was only 64. The actor was interred at the Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Belgian postcard, no. 452. Photo: Warner Bros.
Vintage postcard. Photo: Warner Bros.
American postcard by Mike Roberts Color Production, Berkely. California, no. SC 9603. Gordon MacRae and Sheila MacRae performed at John Ascuaga's Nugget, Sparks (East Reno).
Sources: Kit and Morgan Benson (Find A Grave), Linda Seida (AllMusic), Patrick Fullerton (IMDb), Hollywood – Walk of Fame, Wikipedia and IMDb.
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