Gordon MacRae

  • Henry King – Carousel (1956)

    Henry King1951-1960ComedyFilm BlancMusicalUSA

    Billy Bigelow has been dead for fifteen years, and now outside the pearly gates, he long waived his right to go back to Earth for a day. But he has heard that there is a problem with his family, namely his wife Julie Bigelow née Jordan and the child he never met, that problem with which he would now like to head back to Earth to assist in rectifying. Before he is allowed back to Earth, he has to get the OK from the gatekeeper, to who he tells his story… Immediately attracted to each other, he and Julie met when he worked as a carousel barker. Both stated to the other that they did not believe in love or marriage, but they did get married. Because the shrewish carousel owner, Mrs. Mullin, was attracted to Billy herself, and since she believed he was only of use as a barker if he was single to attract the young women to the carousel, she fired him. With no other job skills and unwilling to take just any job, Billy did not provide for Julie but rather lived off Julie’s Aunt Nettie. But Billy figured he could be the breadwinner through his association with a criminal lowlife named Jigger Craigin, which led to his death. In going back to Earth, Billy not only hopes to help his child, but “tell” Julie of his true feeling for her.Read More »

  • Fred Zinnemann – Oklahoma! (1955)

    Fred Zinnemann1951-1960ClassicsMusicalSinging CowboysUSA
    Oklahoma! (1955)
    Oklahoma! (1955)

    In the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the twentieth century, two young cowboys vie with an evil ranch hand and a traveling peddler for the hearts of the women they love.Read More »

  • Fred Zinnemann – Oklahoma! (1955)

    1951-1960Fred ZinnemannMusicalRomanceSinging CowboysUSA

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    Plot Synopsis
    Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 Broadway music’s 1943 Broadway musical was considered revolutionary for a multitude of reasons, not least of which were the play’s intricate integration of song and storyline, and the simplicity and austerity of its production design. The 1955 film version of Oklahoma! retains the songs (except for Lonely Room and It’s a Scandal!, which are usually cut from most stage presentations anyway) and the story, but the simplicity is sacrificed to the spectacle of Technicolor, Todd-AO, and Stereophonic Sound. The story can be boiled down to a single sentence: a girl must decide between the two suitors who want to take her to a social. In her movie debut, 19-year-old Shirley Jones plays Laurie, an Oklahoma farm gal who is courted by boisterous cowboy Curley (Gordon MacRae) and by menacing, obsessive farm hand Jud Frye (Rod Steiger). Fearing that Jud will do something terrible to Curley, Laurie accepts Jud’s invitation to the box social. But it’s Curley who rescues Laurie from Jud’s unwanted advances, and in so doing wins her hand. On the eve of their wedding, Laurie and Curley are menaced by the drunken Jud.Read More »

  • Richard L. Bare – Return of the Frontiersman (1950)

    1941-1950ClassicsRichard L. BareUSAWestern


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    Plot:
    The law is the law. No exceptions. So Sheriff Sam Barrett saddles up a deputized posse and rides in pursuit of an accused outlaw: his son Logan. Meanwhile, Logan is on the run, living by his wits and attempting to clear his name of murder. Justice rides hard in Return of the Frontiersman, a shoot-’em-up filled with horseback chases, raging gun battles and men who know how to take – and deliver – a swift sock to the jaw. Gordon MacRae plays Logan, heading a cast that includes Rory Calhoun and Julie London. MacRae adds a couple tunes for good measure. And when he offers London a buggy ride at picture’s end, it’s hard not to recall the “surrey with a fringe on top” that awaited MacRae in the smash musical Oklahoma! From Warner Brothers!Read More »

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