What makes him so great? GORDON MACRAE sings 'If I Loved You" from Carousel 

You must be "up there" in years like me. I could listen to him all day. What in incredible voice he had. He made it see so easy.

Mine, too. I'm almost 80 years old. I remember that movie. I still get goosebumps listening to him sing.

One of the best singers of all time .

Gordon's voice is Exceptional.

You said it better thanks

Oh, Amanda, I've been so hoping one of his children would finally show up on this thread--and here you are.

How wonderful to have him as your father .I'd be watching this film everyday,my all time favourite musical ❤️

Hi Amanda!

Love his voice. The Desert Song, On Moonlight Bay two of my favourite movies. R.I.P Mr Gordon Macrae. Thank you for blessing our ears with your voice ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Hi Amanda! I hope it brings happiness to you when I say I love your father's voice so much to the point I honestly can't stand to hear anyone else sing the songs from Carousel. Nobody else comes close to doing those melodies justice, there is something so special and unmatched about the way Mr McRae sings them. Like they were written for him despite being created many years before he sung them. Carousel the film is one of my favourite musicals and I watch it often, it's such a beautiful yet sadly often misunderstood story.

We are the same age and I "discovered" Gordon MacRae when I was 12 and saw many of his movies 3 to 5 times. The first movie was "Look for the Silver Lining".

I'm pretty sure I also saw all of his movies when I was younger, @@donnablankenhorn5905 but I don't remember most of them--"Oklahoma" being the exception as I have watched that movie 4-5 times over the years. I never get tired of Gordon MacRae. and I am so glad his music legacy is preserved for any and all to enjoy.

Fell in love with his voice at 12 years old. First heard him on the radio program , the Railroad Hour. A fan from then on. He was the Best !!! Remarkable voice!!!

Today’s best is Johnny Mathis. But I’ve always loved Gordon MacRae, and if he was here today, I would have a mad crush on him! 🩷

He had such an amazing voice. Effortlessly.flawless!

True indeed. Yet John Raitt did take 'The Pajama Game' ("Hey There") to the screen, with Doris Day.

Love Gordon MacRae ,John Raitt.Also love Nelson Eddy who was a generation behind them.💙🙏

Shirley Jones was 19 when she made "Oklahoma" and she said she had the biggest crush on Gordon McaRae. From the way he looks and smiles at her all throughout the movie, it appears he was a bit smitten with her, too. :-D

My introduction was as a kid in the 1970s, before VCRs were common place in homes. I didn't see the movie until later when it came on TV one night, but the sound track played in my home growing up pretty regularly, on an old reel-to-reel tape deck. My favorite part of the movie was end, when he showed up to give his daughter the star and to finally tell Julie that he loved her.

My favourite film was Desert Song, my mum and i loved watching it when I was in my teens , im 60 now and still love his voice, so talented.

I haven’t forgotten Gordon. Watch this and his singing regularly. Wonderful favourite singer.🇬🇧

Yes, Gordon will never be topped in this role. Beautiful voice❤

Presently there are about a dozen recordings of “Carousel” and will be another in Sept. 2024 as conducted by John Wilson, finally with all the music complete at 107 mins. 🎠🎪 MacRae still remains my favorite in this role and I’m a big fan of “Carousel”. As long as Nelson Eddy was mentioned, there was a record album (and cd) of Nelson Eddy in “Oklahoma!” and he did a great job. “Carousel” is my favorite R&H show but I’m also fond of all their other works including “Oklahoma!”John Raitt toured in the show and was picked originally in 1945 for Billy’s role in “Carousel” onstage, and later did a studio cast record of “Oklahoma!” and was Billy again in a 1965 revival of “Carousel” twenty years after originating the role. Raitt did very few films although it’s been mentioned that he and Doris Day were paired up for the film of “The Pajama Game” (which Raitt had also originated onstage). This may be a bit off-topic but the Nelson Eddy record I mentioned also had in my opinion one of the best interpretations of the Persian peddler Ali Hakim, as acted by David Morris with chorus in the lesser-known (and sometimes cut) number “It’s a Scandal! It’s a Outrage!”. ..Just sayin’!

@anthonysimpsonanygoround8749 Thank You for posting about the upcoming John Wilson recording of Carousel.💙🙏

@@gemini730lory8 You’re welcome! Already from the sample clips I’ve heard it sounds wonderful…I’m a little ambivalent about some of the casting choices that were chosen …I’m no critic and mean no disrespect here, and they might have considered going with a few other voices…but I will be very content to have it! 🎠🎪 I’m thrilled that at long last after seventy-nine years and a dozen or so versions there is finally going to be a recording of everything in one place, in context, to include all songs and verses, dance music, even scene change music, etc. John Wilson did this recently with “Oklahoma!” as well. He is a superb conductor. One of my favorite concerts and cd recordings several years ago also had him conducting many R&H songs with a great cast and his large orchestra, replicating very closely the arrangements heard in the R&H films, plus a few embellishments. That recording for example of “The Carousel Waltz” was outstanding, and in a video version we were also treated to the view of all the skilled musicians passionately playing it. 🎠🎪

@anthonysimpsonanygoround8749 Who is singing the roles of Billy Bigelow,Julie Jordan?

@@gemini730lory8 Nathaniel Hackmann who was the lead in the former “Oklahoma!” recording is Billy and Mikeala Bennett is Julie. The role of Carrie is performed by Sierra Boggess who was heard as Laurey in “Oklahoma!”. Boggess would have been perhaps a lighter soprano sound and fine in the Julie role but Bennett has some great operatic depth. Others they could have considered are Aaron Tveit or Patrick Wilson as Billy, and certainly as Julie another great singer named Lily Kerhoas would have been outstanding (all three I just mentioned were in the 80th Anniversary televised concert of R&H works). Nathaniel Hackmann, Nathan Gunn and Julian Ovenden are all strong in their portrayals of Billy with great dramatic and sometimes operatic voices, but they’re not my favorite choices for the role. I preferred Jason Danieley in the NY Phil. concert rather than Julian Ovenden in the new recording as Enoch Snow, and of course Robert Rounseville from the film was superb. I also liked Cameron Mitchell in the film. Shuler Hensley from the NY Phil concert also would have been effective as Jigger, but in retrospect I loved Murvyn Vye’s deep bass tones in the original cast, and George S. Irving from a studio cast recording. From videos I’ve seen I would have also liked James Snyder and Kelli O’Hara as Billy and Julie, or Steven Pasquale and Laura Osnes (who were in the Chicago lyric opera revival). From all the recordings I have, my personal favorite as Julie (next to Jones!) is Sally Murphy from the 1994 revival. I also would have liked the idea of Jessie Mueller as Julie or Carrie for the new recording and Audra McDonald as Nettie, considering how wonderfully she did Mother Abbess in the tv production of “The Sound of Music”. The film soundtrack for “Carousel” is still my favorite cast grouping for all of the roles, and my personal favorites of course for both the roles of Billy and Julie respectfully remain Gordon MacRae & Shirley Jones. 🎠🎪

Mine, too!! Had pictures on wall and saw movies 5 times!

I'm pretty sure Frank Sinatra did start some filming. The two separate film versions were Todd-AO (of which Oklahoma was the first example), and CinemaScope, which had different formats and different takes for every shot.

Please see other comments I’ve posted regarding all that..The dual filming idea was dropped pretty early on when it was discovered that a lab could effectively reduce a 55mm print down to 35mm…most theaters at the time were more equipped to handle a 35mm print. 🎠🎪

Totally agree about Nathan Gunn. Thank you for mentioning him. And Kelli O"Hara.

To differ, respectfully. For legitimacy, perhaps a gentler delivery of the song by Gunn and O'Hara is called for. They are highly accomplished vocally and abundantly schooled. Yet the rendition comes across cerebral, as if penned by Stephen Sondheim, not so much melodic but rather mechanical, her breathing technique here less than flawless.

I agree! I was in the audience for the semi-staged production of Carousel with Nathan Gunn and Kelli O’Hara. He was just phenomenal!

Harve Presnell also performed as Billy in productions of “Carousel” (as did Robert Horton and many others) but to my knowledge there is no recorded version. As long as we’re at it, Howard Keel also did the role as Raitt’s replacement, but again there’s no documented recording. There are however recordings of Stephen Douglass in 1950 in the London production. 🎠🎪

I was going to mention Howard Keele also. Robert Goulet was good for bombastic parts like his role in Camelot, but he really could not express sensitivity in his singing as far as I'm concerned. Elvis Presley also shared that view and would shoot the television whenever Goulet came on.

Howard Keel (corrected spelling) was also John Raitt’s replacement in the original stage show of “Carousel”. 🎠🎪

I had never heard of John Gary before so I listened to some of his songs on RU-vid and read his Wikipedia page. He had an extraordinary range--3 1/2 octaves--and could sing tenor as well as baritone. He was really talented--a great voice and gone too soon.

@@seagrape54 I discovered John Gary in the mid 1980s I believe. Aside from his vocal range he was known for his breath control and ability to sing long phrases on one breath. The song once upon a Time, he ascends in the melody instead of going down like the original, to make use of his range.

I was just thinking the same…..

When Frank Sinatra pulled out of the film, Gordon MaRae recorded all of his songs with Alfred Newman and the Fox orchestra before going to the location in Maine. One line in Gordon's section called for Julie to sing, but Shirley Jones was already in Maine, so Marni Nixon sang that one line as a temp track--"And I always say two heads are better than one to figure it out"--but Shirley never did redub the line. Most of the film was shot on location before the weather turned bad, but Soliloquoy was shot on Zuma beach in California. So Marni Dixon did not sing whole song for Shirley Jones. I also believe in a forum about 10 years ago someone stated that a different singer dubbed that line--I can't find the original comment or remember who it was--but that may be why Marni had no recollection of that.

Yes, I had heard that as well and I posted a comment also within this thread. The line can be heard at 2:02…from what I understand Nixon did it for the film but Jones did actually manage to sing the line when it came time to do the recording sessions for the vinyl soundtrack album itself. 🎠🎪

'IF I LOVED YOU' LIVE John Raitt & Jan Clayton ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BYRQHMd1dn0.htmlsi=xhO_xo0MQJG-D0wd

John Raitt in 1952 singing the 'SOLILOQUY' live! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CKCUapUEFkY.htmlsi=P-kmGMBLXMPRnqfF

John Raitt singing the 'Soliloquy' from Carousel LIVE in 1952 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CKCUapUEFkY.htmlsi=P-kmGMBLXMPRnqfF

John Raitt singing the SOLILOQUY from Carousel LIVE in 1952 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CKCUapUEFkY.htmlsi=P-kmGMBLXMPRnqfF

I think John Raitt was better in Soliloquy, particularly My little girl--in the early 1980s I listened to the vinyl LP of the Broadway cast album on a high-end stereo system at my father's house, and the climax of My Little Girl was chill inducing. Only a few singers have given me chills like that, and in different ways. I got it listening a small AC/DC Sony radio in the late 1970s when I first heard Frank Sinatra's Autumn Leaves--I got it at the end of the song. I got it from some of Jackie Evancho's singing on Dream with Me in Concert DVD, Blu-ray and/or album, when she was 11. I got it from opera soprano Sonya Yoncheva earlier in her career, and recently I regularly get chills from my current favorite singer, Jona Viray of the Philippines. With her I get it from an effect where she goes from a moderate mid-range that suddenly increases in volume and pitch with her particular tone of voice. However, getting back to Gordon MaRae I feel MacRae was better than John Raitt with the softer more sensitive parts like iI I Loved You, particularly, the reprise.

Goulet tried, but he doesn't have the sensitivity to sing this type of music.

They were both great, but just different! 🎠🎪

Yes, but it’s usually played by a baritone. 🎠🎪

Carousel! Probably the greatest musical of all time! 'IF I LOVED YOU' 'SOLILOQUY' 'JUNE IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER' and 'YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE' all in the same musical! Can't be beat. Did you know Susan Luckey who played Billy Bigelow's daughter Louise was only 4 years younger than Shirley Jones. Unfortunately, Susan died of liver failure in 2012. She was 74. Shirley Jones is still alive and will be 90 March 31, 2024. Here is the ending to the movie where Billy inspires Louise and Julie and redeems himself and gets to go to heaven. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RMpZl9751Mo.htmlsi=ahA7riubzqg2ba10

Billy Bigelow was actually Robert Horton’s favorite role to perform but unfortunately there’s no documented recording to let us hear him. 🎠🎪

That wasn’t necessarily MacRae’s fault; no disrespect to Phoebe and Henry Ephron but the script (as strong and interesting as it was) didn’t allow the darker edges of the character to emerge as successfully as they did in the original show, and Jones was also somewhat cheated dialog-wise. While we’re at it, if you’re looking for a more rough interpretation of the character it’s certainly apparent in the two filmed versions of “Liliom” and Goulet managed to convey it too in the later 1967 tv version of “Carousel”with a much altered script. 🎠🎪

no

They’re both great in the role in my view, with different nuances in the characterization. I prefer MacRae although Goulet added more of a hard edge to the character, but in all fairness he had more to work with script-wise for that tv version. Both were great singers in their own ways bringing their own styles while acting and vocally performing the role. In other words, both should be considered standouts but just different, just as many people played Billy (and Liliom for that matter) with varying interpretations, yet remaining faithful to the basic traits of the “anti-hero” protagonist. 🎠🎪

You’re right about this being known as the “bench” scene which in the original also is the backdrop for the earlier part where Billy is discharged and Carrie reveals to Julie her engagement to Mr Snow. In the film there was a rounded bench by a tree earlier in the scene, in many shots with the spoken words leading up to the actual song. Billy even referred to meeting at that bench when suggesting it earlier to Julie. As you know, the song was abridged for the film inasmuch as the introductory sections of it, plus the “sweater” verse removed (yet that verse remains on the vinyl soundtrack record). All that editing was probably for time reasons but also perhaps to give the scene a less “operatic” feeling. The tv version with Robert Goulet and Mary Grover contains the “full” version of the song. The long shots were there in the 1956 film to take advantage more fully of the widescreen techniques at the time, this one being in 55mm which only certain theaters were equipped to handle, and many prints were also shown supposedly in 35mm.

Carousel is frequently performed in revival up to this day.