Howard Keel

Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919 – November 7, 2004), professionally Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice.

After his father's death in 1930, Keel and his mother moved to California, where he graduated from Fallbrook High School at age 17.

He worked various odd jobs until settling at Douglas Aircraft Company as a "traveling representative".

He was a long haul truck driver.

Nevertheless, his first public performance took place in the summer of 1941 when he played the role of Samuel the Prophet in Handel's oratorio Saul (singing a duet with bass-baritone George London).

In 1945, he made his Broadway debut as a vacation replacement for John Raitt in Carousel, playing the role of Billy Bigelow from August 20 - September 8, 1945.

Two weeks later, on September 24, he took over the lead role of Curly in Oklahoma!, playing across the street at the St. James Theatre.

He temporarily left Oklahoma! to fill-in once again for John Raitt, this time from June 3 - August 31, 1946, returning to Oklahoma! afterwards.

In 1947, Oklahoma! became the first American postwar musical to travel to London, England, and Keel joined the production.

On April 30, 1947, at the Drury Lane Theatre, the capacity audience (which included the future Queen Elizabeth II) demanded 14 encores.

Keel made his film debut as Harold Keel at the British Lion studio in Elstree, in The Small Voice (1948), released in the United States as The Hideout. He played an escaped convict holding a playwright and his wife hostage in their English country cottage.

From London's West End, Keel went to Hollywood in 1949 where he was engaged by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio.

He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the television series Dallas from 1981 to 1991.

Keel was born in Gillespie, Illinois, the younger of two sons born to Navyman-turned-coalminer Homer Keel and his wife, Grace Margaret (née Osterkamp).

Howard's elder brother was Frederick William Keel.

In the 1950s, the MGM publicity department stated that Keel's birth name was Harold Leek.

At age 20, Keel was overheard singing by his landlady Mom Rider and was encouraged to take vocal lessons.

One of his music heroes was the great baritone Lawrence Tibbett.

Keel later remarked that learning that his own voice was a basso cantante was one of the greatest disappointments of his life.

He made his musical film debut as Frank Butler in the film version of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun (1950), co-starring with Betty Hutton.

The film was a big hit and established Keel as a star.

MGM put him with Esther Williams in Pagan Love Song (1950), which was successful, but not as profitable as most Esther Williams films because it went over budget.

Keel had a third hit in a row with the comedy Three Guys Named Mike (1951), supporting Van Johnson and Jane Wyman.

Even more popular was Show Boat (1951), where Keel played the male lead with Kathryn Grayson and Ava Gardner.

Keel was reunited with Williams in Texas Carnival (1952).

He had his first flop at MGM with the comedy Callaway Went Thataway (1952) co-starring Fred MacMurray and Dorothy McGuire.

Lovely to Look At (1952), with Grayson and based on the stage musical Roberta, was popular but lost money.

MGM tried him in the adventure film Desperate Search (1953), which was poorly received.

So too was the comedy Fast Company (1953).

More popular was Ride, Vaquero! (1953), with Gardner and Robert Taylor.

Warner Bros borrowed Keel to play Wild Bill Hickok with Doris Day in Calamity Jane (1953), another hit.

Back at MGM, he and Grayson made Kiss Me Kate (1953), which again was liked by the public but unprofitable.

The same went for Rose Marie (1954) which Keel made with Ann Blyth.

However Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) with Jane Powell was a huge success, and it made MGM over $3 million in profit.

Keel was one of many guest stars in Deep in My Heart (1954).

He and Williams made Jupiter's Darling (1955), which lost MGM over $2 million - the first Williams movie to lose money.

Kismet (1955) with Blyth also lost over $2 million, and Keel was released from his MGM contract.

He returned to his first love, the stage.

In 1957, he was in a short-lived revival of Carousel. Keel's next film was made in Britain, the thriller Floods of Fear (1959).

Additional Broadway credits include Saratoga, No Strings, and Ambassador. He appeared at The Muny in St. Louis as Adam in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1978), Emile de Becque in South Pacific (1992), and as General Waverly in White Christmas (2000).