Howard Keel

Howard Keel gained instant stardom as Betty Hutton's singing cowboy love interest in "Annie Get Your Gun" (1950) and subsequently enjoyed half a decade of musical stardom, mostly at MGM, breaking in feisty female fillies in a number of lavish and tuneful comedy-dramas. Tall, rugged and barrel-chested, with a zestful confidence ideal for cheerful braggadocio and a stirring baritone voice to go with it, Keel appeared in a host of other musicals through 1955. Especially notable was "Kiss Me Kate" (1953), the best of his several vehicles opposite soprano Kathryn Grayson, whom at one point Keel was called upon to spank. An even better film was "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954), in which Keel tamed Jane Powell. His good-humored robustness also aided him in similar chastising duties opposite tomboyish Doris Day while on loan to Warner Brothers for "Calamity Jane" (1953).

When traditional song-and-dance musicals were no longer produced regularly by the studio system, Keel's film career declined somewhat in status and in the volume of his output. He had, however, played in several nonmusical adventure films during his peak, and, after a shot at St. Peter in Frank Borzage's "The Big Fisherman" (1959), moved into action leads for the next decade. His most memorable effort in this phase of his career was the science-fiction flick, "Day of the Triffids" (1962) but he also starred in a handful of minor Westerns including "Waco" (1966) and "Red Tomahawk" (1967). He later performed live, singing in nightclubs, on the Broadway and London stages (in "Ambassador"), and on tour in many musical shows. In 1981, Keel, mustachioed and attractively silver-haired, returned to a wide popular audience for over a decade when he began playing Clayton Farlow, second husband to Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) on the popular CBS primetime soap "Dallas".

• Also Credited As:
  Harold Keel, Harry Clifford Leek
• Born:
  April 13, 1917 in Gillespie, Illinois
• Died:
  November 7, 2004.
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Singer, Singing busboy, Aircraft manufacturing representative

Significant Others

• Wife: Judy Keel.

Milestones

• 1933 Moved to Southern California at age 16 (date approximate)
• 1947 Recreated the role of Curly when he opened the London stage production of "Oklahoma"
• 1948 Made feature film debut in a non-singing supporting role in the British crime drama, "The Small Voice"
• 1950 Signed by MGM; became instant star as the male lead of "Annie Get Your Gun"
• 1951 First film opposite Kathryn Grayson, "Show Boat"
• 1951 Provided the offscreen narration for the Western saga, "Across the Wide Missouri", starring Clark Gable
• 1952 First leading role in a non-musical, "Desperate Search"
• 1954 Made best-remembered film, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"
• 1955 Last musical starring roles, and last musicals for MGM, "Jupiter's Darling" and "Kismet"
• 1958 Went to Britain to play the leading role in the action drama, "Floods of Fear"
• 1967 Last leading role, "Red Tomahawk"
• 1968 Last feature film appearance for over 20 years, "Arizona Bushwhackers"
• 1977 Teamed with Jane Powell on record-breaking national theater tour of "South Pacific"
• 1978 Reprised screen role of eldest brother Adam in a touring stage version of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", opposite original screen co-star Jane Powell
• 1983 Recorded first solo album, "And I Love You So"
• 1994 Was one of the hosts of the feature compilation documentary, "That's Entertainment III", revisiting the MGM musical from the coming of sound through the late 1950s
• Began singing career with the American Music Theatre in Pasadena, California
• Chosen by Oscar Hammerstein II to perform on Broadway in "Carousel"; succeeded John Raitt in the leading role of Billy Bigelow; also took over the leading role of Curly in "Oklahoma"
• Joined the cast of the CBS primetime serial drama, "Dallas", which had premiered in 1978; played Clayton Farlow
• Starred on the London stage in the musical "Ambassador"; later brought the role to Broadway (date approximate)
• Toured in stage productions of musicals and comedies including "Camelot", "Man of La Mancha", "Paint Your Wagon", "I Do! I Do!", "Plaza Suite", "Gigi", "Show Boat", "Kismet", "The Most Happy Fella" and "The Fantasticks"
• Toured the nightclub circuit, sometimes teaming up with his co-star from three MGM musicals of the 1950s, Kathryn Grayson
• Worked as a singing busboy in a Los Angeles cafe
• Worked for Douglas Aircraft as a manufacturing representative travelling among various company plants; work included singing; won a first prize award at the Mississippi Valley while on the road; also won an award at the Chicago Music Festival