| William Gaxton -- Broadway, Film, TV | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 10:54 am EDT 08/25/24 | |
| In reply to: re: Broadway stars who originated most roles in shows that are still done - huskyital 05:41 pm EDT 08/24/24 | |
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| Well, I am 76 but probably began my obsession with Broadway shows earlier than you, (believe it or not) when I was 3 years old. Initially by watching The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evenings. Then a few years later when I was in the 1st grade, by taking all the Burns-Mantle volumes out of the school library. Anyway, William Gaxton was one of the most reliable leading men in Broadway musical comedies from 1922 through 1946. He created leading musical roles by composers like Richard Rodgers (A Connecticut Yankee), Cole Porter (Fifty Million Frenchmen, Anything Goes, Leave It to Me!), George Gershwin (Of Thee I Sing, Let 'Em Eat Cake), and Irving Berlin (Louisiana Purchase). All of these shows have occasionally been done off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, at Encores, on Broadway, and in regional theatre. Gaxton did appear in a few movies. Unfortunately, his acting was not subtle, very brash, and sort of larger than life, which did not come off very well with audiences. His most notable film performances were in Best Foot Forward (a non-singing role) and in Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe, in which he does, in fact, sing in a few numbers. The DVD is available on Ebay. Two of Gaxton's appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show can be found on YouTube. |
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| Previous: | re: Broadway stars who originated most roles in shows that are still done - huskyital 05:41 pm EDT 08/24/24 |
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