John Raitt | |
|---|---|
 Raitt inOklahoma! (1945) | |
| Born | John Emmet Raitt (1917-01-29)January 29, 1917 Santa Ana, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 20, 2005(2005-02-20) (aged 88) |
| Resting place | Anaheim Cemetery,Orange County, California |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1940–1992 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3; includingBonnie |
John Emmet Raitt (/reɪt/;[1] January 29, 1917[2] – February 20, 2005)[3] was an American actor and singer best known for his performances inmusical theatre. His most notable roles were Billy Bigelow in the originalBroadway cast ofCarousel and Curly in the original Chicago production ofOklahoma!.
Raitt was born inSanta Ana, California.[3] He got his start intheatre as a high school student atFullerton Union High School inFullerton, California.[4] While there, he played in several drama productions in Plummer Auditorium. Raitt sang in the chorus ofThe Desert Song.[5] (A few years before he died, Raitt again came back to the Plummer to see a rehearsal, visit students and recollect his beginnings.) He is on the school's "Wall of Fame" for his accomplishments.[6]
In 1935, Raitt won the "football throw" at theCalifornia State High School Track and Field Championship; his mark of 220 feet remains the state record in that short-lived event.[7] He was named "Athlete of the Meet" after that accomplishment.[8] He graduated from theUniversity of Redlands in 1939.[9]
After graduating, he was initially inclined toward a classical concert career as a lyric baritone, using as his model the elegant Welsh baritone Thomas L. Thomas. However, after a consultation with Romano Romani, the composer, conductor, and coach who had shaped the career of sopranoRosa Ponselle, Raitt accepted that the timbre (or tone quality) of his voice was that of a tenor rather than a lyric baritone, but without the high notes of a concert tenor. As a result, he decided upon a career in popular music. During World War II, as aQuaker he did not serve in the military.[10][11]
He is best known for his stage roles in the musicalsCarousel,Oklahoma!,[12]The Pajama Game,Carnival in Flanders,Three Wishes for Jamie, andA Joyful Noise, and, in 1957, he andMary Martin starred in the national touring version ofAnnie Get Your Gun. He set the standard for virile, handsome, strong-voiced leading men during the golden age of the Broadway musical. His only leading film role was in the 1957 movie version ofThe Pajama Game oppositeDoris Day.[11] Raitt also toured in productions ofMan of La Mancha andThe Music Man, portraying the leading roles in both.[13]
On television, he was seen many times on theBell Telephone Hour. A clip of a television performance of Raitt singing the final section of the song "Soliloquy" fromCarousel is included in the documentary filmBroadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There. On September 29, 1953, he joinedJackie Gleason andPhil Foster in an appearance on theCBS panel discussionThis Is Show Business. In 1957, he andMary Martin re-created their starring roles inAnnie Get Your Gun on NBC. On January 26, 1961, he appeared in the last season ofNBC'sThe Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Raitt appeared in the 1960 episode, "The Man on the Road", on thesyndicatedanthology series,Death Valley Days, hosted byStanley Andrews. He was cast as Jim Dandy, an itinerantpeddler who befriends a boy, Pete Rawson (Kevin Jones), whose father, played by House Peters, Jr., has been jailed falsely forhorse theft. The episode also starsMort Mills as Holt, a leader in the efforts to lynch the suspect. Jim Dandy devises a scheme to find the real horse thief. Raitt also manages to sing one song in this episode.[14]
In addition, Raitt made severalstudio cast recordings of Broadway musicals, includingOklahoma! (as Curly),The Pajama Game (as Sid), andShow Boat (as Gaylord Ravenal).
In 1945, John Raitt was one of the recipients of the firstTheatre World Award for his debut performance inCarousel. In 1965, he starred in the twentieth-anniversary production of the show atLincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
In January 1992, Raitt was honored with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for Live Theatre, located at 6126 Hollywood Blvd.
In 1981, he found out that his high school sweetheart was widowed. Having recently divorced from his second wife, he phoned her. "Having playedZorba, I believe in grabbing at life," he recalled. "So I called her and this sweet voice answered. 'I'm free now,' I told her, 'and I'm coming to dinner.'" They married.
Raitt appeared in a 1996 cameo role in Season 1 (episode 12, "Frozen Dick") of3rd Rock from the Sun in which he sings a portion of the title song fromOklahoma!
From his first marriage, Raitt was the father of singerBonnie Raitt, and former father-in-law ofMichael O'Keefe. He was also the father of David Raitt and Steve Raitt. Steve played in bands and then switched to designing high-end home entertainment systems inEden Prairie inHennepin County,Minnesota. In 2009, Steve Raitt died of cancer.[15] Raitt's grandson,Bay Raitt, is the creator ofGollum's face forThe Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Raitt died on February 20, 2005, at his home inPacific Palisades,California, from complications due topneumonia, aged 88.[3] He was laid to rest at Anaheim Cemetery in Orange County, California, beside his wife of 23 years, Rosemary.
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