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Drooling on the Pillow

Monday, February 21, 2005

John Raitt 

If you've been waiting for the third shoe to drop after the news of the deaths of Sandra Dee and Hunter Thompson, it's John Raitt.

I always followed his career for the not very good reason that the first show I was ever in was The Pajama Game which was his first movie. Gordon MacRae stole his best two roles for the movies (Oklahoma, in which Raitt replaced Alfred Drake on Broadway and Carousel, which he originated). That happens often to women who lose their theatrical roles to movie stars with more chestal throw-weight, but it made no sense to me with Raitt, especially with regard to Carousel. If you listen to the original cast recording you'll agree that no one could do it better. And no one has. For me he had the definitive set of Broadway pipes. And from everything I ever read, he was a lovely man. A gentleman.

UPDATE: Go to The Glittering Eye for a great photo of Raitt and Jan Clayton in Carousel.
Posted by: Sluggo / 12:40 PM
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