Editing Howard Keel (section)

==Career==
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]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Actor Howard Keel Dies |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-howard-keel-dies/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=www.cbsnews.com |date=8 November 2004 |language=en-US}}</ref> Keel later remarked that learning that his own voice was a ''[[basso cantante]]'' was one of the greatest disappointments of his life.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022|reason=We also need an answer to the question, “Why was he disappointed? What did he want to be?” The original source will provide that.}} Nevertheless, his first public performance took place in the summer of 1941 when he played the role of [[Samuel the Prophet]] in [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]]'s oratorio ''[[Saul (Handel)|Saul]]'' (singing a duet with bass-baritone [[George London (bass-baritone)|George London]]).

In 1945, he made his Broadway debut as a vacation replacement for [[John Raitt]] in ''[[Carousel (musical)|Carousel]],'' playing the role of Billy Bigelow from August 20 - September 8, 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily News 20 Aug 1945, page 335 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/443850916/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle 09 Sep 1945, page Page 25 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/52832463/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle 09 Sep 1945, page Page 25 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/52832463/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Oklahoma! – Broadway Musical – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/oklahoma-1285 |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> He temporarily left ''Oklahoma!'' to fill-in once again for John Raitt, this time from June 3 - August 31, 1946, returning to ''Oklahoma!'' afterwards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dunkirk Evening Observer 05 Jun 1946, page Page 9 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/56399910/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 26 Aug 1946, page Page 20 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/89686912/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> In 1947, ''Oklahoma!'' became the first American postwar musical to travel to London, England, and Keel joined the production.<ref name="Larkin"/> On April 30, 1947, at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|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 Films|British Lion]] studio in [[Elstree]], in ''[[The Small Voice]]'' (1948),<ref name=":0" /> released in the United States as ''The Hideout.''<ref name="Larkin"/> He played an escaped convict holding a playwright and his wife hostage in their English country cottage.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18485564 |title=Annie's Handsome Man. |newspaper=The Sunday Herald (Sydney) |location=Sydney |date=18 June 1950 |access-date=17 July 2012 |page=4 Supplement: Features |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Additional Broadway credits include ''[[Saratoga (musical)|Saratoga]],'' ''[[No Strings]],'' and ''[[Ambassador (musical)|Ambassador]].'' He appeared at [[The Muny]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] as Adam in ''[[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]]'' (1954), Emile de Becque in ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]'' (1992), and as General Waverly in ''White Christmas'' (2000).

===MGM===
[[File:Esther Williams and Howard Keel (kneeling).jpg|thumb|Esther Williams and Howard Keel]]
From London's [[West End theatre|West End]], Keel went to Hollywood in 1949 where he was engaged by the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] film studio. He made his musical film debut as Frank Butler in the film version of [[Irving Berlin]]'s ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (film)|Annie Get Your Gun]]'' (1950), co-starring with [[Betty Hutton]].<ref name="Larkin"/> The film was a big hit and established Keel as a star.<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title = The Eddie Mannix Ledger | publisher = Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study | place = Los Angeles}}.</ref>

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.<ref name="Mannix"/> 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 film)|Show Boat]]'' (1951), where Keel played the male lead with [[Kathryn Grayson]] and [[Ava Gardner]].<ref name="Larkin"/> 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]].<ref name="Mannix"/> ''[[Lovely to Look At]]'' (1952), with Grayson and based on the stage musical ''[[Roberta (musical)|Roberta]]'', was popular but lost money.<ref name="Mannix"/>

MGM tried him in the adventure film ''[[Desperate Search]]'' (1953), which was poorly received. So too was the comedy ''[[Fast Company (1953 film)|Fast Company]]'' (1953). More popular was ''[[Ride, Vaquero!]]'' (1953), with Gardner and [[Robert Taylor (American actor)|Robert Taylor]].

[[File:Calamity Jane trailer.jpg|thumb|left|[[Doris Day]] and Howard Keel in ''[[Calamity Jane (1953 film)|Calamity Jane]]'' (1953)]] Warner Bros borrowed Keel to play [[Wild Bill Hickok]] with [[Doris Day]] in ''[[Calamity Jane (film)|Calamity Jane]]'' (1953), another hit. Back at MGM, he and Grayson made ''[[Kiss Me Kate (film)|Kiss Me Kate]]'' (1953), which again was liked by the public but unprofitable. The same went for ''[[Rose Marie (1954 film)|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.<ref name="Mannix"/>

Keel was one of many guest stars in ''[[Deep in My Heart (1954 film)|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 film)|Kismet]]'' (1955) with Blyth also lost over $2 million, and Keel was released from his MGM contract.

===Post-MGM===
He returned to his first love, the stage. In 1957, he was in a short-lived revival of ''Carousel.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/carousel-13514|title=Carousel – Broadway Musical – 1957 Revival |website=IBDb.com|access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref> Keel's next film was made in Britain, the thriller ''[[Floods of Fear]]'' (1959). He returned to Hollywood to play [[Simon-Peter]] in the Biblical epic ''[[The Big Fisherman]]'' (1960). In 1959–1960, he was in the short-lived Broadway musical ''Saratoga.'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/saratoga-2804|title=Saratoga – Broadway Musical – Original|website=IBDb.com|access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref> Keel went to Europe to make the low-budget film ''[[Armored Command]]'' (1961). In England, he starred in ''[[The Day of the Triffids (film)|The Day of the Triffids]]'' (1962) and reprised his lead role in BBC 2's ''[[Kiss Me Kate]]'', a black and white television production broadcast on 21 April 1964. 

As America's taste in entertainment changed, finding jobs became more difficult for Keel. The 1960s held limited prospects for career advancement and consisted primarily of nightclub work, B-Westerns and summer stock. He did ''Carousel'' in 1962 and 1966. He replaced [[Richard Kiley]] on Broadway in ''[[No Strings]]'' (1962). Keel starred in Westerns for [[A. C. Lyles]]: ''[[Waco (1966 film)|Waco]]'' (1966), ''[[Red Tomahawk]]'' (1966) and ''[[Arizona Bushwhackers]]'' (1968). He had a supporting part in the [[John Wayne]] movie ''[[The War Wagon]]'' (1967).

In early 1970, Keel met Judy Magamoll, who was 25 years younger than he and who knew nothing about his stardom. Years later, Keel called the relationship love at first sight, but the age difference bothered him tremendously. For Magamoll, however, it was not a problem, and with the aid of [[Robert Frost]]'s poem "What Fifty Said", she convinced him to proceed with their relationship. He resumed his routine of nightclub, [[cabaret]] and summer stock.

From 1971 to 1972, Keel appeared briefly in the West End and Broadway productions of the musical ''[[Ambassador (musical)|Ambassador]],'' which flopped. In 1974, Keel became a father for the fourth time with the birth of his daughter Leslie Grace. In January 1986, he underwent double [[heart bypass]] surgery.

===''Dallas''===
Keel continued to tour with his wife and daughter in tow, but by 1980 had decided to make his life change. He moved his family to Oklahoma with the intention of joining an oil company. The family had barely settled down when Keel was called to California to appear with [[Jane Powell]] on an episode of ''[[The Love Boat]]''. While there, he was told that the producers of the television series ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' wanted to speak with him.

In 1981, after several guest appearances, Keel joined the show permanently as the dignified but hot-tempered oil baron [[Clayton Farlow]].<ref name="Larkin"/> Starting with an appearance on the fourth season, the character had been meant as a semi-replacement patriarch for the series' [[Jock Ewing]] played by [[Jim Davis (actor)|Jim Davis]], who had died. However, Clayton was such a hit among viewers that he was made a series regular and stayed until its end in 1991. Not only did ''Dallas'' revive his acting career, it revived his recording endeavors.<ref name="Larkin"/>

===Recording career===
With renewed fame, Keel commenced his first solo recording career, at age 64, as well as a successful concert career in the UK. He released the album ''With Love'' in 1984, which sold poorly. However, his album ''And I Love You So'' reached #6 in the [[UK Albums Chart]]<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 297}}</ref> and #37 in Australia in 1984.<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=164}}</ref> The follow-up album, ''Reminiscing – The Howard Keel Collection'' peaked at #20 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 12 weeks in this listing in 1985 and 1986.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> The album also peaked at #83 in Australia.<ref name=aus/> In 1988, the album ''Just for You'' reached #51 in the UK Albums Chart.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> 

In 1994, Keel and Magamoll moved to Palm Desert, California. The Keels were active in community charity events, and attended the annual Howard Keel Golf Classic at Mere Golf Club in Cheshire, England, which raised money for the [[National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children]] (NSPCC). Keel attended the event for many years until 2004.