Alfred Drake

One of Broadway's most venerable, respected musical leading men, Alfred Drake created the male leads in "Oklahoma!" (1943), "Kiss Me Kate" (1949) and "Kismet" (1953). Sadly, he re-created none of these roles on screen. Very much a man of his beloved live theater, he never did go to Hollywood, except for the starring role in "Tars and Spars" (1946) for Columbia Pictures, a post-war comedy, and for a small role as the President of the Exchange in 1983's "Trading Places" (the one who says to Don Ameche "Mortimer, your brother's not well"). The 1964 production of "Hamlet" in which he played Claudius was filmed live in a Broadway theatre, was made in a new process of the time, (Electronovision) and distributed in movie theaters in the 60s and early 70s. It is available on DVD. And so, apart from those films mentioned, as well as TV appearances both in starring roles and as a guest star in episodic series, his name and art can only live on in the memories of those who saw him work his particular brand of magic on stage during the golden years of the Broadway musical, his performances on Broadway cast albums giving only a partial idea of just how potent that magic was.