Carousel - 1956 - Soliloquy
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- Опубликовано: 3 янв 2009
- This is one of Gordon MacRae's finest moments of all time. This shows, truly, what a fantastic voice he had, and is such a tragedy that he coincidently died of mouth cancer.
This is the part where Billy has just found out that Julie is pregnant with his baby and he's prepared to take on life threatening descisions that changed his life for ever.
Buy me a coffee as a thank you:
ko-fi.com/anyavibeke
xoxo
This belongs to Fox and Rodgers & Hammerstein.
All right's reserved. 
Развлечения
I agree with everyone who adores Mr MacRae's voice. I think that, largely because of his voice, this is, for me, the finest 8 minutes in any R&H musical. He was amazing as Curley in Oklahoma!. The contrast between his Curley, the quintessential honest American pioneer, and Billy Bigelow, the absolute definitive depiction of a flawed man who cannot find his place in the American dream, is amazing. His work ranks high atop the greatest musical performances of the 20th Century
Tears are pouring down my cheeks...no matter how many times I watch Gordon sing this song, it moves me so emotionally...beautiful in every way. Such a tragedy that he passed away so young, like one of my other favorite singers, Billy Fury from the UK. Bless you both.
Gordon Macrae was a handsome man with a great voice.
His movies are a treasure to watch.
Oh this song gives me all the feels. I fell in love with this man when I was about 10years old watching carousel and Oklahoma with mum. Still my favourite movie and song of all time.
Unbelievable. What a voice! Absolutely amazing. The drama, the contrast between "my Boy Bill" and "My Little Girl" is superb.
The greatest!! You can have fun with a son, but you have to be a father to a girl....what a lovely song.....so many emotions....such a difficult song....😍❤❤
No other song in the American musical repertoire captures the fear, the hope and the determination of Billy Bigelow's soliloquy. This show was R&H's masterwork.
He had such an amazing voice! WOW! I remember as a kid thinking anyone could sing like that. Later I found out how wrong I was. What a talent...
I heard him sing this live in the 70's in a concert, still had that voice!!!
His transition to another understanding is one of the most beautiful in all media.
Gordon MacRae had such physical presence as Billy, with his big chest. It's amazing what he did with this scene. And it's one of the longest musical scenes ever written for 1 character, by themselves. It's an incredible piece of acting by MacRae. Wow, what a voice... and an excellent actor, IMO...
What a commensurate actor and vocalist!! ‘Carousel’ is a great play/movie. Rogers was a marvelous composer. 🥰👍
The good ole days. Lovely songs that meant something
my dad used to show me this when i was little i am now 21 and love this song what a gorgeous voice and a lovely song. Reminds me of my dad and brings a tear to my eye x
my goodness, this is beautiful.
Beautiful song and singer; brings tears to my eyes that this perfect man died too young.
What a voice!
Damn that boy can sang!
Truth
Lovely movie great actor from both who played julie and Billy xxxx
Gordon Macrae .💙
truly an amazing voice. thanks for sharing
When he starts talking about 'my little girl' is so cute!
I know, it's so beautiful and touching. This scene is wonderful, he's so excited about being a father and when he considers having a daughter, he wants to do right by her, provide for her and protect her. I think it's how most dads feel about their daughters.
The lucky ones, anyway. I hit the jackpot in the dad category. Mine was and is wonderful!
One of the greatest pieces of Americana ever recorded: what it meant to be an American man. No other version is ever necessary.
Richard Koenigsberg BLACK LIVES MATTER!!
Thanks so much i love this part of the film - wonderful singer xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
My daughter was born February 25th 2016. This is her song now! Well the "My little girl," part. ;) I sing it to her all the time now.
That's my birthday too, congradations.
Thank you!
i would like to buy a copy of soliloquy from yur daugter i can mail you the check thanks.
My son was born 1 week ago.
Incredibly brilliant music. Incredibly brilliant voice. Incredibly brilliant actor.
One of my favorite movies and definitely a favorite number. It's profound, actually, and Gordon MacRae is the only one to do it justice.
Vicki Lawshe saw Alfie boe in London. Not as good but was close
John Raitt, who originated it, did it the best. MacRae did well tho.
Anthony Warlow
Errrrmmm watch Julian Ovenden's version 😂
13 90 u playin ya self; know it’s been a year since u made this comment but imma politely disagree; Joshua litty
My mother flogged this when I was a kid in the 50's and 60's and I have heard it so many times. Love Frank but I think Gordon is perfect for this part and the soliloquy with the beach, his expression, acting and singing combined together to me is perfection.
Rhyming "lorgnette" and "born yet" is genius!
Life changing, love the minor key when the realisation that the unborn child may be a girl and how he accepts this so unconditionally. My Mother bought this record in 45 format and i play it now and then. Never forget whereryou came from. Cracking stuff.
A lifein a song.
this performance is a masterpiece
i was shattered. amazing
R&H at their finest, performed by Gordon of course.
I listen to this wonderful song all the time and enjoy it so much each time,. I've loved Gordon all my life - not only his voice but he was the best looking guy I ever saw - to this day. I'm so happy you posted this terrific and emotional song - it was Gordon's song and he sang it the best.
"he was the best looking guy I ever saw"
this is my youth stupid but ... I didn't know he wasn't my dad until I was five. (but then, I also thought mcrae was same person as rock hudson. I was an odd - and not very discerning - child.)
Gordon MacRae was the BEST. I have heard Sinatra's version. Gordon is the man!
Sinatra's recording on his Concert Lp with a superb arrangement was many years later when you could use stronger language. It is an epic interpretation and my favourite but his and MacRae were both outstanding in their own right.
Yes! From Paris France. Emmanuel
What a voice. true talent.
Ahhhhh, Carousel, or 'Domestic Violence: The Musical' as it is known in the trade. A SUPER flawed piece of theatre, but by jingo MacRae can sing. I wish this kind of powerful baritone was still popular. He and Howard Keel are my favourites.
Ah, shut up before I smack ya...
Snowflake City
Finally! I can't believe I got this far down in the comments before someone said it.
I am an undiluted Sinatra nut but Macrae nailed this. Absolutely marvellous.
SINATRA has a good voice, but believe me : he is ugly compared to that Mc RAE who has a VERY pretty face in comparison. I am a girl, so : I know BETTER than you ...
@@zoebidule3397
Call for the men in white coats...
@@SuperFerdie1965 Well : for some women (even if they never say it) it is difficult to be along UGLY men, you know. But maybe the idiot who was with Sinatra was really TASTELESS. However : all the best to you.... hi, hi !
I played this role when I was 21.. some 22 years ago now :)
You're not the only one. My all time favourite is Carousel and Gordon MacRae, then The Phantom.
"Some Enchanted Evening" is my favorite song in any musical but this is my favorite dramatic moment. McRae is wonderful and his own failings in real life make this particularly poignant. He was kind of a "Billy Bigelow" himself.
best musical ever
How is this song so easy for him?! This is an IMPOSSIBLY hard song to sing (Good luck finding time to breathe in that last big verse), but he makes it look SO easy!
Frank Sinatra did this incredibly hard song on a couple of recordings, but I think he actually did a better job than even MacRae.
@@meckel1271 No Macrae's was better. Sinatra could swing better but Gordan had the bettter instrument. Frank didn't have anything like the depth, power, or top G like Gordan demonstrates here.
@@thf3038This song at least to me is less about the depth of voice that sings it (although I have to admit this version is excellent for that) but the emotional depth. There's a rare recording of this song by Sinatra in 1955 that I much prefer over his more commonly known 1963 version: he was originally chosen to play this part. He knows exactly how long to hold on to his notes and how to sing them perhaps more than any other singer and you can just hear it in that version, it's exceptional.
@@serinded8677 Castablity wise Macrae was better suited to the role and was a better actor and singer.
Perfection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love this film
@summergirl5678 You can hear more of his voice in the last 2 notes...this is where the recording fell back into the correct key a half step lower than we'd been listening to the whole time. I've heard that can happen in recordings at times - something to do with syncing the video up to the audio which has to be slightly sped up for some reason. Anyway, I'd really like to hear the whole thing at the lower pitch level - I bet we'd hear more of the true richness and color of his voice.
Of course the song is being lip-synched to playback. It’s also very possible because of the difficulty it is for a baritone that he didn’t record this all in one shot.
He is no slouch!
once again one those magic moments
I'm a lifelong fan of Sinatra but on this occasion I have to agree with Shirley Jones recently who said Frank would have been good, but he couldn't sing it like Gordon. If you search Shirley Jones on RUclips there's a video interview with her.
Wonderful voice.
I had a crush on him when I was younger.
Saw Opera North's Carousel in Leeds last night and loved it! This is my new favourite musical!!
if only people still sang like this today!
He deserves this reprise! He was quite good.
Should add...this is not an easy piece of music to sing! (let alone walk on rocks singing!) ...MacRae at his best!!
My Dad played this role on the Longwood Gardens stage in the 1960's...anyone old enough to remember?
@summergirl5678 I am also an opera singer and always loved Mr. MacRae in Carousel and Oklahoma. I watched both with my parents when I was young and learned a lot because I have a very similar voice type and range.
I completely agree with you but wouldn't Gordon have been perfect as the Phantom of The Opera?
That part sits too high for his voice
The underrated Gordon MacRae is simply superb as the deeply flawed Billy Bigelow who would like to be a better man but doesn’t know how to be. This is easily one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s best scores and the entire cast are perfect for their roles. Gordon MacRae stepped in at the last minute for Frank Sinatra. The film was too downbeat to be as popular as many other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals but it is often deeply moving
Can you imagine what he would do with the role of Erik on Phantom of the Opera?? The Final Lair "Christine I love you" part would've been too much for audience members. Show stoppage for too much sobbing.
Watching this brings back memories! I'm 20 years old and have watched this movie so many times! It's one of my favorites. However, the choreography in some of the songs are a little cheesy, but then back then, it wasn't considered cheesy.
I love the change in tempo when he realises he may be a she! Simply beautiful.
Actually, he is ending it on a "G" which is the correct and original key. This song is usually sung by a bari-tenor. It's nice to hear a real baritone sing it. in this case...although this recording is a bit distorted.
There are still quite a few operatic baritones who are excellent in diction; Sir Thomas Allen, for example, is noted for his diction and command of words (coincidentally he also sang this song recently on one of his CDs).
But I agree entirely, McRae's diction is fantastic.
I really like Joshua Henry's soliloquy as well. I absolutely adore this version as well. I don't think I could choose a favorite rendition
And to think they almost had Frank Sinatra play Billy. Nothing against Frank but no one could have pulled of the song the way Gordon could and did. Gordon was the perfect Billy.
Though Sintra sang this song at least as well.
@@meckel1271 nah Gordan was better
The underrated Gordon McCrae stepped in to replace Frank Sinatra. Billy Bigelow is a deeply flawed man who wants to be a better man but doesn’t know how to be. McCrae was simply superb in the role. This was based on Ferenc Molnar’s play “Lilliom” and transported from Budapest to Maine. The story was too downbeat to be massively popular but it is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s best scores and the entire cast are ideally cast.
Sinatra was amazing, an unmatched artist in many ways, but this belongs to Gordon MacRea, the voice, the feeling, the look. The fact that he is the twin of my own father might have something to do with my opinion😉
Christine Flowers loving yours eyes
I like it that you understand the pain of listening to modern belters. When people like Ramin Karimloo are commonly accepted as the higher-tier performers in the world (when he can't find the center of any note...EVER...), we've got a problem.
I long for the days when you had to be a great singer to get a role like Gordon Macrae and William Warfield constantly earned. Nowadays all you need is a set of vocal chords that won't fall apart before your contract is expired, and then you're all set. HA
my parents suffered through several boys before they got to me. my father used to sing this to me all the time. on the anniversary of my father's death, i cry and love this song.
@nancypo1 Nancy, nice tribute. He is not forgotten, nor are the "incredible" composers of this masterpiece.
Macrae sings beautifully here & he is handsome as Hell too. When I was young, about a hundred years ago,this song was so famous for some reason, a cultural icon, you might say. But in the 1950's cultural values were so straight-laced that he couldn't even sing: "I'll try, BY GOD, I'll try" (as in the show) for fear of offending. It was the best of times and it was certainly the worst of times!
I agree with your sentiments, Perry. I live in SF and before the pandemic, I was hoping (against hope) that the premier retro theater in town, the Castro, would show an original CinemaScope 55 print of this film, but the theme of the picture is too politically incorrect. However, I wished people would look at the story from an historical standoint. The unfortunate thing is that a person like Billy Bigelow was a womanizer and a wife-beater and that was the way men thought in the 19th century. The fact that Billy's character grew and redeemed himself during the course of the story has redeeming value and maybe speaks more for the personal liberal philosophies of both Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, Also, I did read that :Carousel" was the personal favorite of Rodgers.
that's great. But just because someone doesn't sound like Pavrotti or Placedo Domingo doesn't mean they can't sing properly. I've been playing guitar for 45 years. I play rock, jazz, blue AND classical. All are different styles and all have their own beauty. And by the way, I love Gordon MacRae's voice and Carousel is my all time favorite musical, followed closely by Phantom of the Opera...so shoot me. Both are masterpieces of musical theater.
I noticed that too...I thought Gordan would have fallen off his chair...but it probably happend in some sound room...I'm thinking maybe to edit for tv...and they messed up and lost the key by turning a knob or something. (yikes!)
A profound interpretation
haha my music appreciation class watched this my freshman year :)
@kingward100
Exactly! No other can compare.
That was great but what happened with that last note? Sound's like it was taken from somewhere else.
This song is just amazing...makes me proud to be a baritone. (Not a heavy bari like McRae, more of a baritenor, but still.)
Suppose is sounds like I'm making that up...but...it's just true.
Love you lots Dad...
been one year since he went to sing all the leads in heaven.
sinatra version good but gordon mcrae is the best Carousel great musical, great songs,but this is the favourite.
It's kind of funny 'cause this song has been stuck in my head for awhile and the other day in the car we heard it on the broadway channel!
Trying to watch the 2016 New Year's with the NY Phil. & Paulo Szot singing this now - his voice is fabulous, but, something missing, the rhythm - tch - nope, clearly it actually ain't easy to do... I just had to come over here for the sound of perfection.
I agree with you. Ramin is a great performer for rock musicals and pop music fare but he definitely lacks the classical tone in his voice which adds so much to classic musicals. I caught the Barbican Theatre's Carousel in 2012 that had a fully classically trained cast. The notes rang and resonated and blended beautifully with the score. It was pure magic.
Your criticism of Ramin reminds me of Mario Lanza who is classically trained but loves to glide over and under a note but he is amazing.
I wish America was like this today. Agolden time
He ir SUBLIME simply put :-)
Love the lap dissolve at 3:45.
@summergirl5678 ditto to all what you said. He was magnificent.
Alcoholic or not.. He was awesome
@summergirl5678 My father...Jay Hartley Nixon... had this exact same voice and style of delivery...as if they had plucked their talents off of the same shelf...and he played the leads at Longwood Gardens when I was a little girl. Listening to Gordan sing this brings my Dad back to sing for me. Having had three boys first...my Mom said he was in fact amazed when they first had a "little girl"!
My Dad Jay Hartley Nixon sang this part...and had the exact same voice as MacRay...really!..so listening to this makes me feel like he's singing to me again,
Up in heaven though...grab a star for me Dad!
You are right...but as I listen as a singer...I can't help but think that singing this song is pretty darn heavy lifting...I could just imagine wondering...where am I in this? Strong narrative...but so necessary for the story and the charactor espose'.
where can you buy such a man???
Jets fly by at 1:17
was it just me or was the ending distorted? Bummer, cause it is my favorite part!
My boy bill
Talented AND gorgeous -- sorta the David Bowie of his day
Just went to see the Hugh Jackman tour and Hugh sang this song and actually fell in love with this song. Must watch this film! 🥰
At one point, Jackman was negotiating to do a filmed remake of "carousel." I don't know if he still plans on doing it.
@@williamsnyder5616 Apparently that project was considered when he had his own company “Seed”,and Anne Hathaway was going to star alongside him, but now it seems he will probably not do it (although he was great as Curley in the filmed revival of “Oklahoma!”). The NY Philharmonic in 2013 filmed their staged concert which is on dvd, and let’s not forget back in 1967 we had a very imaginative tv version with Robert Goulet. It would be interesting to see if a remake of “Carousel” will ever appear in the future, the saving grace mostly that it would put back in many more of the verses and musical numbers from the original show that were not used in the 1956 film. Ironically, Hugh Jackman seems to fit the carny barker swaggering pitchman personality well, as he was Barnum in “The Greatest Showman” and is about to portray Harold Hill in the upcoming Broadway revival of “The Music Man”.
You can have fun with a son, but you gotta be a father to a girl...
'Gulp'...thanks, Dad.
One of the best of 1950‘s film musicals. How it suffers in comparison to THE SOUND OF MUSIC escapes me since S/M (one of Christopher Plummer‘s ˋaccolades,´) is dangerous for diabetics among others. O.K. some could, I guess. justifiably make such a similar claim for CAROUSEL However the latter has the distinction of being, according to Rodgers himself, their best musical score. It’s too bad that the film version had to cut Billy‘s great number: THE HIGHEST JUDGE OF ALL. Otherwise I have no complaints only unapologetic tears towards the end.
If you check Wikipedia's comments on "Carousel," there was an argument as to whether the film was a success at the box office or not. It was odd that 20th Century-Fox released both "Carousel" and "The King and I" in 1956. "The King and I" was a box office success and was nominated for many Oscars wheareas "Carousel" didn't get any Oscar consideration. This is a shame because I could easily see recognition for Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Barbara Ruick, Claramae Turner as well as the sets and Alfred Newman's Fox orchestra. But some speculate that the downbeat nature of the story cost the film at Oscar time.
Thanks for this upload, R&H's masterpiece. I also shed a tear at this and the ending. Sadly, I fear the younger generation if they somehow manage to find it - blinded as they are now by PC ideology, won't get it.