John Emmet Raitt (January , â€" February , ) was an American actor
and singer best known for his performances in musical theatre.Raitt
was born in Santa Ana, California. He got his start in theatre as a
high school student at Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton,
California. While there, he played in several drama productions in
Plummer Auditorium. Raitt sang in the chorus of The Desert Song. (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. In , Raitt won
the "football throw" at the California State High School Track and
Field Championship; his mark of feet remains the state record in that
short-lived event. He was named "Athlete of the Meet" after that
accomplishment. He graduated from the University of Redlands in .
After graduating, he was initially inclined toward a classical concert
career as a lyric baritone, using as his model Thomas L. Thomas, the
elegant Welsh baritone. But after a consultation with Romano Romani,
the composer, conductor, and coach who had shaped the career of
soprano Rosa 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 he
became a Quaker and a conscientious objectorHe is best known for his
stage roles in the musicals Carousel, Oklahoma!, The Pajama Game,
Carnival in Flanders, Three Wishes for Jamie, and A Joyful Noise, in
which 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 movie version of The Pajama Game opposite Doris
Day.On television, he was seen many times on the Bell Telephone Hour.
A clip of a television performance of Raitt singing the final section
of the song "Soliloquy" from Carousel is included in the documentary
film Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There. In ,
also for television, he and Mary Martin re-created their starring
roles in the national touring version of Annie Get Your Gun. On
September , , he joined Jackie Gleason and Phil Foster in an
appearance on the CBS panel discussion This Is Show Business. On
January , , he appeared in the last season of NBC's The Ford Show,
Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.
and singer best known for his performances in musical theatre.Raitt
was born in Santa Ana, California. He got his start in theatre as a
high school student at Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton,
California. While there, he played in several drama productions in
Plummer Auditorium. Raitt sang in the chorus of The Desert Song. (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. In , Raitt won
the "football throw" at the California State High School Track and
Field Championship; his mark of feet remains the state record in that
short-lived event. He was named "Athlete of the Meet" after that
accomplishment. He graduated from the University of Redlands in .
After graduating, he was initially inclined toward a classical concert
career as a lyric baritone, using as his model Thomas L. Thomas, the
elegant Welsh baritone. But after a consultation with Romano Romani,
the composer, conductor, and coach who had shaped the career of
soprano Rosa 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 he
became a Quaker and a conscientious objectorHe is best known for his
stage roles in the musicals Carousel, Oklahoma!, The Pajama Game,
Carnival in Flanders, Three Wishes for Jamie, and A Joyful Noise, in
which 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 movie version of The Pajama Game opposite Doris
Day.On television, he was seen many times on the Bell Telephone Hour.
A clip of a television performance of Raitt singing the final section
of the song "Soliloquy" from Carousel is included in the documentary
film Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There. In ,
also for television, he and Mary Martin re-created their starring
roles in the national touring version of Annie Get Your Gun. On
September , , he joined Jackie Gleason and Phil Foster in an
appearance on the CBS panel discussion This Is Show Business. On
January , , he appeared in the last season of NBC's The Ford Show,
Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.