Just another one of those "classics" from one of those old Broadway chestnuts.
Paul Robeson was the man originally selected to play Joe in Show Boat and sing "O' Man River." This man just had an amazing life. The third African American to receive a scholarship to Rutgers in the 20s, he was class Valedictorian and an All-Pro college football player. He then got a law degree from Columbia, but found law too racist. He had a short career in the National Football League (it was around then in the 30s, but no one paid much attention to it). He received great acclaim as an actor. He wasn't available for the opening run of Show Boat, but played the role in the London premiere to great acclaim and also in the 1936 film.
After Show Boat, he became an international film star and an early leader of the Civil Rights movement who was blacklisted during the McCarthy 50s for his pro-Soviet leanings and had his travel rights restricted. But he really isn't remembered much any more.
Well, he is remembered some since his Youtube "Ol' Man River" has 3.4 million views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh9WayN7R-s
I actually prefer the second stringer, William Warfield, who played Joe in the 1951 MGM extravaganza and in a 1966 Lincoln Center limited run with Barbara Cook that produced a highly praised and still available recording.
I think that I prefer his version, which only has 1.1 million views, because Warfield spills more of his guts into the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSzYRo9j7YM
Ah, MGM
No royal curse, no Trojan horse,
And a happy ending, of course!
If MGM had produced a musical version of Hamlet, could they have given it a happy ending?
Great Chorus Line. That was new to me. Marvin Hamlisch has a day in the sun.
Updated On: 5/21/16 at 12:16 AM
