Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07

Subject: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 08:19 PM

If ever he would leave us:

From AP:


Robert Goulet, the handsome, big-voiced baritone whose Broadway debut in "Camelot" launched an award-winning stage and recording career, has died. He was 73.



The singer died Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles hospital while awaiting a lung transplant, said Goulet spokesman Norm Johnson.

He had been awaiting a lung transplant at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after being found last month to have a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis.

Goulet had remained in good spirits even as he waited for the transplant, said Vera Goulet, his wife of 25 years.

"Just watch my vocal cords," she said he told doctors before they inserted a breathing tube.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Ebbie
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 08:25 PM

Oh, I'm sad to hear this.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Janie
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 09:28 PM

Me too, Ebbie. He was often on the variety shows of my girlhood, and my sisters and I always watched and sighed. We thought him absolutely dreamy. (And I think Mom did to:^)

I was surprised he was only 73.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 10:01 PM

A Great Artist...

Rest in Peace...

bob

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 10:22 PM

The first Goulet recording that comes to mind is "If Ever I Would Leave You." When I think of that song, it's his voice I hear in my mind. And it's a song I've always loved.
May he rest in peace.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 10:46 PM

Born in the USA but a Canadian by birthright as well. His musical material wasn't to my taste but I was fascinated by his vocal ability.
R.I.P.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: M.Ted
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 10:57 PM

I've been a fan of his for as long as I can remember. He had a rare and wonderful voice--very natural, and bright. There have been relatively few Baritones to perform on Broadway--and those have tended toward a stilted or affected "character" voice of one kind or another. He was the only one who was able to cut it as a recording artist, as well.

A couple years back, my wife(who is a bigger fan than I am) and I stood outside the stage door of Marquis Theatre in New York, waiting to get an autograph after "La Cage aux Folles"--we'd waited a long time, it was cold, and all the others had given up--we were about to leave, when the door opened, and he and his wife came out. He chatted with us for quite a while, since "The Happy Time" was one of my wife's favorite shows. He signed the Playbill "Bob", and said, "I don't use "Bob" for just anybody" and gave my wife a big kiss on the lips!

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: LeTenebreux
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 11:09 PM

I saw him live once, in the Fantasticks. He was an excellent singer.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Mickey191
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 11:16 PM

Nice memory, Ted. I saw him in his debut on Broadway in "Camelot." The cast included: Richard Burton, Roddy McDowell, Sally Ann Howes, (Julie Andrews had the flu) and Arthur Treacher.

When it was over, as we exited the theatre, everyone was raving abot Goulet's looks & his beautiful voice! He stole the show from Burton.

He was married formerly to Carol Lawrence. She was the original Maria in "West Side Story." That was THE best musical I've ever seen. Larry Kert was Tony.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: catspaw49
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 12:25 AM

While I was never a fan of the material, his talent was stellar Tedd put it very well. There have been few like him and I doubt that many more will come along.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 12:30 AM

What Janie said. He was handsome and talented and had a great voice. I loved him in the few movie musicals I saw him in. What sad news.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 12:46 AM

You know, come to think of it, he may have played Arthur when I saw Camelot in Los Angeles about 1975 or 1976. Is that possible?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 01:10 AM

Yes, I think he moved into that role later.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Severn
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 09:08 AM

That Canadian, Robert Ghoul, eh?

What kind of Ghoul doesn't make it the extra day into Halloween?

But I loved him singing "Jingle Bells, Batman smells" in his tux to the kids in Bart Simpson's tree house.

A great entertainer! The US has its own Camel Lot with a huge touring cast to worry about these days, but he will be missed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: JJ
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 09:23 AM

It was always easy to mock Robert Goulet — the man himself extended his career quite a few years by mocking himself first — but I saw his Tony-award winning performance in THE HAPPY TIME at its very first Broadway preview, and I'm here to tell you that he was GREAT.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 10:04 AM

Hey, making it onto The Simpsons is not mockery, that's for sure! They don't invite just anyone to be guests, and you have to be able to poke good natured fun at yourself once you're there. This is probably today's equivalent of guest starring on The Muppets.

(Who knows, maybe he did that also!)

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: MMario
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 10:05 AM

He did. Miss Piggy tried to use him to make Kermit jealous (of course) - If I recall - they did a duet of "What do the simple folk do?"

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 10:32 AM

I had a sneaking feeling he had been there. He would definitely be Miss Piggy's "type."

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Cool Beans
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 10:52 AM

Over the past few years I saw (and reviewed) Goulet when he toured in "Man of La Mancha" and as Arthur in "Camelot." He was consistently good.
After the first review I made it onto his Christmas card list (I don't flatter myself, I believe it was a huge list). His annual card, which feature two different, and annually new, photos of Goulet and his wife in formal attire, was always a great conversation piece in our house. When our daughters went off to college they fought over the Goulet Christmas card, so they had take turns. I think his being on "The Simpsons" had something to do with it, and they loved his commercial for some snack food product. They always knew whose year it was to receive the card.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: fat B****rd
Date: 31 Oct 07 - 11:46 AM

Wasn't he in the Bil Murray film "Scrooged" spoofing A Cajun Christmas ?. Obviously a man who could laugh at himself. RIP Mr. G.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Nov 07 - 12:29 AM

I think he might have been a regular contestant on the old game show "Password." Allen Ludden didn't book dummies on that show. I think he was usually pretty funny in those kinds of settings (I don't think Password was scripted like some of the other programs, such as Hollywood Squares).

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 01 Nov 07 - 01:35 AM

I hate to admit this - I know it reflects badly on me - but the thing I remember about Goulet was his flubbing the National Anthem before the Liston-Clay fight in 1965. Well, I guess I was at an impressionable age....

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Ron Davies
Date: 02 Nov 07 - 01:39 AM

He was spoofing himself from quite a while back--in addition to having a great voice. "C'est Moi" from "Camelot" is a perfect case in point--"C'est moi, c'est moi, I'm forced to admit/ I'm far too noble to lie/ That man in whom these qualities bloom/ C'est moi, c'est moi/ 'Tis I..."

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: JJ
Date: 02 Nov 07 - 09:23 AM

Well, Ron, that's true, but at that point he wasn't yet *Robert Goulet*.

He was just some young baritone from Canada (although born in the US) playing a character who's a humorless dolt -- and the greatest knight in Christiandom.

I won't deny that it probably gave him some ideas he acted on in future...

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: bankley
Date: 02 Nov 07 - 10:39 AM

I read somewhere that when Elvis shot out the TV in Graceland, Goulet was singing on it at the time....

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 02 Nov 07 - 12:18 PM

Goulet appeared in San Diego in a traveling version of "Camelot" a couple of years ago. He played King Arthur in this version. Maybe it was his way of coming full circle. He dazzled Broadway audiences with a voice made for the stage. I think he came across as "over-the-top" at times. That he was willing to spoof his own image in later life speaks well of him, I think. The older I get, the more I realize that he died too young.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Becca72
Date: 02 Nov 07 - 12:46 PM

While not a fan of his music I do love his commercial (and I can honestly say I don't remember what it's for) - something along the lines of "around 3pm when you're getting sleepy Robert Goulet comes around and messes with your stuff" showing him in some big office setting "messing with people's stuff".
And Will Farrell does a great impression of him.

RIP Mr Goulet

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Ron Davies
Date: 02 Nov 07 - 12:57 PM

"...humorless dolt"---ah, but as usual in that kind of situation, the fact that he played it straight gave it that much more humor. Just as Sir Joseph Porter, KCB, is best played deadpan.

And what an amazing original cast for "Camelot". Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, Goulet, Roddy McDowell... I think it's a vastly underrated musical--usually used these days as shorthand for the Kennedy administration. There was a lot more to it.

Of course, in general, Lerner and Loewe put out high quality product.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: John Hardly
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 05:29 AM

Apparently he was wrong about Autumn.

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: Stringsinger
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 07:06 PM

the man could really sing! An interesting note: he advocated that you didn't have to sing loud to be heard. It's better to sing softer than you think you have to so that people can actually hear the words of a song.

Saw him in Camelot on Broadway and he was superb.

"If ever I should leave you....."   unforgettable.

Frank

Subject: RE: Obit: Robert Goulet 11/26/33 - 10/30/07
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 07:31 PM

My brother and I called him Robert Gullet. Not a fan of his music but I did enjoy his humor.
M