George Rose won Best Actor in 1976?

[Jay94]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 1:58am

For playing Alfred Doolittle???

Was there some confusion over what a lead role was that year, particularly since Donna McKechnie won as well.

For anyone who saw his performance, was it anything special. Did they somehow make it a lead?

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 2:13am

George Rose was listed above the title, so he was eligible for Leading Actor without petitioning. I would also assume that they didn't want to put anyone up against Sammy Williams. I wasn't around back then, but I would imagine his Doolittle was hilarious!

[AADA81]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 2:36am

George Rose was a popular figure in New York theater back then (he won again in 1986 for "The Mystery of Edwin Drood") but I do seem to recall that there was some surprise at his win in the press simply because Doolittle had always been considered a featured role.

That was the year of "A Chorus Line", which had no lead actor in contention, and the original "Chicago", where I seem to recall Jerry Orbach was considered to be a front runner for the award that Rose ultimately won.

Rose's win is another example of where production billing dictated the category rather than the size of the role (Tom Bosley in "Fiorello!" and Tammy Grimes in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" both earned featured awards for playing the title role because they were billed below the title - makes no sense).

[Leadingplayer]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 3:08am

as McKecnie petitioned "up" for lead actress? I kind of remember reading the committee just did it on their own...true?

[goldenboy]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 3:20am

George Rose was delightful in just about anything he was in back then.

Too bad he was murdered in his vacation home in the Domincan Republic. He had a four year relationship with a boy who he adopted and supported and was going to leave his estate too as he had no heirs.. The boy, his father and some thugs murdered Rose after four years with the boy.

George Rose was a comic genius.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 3:30am

Wow, I had not heard that story! How tragic. I wish I'd been around to see him perform live. I thought he was brilliant in the Pirates movie and he's charming on the Drood recording.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 7:29am

I was in my early teens whan I saw him perform in "My Fair Lady" but I can still remember his performance perfectly. He was brilliant in the role, and any other actor I've seen in the part, including Stanley Holloway in the film, have paled in comparison. Despite how beautiful Christine Andreas was playing Eliza, he stole the show. Despite how little time he was on the stage, when he was on , he was electrifying. He deserved the "Best Actor" award.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 7:52am

George Rose was a consummate actor who I was lucky to see in three productions: The afore mentioned MY FAIR LADY, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, and WALKING HAPPY, the latter a flop which still glowed when George Rose was on stage. He was just terrific in everything he did. His sad death was tragic.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 8:07am

He was that good.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 8:15am

George Rose lit up a stage.

He added sheen even to inferior material.

I particularly recall his stellar work in a very poor Simon Gray play, Wise Child.

I agree that Doolittle should have been considered a supporting role, but Rose was great in it.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 9:19am

If you want to see more George Rose, you can also purchase the video of Shakespeare in the Park's "Pirates of Penzance". This is a recording of the live production that played at the Delacorte. It's also great to have for Patricia "Hyacinth Bucket" Routledge's performance of Ruth.

Regarding Donna McKechnie as lead, ACL is an ensemble show and they wanted as many nominations as they could get. They aruged that having a solo spot "Music & the Mirror" allowed her to be considered more than Featured. It has also been said by other cast members that Donna was being paid more than the others.
Link

[Huss417]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 9:22am

I'm attaching a link to a two page article from the New York Times. I know at the time the boy he "adopted" at 14 was part of the murder. And he was jealous of another 14 year old boy that was now living in the house.

Part of the article is listed below.

"The father then said he and the other men took Mr. Rose into a field and 'gave him blows to the back of the head.' After that, he said, they put him in the car and pushed it into a ravine. The father said he had been angry at Mr. Rose because the actor had 'deceived his son at the age of 14 to satisfy his sexual desires.'

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/13/world/dominican-police-say-4-men-killed-george-rose.html?src=pm

[castlestreet]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 9:35am

I was just reading about this last night in Ed Dixon's book- I had no idea that George Rose's life ended in this manner- very sad.

[Huss417]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 9:57am

It is very sad if the accusations against Rose are true. Both boys were 14 years old. I'm not saying what happened to Rose is just but it does throw a different light on things.

[Bialyhoos22]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 11:57am

George Rose was a remarkable character actor - a true "lion of the theatre" and tragically, one of the last of his kind. Having grown up in England, he began his career at the Old Vic, appearing in 'Peer Gynt'. By the early 1950s he had begun making a name for himself for playing (and arguably reinventing) the way Shakespearean clowns were played. Brooks Atkinson wrote of his turn in Gielgud's 'Much Ado': “Mr Rose’s Dogberry makes it unnecessary for anyone to play the part again...”’

He was a rarified talent in that he was able to to combine his command of classical text and traditional music hall showmanship into one. I believe this is why his turns in My Fair Lady, Pirates and certainly DROOD were particularly legendary -- they combined all the things he did well as a younger actor in Britain with the 'edge' he acquired from his work in American musicals. There was an authenticity he brought to those parts that was unrivalled.

There has been much misinformation and conjecture about his tragic end - but I'd suggest anyone curious check out this extensive article that attempts to outline the facts of the case and debunk some of the sensationalism surrounding it:

http://www.alixkirsta.com/articles/georgerose/index.htm

[Huss417]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 1:30pm

Thanks for posting that Bialyhoos22

I still find it disturbing he met this boy when he was 14 and some say he was a father figure but then in the article this is mentioned. The second paragraph.

"Others, like Cleo Lane, sensed a down side. In her Upper West Side penthouse she recalls that Rose’s frustration began when they costarred in Drood. “He was angry and upset that the US authorities wouldn’t issue Juan with a permit so he could bring him over. The boy was 17 spending all his time with his girl­friend. George wasn’t jealous, nothing like that. He was like any anxious parent when they’ve invested a lot in their kid’s future. He hoped the boy would go far if he applied himself.”

"Although she speculates that it could have begun with sexual attraction, she saw it ended very much as a non sexual relationship. “George was a very ‘cool’ gay, so you couldn’t be sure, but he was acting like any doting, worried parent.”

So to me she is not denying much. And never is it ok for a man of George Rose's age to have a sexual attraction to a 14 yr old.

We will never know the whole story .

Updated On: 5/15/12 at 01:30 PM

[Bialyhoos22]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 3:10pm

Huss417 - I completely agree that if indeed the attraction started as something sexual, there is no excuse in the world for such behaviour. Unfortunately, we will never know for sure the true nature of the relationship.

His questionable personal life aside, there's no denying Rose's immeasurable talents and how he inspired many (including Ed Dixon). That said, it is hard to reconcile his remarkable gifts and his generosity on the stage with the sordid, disturbing details of his personal life. It is telling that everyone who knew George truly admired and loved the man, but one has to wonder how much of his private life they saw/knew of. My guess is very little. My respect for the man stems entirely from the calibre of his acting work.

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 3:34pm

I was always curious what this performance must have been like. For a very featured role in a revival to win Best Actor. I alway assumed he must have just given a very very special performance that made the role seem bigger.

[Huss417]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 3:38pm

@Bialyhoos22

I agree with you I loved him in Pirates of Penzance and The Mystery of Edwin Drood but those images have become tarnished for me.

But like we have both said we will never know the truth or the whole story.

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 4:21pm

ugh the murder of George Rose is one of the most unsettling. just so awful.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 4:31pm

His Captain Hook in Sandy Duncan's PETER PAN was a marvel of Restoration comedy.

[Huss417]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 5:10pm

I saw the 1979 production. I forgot he was in that.

Oh and Happy Anniversary Dolly. :)