My editor’s Funfare piece last Nov. 1, featured excerpts from Larry King’s book Remember Me When I’m Gone (The Rich and Famous Write Their Own Epitaphs and Obituaries). One of the celebrities King interviewed and who was mentioned in the column was Broadway star Robert Goulet.
He said, “I will be remembered by my family and friends. There will be sadness and some tears, but shared memories will evoke much laughter and that will make me happy. They should discern a chortle from my urn. My epitaph shall read: He left them smiling.”
A few minutes after reading that, I saw the news and there it was. Goulet has died. He was 73 and died at the Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles while waiting for a lung transplant last Oct. 30. He had earlier been diagnosed to be suffering from a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis. True to his epitaph, he did leave them smiling and even kidded doctors about watching his vocal cords before they inserted a breathing tube.
The tall and handsome Goulet became the hot discovery of Broadway in 1960 when he appeared as Sir Launcelot in the musical Camelot by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe. It was the break of a lifetime for a newcomer because the show starred Richard Burton in his first musical as King Arthur and marked the return of Julie Andrews as Queen Guenevere to Broadway after the phenomenal My Fair Lady.
Camelot is one of the great classic shows and the original soundtrack is simply superb. Goulet’s highlights were Cest Moi and the love song If Ever I Would Leave You. Franco Nero played the part in the movie version but he, or whoever did the singing for him didn’t have the vocal chops with which Goulet performed Launcelot.
The success of Camelot launched Goulet to stardom. He recorded hits like I Wish You Love and won the Grammy for My Love Forgive Me. He appeared in films like I’d Rather Be Rich where he was the good guy rival of the rakish Andy Williams for rich girl Sandra Dee and was in Louis Malle’s acclaimed Atlantic City. His return to Broadway got him a Tony Award for Happy Time and more acclaim as one of the gay couple in La Cage aux Folles. In his later years, he did comedy with Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun 2 and starred in the Broadway revival of Camelot as King Arthur.
I do not know if there is any truth to the story but pop music lore has this tale about Elvis Presley’s reaction on hearing Goulet perform a song in a TV show. The King of Rock ’n Roll reportedly listened a bit to Goulet’s trained baritone, exclaimed “You call that singing!” and thrashed the TV set.
Christmas gift suggestions
With Christmas Day now only 39 days away and gift shopping nearing its frenetic pace, I have here a suggestion for the fortysomething music lovers on your list. The album is Best 100 Music of the Eighties and as the title says, it features 100 of the most popular tunes from the era. The six-CD set covers the entire decade and crosses all types of music. So you get pop, dance, disco, punk, New Wave and even occasional ballads.
Remember What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner; I’ll Always Love You by Michael Johnson; Always Something There to Remind Me by Naked Eyes; Please Don’t Fall in Love by Cliff Richard; Hands to Heaven by Breathe; Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin; Gold by Spandau Ballet; Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair) by Sheena Easton; Karma Chameleon by Culture Club and many others. The best thing about the collection is that it only costs P500 which is almost what you usually pay for a new album by a major foreign artist.
If you want more of the same, you might want to check out Best Love 100. You also get 100 original recordings for the same price, but the set features great love songs from the ’60s Sealed with a Kiss by The Lettermen to the more recent Love Moves in Mysterious Ways by Julia Fordham. I’m sure you have loved ones on your list who would love a copy of Love of My Life by Queen; Too Much Love Will Kill You by Brian May; Rush Rush by Paula Abdul; Almost Over You by Sheena Easton; Somebody by Depeche Mode; After the Love Has Gone by Damage and many others.