In the sprightly Ross Hunter film farce I'd Rather Be Rich (1964), Sandra Dee must choose between her real fianc (Andy Williams) and an imposter (Robert Goulet) whom she enlisted to appease her dying grandfather. The dilemma is resolved when she realizes that Goulet's character quite literally makes her toes curl. Indeed, the young '60s singer/actor Goulet regularly knocked off the socks of swooning fans, whether playing the dashing Sir Lancelot in Broadway's Camelot (1960), seductively crooning on the airwaves, or romancing the ladies in such films as Honeymoon Hotel (1964). Nowadays, a more seasoned but still charming Goulet tackles compelling character roles, such as the impossible dreamer Don Quixote in the musical classic Man of La Mancha.
Goulet is currently recreating this plum role, which he previously played in 1996, in a new production that continues through Aug. 1 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. (Additional bookings-in Escondido, San Jos , and Glendale-have been scrapped, which Pacific Coast Theatre Group said is due to logistical difficulties.) On a recent Friday morning, a slightly waterlogged Goulet graciously kept his appointment to speak to Back Stage West by phone from his Las Vegas home, despite a freakish series of July rainstorms that were ravaging the city.
"Las Vegas usually gets three inches of rain in a year," Goulet explained. "Yesterday, in about three hours, we had four inches. Our neighbor's living room was under four feet of water." Goulet and his third wife, Vera Novak, live in a home that he originally built there in 1972.
Speaking cordially and without a dash of pretension, he is remarkably unassuming for a Tony- and Grammy-winning performer whose career on stage, screen, television, and records has spanned some 50 years. Of French-Canadian descent, Goulet was born in Massachusetts but grew up in Canada. "I wasn't going into performing because I didn't think I would like it," he recalled. "I thought of becoming a lawyer, a doctor, or a politician, maybe owning half of the city. But on his deathbed, my father told me, "Robert, God gave you a voice. You must sing.' So I did."
He continued, "I sang with a concert orchestra in Edmonton, Alberta, 49 years ago, where I made my first $25. Then I got a scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and found a voice teacher. At the age of 23, I did a network television show in Canada for three years. That led to Camelot on Broadway, and I remained in the U.S. after that. Then I did every TV show you can imagine-from Lucille Ball to Carol Burnett."
Over the years, Goulet has done countless musical, comedic, and dramatic roles on both the large and small screens (and just dubbed the singing voice for Mickey Mouse in a new Disney film), but he continues to return to the musical stage. In 1968, he won a Tony for his lead performance in Kander and Ebb's musical The Happy Time. "I never worked with those guys again," he said. "Not that I didn't want to. They spent most of their time after that working with Liza Minnelli."
Goulet never played the role of Lancelot again after Camelot's initial Broadway run, and Warner Brothers bypassed him for the 1967 film version, casting Franco Nero instead. But in 1975, he appeared in the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera revival of the Lerner and Loewe musical, playing King Arthur, which subsequently went to Broadway and on tour. He repeated this role in 1992-94 and 1998. His most recent Broadway appearance was in Moon Over Buffalo opposite Lynn Redgrave. "There's no singing in that one," Goulet added. "It's an hour and 45 minutes straight ahead. It's all about timing, timing, timing."
Will his latest rendition as Don Quixote be different from previous performances? "There are probably some areas where I will do it a little differently, but not by much. Because with this role, you basically pull out all the stops and let it fly." He said other favorite roles have included De Becque in South Pacific and Billy Bigelow in Carousel. "I could still do De Becque, but I think I'm now a little long in the tooth for Bigelow," he quipped. He spoke about other musicals he would like to do: "Kismet. Alfred Drake was one of my heroes, ever since he directed me in On a Clear Day. Also-I don't know why-but the old man in Paint Your Wagon. Although the young guy has all the good songs." (He crooned a few bars of "I Talk to the Trees.")
Goulet is a survivor of prostate cancer, and volunteers his services to educate the public on the urgency of early detection. Now fully recovered, he maintains an active career pace. He still makes occasional concert appearances and is recording his first album in many years, which he calls "a little naughty swing." Among his recent projects have been an upcoming Burt Reynolds film, and guest appearances at tributes to Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, and David Merrick. There is also a book of memoirs in the works, and even a projected Broadway musical about Jackie Kennedy Onassis' relationship with her father.
What advice does Goulet have for aspiring young performers? "Learn computers. If you can't get into that, go into plastics. Or become a plumber. I'm just joshing. If you really want to perform, no one's going to stop you. What's been fulfilling for me is making people smile. I want that to be my epitaph; He left them smiling."
Indeed he has. And swooning as well.