Alfred Drake, the multitalented singer and actor who soared to fame in the original Broadway production of "Oklahoma!" and followed that with a Tony Award for his role in the 1954 production of "Kismet," died last week. He was 78.
Drake, known for his debonair good looks and rich baritone voice, had suffered heart trouble and other ailments for several years and died at his apartment in New York."He was probably the most compelling, dynamic leading man I have ever seen on the stage," said Art Kent, a vice president for Continental Airlines, of his famous uncle. "His stage presence was incredible. He had a marvelous voice. And he was a very warm and wonderful man.
"He's the last of a kind. It's the end of an era in Broadway."
Utahns will remember Drake as the first Jed in the 1947 Centennial musical, "Promised Valley."