Born On This Day- June 8th... Robert Preston Meservey

I was already a fully formed little musical comedy queen by 8 years old when my parents treated me to the movie version of The Music Man. I couldn’t have been more thrilled by this American classic, & not just for the terrific songs. I had an early crush on leading man- Robert Preston & his virile, charismatic, masculine presence as Professor Harold Hill.

He won a Tony Award for his performance in the original Broadway production of The Music Man in 1957. He appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1958. In 1965 he was the male half of the 2 person musical, I Do! I Do! with Mary Martin, for which he won his 2nd Tony Award & in 1974, he starred opposite Bernadette Peters in Jerry Herman's tuneful Broadway musical Mack & Mabel as Mack Sennett, the famous silent film director.


In 1982, Robert Preston provided a giant step in the depiction of a gay man, when he co-starred with Julie Andrews & James Garner in the very stylish & enjoyable film musical- Victor/Victoria, directed by Blake Edwards.


The film's unapologetic opening shots are of Preston’s character & another man in bed, letting the audience know that the film is not going to shy away from the gay content. The character- Toddy is unlucky in love & that the young bedmate is just a gold-digger. Robert Preston, was often a song &dance man, but he was also a broad shouldered baritone; he seemed a strange choice to play a flamboyant role, & tghat is why it works so well. Toddy is one of the most out loud, out & proud characters ever seen in a major studio film. Preston does this with none of the stereotypes about gay men as portayed all to often in films. Amazing when you consider that the film was made in an era when positive gay visibility in movies was just beginning.


Toddy's sexuality is discussed openly & frankly when he meets Julie Andrews' Victoria. When she asks him how long he's known that he is gay, he counters: “How long have you known you were a soprano?"


Revisit this film & see if it doesn’t stand the test of time. I saw it this winter & it seemed as fresh, funny, & fantastic as when I saw it in its original run. I give a lot of the credit to Robert Preston’s work in his Oscar nominated role (Victor/Victoria was nominated for 7 Oscars: The movie won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song Score & Best Adaptation Score. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Preston), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Julie Andrews), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lesley Ann Warren), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design & Best Screenplay).


Robert Preston died of lung cancer in 1987 at 68 years old. He would have been 92 on this day. I really love him.