Gaylord Ravenal
Gaylord Ravenal is the leading male character in Edna Ferber's 1926 novel Show Boat, the Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II musical based on the novel, and in the films and other adaptations of the story. He is a handsome, compulsive riverboat gambler, who becomes the leading man of the showboat Cotton Blossom when Magnolia Hawks, the captain's daughter, becomes the leading lady.[1]
Character history[edit]
Magnolia and Gaylord fall in love and marry after a whirlwind courtship.[2] In the novel, they stay on the boat until shortly after the accidental drowning of Magnolia's father, Cap'n Andy, during a storm. Due to Parthy's nagging, they leave the boat with their baby daughter and move to Chicago, living off Gaylord's gambling earnings. Their life fluctuates between wealth and poverty, and Gaylord is occasionally unfaithful.
Years later, Gaylord, finding himself broke, borrows money from a local whorehouse madam and returns drunk to their boarding house. Magnolia discovers that Gaylord has abandoned her and she raises their daughter alone. Gaylord eventually dies under unexplained circumstances in San Francisco. Years later, Magnolia returns to Mississippi to manage the showboat.
In the musical, Gaylord is more sympathetic. He remains faithful to Magnolia and they move to Chicago to experience the big city. He deserts her after ten years due to guilt over his gambling losses. Magnolia becomes a nightclub singer and eventually a Broadway star, raising her daughter alone. Twenty-three years later, Magnolia and her adult daughter return to the boat for a family reunion, where Gaylord awaits, and they reconcile.
Portrayals[edit]
Gaylord was portrayed by Howard Marsh in the original 1927 stage production of Show Boat. In the 1932 revival, Dennis King played the role. In the 1929 part-talkie film version, Joseph Schildkraut played a non-singing Gaylord.[3] In the 1936 film version by James Whale, Allan Jones played Gaylord. In the 1946 stage revival, Charles Fredericks played the role, and in the 1951 Technicolor remake by MGM, Howard Keel portrayed him. The 1946 biopic of Kern's life, Till the Clouds Roll By, featured Tony Martin as Gaylord.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Show Boat: Characters". rodgersandhammerstein.com. 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- ↑ "Show Boat: The Dallas Opera". dallasopera.org. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- ↑ "Show Boat Synopsis and Further Reading". The Glimmerglass Festival. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
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