KWXY Presents ● A Classic Interview with Robert Goulet

Robert Goulet / Station Photo - author unknown / IVOX MEDIA collection

Robert Goulet was a singer and actor who first came to prominence as Sir Lancelot in the 1960 Broadway musical, Camelot with Richard Burton as King Arthur and Julie Andrews as Queen Guenevere.  It was the start of a career on stage, screen and recordings which spanned almost six decades. 

He was born Robert Gérard Goulet in Lawrence, Massachusetts on November 26, 1933 to French-Canadian parents Joseph and Jeanette.  His father, a millworker, amateur singer and wrestler, died when Goulet was age 13.  He moved with his mother and sister to Girouxville, Alberta, later moving to Edmonton to pursue a career as a performer. 

One of his first jobs was as an announcer on public radio station CKUA Edmonton after attending voice school.  After two years at CKUA, Goulet was awarded a singing scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of Music at the University of Toronto.      

Goulet appeared on the CBC-TV talent show, Pick The Stars in 1952, making the semifinals.  This opened the door to other network appearances, including that of the host of General Electric’s Showtime on CBC and the part of “Trapper Pierre” on the Canadian version of the NBC-TV series, Howdy Doody alongside William Shatner.

He appeared in US summer stock theater in 1959-60 and was introduced to Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe who had just written Camelot.  The pair were having difficulty casting Lancelot but were suitably impressed by Goulet’s talent and signed the newcomer.  Goulet, according to his official website, took Broadway by storm amidst favorable reviews.  The production’s romantic ballad, “If Ever I Would Leave You,” became his signature song. 

He appeared regularly on American television including the sitcom The Danny Thomas Show and the CBS variety show, The Ed Sullivan Show.  He appeared on The Jack Paar Show in 1962 with Judy Garland to promote their upcoming animated film (and his first film performance), Gay Purr-ee which featured the pair as felines “Jaune Tom” and “Mewsette.”

1962 also saw the start of a successful recording career with Columbia Records, recording more than sixty best-selling albums.  He also continued to be active in film and television, even playing himself on The Lucy Show in 1967, Alice in 1981 and The King of Queens in 2006. 

In 1988, he again appeared as himself in the Tim Burton film, Scrooged and later in Beetlejuice, where he played a character blown through the roof of a living room by the title character.  His final Broadway stage appearance was in 2005 and his final public performance was for PBS-TV in 2007.   

Robert Goulet ●

The Wonderful World of Love

Robert Goulet’s album The Wonderful World of Love was originally released December 10, 1963, on Columbia Records and reached #31 on the US album charts.

Robert Goulet was hospitalized in Las Vegas, Nevada in September 2007 and was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.  He was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to await a lung transplant but passed away from the disease on October 30, 2007.  Theater marquees across the country were dimmed on October 31 and on November 9, the City of Las Vegas closed the Las Vegas Strip for his funeral cortege.  

Listen to a Classic Interview with Robert Goulet today at 1pm, on KWXY Music Radio 92.3FM ● 1340AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com