All images from the Bob Kennedy Collection, Songbook Library & Archives.

Collections Highlight: Bob Kennedy

In 1943 New York, Bob Kennedy was a young but talented actor, waiting in the wings as the understudy for Curly in Oklahoma! It wasn’t until the lead actor got married and took a week-long honeymoon that Kennedy finally got a chance to shine – and did he ever.

His performances drew rave reviews, launching a decades-long career in entertainment.

Initially, there was some concern about this new role, with newspapers lamenting that the role of Curly, “one of the most coveted on Broadway, (would) go to an unknown, Bob Kennedy, who has never before been on the stage.” Another article was factual about Kennedy stating the “blond baritone balladeer has sung at many hotel spots and night clubs. Oklahoma! marks his theatre debut.”

Is Kennedy his real name?

Most newspaper reviews of Kennedy’s performance focused on his voice and his blond hair and blue eyes, but one specific article included a section for reader questions. Mrs. A.K.W in Allentown, Pennsylvania, asked the following: “I saw Bob Kennedy take Alfred Drake’s part in ‘Oklahoma’ on Wednesday afternoon, April 6. Was this the first time Mr. Kennedy had taken the part and is Kennedy his real name?”

The response from Playbill’s “What’s What” article was:

“Mr. Kennedy has been Mr. Drake’s alternate for some months.”

We at the Songbook Foundation can answer the second question:

Yes, Bob Kennedy is his real name.

Bob Kennedy in the News

In front of multiple audiences at the St. James Theatre, Kennedy dazzled and was noted in many newspaper reviews about the show. Those who had known him before his debut were happy to comment on stories and even publish their own. His alma mater, Morris College, published a story about the former student, noting that he had started to receive fan mail from former classmates.

The letters and telegrams Kennedy received as he stepped into the leading role are heartwarming. Friends sent telegrams referencing the lyrics in Oklahoma!:

“‘won’t throw bouquets at you – people will say we’re in love.’ Sending good luck instead.”

Others are straight to the point:

“May success follow in your footsteps” and “all my love” are two such examples.

Kennedy continued to play Curly when Drake left for a lead role in the musical revue Sing Out, Sweet Land with Burl Ives in 1944. Drake’s departure was the start of big-named actors leaving Oklahoma! and their understudies stepping into the light permanently. Kennedy took over as Curly, Betty Jane Watson as Laurie, and Paul Shiers as Will Parker. Kennedy would remain leading man until he was offered the leading romantic role in a new Abraham Lincoln musical titled Stovepipe Hat.

Beyond Oklahoma!

Stovepipe Hat offered Kennedy a new audience and a chance to be part of an original cast. Though the show was ultimately a flop, Kennedy’s debut was described as “a cast of one hundred, headed by the golden-voiced Bob Kennedy” and “to Mr. Kennedy falls most of the singing honors, and he is well chosen for the role.” Kennedy’s role as Johnny Drummer, a young, enlisted soldier in the Civil War, allowed critics of the musical to say he had an “attractive personality” and “a pleasant voice and a natural charm of manner.” The musical closed later in 1944, but Kennedy’s popularity was rising.

With the closing of Stovepipe Hat, Kennedy found himself continually cast in leading roles. He starred in A Connecticut Yankee, and he was also in Marriage Is for Single People, his first dramatic non-musical role professionally. Kennedy then found himself auditioning for Carousel as part of his admission into The Actors Guild but was called back to the St. James Theatre to star as Curly in Oklahoma! Kennedy’s new castmates included Ruth Weston, Evelyn Wycoff and Richard Rober. Kennedy’s triumphant return kept him on stage until October 1945. He and Wycoff would leave to join the cast of The Girl From Nantucket, a comedy musical that also starred Jack Durant, Helen Raymond and Jane Kean.

Besides being known as a musical theater performer, Kennedy also was known for his music revues and nightclub performances. Some of his gigs included shows at the Versailles nightclub, el Morocco (with Joey Bishop), and the RKO Coliseum Theatre Tuesday. Kennedy also had been a star over the air for years as a part of the Victory-F.O.B group that performed top hits on the radio. Kennedy would further his TV career and host several popular game shows including “Sense and Nonsense,” “Wingo” and “Window Shopping.”

Beyond the Stage

After stepping back from leading roles on stage and screen, Kennedy launched a very successful trade show production company. He and his team became known for attention-grabbing and cutting-edge presentations for corporations worldwide. Thousands flocked to see his storytellers and partners demonstrate interactive and educational experiments featuring their client’s products.

Kennedy passed away on June 26, 2008, in Englewood, New Jersey. Muriel, his wife of 59 years, was by his side. His New York Times obituary captures his humor perfectly, beginning with “What a way to go!, quipped Bob Kennedy, days before he begrudgingly succumbed to cancer.” The Kennedys have one daughter, Karen, and it is her dedication to her father’s legacy that enabled the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Library & Archives to acquire such a robust collection.

All images are from the Bob Kennedy Collection, Songbook Library & Archives.

Behind-the-Scenes with Michael Feinstein

Join Founder Michael Feinstein for a quick behind-the-scenes look at the Bob Kennedy Collection preserved in the Songbook Library & Archives. Join Michael In the Archives to explore other treasured collections housed at the Great American Songbook Foundation.