Born in Gillespie, Illinois, to Navyman-turned-coalminer Homer Keel and his wife, Grace Osterkamp Keel, young Harry spent his childhood in poverty. After his father's death in 1930, he and his mother moved to California, where he graduated from Fallbrook High School at the age of 17 and took various odd-jobs until finally settling at Douglas Aircraft Company, where he became a traveling representative.
At the age of twenty, he was overheard singing by his landlady, Mom Rider, and was encouraged to take vocal lessons. One of his musical heroes was the great baritone Lawrence Tibbett and Howard would later say that finding out that his own voice was a basso cantante was one of the greatest disappointments of his life. Nevertheless, his first public performance came in the summer of 1941 when he played the role of Samuel the Prophet in Handel's oratorio Saul and David (singing a duet with bass-baritone George London).
Just a couple years after this, in 1943, Harold met and married his first wife, actress Rosemary Cooper. In 1945 Harold briefly understudied for John Raitt in the Broadway hit Carousel, before being assigned to Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was during this time, he accomplished a feat that has never been duplicated. He performed the leads in both shows on the same day.
In 1947 Oklahoma! became the first American musical, post-war, to travel to London, England, and Harold went with it. Opening night , 30th April, at the Drury Lane Theatre, the capacity audience (which included the Queen) demanded fourteen encores. Harold Keel was hailed as the next great star and was the toast of the West End.
During the London run, the marriage of Harold and Rosemary ended in divorce, and Harold fell in love with a young member of the show's chorus, dancer Helen Anderson. They married in January 1949 and, a year later, Harold - now called Howard - became a father for the first time to daughter Kaija.
While living in London, Keel made his film debut as Howard Keel at the British Lion studio in Elstree, in The Small Voice (1948), released in the US as Hideout, playing an escaped convict, holding up a playwright and his wife in their English country cottage.
Additional Broadway credits include Saratoga, No Strings, and Ambasador. He appeared at The Muny in St. Louis, MO as General Waverly in White Christmas (2000), Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1996); Emile de Becque in South Pacific (1992), and Adam in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1978).
From London's West End, Howard ended up at MGM making his film musical debut as Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun.
Howard's MGM career was to be a frustrating business. MGM never seemed to know quite what to do with him and, outside of plum roles in the films Show Boat, Kiss Me, Kate and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, he was forced into a stream of worthless musicals and B-films. On loan-out at Warner Bros., he played Wild Bill Hickok in Calamity Jane, a highly popular, Oscar-winning musical filmed in 1953, starring Doris Day in one of her most famous screen roles. This was Warner's answer to Annie Get Your Gun, and the film that produced the smash hit number, "Secret Love".
There were two more children born to Howard and Helen, daughter Kirstine in 1952 and son Gunnar in 1955. Soon after, Howard was released from his contract and returned to his first love, the stage.
Sadly, as America's taste in entertainment changed, finding jobs became harder and harder for Howard. The 1960s held little chance for career advancement with a round of nightclub work, b-Westerns and summer stock. Under the strain, Howard began to drink heavily, and his marriage to Helen crumbled. They divorced in 1970.
But 1970 proved to be fortuitous for Howard after all. He was set up on a blind date with airline stewardess Judy Magamoll who was twenty-five years his junior and had never even heard of him. They were married in December 1970 and his drinking problem soon ceased.
By 1980 he had had enough of struggling to find work and he moved his family to Oklahoma, intending to join an oil company. They had barely settled there when Howard was called back to California to appear with Jane Powell on an episode of The Love Boat. While he was there, he was told that the producers of the smash hit television series Dallas wanted to talk to him. After several cameo appearances, Howard joined the show permanently as the dignified, if hot tempered, oil baron Clayton Farlow and his career reached heights it had never seen before.
With his renewed fame, Howard began his first solo recording career at age sixty-four, as well as a wildly successful concert career in the UK. He released an album in 1984 called "With Love", that sold poorly, thus indicating that though the American public were happy to see him as a supporting actor on hit TV show, they were not prepared for a full resumption of his previous stardom.
Even after Dallas he continued to sing, and kept his voice in remarkable shape. In 1994, he and Judy moved to Palm Desert, CA. The Keels were always active in charity events, helping their community and were well loved amongst the residents. In particular, Howard and Judy attended the annual Howard Keel Golf Classic at Mere Golf Club in Cheshire, England, which raised money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). He attended for many years, up until the year of his death.
Howard died at his home in Palm Desert on November 7, 2004, six weeks after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He is survived by Judy, his wife of thirty-four years, his four children, ten grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. He was cremated and his ashes scattered at various favorite places including Mere Golf Club, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and in Tuscany, Italy.
Where Is The Life That Late I Led
Howard Keel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I began to finger feminine curls
I became the toast of my vicinity
For I always had a multitude of girls
But now that a married man, at last, am I
How aware of my dear, departed past am I?
Where is the life that late I led?
Where is the fun I used to find?
Where has it gone? Gone with the wind
A married life is just a pain
And raising an heir could never compare
With raising a bit of pain
So I repeat what first I said
Where is the life that late I?
In dear Milano, where are you, Momo
Still selling those pictures of the Scriptures in the Duomo?
And, Carolina, where are you, Lina
Still peddling your pizza in the streets o′ Taormina?
And in Firenze, where are you Alice
Still there in your pretty, itty-bitty Pitti Palace?
And sweet Lucretia, so young and gay?
What scandalous doin's in the ruins of Pompeii
Where is the life that late I led?
Where is it now? Totally dead
Where is the fun I used to find?
Where has it gone? Gone with the wind
The marriage game is quite all right
Yes, during the day it′s easy to play
But, oh, what a bore at night
So I repeat what first I said
Where is the life that late I?
Where is Rebekah, my Becki-weckio
But still she'd be cruising that amusing Ponte Vecchio?
Where is Fedora, the wild virago?
It's lucky I missed her gangster sister from Chicago
Where is Venetia, who loved to chat so
Could still she be drinkin′ in her stinkin′ pink palazzo?
And lovely Lisa, where are you, Lisa?
You gave a new meaning to the leaning tow'r of Pisa
Where is the life that late I led?
Where is it now? Totally dead
Where is the fun I used to find?
Where has it gone? Gone with the wind
I′ve oft' been told of nuptial bliss
But what do you do, a quarter to two
With only a shrew to kiss?
So I repeat what first I said
Where is the life that late I led?
The song "Where Is The Life That Late I Led" from the musical Kiss Me, Kate, performed by Howard Keel, is a lamentation by a husband about how he misses his adventurous and wild lifestyle, particularly the attention he used to receive from women, and how he finds marriage and raising a child to be lackluster in comparison. The song is written in a comedic tone and peppered with references to various Italian cities and women.
The lyrics start with the singer recalling his early life as a young man discovering his masculinity and reveling in his ability to attract women. The lyrics imply that he was a ladies' man and his affairs were known by many. The singer then acknowledges his current state as a married man and bemoans the "dear, departed past" of his wild life. He laments how he can no longer indulge in his old lifestyle.
The chorus of the song is a refrain of the title, "Where is the life that late I led?", which refers to the singer's old way of life. He then goes on to mention several women he had dalliances with in various Italian cities and notes what they might be doing now. He sarcastically suggests that marriage and raising a child are much less flavorful than his previous life.
Overall, the song is a humorous take on the theme of living in the moment versus settling down.
Line by Line Meaning
When at first aware of masculinity
When I first realized I was attracted to women
I began to finger feminine curls
I started pursuing women and enjoying their physical appearances
I became the toast of my vicinity
I was popular and well-liked for my relationships with women
For I always had a multitude of girls
I was constantly involved with many different women
But now that a married man, at last, am I
Now that I am married
How aware of my dear, departed past am I?
I can't help but think of my past relationships and experiences
Where is the life that late I led?
I miss my old life, the one where I dated and had fun with women
Where is it now? Totally dead
That life is over and gone forever
Where is the fun I used to find?
I had so much fun with women, but now it's gone
Where has it gone? Gone with the wind
That fun and excitement is gone, like it was taken by the wind
A married life is just a pain
Being married isn't as fun as being single
And raising an heir could never compare
Even the joys of raising a child can't compare to being with women
With raising a bit of pain
Raising a child is stressful and difficult
So I repeat what first I said
I keep wondering about that old life of mine
In dear Milano, where are you, Momo
I miss hooking up with Momo in Milan
Still selling those pictures of the Scriptures in the Duomo?
I wonder if Momo is still selling pictures of the Scriptures in the Duomo
And, Carolina, where are you, Lina
I miss Lina, who sold pizza in Taormina
Still peddling your pizza in the streets o? Taormina?
I wonder if Lina is still selling her pizza in Taormina
And in Firenze, where are you Alice
I miss Alice, who lived in the Pitti Palace in Florence
Still there in your pretty, itty-bitty Pitti Palace?
I wonder if Alice still lives in the Pitti Palace in Florence
And sweet Lucretia, so young and gay?
I wonder what Lucretia has been up to since we were together
What scandalous doin's in the ruins of Pompeii
I imagine Lucretia being involved in some wild behavior in Pompeii
The marriage game is quite all right
Marriage is okay during the day
Yes, during the day it?s easy to play
Being married is easy during the day
But, oh, what a bore at night
But at night it is boring and unfulfilling
Where is Rebekah, my Becki-weckio
I miss being with Rebekah, who loved the Ponte Vecchio in Florence
But still she'd be cruising that amusing Ponte Vecchio?
I wonder if Rebekah still wanders around the Ponte Vecchio
Where is Fedora, the wild virago?
I miss Fedora, who was from Chicago
It's lucky I missed her gangster sister from Chicago
I'm lucky I wasn't involved with Fedora's sister, who was a gangster
Where is Venetia, who loved to chat so
I miss Venetia, who loved to chat a lot
Could still she be drinkin? in her stinkin? pink palazzo?
I wonder if Venetia still spends her time drinking in her pink palace
And lovely Lisa, where are you, Lisa?
I miss Lisa, who I spent time with while visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa
You gave a new meaning to the leaning tow'r of Pisa
Lisa made my experience at the Leaning Tower of Pisa a memorable one
I?ve oft' been told of nuptial bliss
People always talk about how happy you can be in marriage
But what do you do, a quarter to two
But what do you do when it's late at night
With only a shrew to kiss?
When you're only left with your less-than-exciting partner to kiss
So I repeat what first I said
I can't stop thinking about my past experiences with women
Where is the life that late I led?
I miss my old life, the one where I dated and had fun with women
Writer(s): Cole Porter
Contributed by Alyssa Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@showtunestarpower
I forgot how terrific Howard Keel is in this number! He is first class. We're lucky that we have him on film doing this great Cole Porter number. I'm wondering how kindly Porter took to having to launder some of his lyrics for MGM's audience.
@Knutwolf
You mean Warner’s audience, right?
@leevilone
I first saw him in Seven Brides in the 80's...then my Mum played me this movie too. I thought he was yummy in this role especially. Only to later be watching him on Dallas on TV as an old man! And not understanding how he aged so quickly!!!
@markschildberg1667
From what I read about Porter working on Silk Stockings, he didn’t push back on requests for changes. He just did them.
@WillScarlet16
@Knut Graabein No, this is an MGM film.
@virghammer1
Yes. MGM. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_Me_Kate_(film)
@franceslitherland1350
Wonderful voice, great acting and no one ever looked better in tights!
@jimfennell429
Howard Keel was a wonderful singer and performer.
@jamisonbenjamin8806
You all prolly dont give a shit but does someone know a way to get back into an Instagram account..?
I stupidly forgot my password. I love any assistance you can offer me.
@sergioivan8915
@Jamison Benjamin instablaster ;)