In Hollywood she would marry twice: first to actor John Shelton; secondly to actor/singer Johnnie Johnston. She had one daughter. Throughout the 1950s, she carried on an affair with mogul Howard Hughes, and was briefly engaged to him (although this was not included in the film The Aviator, as the film only profiled Hughes through the late 1940s).
Though she started out as MGM's answer to Deanna Durbin (with films such as Seven Sweethearts and Anchors Aweigh), she proved herself a top star in Thousands Cheer, Anchors Aweigh and Two Sisters From Boston, and in the film versions of the Broadway hits Show Boat (1951) and Kiss Me, Kate (1953). Grayson also appeared in a duo of films with tenor Mario Lanza, and Howard Keel, whom she teamed successfully with in a highly lauded cabaret act in the 1960s.
With the end of MGM's great era of musicals, so ended Miss Grayson's film career. Kathryn was on stage in numerous stage musicals such as Show Boat, Rosalinda, Kiss Me, Kate, Naughty Marietta, and The Merry Widow, for which she was nominated for Chicago's Sarah Siddons Award. This lead to her as a replacement for Julie Andrews on Broadway in 1962 in Camelot, scoring a great success, before going on to star in the National tour for over sixteen months, before leaving the show due to health problems. During her period with the Camelot tour, all box-office records were broken and she gained uniformly excellent notices. She would later play the role of Guenevere during that decade. Grayson had a lifelong dream of being an opera star, and she appeared number of operas in the '60s, such as La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Orpheus in the Underworld and La Traviata. Her dramatic and comedy stage roles included Night Watch, Noises Off, Love Letters and Something's Afoot as Dottie Otterling.
She also appeared on television occasionally. Her first TV appearances were in the 1950s, and she received an Emmy nomination in 1956 for her performance in the "General Electric Theater" episode "Shadow on the Heart" with John Ericson. Most recently, she appeared in several episodes of Angela Lansbury's long-running series "Murder, She Wrote" in the late 1980s.
Never to be overshadowed these days by other talented or exciting MGM contemporaries such as Jane Powell, Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Esther Williams and Ann Blyth, Miss Grayson has gained cult status among a large, and wildly devoted, crowd of fans. Kathryn supervised the Voice and Choral Studies Program at the Idaho State University.
According to her secretary, Grayson died in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles, California on February 17, 2010, aged 88.
Romance
Kathryn Grayson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To teach the nightingale to sing
A very pretty song: "I love you".
Romance, a legend on an old brocade,
A prince who tells a country maid: "I love you".
Now where this whimsy comes from, I don't know;
Romance, a flower that will bloom awhile
With sunshine from a lover's smile,
That lover's tears bedew! Ah!
Yet, when I seek this beauty,
Flower of youth's first dawning,
I find a prosy work-a-day world
Stretching and yawning!
Love is locked up in cages,
Kept for a poet's pages;
Life and adventure
Don't seem to be paying attention to me!
And so I dream of fair Romance
And let my fancies weave pretty stories.
And tho' I know they are not so,
I like to go wand'ring amid their wistful glories.
My princes become what I mold them,
And they stay for the breath of a sigh!
I open my arms to enfold them,
And they're gone like a breeze rushing by.
Ah, this is a humdrum world,
But when I dream I set it dancing.
When life is gray, I have a way to keep it gay,
Passing the time of day with love.
In Kathryn Grayson's song "Romance," she sings about the power of love and the ability of romance to transform the mundane aspects of life into something magical. The title itself suggests that the song is about the romantic ideal - the concept of an idealized love that seems to exist only in fairy tales and fantasies. Grayson sings about the various forms romance can take, from the playful nature of springtime to the legendary prince wooing a country girl. She also describes the fleeting nature of romance, how it can come and go as quickly as a fleeting thought or idea.
Throughout the song, Grayson sings about the ways in which the harsh realities of life can make romance difficult to find. She references the "prosy work-a-day world" that can leave us feeling uninspired and disconnected from our romantic hopes and dreams. Despite this, Grayson remains hopeful and optimistic, using her imagination to craft her own idealized version of love and romance.
Overall, "Romance" is a whimsical and dreamy composition that encourages listeners to hold onto their romantic ideals and to keep dreaming even in the face of life's challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Romance, a play boy who is born each spring
Romance is a flirt who appears seasonally to teach the nightingale a lovely song.
To teach the nightingale to sing
Romance appears to coach the bird how to charm with a pretty tune.
A very pretty song: "I love you".
The song Romance inspires is lovely and sweet, with the words 'I love you'.
Romance, a legend on an old brocade,
Romance is a mythical figure on an ancient ornamented fabric.
A prince who tells a country maid: "I love you".
Romance is a royal who wooes a simple rural girl with affectionate words.
Now where this whimsy comes from, I don't know;
I cannot explain the source of this fanciful imagination.
For when it comes it's just about to go.
Whenever Romance arises, it's fleeting and ephemeral.
Romance, a flower that will bloom awhile
Romance is a blossoming plant that flourishes for a brief time.
With sunshine from a lover's smile,
It thrives on the warmth of a partner's radiant grin.
That lover's tears bedew! Ah!
The beloved's emotional tears nourish it! Oh!
Yet, when I seek this beauty,
Even so, when I look for this attractive quality,
Flower of youth's first dawning,
The blossom of a person's earliest maturity,
I find a prosy work-a-day world
I discover a mundane routine existence.
Stretching and yawning!
Long and dreary!
Love is locked up in cages,
Love is confined and restrained,
Kept for a poet's pages;
Preserved only for use on a poet's pages;
Life and adventure don't seem to be paying attention to me!
Life and excitement seem to be unconcerned with me!
And so I dream of fair Romance
As a result, I imagine a lovely Romance,
And let my fancies weave pretty stories.
And allow my imagination to create beautiful tales.
And tho' I know they are not so,
Although I am aware they are not true,
I like to go wand'ring amid their wistful glories.
I delight in wandering through their sorrowful triumphs.
My princes become what I mold them,
My princes become what I shape them to be,
And they stay for the breath of a sigh!
But they only endure for a short moment!
I open my arms to enfold them,
I embrace them with open arms,
And they're gone like a breeze rushing by.
And they vanish as quickly as a wind blowing past.
Ah, this is a humdrum world,
Oh, this is a dull world,
But when I dream I set it dancing.
But in my dreams, I bring it to life.
When life is gray, I have a way to keep it gay,
When life seems bleak, I find a means to make it cheerful,
Passing the time of day with love.
By spending time with my love and making the most of it.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: BETH GIBBONS, PAUL DAVID WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jasper Javellana
The ONE and ONLY . . . KATHRYN GRAYSON !!!
Every time I hear her sing, it brings joy in my heart !!! c”,)
myrna solganick
What an amazing voice and rendition of this song, it brings tears to my eyes.
varadero1839
Indeed she was amazing, and here was seen at the height of her talents! I posted this any many others of Ms. Grayson. Hope you'll look for some of the others!
Best wishes,
varadero
David Alexander
A lovely clip of Kathryn Grayson from The Desert Song.So wonderfully talented and beautiful as well.Thank you for sharing.
Sheila Stretch
Beautiful lady leaves me speechless, why haven't we got music like this now. 😘
varadero1839
@1Lancashire Thank you so much for your comment! Not so many who could claim her beauty, culture and exquisite voice! Don't expect we'll ever see her like again!
lee wyman
Truly a voice from Heaven 😇
Degsie
Thank you for this clip of Kathryn. When I was 15 I went to see "Show Boat", and I fell in love with her at first sight. To see her again now, especially singing this song in her own unique way, touches my heart in the way that nothing else could. There are plenty of great and talented female stars in the musical cosmos, but none had Kathryn's warmth, looks, voice and presence. Thank you again.
HR Books&Music
One of my all-time favorite singer-actresses... so adorable...! ⭐️💖⭐️
Thank you for sharing this delight! 🙏🍀
HR Books&Music
@varadero1839
You bet I will!!! Thank you for every single one - and for all the other great posts you care to share! 🙏🙏🙏