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Gordon MacRae

Gordon MacRae

Actor · Died January 24, 1986, aged 64 · East Orange, New Jersey, USA

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956) and movies with Doris Day like Starlift. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gordon MacRae  licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 12, 1921
Died
January 24, 1986 (aged 64)
From
East Orange, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 2% in 30 days

What are Gordon MacRae's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
70%
Self
16%
Morality
11%
Society
4%
Romantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 2

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 9 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 4 of 8 analyzed roles.

Hero
4 of 8
Ally
3 of 8
Herald
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
6
Warm
6
Romantic
5
Melancholic
2
Tense
2
Other
9

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Gordon MacRae's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Gordon MacRae's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

23 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 17 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Pilot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Joe Barnes

  • Zero to Sixty(1978)

    as Officer Joe

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • McCloud(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Gift of the Magi(1958)

    as James Dillingham Young

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Best Things in Life Are Free (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as B.G. 'Buddy' De Sylva

  • Carousel(1956)

    as Billy Bigelow

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Oklahoma!(1955)

    as Curly McLain

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Three Sailors and a Girl(1953)

    as Choirboy B. Jones

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Desert Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as El Khobar / Paul Bonnard

  • So You Want a Television Set (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Gordon MacRae (uncredited)

  • By the Light of the Silvery Moon(1953)

    as Bill Sherman

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • About Face(1952)

    as Tony Williams

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as James Dillingham Young

  • Starlift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Gordon MacRae

  • On Moonlight Bay(1951)

    as William 'Bill' Sherman

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The West Point Story(1950)

    as Tom Fletcher

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Lux Video Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 52 episodes · as Barry O'Day · as Biff Grimes · as Self - Host

  • Tea for Two(1950)

    as Jimmy Smith

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Return of the Frontiersman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Logan Barrett

  • The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Tony Pastor

  • Backfire(1950)

    as Bob Corey

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Look for the Silver Lining (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Frank Carter

  • The Big Punch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Johnny Grant

Career shape

Star power in the 89th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 23 titles from 1948 to 1980.

Biggest box office

Oklahoma! (1955)

$17K worldwide

Highest rated

Oklahoma! (1955)

Midcredits 78th

Film career

Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting23 of 23: 23 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score58th

By decade

1940s2 · acting1950s18 · acting1970s2 · acting1980s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 40% of 5 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Gordon MacRae's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

The Gift of the Magi (1958)

90th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Oklahoma! (1955)

Midcredits 78th · 71% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Gordon MacRae work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gordon MacRae's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roy Del Ruth shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers