One of the great voices of all time. With all of the great vocal performances was his Narration of Nature. I'd every week and felt like I had a friend talking to me. She's to be a Kiley trait...Terry
@terryfalconhawke Much as I adore Mr. Kiley, I was never aware of his having been the narrator for "Nature." Thanks so much for your comment, and your "tip!" I'll be looking for this on PBS or wherever I can find it.
@chuckbyf1 And one of the Broadway's most charming, and talented performers! Know that's not quite a sentence, but it seemed to work at the time. I'm delighted to hear from you. Only wish I'd been present at the real "Ziegfeld Theater" to witness that performance. Best to you!
I wish that my parents used to sing or play this kind of wonderful music while I was growing up. Alas, I finally discovered it through my library when I was in junior high school.
I can still vividly remember playing the vinal LP that I had taken out of the library for my dear friend Peter Kersting. We were both students at Atlantic Junior High School in Qunicy, Massachusetts at the time.
Peter loved the part where Mr. Richard Kiley sang about the "peacocks and monkeys in purple adorning
@OFFICIALALEXISKILEY I'm honored by your comments! Your uncle, Mr. Richard Kiley, will always be a kind of beacon for today's Broadway hopefuls! I've read so much of him, and there was always the controversy, especially in this show, of his being a "true" baritone, while during this show he managed to sing a "tenor" part! My comment is as follows: Who Cares? He WAS SUPERB! I can only begin to imagine how difficult it would be for a real baritone to perform a tenor role. What a family!! Suerte!
@varadero1839 Sweet Vardero- I couldn't agree with you more-my uncle was Broadway, and yet he had a humble view of his talent. Thank you for speaking up for him-may you be blessed ten fold for your kind words for him, and for your kind spirit!!! xoxo Love and light, Varadero!
This is a great musicial. Borodin was a gifted composer(though he was actually a chemist) but Forest & Wright worked miracles with the arranging and orchestration. The lyrics are brilliant:
"Tis sin to be single"
"when you tell a story amorous or gory"
"Should Scheherezade undulate her body"
hahahaha just brilliant... just brilliant.
My mother and father used to sing these songs to each other, and I grew up with broadway songs ringing through the house. Thank you so much for posting!
@PTCello Hello! I'm delighted by your memories of this show, and I agree with you on the prowess and abilities of both Forest and Wright! How exciting for you to have grown up with parents that could sing to one another! I'm serious! Would that we'd known one another as kids, and that you'd have invited me over for dinner! Thanks so much for your very uplifting remarks. Your comment has made my year!
Kismet, a 'so well beloved' treasure. Kiley and the entire cast made a gem for the ages here. I"ve treasured it since I first heard it myself in the early 60s.
@1Magron I'm elated at your comment! Though I saw the "last production" at this most beautiful of theaters, I missed this winner with Mr. Kiley. I've always regretted that. Suggest we'll have to be satisfied with the audio examples still bequeathed to us. Thanks once more for your notice!
Don't recall whether I'd sent you this before:). This was Kiley's second Broadway show (He had previously replaced Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire."). Kiley began studying voice quite early in his career, as he explained circa 1990, because singing "could be a wonderful extension of my acting." Although the "Kismet" role was written for a tenor and Kiley was a baritone, he sang the role very well. More anon:) --
Way back around 1961, when i was only thirteen years old, I went to the library and took home the LP Kismet. Besides Stranger in Paradise, this song really caught my fancy. I still remember playing it for my friend who sadly died a few years later. Now, at age sixty-three, I still love these two songs as much or more than I did as a child. Borodin rules!
@jimmyratz Hi jimmyratz, think we're in the same boat! Got a couple of years on you, but we both recognize elegance, and talent! I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend. You're right, Borodin Rules! Given Mr. Kiley's incredible talent, and singing way above his register for so long, it's still a miraculous performance. I'm so pleased to hear from you! Thanks once more!
Richard Kiley has a magical voice. I saw him live at the Vivian Beaumont theater in 1972 reprising the original cast version of Man of LaMancha. He puts all those who try to sing Impossible Dream, Dulcinea etc. to shame. I never heard this from Kismet and it is great. thanks.
@bandfitter Lucky You! I was in NYC at the time and kept saying, I'll get to "this" next week. Needless to say, I waited too long and never saw him in "Man." Thanks for your comment, and delighted you enjoyed his beautiful "Night!" He was the "classiest" of singers who really could act!
@stevevandien I think you're right! There's so little of him on film that it's sad. A fine outing for him some years back was the made for TV "The Thorn Birds." He was wonderful in that role of an Irish patriarch in the Outback of Australia. I believe beautiful, now departed, Jean Simmons played his wife. Hope to find more, at least vocally! Thank you!
@bandfitter :he came to london(must have been soon after)at,ithink, the piccadilly theatre,and i count the experience along with seeing alfred drake in "kismet"(sadly kiley didn't come over for that one) as high among my musical experiences of 81 years.thanks to you and to varadero1839,sincerely ,2314575
I remember Mr. Kiley had a terrific turn as a gunfighter or a bounty hunter on an old episode of "Gunsmoke," opposite a smoldering Suzanne Pleshette, I believe. Oh, and Joan Diener - so sexy in her exotic Kismet makeup.
Richard Kiley makes Vic Damone's version sound pretty mediocre in the film. But hey, Vic and Ann Blyth, Delores Gray, Sebastian Cabot and the wonderful Howard Keel turned out a fun film - even tho' director Vincente Minelli was in a rush to finish it and move on elsewhere. Adore this piece of celluloid.
As noted in a previous post, here he's not even singing in his actual register, as He was a baritone! My sister and his were very close at the time of this show, and it seems he rarely spoke to anyone during his participation in the production. He literally had to "save his voice" for the performance. His talent was a gift to us all!
Saw him in the ANTA playhouse in NYC, with Joan Diener still in the cast. "The deathbed of Don Quixote" scene, where Joan is singing The Impossible Dream to him, was purely magical theater. When he, haltingly, started to recite/sing the words with her, recognizing Aldonza the barmaid as his beloved Dulcinea, Diener cried out "Thank you, my lord!"
I looked around, and there wasn't a dry eye in the whole theatre. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, too.
my favorite is "i, don quixote" from the same play~~ btw for biography you might consider checking out the wiki site.. not much of biography, but it is the best i can find so far~~
@scorpietta -That's lovely- :) You know, I had the honor of seeing Jack Jones live front row at Jerry's telethon over at CBS Studio's on Beverly. He was wonderful singing the "Impossible Dream" and I actually stood up for him. I rarely if ever do a standing ovation for someone, but he so deserved it.
Kiley left "Kismet" because the Caliph is a tenor and he was a baritone. Even so, he sings very well here, though doing so was just too much in the long run. I am a baritone -- my roles have included Hajj, de Becque, Jud, Billy Bigelow, Samuel (in "The Pirates of Penzance"), Richard Henry Lee (in "1776") and Lancelot -- and a low-lying voice in a high part (between tenor and baritone, or baritone and bass-baritone, or bass) will inevitably have problems if not resolved in advance --
indeed, Kiley sang this beautifully. and yes, the Caliph is a tenor role. when Kiley left, he was replaced with a tenor named Richard Oneto who originally played the Imam of the Mosque (sang Sands of Time) and the Bangle Man (in Baubles, Baubles, and Beads). I don't think any recordings of Oneto as the Caliph exist, but you can hear him singing "Sands of Time" and it is quite delightful.
Thanks for the information about Oneto. He sings quite beautifully; his voice is somewhat like that of an Irish tenor, with a light but very clear tone -
You're Welcome!!! Have heard many pros and cons regarding anything from this production. Though I'd seen productions in this most beautiful of theaters, they'd followed "Kismet!" Wish I'd seen the original!
It is very hard to classify this multitalented artist. Was he a superb singer? Was he a fabulous dramatic artist? The answer is both. The video is great. As always, thanks a lot for posting.
One of the great voices of all time. With all of the great vocal performances was his Narration of Nature. I'd every week and felt like I had a friend talking to me. She's to be a Kiley trait...Terry
terryfalconhawke 1 month ago
@terryfalconhawke Much as I adore Mr. Kiley, I was never aware of his having been the narrator for "Nature." Thanks so much for your comment, and your "tip!" I'll be looking for this on PBS or wherever I can find it.
varadero1839 1 month ago
Featuring the voice of Richard Kiley. Spared no expense!
chuckbyf1 1 month ago
@chuckbyf1 And one of the Broadway's most charming, and talented performers! Know that's not quite a sentence, but it seemed to work at the time. I'm delighted to hear from you. Only wish I'd been present at the real "Ziegfeld Theater" to witness that performance. Best to you!
varadero1839 1 month ago
I wish that my parents used to sing or play this kind of wonderful music while I was growing up. Alas, I finally discovered it through my library when I was in junior high school.
I can still vividly remember playing the vinal LP that I had taken out of the library for my dear friend Peter Kersting. We were both students at Atlantic Junior High School in Qunicy, Massachusetts at the time.
Peter loved the part where Mr. Richard Kiley sang about the "peacocks and monkeys in purple adorning
jimmyratz 4 months ago
Thank you for uploading this amazing treasure of my uncle-Love and light to you! xoxo
OFFICIALALEXISKILEY 5 months ago
@OFFICIALALEXISKILEY I'm honored by your comments! Your uncle, Mr. Richard Kiley, will always be a kind of beacon for today's Broadway hopefuls! I've read so much of him, and there was always the controversy, especially in this show, of his being a "true" baritone, while during this show he managed to sing a "tenor" part! My comment is as follows: Who Cares? He WAS SUPERB! I can only begin to imagine how difficult it would be for a real baritone to perform a tenor role. What a family!! Suerte!
varadero1839 5 months ago
@varadero1839 Sweet Vardero- I couldn't agree with you more-my uncle was Broadway, and yet he had a humble view of his talent. Thank you for speaking up for him-may you be blessed ten fold for your kind words for him, and for your kind spirit!!! xoxo Love and light, Varadero!
OFFICIALALEXISKILEY 5 months ago
This is a great musicial. Borodin was a gifted composer(though he was actually a chemist) but Forest & Wright worked miracles with the arranging and orchestration. The lyrics are brilliant:
"Tis sin to be single"
"when you tell a story amorous or gory"
"Should Scheherezade undulate her body"
hahahaha just brilliant... just brilliant.
My mother and father used to sing these songs to each other, and I grew up with broadway songs ringing through the house. Thank you so much for posting!
PTCello 10 months ago
@PTCello Hello! I'm delighted by your memories of this show, and I agree with you on the prowess and abilities of both Forest and Wright! How exciting for you to have grown up with parents that could sing to one another! I'm serious! Would that we'd known one another as kids, and that you'd have invited me over for dinner! Thanks so much for your very uplifting remarks. Your comment has made my year!
varadero1839 10 months ago
@PTCello Of course, you know Forrest and Wright's other effort, Song of Norway, in which they adapted the music of Edvard Grieg.
Juliaflo 1 month ago
Kismet, a 'so well beloved' treasure. Kiley and the entire cast made a gem for the ages here. I"ve treasured it since I first heard it myself in the early 60s.
1Magron 1 year ago
@1Magron I'm elated at your comment! Though I saw the "last production" at this most beautiful of theaters, I missed this winner with Mr. Kiley. I've always regretted that. Suggest we'll have to be satisfied with the audio examples still bequeathed to us. Thanks once more for your notice!
varadero1839 1 year ago
Comment removed
1Magron 1 year ago
romance, class, and excellence ... put this up against what passes for music nowadays and try not to get too nauseous
dybbuk4640 1 year ago
despite the obvious differences, the music is still breathtaking ...
dybbuk4640 1 year ago
Don't recall whether I'd sent you this before:). This was Kiley's second Broadway show (He had previously replaced Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire."). Kiley began studying voice quite early in his career, as he explained circa 1990, because singing "could be a wonderful extension of my acting." Although the "Kismet" role was written for a tenor and Kiley was a baritone, he sang the role very well. More anon:) --
stevevandien 1 year ago
I love this recording by The wonderful Richard Kiley! Thank you for posting!
arpeggio1358 1 year ago
Way back around 1961, when i was only thirteen years old, I went to the library and took home the LP Kismet. Besides Stranger in Paradise, this song really caught my fancy. I still remember playing it for my friend who sadly died a few years later. Now, at age sixty-three, I still love these two songs as much or more than I did as a child. Borodin rules!
jimmyratz 1 year ago
@jimmyratz Hi jimmyratz, think we're in the same boat! Got a couple of years on you, but we both recognize elegance, and talent! I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend. You're right, Borodin Rules! Given Mr. Kiley's incredible talent, and singing way above his register for so long, it's still a miraculous performance. I'm so pleased to hear from you! Thanks once more!
varadero1839 1 year ago
Very interesting voice with a very special colour and personality in it! The clip is beautifully done! A pleasure!
igormorosow 1 year ago
Richard Kiley has a magical voice. I saw him live at the Vivian Beaumont theater in 1972 reprising the original cast version of Man of LaMancha. He puts all those who try to sing Impossible Dream, Dulcinea etc. to shame. I never heard this from Kismet and it is great. thanks.
bandfitter 1 year ago
@bandfitter Lucky You! I was in NYC at the time and kept saying, I'll get to "this" next week. Needless to say, I waited too long and never saw him in "Man." Thanks for your comment, and delighted you enjoyed his beautiful "Night!" He was the "classiest" of singers who really could act!
varadero1839 1 year ago
@varadero1839 OR one of the actors who could really sing!
From what I can tell from interviews, that's what Kiley considered himself:) --
stevevandien 1 year ago
@stevevandien I think you're right! There's so little of him on film that it's sad. A fine outing for him some years back was the made for TV "The Thorn Birds." He was wonderful in that role of an Irish patriarch in the Outback of Australia. I believe beautiful, now departed, Jean Simmons played his wife. Hope to find more, at least vocally! Thank you!
varadero1839 1 year ago
@bandfitter :he came to london(must have been soon after)at,ithink, the piccadilly theatre,and i count the experience along with seeing alfred drake in "kismet"(sadly kiley didn't come over for that one) as high among my musical experiences of 81 years.thanks to you and to varadero1839,sincerely ,2314575
2314575 1 year ago
I remember Mr. Kiley had a terrific turn as a gunfighter or a bounty hunter on an old episode of "Gunsmoke," opposite a smoldering Suzanne Pleshette, I believe. Oh, and Joan Diener - so sexy in her exotic Kismet makeup.
Thanks!
Jon (goneglobal35com)
JohnDope6666 2 years ago
Richard Kiley makes Vic Damone's version sound pretty mediocre in the film. But hey, Vic and Ann Blyth, Delores Gray, Sebastian Cabot and the wonderful Howard Keel turned out a fun film - even tho' director Vincente Minelli was in a rush to finish it and move on elsewhere. Adore this piece of celluloid.
Kismetico 2 years ago
Ah...I love this song and the wonderful Richard Kiley. It stirs up lots of dreamy girlhood memories listening to "Kismet." Thank you for posting!
KomKai352 2 years ago
You're so welcome! I'm delighted with your message, and happy for those great memories this has returned to you!
varadero1839 2 years ago
Wonderful arrangement - damn sight better than Vic Damone in the 1953 MGM musical
jh8856 2 years ago
As noted in a previous post, here he's not even singing in his actual register, as He was a baritone! My sister and his were very close at the time of this show, and it seems he rarely spoke to anyone during his participation in the production. He literally had to "save his voice" for the performance. His talent was a gift to us all!
varadero1839 2 years ago
Saw him in the ANTA playhouse in NYC, with Joan Diener still in the cast. "The deathbed of Don Quixote" scene, where Joan is singing The Impossible Dream to him, was purely magical theater. When he, haltingly, started to recite/sing the words with her, recognizing Aldonza the barmaid as his beloved Dulcinea, Diener cried out "Thank you, my lord!"
I looked around, and there wasn't a dry eye in the whole theatre. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, too.
rajah35
rajah35 2 years ago
Richard Kiley was one of the best of all time. I think Impossible Dream is my favorite of his. Has a biography been written of Richard??
infinitirider 2 years ago 4
my favorite is "i, don quixote" from the same play~~ btw for biography you might consider checking out the wiki site.. not much of biography, but it is the best i can find so far~~
emptyna 2 years ago
He's also the star of maybe the best Columbo episode ever: check out "A Friend in Deed" for an example of his brilliant acting ability.
goback3spaces 2 years ago
All principal players are gone now, but never to be forgotten.
Juliaflo 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Fabulous song and soooooooo well sung......amazing!!!!! A very handsome fella, no wonder Alexis Kiley is so beautiful!!!!
MrCalvinRay 2 years ago
Comment removed
MrCalvinRay 2 years ago
This is a beautiful dedication to a wonderful man---wink :)
Kisses,
Alexis Kiley
OFFICIALALEXISKILEY 2 years ago
AMEN.
Juliaflo 2 years ago
@OFFICIALALEXISKILEY Are you related to him?
scorpietta 1 year ago
@scorpietta. Yes, from my father's side-
OFFICIALALEXISKILEY 1 year ago
@OFFICIALALEXISKILEY I saw him perform in '78 as Don Quioxte. Great voice.
scorpietta 1 year ago
@scorpietta -That's lovely- :) You know, I had the honor of seeing Jack Jones live front row at Jerry's telethon over at CBS Studio's on Beverly. He was wonderful singing the "Impossible Dream" and I actually stood up for him. I rarely if ever do a standing ovation for someone, but he so deserved it.
Regards, Sorpietta-
A-
OFFICIALALEXISKILEY 1 year ago
this my ballet dance
tinietzdancer7x3 2 years ago
Kiley left "Kismet" because the Caliph is a tenor and he was a baritone. Even so, he sings very well here, though doing so was just too much in the long run. I am a baritone -- my roles have included Hajj, de Becque, Jud, Billy Bigelow, Samuel (in "The Pirates of Penzance"), Richard Henry Lee (in "1776") and Lancelot -- and a low-lying voice in a high part (between tenor and baritone, or baritone and bass-baritone, or bass) will inevitably have problems if not resolved in advance --
stevevandien 3 years ago
indeed, Kiley sang this beautifully. and yes, the Caliph is a tenor role. when Kiley left, he was replaced with a tenor named Richard Oneto who originally played the Imam of the Mosque (sang Sands of Time) and the Bangle Man (in Baubles, Baubles, and Beads). I don't think any recordings of Oneto as the Caliph exist, but you can hear him singing "Sands of Time" and it is quite delightful.
ZeGreatZiegfield 2 years ago
Thanks for the information about Oneto. He sings quite beautifully; his voice is somewhat like that of an Irish tenor, with a light but very clear tone -
stevevandien 2 years ago
Thank you so much for this. Kismet was and is the best musical that I know. The cast was extraordinary. Beautiful. Thank you!!!
Ejay3483 3 years ago
You're Welcome!!! Have heard many pros and cons regarding anything from this production. Though I'd seen productions in this most beautiful of theaters, they'd followed "Kismet!" Wish I'd seen the original!
varadero1839 3 years ago
It is very hard to classify this multitalented artist. Was he a superb singer? Was he a fabulous dramatic artist? The answer is both. The video is great. As always, thanks a lot for posting.
stephenjoeagi 3 years ago 7
He really is very difficult to describe; there was so little he couldn't do. Thanks to you for your kind notice and compliments!
varadero1839 3 years ago
@stephenjoeagi I couldn't agree with you more, Stephen- (wink) Love and light-
Best regards,
Alexis Kiley
OFFICIALALEXISKILEY 5 months ago