Jan Clayton
Encyclopedia
Jan Clayton was a film, musical theatre, and television actress.
. In 1945, however, she was selected to play the role of Julie Jordan in the original Broadway
production of Rodgers and Hammerstein
's classic, Carousel
. She left the show to star in the 1946 Broadway revival of Show Boat
, as Magnolia, while Carousel was still continuing its Broadway run. The 1946 production of Show Boat was the longest-running revival of a stage musical up to that time - 416 performances. Clayton can be heard on the original cast recordings of both Carousel (1945) and Show Boat (1946). The Show Boat album was the first American production of the show to be recorded with its original cast.
On May 20, 1954, Clayton guest starred in ABC
's 1953-1955 sitcom, Where's Raymond?
, starring Ray Bolger
as a song-and-dance man, Raymond Wallace. She played Francine Tremont, an actress and wife of a banker. In the story line, Francine is in town to make a special appearance with Bolger.
Weeks after her Where's Raymond? appearance, Clayton played Jeff Miller's (Tommy Rettig
)'s mother on the 1954 television series Lassie
(aka Jeff's Collie in re-runs). She also played herself in an appearance on Peter Lawford
's short-lived NBC
sitcom, Dear Phoebe
.
In 1954, Clayton was one of the many guest stars in a spectacular tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein on television, The General Foods 25th Anniversary Show, which featured all the then-surviving stars - with the exception of Alfred Drake
- of all the classic shows that the team had written between 1943 and 1954. Clayton and John Raitt
, in full makeup and costume, performed the If I Loved You
scene (also known as the Bench Scene) from Carousel. It was the first opportunity for millions of viewers to see a scene from the musical, since none of the film versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musicals had yet been released.
actor Russell Hayden
from 1938 to 1943; they had one child, Sandra Hayden (1940–1956). In 1946, Clayton married attorney Robert Lerner, brother of famed Broadway lyricist Alan Jay Lerner
. She and Lerner had three children, daughter Robin (b. 1948), daughter Karen (b. 1949), and son Joe (b. 1950), but divorced in 1958. Her third and final marriage was to pianist/film and television composer George Greeley. They married in 1966 and divorced two years later.
.
Career
Clayton had made several films for MGM, but none were notable, except for an unbilled role as a singing inmate in The Snake PitThe Snake Pit
The Snake Pit is a 1948 American drama film directed by Anatole Litvak. The film tells the story of a woman who finds herself in an insane asylum and cannot remember how she got there, and stars Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Beulah Bondi, and Lee Patrick.The film was...
. In 1945, however, she was selected to play the role of Julie Jordan in the original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
's classic, Carousel
Carousel (musical)
Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline...
. She left the show to star in the 1946 Broadway revival of Show Boat
Show Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
, as Magnolia, while Carousel was still continuing its Broadway run. The 1946 production of Show Boat was the longest-running revival of a stage musical up to that time - 416 performances. Clayton can be heard on the original cast recordings of both Carousel (1945) and Show Boat (1946). The Show Boat album was the first American production of the show to be recorded with its original cast.
On May 20, 1954, Clayton guest starred in ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's 1953-1955 sitcom, Where's Raymond?
Where's Raymond?
Where's Raymond? is a 1953-1954 ABC situation comedy television series starring Ray Bolger as Raymond Wallace, a song-and-dance man who is consistently barely on time for his performances...
, starring Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger
Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
as a song-and-dance man, Raymond Wallace. She played Francine Tremont, an actress and wife of a banker. In the story line, Francine is in town to make a special appearance with Bolger.
Weeks after her Where's Raymond? appearance, Clayton played Jeff Miller's (Tommy Rettig
Tommy Rettig
Thomas Noel "Tommy" Rettig was an American child actor,computer software engineer, and author. Rettig is best remembered for portraying the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS's Lassie television series, from 1954–1957, later seen in syndicated re-runs as Jeff's Collie...
)'s mother on the 1954 television series Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
(aka Jeff's Collie in re-runs). She also played herself in an appearance on Peter Lawford
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
's short-lived NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom, Dear Phoebe
Dear Phoebe
Dear Phoebe is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1954 to April 1955. The series stars Peter Lawford, and was created and produced by Alex Gottlieb.-Synopsis:...
.
In 1954, Clayton was one of the many guest stars in a spectacular tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein on television, The General Foods 25th Anniversary Show, which featured all the then-surviving stars - with the exception of Alfred Drake
Alfred Drake
Alfred Drake was an American actor and singer.-Biography:Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Brooklyn College...
- of all the classic shows that the team had written between 1943 and 1954. Clayton and John Raitt
John Raitt
John Emmett Raitt was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theater.-Early years:...
, in full makeup and costume, performed the If I Loved You
If I Loved You
"If I Loved You" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.The song was introduced by John Raitt as "Billy Bigelow" and Jan Clayton as "Julie"...
scene (also known as the Bench Scene) from Carousel. It was the first opportunity for millions of viewers to see a scene from the musical, since none of the film versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musicals had yet been released.
Personal life
She was married to westernWestern (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
actor Russell Hayden
Russell Hayden
Russell "Lucky" Hayden was an American film and television actor.He was born as Hayden Michael "Pate" Lucid, son of Francis J...
from 1938 to 1943; they had one child, Sandra Hayden (1940–1956). In 1946, Clayton married attorney Robert Lerner, brother of famed Broadway lyricist Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
. She and Lerner had three children, daughter Robin (b. 1948), daughter Karen (b. 1949), and son Joe (b. 1950), but divorced in 1958. Her third and final marriage was to pianist/film and television composer George Greeley. They married in 1966 and divorced two years later.
Affiliations
In later years, she appeared many times on television as a frequent guest star in many series. She also volunteered at the Alcoholism Council of Greater Los Angeles as a receptionist in the late 1970s, where she had received treatment for her own alcohol-related problemsAlcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.