William Gaxton
Encyclopedia
William Gaxton was a star of vaudeville
, film
, and theatre
.
Born as Arturo Antonio Gaxiola in San Francisco, he appeared on film and onstage. He debuted on Broadway
in the Music Box Revue
on October 23, 1922. He went on to star in such hits as Rogers and Hart's A Connecticut Yankee (1927), singing "Thou Swell
", Cole Porter
's Fifty Million Frenchmen
(1929), singing "You Do Something to Me
", Of Thee I Sing
(1933) with Victor Moore
, Cole Porter
's Anything Goes
(1934), with Ethel Merman
and Victor Moore
, White Horse Inn (1936), Leave It to Me!
(1938) with Victor Moore
, and Louisiana Purchase
(1940).
He starred in the film version of Fifty Million Frenchmen
(1931), as well as Best Foot Forward (1943), The Heat's On
(1943) and Diamond Horseshoe
(1945). He died from cancer in 1963.
Gaxton was of Spanish ancestry and a cousin of actor Leo Carrillo
.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
.
Born as Arturo Antonio Gaxiola in San Francisco, he appeared on film and onstage. He debuted on 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...
in the Music Box Revue
Music Box Revue
Music Box Revue was a musical theatre revue with music by Irving Berlin. Featuring contributions from a number of writers including Robert Benchley, it debuted at the Music Box Theatre in 1921, where it ran for 440 performances.-References:...
on October 23, 1922. He went on to star in such hits as Rogers and Hart's A Connecticut Yankee (1927), singing "Thou Swell
Thou Swell
"Thou Swell" is a show tune, a popular song and a jazz standard.The music was written by Richard Rodgers, with words by Lorenz Hart, for the 1927 musical A Connecticut Yankee. There are jazz vocal renditions by Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Blossom Dearie, Ella Fitzgerald and Joe...
", Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's Fifty Million Frenchmen
Fifty Million Frenchmen
Fifty Million Frenchmen is a musical comedy with a book by Herbert Fields and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It opened on Broadway in 1929 and was adapted for a film two years later...
(1929), singing "You Do Something to Me
You Do Something to Me
"You Do Something to Me" is a song written by Cole Porter. It is notable in that it was the first number in Porter's first fully integrated-book musical Fifty Million Frenchmen...
", Of Thee I Sing
Of Thee I Sing
Of Thee I Sing is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President of the United States on the "love" platform...
(1933) with Victor Moore
Victor Moore
Victor Frederick Moore was an American actor of stage and screen, as well as a comedian, writer, and director.-Personal life:...
, Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
(1934), with Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
and Victor Moore
Victor Moore
Victor Frederick Moore was an American actor of stage and screen, as well as a comedian, writer, and director.-Personal life:...
, White Horse Inn (1936), Leave It to Me!
Leave It to Me!
Leave It to Me! is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The "book" was a collaborative effort by Samuel and Bella Spewack, who also directed the Broadway production. The musical was based on the play Clear All Wires by the Spewacks...
(1938) with Victor Moore
Victor Moore
Victor Frederick Moore was an American actor of stage and screen, as well as a comedian, writer, and director.-Personal life:...
, and Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase (musical)
Louisiana Purchase is a musical theater production from 1940. It has music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and book by Morrie Ryskind based on a story by B. G. DeSylva. In 1941 it was adapted for the film Louisiana Purchase directed by Irving Cummings....
(1940).
He starred in the film version of Fifty Million Frenchmen
Fifty Million Frenchmen (film)
__notoc__Fifty Million Frenchmen is a 1931 musical comedy film photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was based on Cole Porter's 1929 Broadway musical. It was originally intended to be released, in the United States, late in 1930, but was shelved due to public apathy towards musicals. Despite...
(1931), as well as Best Foot Forward (1943), The Heat's On
The Heat's On
The Heat's On is a movie musical starring Mae West, William Gaxton, and Victor Moore, and released by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:Broadway star Fay Lawrence is a temperamental diva who is reluctantly persuaded by a Broadway producer to star in his latest production.-Production background:Mae West...
(1943) and Diamond Horseshoe
Diamond Horseshoe
Diamond Horseshoe is a 1945 Technicolor musical film starring Betty Grable, directed by George Seaton, and released by 20th Century Fox.-Background:...
(1945). He died from cancer in 1963.
Gaxton was of Spanish ancestry and a cousin of actor Leo Carrillo
Leo Carrillo
Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo , was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist.-Family roots:...
.