Rod Steiger
by Claire J Rottenberg
Rod Steiger was one of America's great actors,
yet most people probably don't remember that he
sang in a movie musical early in his career. In 1955,
Steiger played Judd Fry in the movie version of
"Oklahoma" and, along with Gordon MacRae,
he sang "Poor Judd Is Daid." Although his
performance as Judd Fry was excellent, his acclaim as
a leading actor did not come until several years
later. In 1967, Steiger finally won an Academy Award
for Best Actor for his role in "In the Heat of
the Night." "Oklahoma" remained his
only musical film.