William Tabbert
Encyclopedia
William “Bill” Tabbert was an American actor and singer primarily remembered as Lieutenant Joseph Cable in the original Broadway
production of Rodgers and Hammerstein
’s musical South Pacific
.
the second son of William and Edith Victoria (née Johnson) Tabbert. His father was the son of German immigrants and supported his family working as a railroad engineer. His mother was the daughter of Swedish immigrants who had settled in Minnesota during the 1880s.
By 1930, though both their parents were still alive, William and his older brother Spencer were residence of Lawrence Hall, a Chicago institution that sheltered homeless and orphaned boys.
Spencer would go on to serve in the army during the Second World War,
while a bout of pneumonia
ended William’s brief military service.
with soprano Anna Fitziu
. Over his high school years Tabbert was active as a baritone singer at school events and as a contestant in several community talent contests. After his graduation in 1939 Tabbert supported himself as he studied music by performing small parts with the Chicago Civic Opera
Company and singing at local area night spots.
In 1941 Tabbert married dancer Evelyn Rainey and began to think about expanding his career. The war intervened though, forcing him to put his plans on hold until after being discharged from the army and recovering his health. Broadway during the war, like most other war era industries, was suffering a manpower shortage which, starting in 1943, opened the door for Tabbert to appear in musicals like, "What's Up?", "Follow the Girls
", "Seven Lively Arts
", "Billion Dollar Baby
" and "Three to Make Ready".
After the success of the long running South Pacific, Tabbert returned to singing at night clubs and appeared regularly on radio and television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show
, The Voice of Firestone
and Armstrong Circle Theater. In 1954 he hosted the Bill Tabbert Show for ABC television and that same year made his final Broadway appearance in "Fanny
" with Ezio Pinza
, Walter Slezak
and Florence Henderson
. Of his performance, critic Brooks Atkinson
wrote: “Mr. Tabbert pours his familiar vitality into a sort of sea spiritual called “Restless Heart” and a song of despair entitled “Fanny”. Tabbert was a regular performer at summer evening concerts held at City College of New York
’s Lewisohn Stadium
and in musical theatrical production performed across the country.
while rehearsing for an upcoming show.
He was only fifty-three and was survived by his wife, father and brother. His mother had preceded him in death two years earlier.
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 musical South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
.
Early life
Tabbert was born on the 5th of October, 1919 at Chicago, Illinois,the second son of William and Edith Victoria (née Johnson) Tabbert. His father was the son of German immigrants and supported his family working as a railroad engineer. His mother was the daughter of Swedish immigrants who had settled in Minnesota during the 1880s.
By 1930, though both their parents were still alive, William and his older brother Spencer were residence of Lawrence Hall, a Chicago institution that sheltered homeless and orphaned boys.
Spencer would go on to serve in the army during the Second World War,
while a bout of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
ended William’s brief military service.
Career
Tabbert’s road to Broadway began during his senior year at Chicago’s Hirsch high school when he won a three year scholarship sponsored by the Chicago Daily Tribune to study grand operaGrand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
with soprano Anna Fitziu
Anna Fitziu
Anna Fitziu was an American soprano who had a prolific international opera career during the early part of the 20th century. Her signature roles included Fiora in L'amore dei tre re, Mimi in La Boheme, Nedda in Pagliacci, and the title roles in Isabeau, Madama Butterfly, and Tosca...
. Over his high school years Tabbert was active as a baritone singer at school events and as a contestant in several community talent contests. After his graduation in 1939 Tabbert supported himself as he studied music by performing small parts with the Chicago Civic Opera
Chicago Civic Opera
The Civic Opera Company was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theater from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financial difficulties brought on in part by the Great Depression.-...
Company and singing at local area night spots.
In 1941 Tabbert married dancer Evelyn Rainey and began to think about expanding his career. The war intervened though, forcing him to put his plans on hold until after being discharged from the army and recovering his health. Broadway during the war, like most other war era industries, was suffering a manpower shortage which, starting in 1943, opened the door for Tabbert to appear in musicals like, "What's Up?", "Follow the Girls
Follow the Girls
Follow the Girls is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis and Fred Thompson and music and lyrics by Dan Shapiro, Milton Pascal, and Phil Charig....
", "Seven Lively Arts
Seven Lively Arts
The Seven Lively Arts was a short-lived Sunday afternoon hour-long television anthology series produced in 1957 by CBS television and executive producer John Houseman. It was hosted by New York Herald Tribune critic John Crosby...
", "Billion Dollar Baby
Billion Dollar Baby
Billion Dollar Baby is a musical set on Staten Island and in Atlantic City during the late 1920s. It follows the adventures of an ambitious young woman, Maribelle Jones, in her quest for wealth during the Prohibition era. Betty Comden and Adolph Green, fresh from their success with On the Town,...
" and "Three to Make Ready".
After the success of the long running South Pacific, Tabbert returned to singing at night clubs and appeared regularly on radio and television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, The Voice of Firestone
The Voice of Firestone
The Voice of Firestone, is a long-running radio and television program of classical music. The show featured leading singers in selections from opera and operetta. Originally titled The Firestone Hour, it was first broadcast on the NBC Radio network December 3, 1928 and was later also shown on...
and Armstrong Circle Theater. In 1954 he hosted the Bill Tabbert Show for ABC television and that same year made his final Broadway appearance in "Fanny
Fanny (musical)
Fanny is a musical with a book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. A tale of love, secrets, and passion set in and around the old French port of Marseille, it is based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of plays entitled Marius, Fanny and César.The musical premiered on...
" with Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
, Walter Slezak
Walter Slezak
Walter Slezak was a portly Austrian character actor who appeared in numerous Hollywood films. Slezak often portrayed villains or thugs, most notably the German U-boat captain in Alfred Hitchcock's film Lifeboat , but occasionally he got to play lighter roles, as in The Wonderful World of the...
and Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
. Of his performance, critic Brooks Atkinson
Brooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960...
wrote: “Mr. Tabbert pours his familiar vitality into a sort of sea spiritual called “Restless Heart” and a song of despair entitled “Fanny”. Tabbert was a regular performer at summer evening concerts held at City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
’s Lewisohn Stadium
Lewisohn Stadium
Lewisohn Stadium was an amphitheater and athletic facility built on the campus of the City College of New York. It opened in 1915 and was demolished in 1973.-History:...
and in musical theatrical production performed across the country.
Death
Bill Tabbert died of a heart attack on October 18, 1974 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
while rehearsing for an upcoming show.
He was only fifty-three and was survived by his wife, father and brother. His mother had preceded him in death two years earlier.