My Favorite "Triple Threat" Performers

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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
36.

Robert Morse



Another severely underrated triple threat who first found fame on Broadway with his Tony Award winning role as J Pierpont Finch in the original 1960 production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His career has moved from stage to screen to television with ease for decades. Youngsters might be more familiar with him from the AMC series Mad Men. I have posted a number called "It's Been a Long Day" from How to Succeed which shows off his vocal abilities and another number from the same show called "Brotherhood of Man" which shows how light he could be on his feet

There's something about Robert Morse that I find annoying, but I've never been able to figure out what it is. I don't disagree that he's talented, but I just don't like watching him.
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34.

Doris Day



One of Hollywood's most beloved stars who began her movie career in the 1940's and worked steadily in the movies until 1968. I have posted her opening number from Lullaby of Broadway, her steamy rendition of Ten Cents a Dance from Love Me Or Leave Me, a movie that should have earned her her first Oscar nomination, and the Albert Hall finale from Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much.









There's something about Robert Morse that I find annoying, but I've never been able to figure out what it is. I don't disagree that he's talented, but I just don't like watching him.
I was a little surprised to see Robert Morse on this list, but I'm glad he's here.
(I love How to Succeed in Business). But I kind of know what you mean about being annoying (I think it was that gap in his teeth).

I always say Robert Morse would have been the Jerry Lewis of the 60's... if it hadn't been for Jerry Lewis!



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
34.

Doris Day



One of Hollywood's most beloved stars who began her movie career in the 1940's and worked steadily in the movies until 1968. I have posted her opening number from Lullaby of Broadway, her steamy rendition of Ten Cents a Dance from Love Me Or Leave Me, a movie that should have earned her her first Oscar nomination, and the Albert Hall finale from Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Doris Day would have been much higher on my list, and I expected her to be much higher on your list too, but we're all entitled to our own opinions. While I love her comedies with Rock Hudson and James Garner, some of my favorites of her movies are her most underrated ones, like Tea for Two (1950), The Pajama Game (1957), Teacher’s Pet (1958), and That Touch of Mink (1962).



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I was a little surprised to see Robert Morse on this list, but I'm glad he's here.
(I love How to Succeed in Business). But I kind of know what you mean about being annoying (I think it was that gap in his teeth).
I don't think the gap in his teeth had anything to do with why he was annoying, but maybe it did on some subconscious level.

I always say Robert Morse would have been the Jerry Lewis of the 60's... if it hadn't been for Jerry Lewis!
This is more likely the reason, as I've never been a fan of Jerry Lewis, and I find him annoying too. I don't even like watching the Martin & Lewis movies because Jerry Lewis is in them.



Doris Day would have been much higher on my list, and I expected her to be much higher on your list too, but we're all entitled to our own opinions. While I love her comedies with Rock Hudson and James Garner, some of my favorites of her movies are her most underrated ones, like Tea for Two (1950), The Pajama Game (1957), Teacher’s Pet (1958), and That Touch of Mink (1962).

Hated That Touch of Mink, but love the other ones you mentioned.



Cool idea. Little late to the party but before I got to him on your countdown Sammy Davis Jr was one I had thought of although I wasn't sure how much acting he had done. I only really know him acting wise from the Cannonball Run movies and the greatest guest appearance ever on a sitcom. Just watched Chicago last night and am wondering if CZJ might make it? Another possibility is Rita Moreno and how about Liza?



Cool idea. Little late to the party but before I got to him on your countdown Sammy Davis Jr was one I had thought of although I wasn't sure how much acting he had done. I only really know him acting wise from the Cannonball Run movies and the greatest guest appearance ever on a sitcom. Just watched Chicago last night and am wondering if CZJ might make it? Another possibility is Rita Moreno and how about Liza?

Liza and CZJ will definitely be making the list



33.

Jerry Orbach



This one might come as bit of a surprise to the youngsters out there, but long before he became the heart and soul of the long-running crime drama Law and Order, Orbach created the starring role of El Gallo in the Sullivan Street Playhouse production of The Fantastic, the longest running stage production in history which is still running to this day.
He went on to create the role of Chuck Baxter in the musical version of The Apartment
called Promises, Promises, Julian Marsh in 42nd Street and Billy Flynn in Chicago. I have posted him singing Try to Remember from The Fantastics and performing All I Care About from the original Broadway production of Chicago":







32.

Mitzi Gaynor



This legend of stage, screen, and television has worked with Hollywood legends like Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe but has never been blown off the screen by any of them and no one has a bad word to say about her. She was even on The Ed Sullivan Show the same nights a group called The Beatles were on. I have posted a ballet called "Why am I so Gone About that Gal" from the movie Les Girls and "Honey Bun" from South Pacific:









31.

Lesley Ann Warren



She first caught the public eye in the title role of the CBS television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella back in the mid 1960's and has been working steadily ever since. Young viewers might remember as Miss Scarlett in the movie Clue, as Teri Hatcher's mom Stella on Desperate Housewives or as Sydney Pollack's empty-headed mistress on Will and Grace, but she is probably best known for her Oscar nominated performance in the 1982 musical Victor/Victoria. I have posted a number from that movie called "Chicago, Illinois" and a number from Cinderella called "In My Own Little Corner":







You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
33.

Jerry Orbach



This one might come as bit of a surprise to the youngsters out there, but long before he became the heart and soul of the long-running crime drama Law and Order, Orbach created the starring role of El Gallo in the Sullivan Street Playhouse production of The Fantastics, the longest running stage production in history which is still running to this day.
He went on to create the role of Chuck Baxter in the musical version of The Apartment
called Promises, Promises, Julian Marsh in 42nd Street and Billy Flynn in Chicago. I have posted him singing Try to Remember from The Fantastics and performing All I Care About from the original Broadway production of Chicago":

While I agree that Jerry Orbach was a very talented performer, I don't think of him as a "triple threat" because I don't think of him as a dancer.



30.

Ewan McGregor



This guy is the total package. An actor who could have easily let his movie star good looks guide his career, but he's taken more than his share of career risks. I have posted his classic duet with Nicole Kidman from Moulin Rouge called "Come what May", a memorable scene from the iconic Trainspotting and the finale of Down with Love











29.

Frank Sinatra



He was the very definition of the phrase "show business legend" whose life offscreen was just as much feed for the gossip mill in the same manner of Elizabeth Taylor, but his career went so many different directions that Taylor didn't, including an Oscar, four Golden Globes, and seven grammys.. I don't expect a lot of argument about Frank's vocal talent, but to switch things up, I have decided to post a number that is often cut from most prints of Anchors Aweigh called "I Fall in Love Too Easily". There's a clip here from Frank's Oscar As for Sinatra's underrated hoofing, I have to go back to Anchors Aweigh with a number called "I Begged Her", where Sinatra doesn't miss a step right next to dance legend Gene Kelly.











Is it wrong that I really don't like Frank Sinatra? Even before I'd heard of the off screen stuff and what he (might be) was like. I'm not telling you I don't like his voice or that he was crap or anything, just that I've never liked the look of him.
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28.

Rita Moreno



This is Oscar-winning triple threat actually made one of her earliest film appearances in a little something called Singin in the Rain, eventually becoming one of show business' first "EGOT" (winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). I have posted her performing "Tap Your Troubles Away" from Mack and Mabel during a Jerry Herman tribute at the Hollywood Bowl and, of course, "America."








28.

Rita Moreno



This is Oscar-winning triple threat actually made one of her earliest film appearances in a little something called Singin in the Rain, eventually becoming one of show business' first "EGOT" (winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). I have posted her performing "Tap Your Troubles Away" from Mack and Mabel during a Jerry Herman tribute at the Hollywood Bowl and, of course, "America."





west side story is one of the good movies



27.

Jennifer Lopez



I debated about her inclusion here, but for a woman who was thought to be talentless thirty year ago, she has managed to carve out a career in this business with some genuine staying power by constantly reinventing herself. I have posted her video "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and a scene from "Selena""