A Story That Began Before Me: The Legacy That Brought Me Here
Standing on that stage in Oklahoma, looking out at the audience, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude—and a little bit of disbelief. I introduced myself, smiled, and thought: this is more than just a conversation about a movie… this is my story too.
People often ask me about Oklahoma! and what it means to me. The truth is, without that film, I probably wouldn’t even exist. And that’s not an exaggeration—it’s the beginning of everything.
You see, my mother was just 18 or 19 years old when she got involved in that world. She grew up in a tiny town in Pennsylvania—so small that everyone knew everyone. Her father sold beer, and her grandfather had founded a small brewery. But my mother? She was the star of the family. While her father worked, she would climb up onto the bar and sing Shirley Temple songs, charming everyone in the room—and apparently helping sell quite a lot of beer along the way.
One weekend, her parents took her to New York City. That trip would change everything. My grandfather heard about open auditions for a touring production of South Pacific and encouraged her to go. She walked into that audition and sang—and completely stunned the casting director. So much so that he sent her across the street to another audition.
Imagine this: a massive empty theater, a full orchestra waiting on stage, and just two shadowy figures sitting out in the audience. Those two men turned out to be Rodgers and Hammerstein themselves. They asked if she knew any of their songs. She said she knew the melodies… not all the words. And Oscar Hammerstein replied, “That’s all right—I know the words.”
She sang for them. And just like that, her life changed.
They cast her in South Pacific, and only six months later, they called her again—this time to star in the film version of Oklahoma!. She had barely done anything beyond high school theater. But somehow, she stepped into that role with grace and charm. She wasn’t nervous in the way most performers are. My mother has always had this quiet confidence—she knew she had a gift, and she simply trusted it.
After the film, she signed an exclusive contract with Rodgers and Hammerstein—the only person who ever did. They even sent her to Paris to perform Oklahoma! on stage. And that’s where the next chapter began.
In Paris, she was cast opposite a young actor named Jack Cassidy—my father. During the run of the show, he took her up the Eiffel Tower and proposed. It sounds like a perfect love story… except for one small complication—he was married at the time.
Messy? Yes. But somehow, life worked itself out. And eventually, I came along.
So when I stand here today, talking about this film, I’m not just speaking as an actor or a musician—I’m here as part of that legacy. As someone whose entire existence is tied to a moment in musical theater history.
Now my mother is 91 years old. She doesn’t travel much anymore, but she still carries that same warmth and strength. What makes her happiest these days isn’t fame or applause—it’s family. Children, grandchildren, laughter… that’s her world now.
And as I look out at the audience, and even at my own daughters standing nearby, I realize something: this story didn’t end with her. It keeps going.
From a small-town girl singing on a bar… to a stage in Oklahoma decades later… to me, standing here, telling her story.
And in a way, it’s all still unfolding.