His big break was in a 1943 war movie called "A Guy Named Joe"—a film that was almost derailed by his auto accident. He is best-remembered today for a series of movie musicals, in which he played opposite some equally all-American female stars, such as June Allyson and Esther Williams. He acted with Judy Garland in "In the Good Old Summertime" (1949) and alongside Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse in "Brigadoon" (1954).