The people at MGM realized their mistake immediately, however, and began casting him in a series of musical films. He served in the United States Army during World War II, then returned to more musicals. His performance in When My Baby Smiles at Me in 1948 garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
As the musical genre began to wane in the mid-1950s, he moved on to various comedic and dramatic roles, and television.