RIP Christopher Plummer

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

Seen on the web:

"Edelweiss"

Mark Steyn:

"The only problem is that that isn't Christopher Plummer singing, but Bill Lee, a versatile playback singer whose voice was dubbed in for "Edelweiss" and "Something Good". You can hear Mr Lee's other vocal work in South Pacific, The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins and many more.

Abe Burrows, librettist of Guys and Dolls, used to say that a guy who doesn't get to sing isn't really in a musical. But a guy who doesn't get to sing can still be in a musical film, thanks to technology. Christopher Plummer understood the absurdity of being hailed for something you didn't actually do, but just for the record here is the above scene with Mr Plummer's own singing voice:"

Link to video

"I'd say that's actually pretty credible - both as singing and as the sort of singing voice I'd expect Captain von Trapp to have. Thus, if I'd been the studio boss, I'd have left it in and told Bill Lee he wasn't needed."

Jolly

Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady did not know she was going to be dubbed. She had worked very hard to do her best on the songs she was singing and actually was pretty good, except on some of the highest notes.

It was something that saddened her, until her death.

If an actor or actress can carry a tune and give a decent performance, leave their voice in the picture.

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

@jolly said in RIP Christopher Plummer:

Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady did not know she was going to be dubbed.

Yeah, she was quite upset. I've seen videos with her singing the parts. She was not nearly as good as Marni Nixon.

Link to video

If an actor or actress can carry a tune and give a decent performance, leave their voice in the picture.

That's what they did with Les Miserables, iirc.

Russel Crowe? Really?

Doctor Phibes

@jolly said in RIP Christopher Plummer:

Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady did not know she was going to be dubbed. She had worked very hard to do her best on the songs she was singing and actually was pretty good, except on some of the highest notes.

It was something that saddened her, until her death.

If an actor or actress can carry a tune and give a decent performance, leave their voice in the picture.

It's funny that they didn't dub Rex Harrison, who couldn't carry a tune at all, and he actually ended up doing a better job than a trained singer would have, by not singing.

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

@doctor-phibes said in RIP Christopher Plummer:

they didn't dub Rex Harrison

Yes. But...Harrison owned the role from his performances on Broadway.

Jolly

@george-k said in RIP Christopher Plummer:

@doctor-phibes said in RIP Christopher Plummer:

they didn't dub Rex Harrison

Yes. But...Harrison owned the role from his performances on Broadway.

Sure, and Julie Anderson wouldn't have been dubbed. But Hepburn is good enough.

For that matter, so was Plummer...

I'd rather have the original person.

Jolly

Of course, if you insist on the original, original...

Link to video

Doctor Phibes

It's ironic that after being passed over for the movie as she wasn't a big enough name, Julie Andrews won an Oscar that year for Mary Poppins, beating Audrey Hepburn, and then won another one the following year for The Sound of Music.