What Do They Have in Common?

[MilesArcher]

Yes, and as far as I know, it was the only time in these stars' careers that their singing was dubbed.

 

In "Riders Of Destiny" John Wayne played Singin' Sandy Saunders.  However, John Wayne couldn't sing.  The director, Robert Bradbury, had twin sons, Robert Jr, and William.  It was William Bradbury who did the singing.  Robert Jr. eventually changed his name to Bob Steele and became a western star.  He also appeared in "Of Mice And Men" and "The Big Sleep".  The leading lady in "Riders Of destiny" was Cecilia Parker", who would go on to play Andy Hardy's big sister, Marion, in the Hardy family series at MGM.

 

Christopher Plummer had his singing dubbed in "The Sound Of Music" by a voice artist named Bill Lee, not to be confused with child actor Billy Lee or baseball pitcher Bill Lee.  This Bill Lee had dubbed the singing for John Kerr in "South Pacific" and Tom Drake way back in "Words And Music".  He also worked in many animated films.

 

Ann Blyth was an accomplished singer in her own right, but her range was that of a lyric soprano, much like Jeanette MacDonald and Katharine Grayson.  She was portraying Helen Morgan, one of the stars of the original stage production and movie "Showboat".  Helen Morgan was known as a torch singer who usually sat upon a piano and sang sad songs about men that got away.  The producers wanted a different kind of singing voice so they brought in pop singer Gogi Grant to do the job.  She may be remembered for a hit song called "The Wayward Wind".

 

In "Singin' In The Rain", Debbie Reynolds does her own singing throughout the movie except for, ironically, when she is dubbing the voice of Jean Hagen.  When Jean Hagen, as Lina Lamont, had her movie dialogue dubbed by Debbie Reynolds, the producers played a little trick on the movie audience.  The speaking voice was actually Jean Hagen's real voice.  So, you had Jean Hagen dubbing the voice of Debbie Reynolds who was dubbing the voice of Jean Hagen.

And for that same bit of dubbing for "The Dancing Cavalier", when you think that you are hearing Debbie and Gene Kelly singing "Would You", it's actually Gene and a voice artist named Betty Noyes.  Debbie had a young, high voice and Jean Hagen was an older woman, so the producers thought that an older, more mature sounding voice would be more appropriate for that situation..

 

I had to work a bit to get a response on this one, Lavender.  I hope you come up with a good one.  You're next.

[lavenderblue19]

Thanks Miles

 

I'm leaving the thread open, just don't have the time right now

[Terrence1]

This will be a little different.  Instead of having a list of actors, I have suggested several pairs of actors.  Instead of all having something in common,  each actor has something in common with the other actor he or she is paired with:

 

 

Barbara Stanwyck - Carole Lombard

 

Shirley Temple - Ann Sheridan

 

Jeanne Crain - Lauren Bacall

 

James Stewart - John Travolta

[starliteyes]

Terrence, could you tell us if we should be thinking "professional" or "personal" or both?

[Terrence1]

This has to do with one particular movie that each actor made.

[Terrence1]

Hint:  Probably the most help would come from the first and last pairs of names.

[MilesArcher]

I'm sorry that I can only give a partial answer.  

 

Barbara Stanwyck and Carole Lombard were both in movies with the title "No Man Of Her Own".

 

Jeanne Crain and Lauren Bacall were both in movies titled "The Fan".

 

James Stewart and John Travolta were both in movies titled "Broken Arrow".

 

I do not know any movies of Shirley Temple and Ann Sheridan that have the same titles.

[Terrence1]

Temple and Sheridan were in movies called "Just Across the Street".  Each pair starred in movies with the same title, although none of them were remakes.  Your turn, Miles.

[Terrence1]

OK, Miles.  I've made a huge mistake.  (I think I was relying on my memory, which I should never do.)  I must have been thinking of a Shirley Temple movie called "Just Around the Corner".  Sorry.  It's still your turn.

[MilesArcher]

What do these actresses have in common?

 

Lillian Gish

Dolores Costello

Loretta Young

Hayley Mills

Marcilene Day

 

 

[Princess of Tap]

What do these actresses have in common?

 

Lillian Gish

Dolores Costello

Loretta Young

Hayley Mills

Marcilene Day

They were all beautiful young child actresses in film who continued to work through adulthood.

[MilesArcher]

They were all beautiful young child actresses in film who continued to work through adulthood.

While that is true, Princess, there is something of a personal nature that they have in common.  Can anyone guess what it is?

[lavenderblue19]

They were all beautiful young child actresses in film who continued to work through adulthood.

They all had sisters who were also actresses

[MilesArcher]

Yes, Lavender.  They all had sisters who were actresses.

 

Lillian Gish - Dorothy Gish

Dolores Costello - Helene Costello

Loretta Young - Sally Blane

Hayley Mills - Juliet Mills

Marcilene Day - Alice Day

 

By the way, if you watched "The Cameraman" with Buster Keaton, which aired earlier today on TCM, then you saw Marcilene Day as Buster's leading lady.  Some of these sisters can be seen in this clip from 1929's "The Show Of Shows", which I have posted previously on another thread.

 

 

Good job, Lavender.  You're up next.

[lavenderblue19]

Thanks Miles 

 

Parrish

Tea For Two

A Summer Place

Auntie Mame

[lavenderblue19]

add

 

Lullaby of Broadway

Strangers On A Train

[MilesArcher]

They were all produced by Warner Bros.

[lavenderblue19]

While that's true, it's not what I'm looking for. 

 

add

 

Band of Angels

Lucky Me

 

 

 

[lavenderblue19]

I'm repeating the list to make it easier. It's something you'd notice while watching these films that is the same in each of the films

 

Parrish

Tea For Two

A Summer Place

Auntie Mame

Lullaby of Broadway

Strangers On A Train

Band of Angels

Lucky Me

[lavenderblue19]

To speed things up here are some more clues.

It's part of the set used in each of these films that is the same. What is that ? if you know the films this is not difficult to notice.

 

Add

 

Cash McCall to the list

[MilesArcher]

Since they were all made at the same studio, I would guess that the same prop or set was used in each of them.  A little research shows that it was a staircase.  Someone did a lot of work in putting together this clip:

 

 

 

 

[lavenderblue19]

Correct Miles. As I wrote in the previous clue, it was something in the sets and yes it's the same staircase that was used in each of the films I listed. Rome Adventure is another and there are a few others. For me, Auntie Mame and Tea For Two are standouts.

Your thread.

[MilesArcher]

Thanks, Lavender.  Now, what do these 1950's musicals have in common?

 

Call Me Madam

 

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

 

Brigadoon

 

White Christmas

 

There's No Business Like Show Business 

 

Three of them have music by Irving Berlin.  Three of them are adaptations of Broadway shows.  Two of them feature Ethel Merman.  Two of them feature Donald O'Connor.  Two of them feature Marilyn Monroe.  Two of them feature Vera-Ellen.  There is something or someone else that all five have in common.

 

[starliteyes]

Is it that George Chakiris is a dancer in the chorus of all 5 musicals?  I must admit that I have only spotted him in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and White Christmas.  Another one that I have seen him in is Give a Girl a Break.

[MilesArcher]

That's correct, Starlit.  Actually, George is in two numbers in "White Christmas".  See if you can spot him in each of these clips.

 

 

 

And

 

 

 

Good job, Starlit.  You're up next.