[Speed Gibson,
Monday November 13, 2006 at 10:34pm]
Toward More Picturesque Speech
As you may know, I'm an old time radio enthusiast, everything from Who's on First to War of the Worlds. Currently, my source (www.rusc.com) is featuring a long series of The Adventures of Superman. The title role is played by Bud Collyer, who went on to host "Beat the Clock" and "To Tell the Truth" on televsion in the 1950's. I always admired his precise enunciation and inflection, not to mention his remarkable ability to shift from Clark Kent's gentle tenor to Superman's forceful, resonant baritone. If you didn't know, you'd think they were played by different actors.
The long series playing now is Superman vs. The Atom Man, the latter being his most powerful foe yet. The Atom Man got that way by blood transfusions of dissolved Kryptonite, giving him atomic powers and weakening Superman if he gets too close. The Atom Man has his own identity, ex-Nazi Henry Miller. I noticed that the actor playing Atom Man was himself very talented. A little web research soon identified him as none other than Mason Adams, who played Lou Grant's boss Charlie Hume on TV. You'd know his voice immediately as I think he did every other commercial during the 1970's. "With a name like Smuckers," might be his most famous tag line. He died last year at 86.
I'm jealous of these talents. I'd rather have a good speaking voice than a great singing talent like Frank Sinatra. Oh, to be like Orson Welles, Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart, or John Houseman, all who had such unique, recognizable styles than to have a singing voice like even Frank Sinatra.
Would that our politicians had such wonderful voices. Would that we could replace the shrill monotones of Hillary Clinton and Amy Klobuchar with Joan Alexander (Della Street, Lois Lane) and Mercedes McCambridge (Defense Attorney). Or the scolding, condescending tone of Ember Reichgott-Junge with Marian Jordon (Fibber McGee's wife Molly).
Would that we could replace the pedantic, plodding styles of Charles Schummer, Al Gore, John Kerry, or the mushy mumblings of Dean Johnson and Larry Pogomiller with Gerald Mohr (Phillip Marlowe), Richard Kollmar (Boston Blackie), William Conrad (Marshall Matt Dillon), or even long time WCCO weatherman Bud Kraehling.
Former Senator Rod Grams, before that a TV reporter, illustrates how it should be done. It didn't help him get elected, but his smooth, sincere delivery at least allowed you to concentrate on his message, whether you agreed or not.
The long series playing now is Superman vs. The Atom Man, the latter being his most powerful foe yet. The Atom Man got that way by blood transfusions of dissolved Kryptonite, giving him atomic powers and weakening Superman if he gets too close. The Atom Man has his own identity, ex-Nazi Henry Miller. I noticed that the actor playing Atom Man was himself very talented. A little web research soon identified him as none other than Mason Adams, who played Lou Grant's boss Charlie Hume on TV. You'd know his voice immediately as I think he did every other commercial during the 1970's. "With a name like Smuckers," might be his most famous tag line. He died last year at 86.
I'm jealous of these talents. I'd rather have a good speaking voice than a great singing talent like Frank Sinatra. Oh, to be like Orson Welles, Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart, or John Houseman, all who had such unique, recognizable styles than to have a singing voice like even Frank Sinatra.
Would that our politicians had such wonderful voices. Would that we could replace the shrill monotones of Hillary Clinton and Amy Klobuchar with Joan Alexander (Della Street, Lois Lane) and Mercedes McCambridge (Defense Attorney). Or the scolding, condescending tone of Ember Reichgott-Junge with Marian Jordon (Fibber McGee's wife Molly).
Would that we could replace the pedantic, plodding styles of Charles Schummer, Al Gore, John Kerry, or the mushy mumblings of Dean Johnson and Larry Pogomiller with Gerald Mohr (Phillip Marlowe), Richard Kollmar (Boston Blackie), William Conrad (Marshall Matt Dillon), or even long time WCCO weatherman Bud Kraehling.
Former Senator Rod Grams, before that a TV reporter, illustrates how it should be done. It didn't help him get elected, but his smooth, sincere delivery at least allowed you to concentrate on his message, whether you agreed or not.