The Gomer Pyle Syndrome
Why two voice actors for the same animated character?
Quest for Camelot has more than one two-headed character. Devon and Cornwall (voiced by Eric Idle and Don Rickles) has an obvious reason for having two distinct voices. But the story's protagonist, Kayley, has Jesssalyn Gilsig speaking and Andrea Corr singing. Her romantic lead Garrett speaks with the voice of Cary Elwes but sings with the voice of Bryan White.
Isn't this just as uncomfortable as having Jennifer Beals do the acting (what acting she could do) in Flashdance, while Marine Jahan did her dancing without screen credit? I recall SCTV showing the result of this sleight of hand, in their Flashdance sequel, with Beals doing the closeups and taking the bows, while Jahan rushes out on stage, exhausted and unrewarded, to do the dancing.
As far as I can remember, the first public appearance of this kind of switcheroo was in Oklahoma when it first appeared on Broadway. At the end of Act One, the female lead falls asleep and dreams. The actors playing the leads make a visible switch on-stage with dancers in identical clothes. The dancers perform the Agnes deMille ballet that recapitualtes the story of the musical up to that point, with a nightmare ending tacked on.
That was a necessary switch because ballet is so complex that only dancers can do it. And dancers who can also act are rare; dancers are supposed to hide their emotions and let their bodies do the communication, while emoting is essential for acting. The dream sequence is also clearly marked off as a fantasy. And they were honest enough to do the switch visibly, saying "Here's the actors and here's the dancers."
But acting and singing are allied arts, or are supposed to be. Many good actors are taught to sing fairly well (The obvious exception being Marlon Brando.) Many singers can also carry their own in an acting part. (The obvious exception being Barbra Streisand.) A lot of people can do both pretty well. So why not cast people who can do both?
Yes, the "singing voice" business is an established cheat in Hollywood musicals, like the uncredited Marnie Nixon, who sang all of Natalie Wood's parts in West Side Story. This created an "ideal" character for Maria. It was also lazy casting. It would be much better to choose a single person to sing and speak, even if her voice was not perfect. Even if she wasn't operatic, people would at least appreciate the effort. And perhaps the actress would discover within herself singing abilities she didn't know she had; she might become more "well-rounded" as a performer, someone whose new abilities would contribute to future projects.
Since Disney's musicals have scored so well as soundtrack albums, movie companies have made good money by selling great quantities of soundtrack CD's. They want an edge by having the best possible voices on the recording. Disney has done this by recording the title song version used over the credits with good singers who have nothing to do with the film; the Celine Dion/Peabo Bryson duet of the theme for Beauty and the Beast, for instance.
Having separate acting and singing voices creates what I call the Gomer Pyle Syndrome. Once on the old Andy Williams Show, Jonathan Winters pointed out Jim Nabors's split personality. "Gaw-lee, Sawrgent," Winters said in his Pyle voice, "how come ah tawk lak this..." (then in a deep tenor) "...AND SING LIKE THIS?" No matter how closely the producers try to match the singer and the actor, the difference in the character voices is always audible. How come Kayley talks so matter-of-factly, like the farm girl she is...and sings like a trained operatic nightengale? How come Garrett acts like the embittered, solitary hermit he is...and sings like he's been backing up George Michael all his life?
Animation demands to be taken seriously, especially with the big investments by so many studios in producing a "Disney-killer." As animation becomes more and more like mainstream entertainment, tricks like the seperate speaking/singing voices are going to be criticized more often. Hollywood has almost completely abandoned the "singing voice" - in Paint Your Wagon they even let Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin sing! It's time to let actors sing and singers act, even in the world of animation.
Thomas E. Reed is a television engineer in Orlando, Florida. He can't help but note the irony of this actor/singer dichotomy, written the week after Frank Sinatra died. Sinatra as a singer was unpopular in the early 1950's, and his acting career was terrible, until he fought like hell to get the part of Maggio in From Here to Eternity. It is possible to do both jobs well. Talk to him about it at tomreed@sundial.net.
Other Voices Index|Back To Menu
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Page last updated 10/1/1998
This web site was built by Catseye Creative Services, Ink.