I was watching the unreleased pilot episode of “That Girl” recently, and in it the Ted Bessell character was a Cherokee Indian called Donald Blue Sky. They even did a firewater joke! Because this guy you’d totally buy as a Native American. What other characters had totally unconvincing racial/ethnic backrounds?
There was an episode of Bosom Buddies (I could be wrong), in which the “girls” are at a party hosted by a lovely young Asian-American girl with a very well done but hilarious deep Southern accent.
That was also the punchline of an entire It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode.
Jessica Alba as a blue-eyed blonde.
It just…didn’t work on her. Like a bad Turner colorizing job.
That 70’s Show made a running joke out of the vague ethnic background of the character Fez. he is from an island…that is about as specific as it gets.
John Wayne as Genghis Khan in The Conqueror.
1956 version of The Ten Commandments is loaded with laughable ethnic casting, but Anne Baxter as Nefertiti and Edward G. Robinson as Dothan are especially ridiculous.
Marlon Brando as Sakini in Teahouse of the August Moon. It was enough to make me want to commit hara-kiri:
http://zerowoes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/marlon-color11.jpg
Anytime some blond, blue-eyed European-type is cast to play Jesus:
Yes, that’s Captain Christopher Pike, ex-Starfleet. :smack:
Stanley Adams, aka “Cyrano Jones,” as King Kaliwani on Gilligan’s Island:
Frank Dekova and Don Diamond as Chief Wild Eagle and Crazy Cat on F Troop:
An episode of Pushing Daisies also featured an Asian man with a southern accent.
This is also pretty much the basis of comedian Henry Cho’s act.
[quote=“Accidental_Martyr, post:10, topic:695412”]
This is also pretty much the basis of comedian Henry Cho’s act.
[/QUOTE]Dammit, I wanted to mention Cho in response to that conversational thread. And was going to use almost that exact phrasing.
Ricardo Montalban as Khan Noonian Singh, the only Sikh ever to speak with a Mexican accent:
Mickey Rooney in Breakfast At Tiffany’s.
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Mel Brooks as an Indian chief (with a Yiddish accent) in Blazing Saddles.
Argh, beat me to this one!
Actually Ramses II had red hair, which suggests that tyhe casting of Anne Baxter at least was good, and that of Ramses was off.
Kathrine Hepburn as a Chinese peasant in Dragon Seed
That’s what gives the movie its awesomeness!
Khigh Dhiegh as Chinese agent Wo Fat, and as Chinese brain washer Dr. Yen Lo in The Manchurian Candidate. He’s Egyptian/Sudanese, born in New Jersey.
What about Steve Park’sGreat White North accent in Fargo?
Not to mention Leo McKern’s Thuggee chief in The Beatles’ Help!