# "Why . . . You Can SING!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609 "2003-11-27T19:03:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/21 "2003-11-28T02:27:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TWDuke \* > **It’s been a while since I saw it, but IIRC correctly, most of the actors in Woody Allen’s musical “Everyone Says I Love You” sing like you would expect non-professionals to if they suddenly burst into song, so it comes as something of a surprise when Tim Roth opens his mouth and real music comes out.** Everyone sang their own parts except Drew Barrymore, who apparently just plan can’t sing. Edward Norton was surprisingly good, I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Goofus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@Goofus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goofus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/22 "2003-11-28T03:17:33Z")
I thought Bill Murray sounded pretty good singing “What’s So Funny 'Bout Peace Love and Understanding” in _Lost in Translation_’s karaoke scene. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/23 "2003-11-28T03:43:27Z")
But you forget that Jerry Orbach originated the role of El Gallo in “The Fantasticks” and yes, he is a longstanding bonafide Musical theatre star and was at one time a true triple threat. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/24 "2003-11-28T05:24:45Z")
Someone mentioned Lucy Lawless a bit upthread - I first heard her sing as guest on David Letterman’s show, and not only did I just about fall off my chair, but so did Dave. She has a seriously good singing voice - what really surprised me was hearing this Aussie lady belt out a country song with an absolutely perfect Southern US twang. I may be wrong here, but I believe Jason Lee did his own singing in the movie Almost Famous. Not my style, but not bad. ---
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/25 "2003-11-28T05:26:31Z")
George Clooney sang a heck of a song in Oh Brother. Funny thing is, he sounds exactly like Dan Tyminsky, who sings the same song with Union Station. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/26 "2003-11-28T06:22:19Z")
Tom Servo has a lovely voice. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/27 "2003-11-28T06:36:43Z")
Barney Fife’s caterwauling was a running gag on ANDY GRIFFITH, but in real life Don Knotts has a very fine tenor and frequently toured singing gospel and folk songs with Andy and Jim Nabors on the Vegas and County Fair circuit during the early years of the show. I was very surprised watching an episode of ARCHIE BUNKER’S PLACE in which Carroll O’Connor sings a song to his niece. He had a beautiful voice. The DVD scenes of Audrey Hepburn’s undubbed singing voice in MY FAIR LADY weren’t bad at all. She was no Julie Andrews (or Marni Nixon), but she was better than Nicole Kidman in MR. Tom Wopat from DUKES OF HAZZARD has a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l singing voice, as does Jackee (of 227 and other assorted sitcoms fame). Off the subject perhaps, but I really liked David Cassidy’s recent appearance on MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE when he mocked his own lounge-lizard singing style. The flip side of these is what I call “The Linda Lavin Syndrome” (unless you’re male, in which case it’s “The John Davidson Syndrome”): actors who seem to think they can sing and have to work it in whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/28 "2003-11-28T06:48:21Z")
The Muppet Show used to be great for this, getting celebrities to do something besides what they were famous for. Who knew Beverly Sills could tap dance? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/29 "2003-11-28T06:52:42Z")
63 year old Aussie actor Max Cullen can sing like Billie Holiday which he did in the 1995 movie _Billy’s Holiday_. Aussie actor (born in Canada) Tom Burlinson sings like Frank Sinatra and provided the vocals for the 1992 TV series _Sinatra_ and this year’s _The Night We Called It a Day_ about Frank’s 1974 fight with the unions. Burlinson regularly does a season of [Frank: A Life In Song](http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2003/09/19/1063625213664.htm) so we fans can pretend it’s back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/30 "2003-11-28T07:19:59Z")
I was surprised at how good a singer Jean Stapleton was when I heard her singing on TV once, as I was only familiar with her as Edith Bunker. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/31 "2003-11-28T07:24:53Z")
Well, there’s singing and then there’s _real_ singing. When I saw Chicago, I thought everyone sounded a bit, well, bland. Then Queen Latifah sang–hoo-eee! Them’s a set of pipes!!! I guess it depends a lot on what you’re expecting. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/32 "2003-11-28T08:11:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LifeOnWry \* > **Someone mentioned Lucy Lawless a bit upthread - I first heard her sing as guest on David Letterman’s show, and not only did I just about fall off my chair, but so did Dave. She has a seriously good singing voice - what really surprised me was hearing this Aussie lady belt out a country song with an absolutely perfect Southern US twang.** Nit: Lucy Lawless is actually a New Zealander. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/33 "2003-11-28T08:54:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoCoolUserName \* > \*\*Well, there’s singing and then there’s _real_ singing. When I saw Chicago, I thought everyone sounded a bit, well, bland. Then Queen Latifah sang–hoo-eee! Them’s a set of pipes!!! > > I guess it depends a lot on what you’re expecting. \*\* I was rather impressed with Richard Gere in Chicago. He did the tap dancing, if the documentary on the DVD was accurate (and if I’m not remembering wrong), he absolutely nailed the role, and he sang pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/34 "2003-11-28T08:57:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fairblue \* > \*\*Heh. This is an old one, but still- they just showed “Paint Your Wagon” on TV a few days ago. I was really surprised to see Clint Eastwood singing. > > If that was his actual voice (and it sounded like it to me) it was pleasant to hear. A nice even quality to it, I thought, probably because he wasn’t trying to belt it out. \*\* “Paint Your Wagon.” Ouch. We had a thread on that a while back, on how come they called the wind Mariah. Eastwood singing “I talk to the trees” just cracks me up. I kept supplying my own lines, including: “You feeling lucky, trunk?” And Lee Marvin! What a horrible, horrible choice for a musical. His comic acting was good, but that singing … Someone mentioned on that thread that the female lead had her singing dubbed, and if Eastwood and Marvin got away with it, she must have been horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/35 "2003-11-28T12:59:26Z")
No one’s mentioned **Minnie Driver** yet. She has a song called “Everything In My Pocket” that I like quite a bit. I didn’t know she could sing, and her voice is very nice. There’s a short snippet of it here: [http://trampolinerecords.com/greatestv2.html](http://trampolinerecords.com/greatestv2.html) I heard the whole thing at [real.com](http://real.com), but I don’t think it’s up there anymore. ---
**Author:** ![essohbee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71c47a/32.png) [@essohbee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essohbee)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/36 "2003-11-28T13:13:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by eli\_the\_fanatic \* > \*\*George Clooney sang a heck of a song in Oh Brother. Funny thing is, he sounds exactly like Dan Tyminsky, who sings the same song with Union Station. Hmmm. \*\* > [@](#): > > _Originally written on [imbd](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190590/trivia)_ > George Clooney practiced his singing for weeks, but in the end his singing voice was dubbed. Too bad really, I liked the singing in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/37 "2003-11-28T13:18:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sampiro \* > \*\*Tom Wopat from DUKES OF HAZZARD has a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l singing voice, \*\* Actually _both_ Duke boys\*\* have released albums. And apparently, on the “Dukes of Hazzard” soundtrack, (yes, there is such a thing) Daisy Duke sings too! \*\*The original Duke boys, Wopat and Schneider, not that awful pair Coy and Vance, blehck! ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/38 "2003-11-28T20:29:25Z")
Being an avid _Moonlighting_ fan, I, of course, have both the _Moonlighting_ soundtrack album and Bruce Willis’ _The Return Of Bruno_ on CD. Willis can belt out old rock and roll and blues - and play a mean harmonica in the process. While Cybill Shepherd’s voice was more than passable on _Blue Moon_ and a great camp song called _I Told You I Love You, Now Get Out!_ Highly recommend both albums - if you can even find them anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/39 "2003-11-28T20:59:35Z")
Any Trekkie who doesn’t know [Brent Spiner can sing](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000DPEY/qid=1070053090/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-7783711-3471927?v=glance&s=music) isn’t a real Trekkie. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/40 "2003-11-28T21:04:58Z")
Gary Busey sounded exactly like Buddy Holly in _The Buddy Holly story_. Ditto Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in _The Doors_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609.md?page=3)