# "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:** 4
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/61 "2003-12-16T17:04:08Z")
Billy Boyd (Pippin) sings a haunting lament in “Return of the King” quite effectively. No, really. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/62 "2003-12-16T18:48:25Z")
Re: John Cullum: > [@](#): > > _from the IMDb_He won a “Best Actor” Tony in 1975 for “Shenendoah” > > He won a Tony in 1978 for “On The 20th Century”. > > Nominated for Tony award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for role in “Urinetown”, May 2002. There was an episode of ‘Northern Exposure’ where the astronaut (Maurice) was reminiscing about going to space, and how the song he chose was “On a clear day you can see forever”. The recording they played was actually sung by John Cullum (which the producers didn’t know until John pointed it out to them). ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/63 "2003-12-16T19:33:52Z")
Swoonalicious Milla Jovovich (5th element), is also quite good, she released an album in the '90s that was a folksy Sarah McL / Jewel type of music. ---
**Author:** ![Magickly\_Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magickly\_Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magickly_Delicious)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/64 "2003-12-16T21:53:50Z")
I have none to add – just that whoever did the theme song to the TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger” (I think it was Chuck Norris, but I’m not sure) should NEVER be allowed near a microphone again. I’ve never heard of using an obviously bad singer for a theme song before this. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/65 "2003-12-16T22:16:22Z")
Oh, how could I forget, Barney Miller! Sorry, Hal Linden, who played Barney Miller. I was a kid when my parents and I went to see _Man of La Mancha_ and I was really surprised to see Barney Miller in the lead. (Really good too.) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/66 "2003-12-16T22:36:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iolanthe \* > \*\*Ohhhhh…John Cullum. …and I am deeply in love with him. What’s a 47 year age difference anyway? \*\* Oddly enough, I was thinking not an hour ago about how realistic, romantic and believable his chemistry was with Cynthia Geary (Shelley from NORTHERN EXPOSURE, 35 years his junior in real life and about 45 years on the show). Oy, how I miss that show- even a bad reunion would be better than no reunion at all. So as not to be a complete hijack, I saw Tyne Daly perform in GYPSY some years ago and she was excellent. Of the stage and film versions I’ve seen, her’s was the best Mama Rose- at once lovable and hate-able. (I loved Rosalind Russell but I thought she was a bit too refined for the role.) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/67 "2003-12-16T22:42:26Z")
Also, my uncle managed an NCO club on an American military base in England during the 1950s. One of the acts featured on a talent night was a “local singer and actor” named “Dickie Dawson”, who was none other than a very young Family Feud host Richard Dawson. Has anybody ever heard him sing? ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/68 "2003-12-16T22:46:04Z")
Elijah Wood. Saw him on SNL this week and nearly fell on the floor. Granted, he was dressed up as Boy George but…wow…what a voice…sing to me, 'Lijah! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/69 "2003-12-18T13:59:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FriarTed \* > **Anthony Stewart Head also played Jesus on stage in GODSPELL and, brace yourselves, Frank-N-Furter in ROCKY HORROR (a friend sent me pics of the latter- the horror! the horror!)** Yeah, he’s getting a lot of work in the UK in his post-Buffy career, and is currently doing a pirate double at the Savoy: Captain Hook in _Peter Pan_ (in which I’m not sure whether he sings) and The Pirate King in _The Pirates of Penzance_ (in which he most definitely does). The latter is on my “must-see if I get an income soon” list. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/70 "2003-12-18T15:03:03Z")
One I haven’t seen mentioned yet is Jeremy Brett best know in later life as Sherlock Holmes in the wonderful BBC series. 'bout fell off the floor when I watched the special edition of My Fair Lady on DVD. That was the one where they remastered everything. He did the naration at the begining. The reason he did is that he played Freddy Einsford Hill in the film. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/71 "2003-12-18T15:13:39Z")
Nobody has mentioned Jason Alexander? The man won a Tony for Jerome Robbin’s Broadway. Robert Guillaumne (Benson) and Garrett Morris (SNL) are both trained singers. Wompat, Schneider and Spinner have all done Broadway. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/72 "2003-12-18T15:15:04Z")
Wopat actually starred opposite Bernadette Peters in the recent revival of _Annie, Get Your Gun_. I have an mp3 of his and Peters’ _Anything You Can Do_. He’s good! ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/73 "2003-12-18T15:38:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. \*\* Clint Eastwood has a song with Merle Haggard called “Bar Room Buddies.” ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/74 "2003-12-18T16:10:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Degrance \* > \*\*One I haven’t seen mentioned yet is Jeremy Brett best know in later life as Sherlock Holmes in the wonderful BBC series. > > 'bout fell off the floor when I watched the special edition of My Fair Lady on DVD. That was the one where they remastered everything. He did the naration at the begining. The reason he did is that he played Freddy Einsford Hill in the film. :eek: \*\* His singing was dubbed by [Bill “Don’t Call Me” Shirley](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0794301/) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/75 "2003-12-18T18:25:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Satisfying Andy Licious \* > \*\*“Paint Your Wagon.” > > 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. \*\* Lee Marvin isn’t actually that bad; the problem is that he sings about an octave below the threshold of human hearing, so all you get is a strange rumbling sensation in your gut. But at least he’s in tune. Eastwood also sang (and sang passably well) in _Honkytonk Man_. Still, I’m not planning to rush out and buy his Greatest Hits album. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/76 "2003-12-18T19:28:03Z")
How about Jackie Chan? Believe it or not, he began his show business career in the Chinese opera where he learned to sing and dance. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/77 "2003-12-18T21:25:13Z")
“Rumor has it that John Travolta – y’know, Vinnie Barbarino – can sing somewhat. Maybe he should be cast in a musical.” Unless I’m mistaken, I recall Travolta releasing an album in the mid-1970s. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/78 "2003-12-18T22:15:50Z")
In addition to Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin (Orbach’s current partner on _Law & Order_) is a Broadway vet and has a surprisingly mellow singing voice. I’ve heard rumors that Holly Marie Combs, when _Charmed_ ends, wants to do Broadway, and has a classical trained stage voice. I have nothing in particular to verify this, however. Tisha Campbell-Lawrence, who plays the wife on ABC’s _My Wife and Kids_ and was Martin’s wife on _Martin_ has a glorious voice. She was one of the doo-wop girls in the film version of _Little Shop of Horrors_. Which brings us to Steve Martin, well-known for the singing side of his comedy, and other SNL alumni. Ana Gasteyer sang constantly on SNL, and toured with the Lilith Fair as her hippy singer alter-ego character whose name eludes me at the moment. Mya Rudolph of the current cast is also a very strong singer but comes by it genetically – her mother was the late R&B singer Minnie Ripperton. Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer have proven their chops on numerous occasions, as has former SNL and _Seinfeld_ star Julia Louis-Dreyfus who played a singer on her NBC sitcom _Watching Ellie_ (which might return once more in the spring). Other sitcom stars with more than passable voices: all three men from _Frasier_, Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney. Bonnie Franklin, who played the mother on _One Day at a Time_. Sherman Hemsley, from _The Jeffersons_ & _Amen_. Many of his co-stars in the latter but especially Clifton Davis were talented gospel singers. Christa Miller-Lawrence, formerly of _The Drew Carey Show_ and currently on _Scrubs_ is a trained singer, and her _Scrubs_ co-star Donald Faison (Dr. Turk) got into show business as a singing and dancing kid. Jean Smart who played Charlene on _Designing Women_ has a lovely voice and has done Broadway though she’s reticent to do heavy singing roles. Her DW costar, Dixie Carter, sang occasionally on the show and career-wise now focuses on music rather than acting. I’d think of others, but I’m spent. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/79 "2003-12-18T22:22:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eats\_Crayons \* > \*\*Oh, how could I forget, Barney Miller! Sorry, Hal Linden, who played Barney Miller. I was a kid when my parents and I went to see _Man of La Mancha_ and I was really surprised to see Barney Miller in the lead. (Really good too.) \*\* He has also played the lead in _Anything Goes_-I have the CD version with him and Eileen Rodgers. He’s damn good. _Dare I say, he’s “the Top?”_? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609/80 "2003-12-18T23:55:14Z")
Someone mentioned **Kelsey Grammer** earlier in the thread. I would like to point out that he’s been singing a _loooong_ time. He sang the closing theme on _Frasier,_ “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs,” which I always thought was kinduva nifty little jazzy/bluesy ditty… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-can-sing/215609.md?page=5)