DARK SHADOWS FORUMS

General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Polls Archive => Topic started by: TNickey2003 on March 03, 2006, 05:45:06 AM

Title: Accents galore.
Post by: TNickey2003 on March 03, 2006, 05:45:06 AM
A rather unusual poll. I could have chosen Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) as a subject, but being that Nancy is from the deep south, and played a character with a lower class British accent ( Charity possessed by Pansy Faye), there wouldn't be as much left to the imagination. Now Vicki might be an interesting subject for this sort of poll, or Liz.   GH of course played Magda Rakosi, who had a  mix of Russian (?) accent and lower class English (e.g., "I don't know naaaaaaaaaathing"), so not as much left to the imagination there.

At some point I will do another more thought provoking DS poll ( I actually have one in progress 'Dark Shadows' Central Character'  re: Barnabas Collins), and have some ideas for such.
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: retzev on March 03, 2006, 12:08:21 PM
a down-east accent
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: BuzzH on March 03, 2006, 03:44:10 PM
a down-east accent

I concur w/Retzev.  I hate that no one on the show had a 'down-east' MAINE accent!  It's really quite annoying actually.  There were a couple exceptions of course--Bill Malloy, the original Sam Evans, Innkeeper Mr. Wells (pre-Barnabas at least, not sure he still had it during the 1968/werewolf storyline) and one of the constables (pre-Sheriff Patterson).

According to KLS, several actors affected the 'down-east' accent early on and were told to stop by the producers (??) don't know why they'd make them stop, but anyway, I digress.  For me, it would make the show more realistic (a STRETCH for a show about the supernatural I realize) if they all actually SOUNDED like they were FROM Maine!

And don't get me started on Barnabas NOT sounding like a Brit!  I realize he wasn't a Brit, and therefore it's not really that strange that he DOESN'T sound like one.  But then why didn't anyone say, "You know, Barnabas sounds American, not British!"  DUH!    ;D
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: petofi on March 03, 2006, 08:22:18 PM
I choose Russian - but only because I just played Anton Chekhov in a play I wrote for my MFA project at UCF in Orlando Fl.  ;D It was fun playing a guy from my favorite era - the turn of the 19th- 20th century. 8) In reality, I would have liked to see more Down- East types on the show, including Maggie and her dad, but from what I understand the accent wasn't done well by most of the actors.  The one who did a great job (He was from Medford, Mass.) was Thayer David as Matthew Morgan(the second coming).  How do I know? I grew up and lived in Maine until about 3 years ago.  Bangor, Ayuh.

PS: Dig the cheap watch I'm wearing as Chekhov - like a DS blooper- fortunately, these shots were taken AFTER one of the shows; I had put my watch on then!  And, yes, I used a Russian accent in the play.
Petofi
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: BuzzH on March 03, 2006, 08:27:09 PM
The one who did a great job (He was from Medford, Mass.) was Thayer David as Matthew Morgan(the second coming).

Oh yeah!  I forgot about Thayer doing a down-east accent when he was Matthew Morgan!  I kind of forget he was Matthew 'cause I've only seen that plotline once and mostly identify w/him as the various Stokes', Petofi and Sandor.
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: onyx_treasure on March 03, 2006, 10:46:44 PM
     A downeast accent might work but it might be laughable if they all sounded like the pepperidge farm guy.  I  meet people here in Maine with an accent I think is called Quebecois(sp).  It comes from people who came from Canada to work in the mills and factories around the turn of the century.  The descendants speak with a slight accent.  My hairstylist said people her age(50) and younger have lost the ability to speak the style of french that was once spoken by their parents and grandparents.  Her husband went to New Orleans when he was in the service and found the Quebec french he spoke sounded odd to the locals.  He said they sounded odd to him but they were able to communicate in french.
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: CyrusL on March 03, 2006, 11:31:40 PM
I have to admit, accents can be quite sexy. French, Italian, and Russian and for that matter Australian can be quite affecting. Not to be a broken record, but Julianka had the best accent on the show, and I don't care how fake it was. It worked for me, lol.  [8393]
Michael  
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: Janet the Wicked on March 04, 2006, 01:40:50 AM
Man. You ought to hear the jibes I get from my Worcester, Massachusetts "accent" since I moved to the south.
Many - and you know who you are - taunted me unmercilessly about my accent. I told John Karlen this and he said, "What accent?" But you all know he has a similar east coast twang, eh?
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: Janet the Wicked on March 04, 2006, 01:42:57 AM
I choose Russian - but only because I just played Anton Chekhov in a play I wrote for my MFA project at UCF in Orlando Fl.  ;D It was fun playing a guy from my favorite era - the turn of the 19th- 20th century. 8) In reality, I would have liked to see more Down- East types on the show, including Maggie and her dad, but from what I understand the accent wasn't done well by most of the actors.  The one who did a great job (He was from Medford, Mass.) was Thayer David as Matthew Morgan(the second coming).  How do I know? I grew up and lived in Maine until about 3 years ago.  Bangor, Ayuh.

PS: Dig the cheap watch I'm wearing as Chekhov - like a DS blooper- fortunately, these shots were taken AFTER one of the shows; I had put my watch on then!  And, yes, I used a Russian accent in the play.

Hey, Petofi, nice - and I mean NICE - photo!
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: Raineypark on March 04, 2006, 01:54:15 AM
Man. You ought to hear the jibes I get from my Worcester, Massachusetts "accent" since I moved to the south.
Many - and you know who you are - taunted me unmercilessly about my accent. I told John Karlen this and he said, "What accent?" But you all know he has a similar east coast twang, eh?

We Noo Yawkas don't have twangs...... ::)
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: Janet the Wicked on March 04, 2006, 02:31:16 AM
We Noo Yawkas don't have twangs......

Not twangs mebbe, definately not drawls. What shall we call it then? I definately don't go around sayimg, "I don't understand".
The thing that pisses me off the most is that everbody in southland thinks I am from Boston. And THAT is a whole other accent.
Anyhow, as Willie is polishing the chandelier in the Old House and announces to Barn that he has seen a girl "out the windah:", that is my accent. And I am enjoying, as my southern neighbors are, enjoying every minute of it.
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: MsCriseyde on March 04, 2006, 03:11:55 AM
The thing that pisses me off the most is that everbody in southland thinks I am from Boston. And THAT is a whole other accent.
Rest assured it is no different for someone from the south who moves a little further north and has to hear that her accent sounds like she is from Texas or Austrailia.  ;)
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: TNickey2003 on March 04, 2006, 05:29:56 AM
Impressive jpeg of you as A.C.  Supposedly A.Chekhov was the author of the short story "A Drop of Water", one of three segments in the horror trilogy "Black Sabbath".  To me the creepiest of the segments, a nurse called on to prepare the body of an elderly medium ( a hideous looking thing!) for burial steals her ring, an act the dead medium's spirit doesn't take kindly to.

I choose Russian - but only because I just played Anton Chekhov in a play I wrote for my MFA project at UCF in Orlando Fl.  ;D It was fun playing a guy from my favorite era - the turn of the 19th- 20th century. 8) In reality, I would have liked to see more Down- East types on the show, including Maggie and her dad, but from what I understand the accent wasn't done well by most of the actors.  The one who did a great job (He was from Medford, Mass.) was Thayer David as Matthew Morgan(the second coming).  How do I know? I grew up and lived in Maine until about 3 years ago.  Bangor, Ayuh.

PS: Dig the cheap watch I'm wearing as Chekhov - like a DS blooper- fortunately, these shots were taken AFTER one of the shows; I had put my watch on then!  And, yes, I used a Russian accent in the play.
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: Josette on March 05, 2006, 07:48:00 AM
And don't get me started on Barnabas NOT sounding like a Brit!  I realize he wasn't a Brit, and therefore it's not really that strange that he DOESN'T sound like one.  But then why didn't anyone say, "You know, Barnabas sounds American, not British!"  DUH!    ;D

That part was really ridiculous.  A couple of people, notably Burke in present time and Quentin in 1897 were very suspicious of him.  Quentin had been to England recently and said there was no Collins family there.  Burke had a PI checking up on him in England.  Yet, with all that, no one ever thought to say, "You don't sound British!"
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: BuzzH on March 05, 2006, 04:47:34 PM
That part was really ridiculous.  A couple of people, notably Burke in present time and Quentin in 1897 were very suspicious of him.  Quentin had been to England recently and said there was no Collins family there.  Burke had a PI checking up on him in England.  Yet, with all that, no one ever thought to say, "You don't sound British!"

Okay??  Now you see what I'm talkin' about!  ;)  That's the one (and it was the ONLY one IMHO) thing that Ben Cross had over Jonathan as Barnabas, at least he sounded British, albeit because Cross is, but still...Frid did an interview once that they showed at one of my first Fest's in the '90's, and at one point, I can't remember why, but he affected a Scottish burr, and it sounded alright.  Why couldn't he fake the Brit accent?  I mean, he LIVED in England a couple years while he was at RADA right? 
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: BuzzH on March 05, 2006, 04:51:49 PM
Man. You ought to hear the jibes I get from my Worcester, Massachusetts "accent" since I moved to the south.
Many - and you know who you are - taunted me unmercilessly about my accent. I told John Karlen this and he said, "What accent?" But you all know he has a similar east coast twang, eh?

Johnny's from Brooklyn, which is a WHOLE other accent than someone who grew up in Manhattan!  ;)  I have a friend that grew up in Brooklyn, one that grew up in Manhattan and still another that grew up in Long Island, and all three sound different!  However, that said, there's no mistaking that ALL of them are from the NYC area!   ;D
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: BuzzH on March 05, 2006, 04:57:00 PM
Rest assured it is no different for someone from the south who moves a little further north and has to hear that her accent sounds like she is from Texas or Austrailia.  ;)

What I think is funny is my NYC area friends, some from Jersey too, think I have a southern accent which I definately do not.  You on the other hand do!   ;)  But I wouldn't mistake it for Texas and certainly NOT Austrailia, sheesh, those ppl need to have the wax cleaned out of their ears and watch an episode of Lost to hear someone w/a real Aussie accent.   ;D
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: arashi on March 05, 2006, 08:42:26 PM
     A downeast accent might work but it might be laughable if they all sounded like the pepperidge farm guy.

::laughing:: Peppridge Fahm Remembahs!
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: Amy Jennings Fan on March 07, 2006, 06:05:56 AM
A downeast accent
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: CyrusL on March 07, 2006, 04:28:24 PM
If I remember, one of the few times someone on the show did have a "southern accent", it was during the Leviathan storyline. It was Elzabeth Eis's character Nelle Gunston. She was supposed to be from Virginia. The accent was a little strong for most areas of our state, but I've heard worse. (Elizabeth is one of my favorite and underrated short term players.)  There is a lot of variation in southern accents. From working on the phones in customer service, I can pretty much tell what state someone is calling from, even regionally. Atlanta has a pretty specific accent for example. Virginia accents overall aren't as strong as say the deeper southern states, say South Carolina or Alabama, although I admit our former governor and current Richmond mayor Doug Wilder has a pretty solid accent. Kind of like on some Brit shows when they want an American accent, they seem to default to Texas drawls. If you listen closely, you can occasionally hear David or Louis slip into their regional accents for a line here and there. The one and pretty much only time I noticed traces of Lara's Tennessee accent was in the movie "Hi, Mom".

Michael
Title: Re: Accents galore.
Post by: BuzzH on March 07, 2006, 05:41:25 PM
Virginia accents overall aren't as strong as say the deeper southern states,

I concur.  It seems to me that folks from Northern VA, like me, don't have any real trace of a southern drawl.  Now, I'll admit, when I'm drunk MAYBE a little comes through, but when stone cold sober I have no trace of one.  The further south you get (i.e. Richmond and beyond) the accent deepens, but still not as strong as any from the Carolina's down to Florida.  I've also noticed that ppl from the middle/southern mountain areas of VA have stronger, almost "hillbilly" accents.

Having said this, I must say that it irritates the HELL out of me to see a Civil War movie where General Robert E. Lee sounds like he just arrived from Tennesse or something!  The man grew up in Alexandria and moved to Arlington when he married.  His "accent" would be as non-existant as mine.  Sheesh!   :-