Something I never realized about the movie South Pacific is that practically all the singing voices are dubbed except for Mitzi Gaynor and Ray Walston. Of course, Giorgio Tozzi is credited as the singing voice for Rossano Brazzi, but Muriel Smith (who played the role in London) sings Bloody Mary's songs for Juanita Hall (who created the role in the original Broadway production). And Bill Lee does the honors for John Kerr's Lt. Cable.
And then there is Stewpot. It's a relatively small role played by actor Ken Clark. He doesn't have much to sing, but what he does is very memorable indeed:
The singing was done by a fellow named Thurl Ravenscroft, who a few years later became the voice of a beloved cartoon pitchman, a role he maintained until his death last year. From just the sound of his voice, can you guess what character that was?
You can find out by doing a Google search for Thurl Ravenscroft.
Posted by jt at November 28, 2006 02:49 PM