MovieChat Forums > Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) Discussion > Did Everyone Do Their Own Singing?

Did Everyone Do Their Own Singing?

posted 16 years ago by carchero
10 replies | jump to latest

I'm curious because some of the voices don't sound very professional. In fact, some of them crack a little, like the singing voice of Dorcas Galin. I thought Julie Newmar was a dancer and singer. Oh, well.

[–] DryToast 16 years ago

Bill Lee sang for Matt Mattox (Caleb). Lee also sang for Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music and John Kerr in South Pacific.

Betty Noyes and Norma Zimmer also supplied voices for some (all?) of the brides.

"It is I! It is me! It is Carla Göteborg!"

[–] mojo2004 16 years ago

Even when actors & actresses can sing the decision still may be made to dub their singing.

[–] flavia18 16 years ago

I didn't hear Newmar's singing double "crack", per se, but the voice was so startlingly different from her own that it was obvious she was not doing her own singing. I guess when you're as gorgeous & talented a dancer as she is, you don't need to sing :-)

Those who study history are doomed to watch others repeat it.

[–] DryToast 16 years ago

More data on the ghost singers:

Bill Lee for Matt Mattox (Caleb)
Norma Zimmer for Betty Carr (Sarah)
Bobbie Canvin [aka Barbara Ames] for Norma Doggett (Martha)
Marie Vernon [aka Marie Greene] for Nancy Kilgas (Alice)
Betty Noyes for Ruta Kilmonis [aka Ruta Lee] (Ruth)
Betty Allen for Julie Newmeyer [aka Julie Newmar] (Dorcas)
Alan Davies, Charles Parlato, Robert Wacker, Gene Lanham, M. Spergel and Howard Hudson for various brothers

"Oh so we know French in Balham but not Latin?"

[–] mojo2004 16 years ago

I didn't hear Newmar's singing double "crack", per se, but the voice was so startlingly different from her own that it was obvious she was not doing her own singing.

I disagree. You can clearly hear that it is Julie Newmar singing on the song about Spring when she sings alone.

Chuck Norris once kicked a horse in the chin. It's decendants are called Giraffes.!

[–] laurence01 16 years ago

I disagree. You can clearly hear that it is Julie Newmar singing on the song about Spring when she sings alone.

sorry but you are wrong. The sountrack CD released some years back lists all the singers for every track, and her name does not appear once. The same CD also boasts "Mat Matox's" original vocal for "Lonesome Polecat". This is because they were trying to keep the recording quality as high as possible, and they could not find "Bill Lee's" vocal track masters.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mjkbk 16 years ago

Obviously, Jane Powell sang and danced, and Howard Keel sang, but did not dance.

From everything I've seen thus far, the other Brides were dancers, but only Virginia Gibson also sang. The singing of the rest was dubbed from among these names (according to the soundtrack CD liner notes): Barbara Ames, Betty Allan, Betty Noyes, Marie Vernon, and Norma Zimmer. The only name I recognize immediately is Norma Zimmer ("The Lawrence Welk Show"). Hers was the second voice heard in "June Bride", for example (I can't remember which actress/character that was).

Among the other Brothers, Jeff Richards was the only one who neither sang nor danced. (He was very pretty, though--does that count?) Jacques d'Amboise and Marc Platt danced, but did not sing. Tommy Rall, Russ Tamblyn, and Matt Mattox sang and danced. Yes, although Mattox's voice was dubbed in some of the solo passages, he apparently did sing with the group. The other men's voice doubles (again, according to the CD) were: Alan Davies, C. Parlato, Robert Wacker, Gene Lanham, M. Spergel, and of course Bill Lee.

BTW, I was 4 or 5 when I saw SBFSB on the big screen. I never forgot the experience. It was memorable even for a young child.

[–] poincar6 13 years ago

"The only name I recognize immediately is Norma Zimmer ("The Lawrence Welk Show"). Hers was the second voice heard in "June Bride", for example (I can't remember which actress/character that was)."

The second singer on "June Brides" was the character Sarah Kines, Frank's girl. The actress's name was Betty Carr. This was one part of the movie that's always bothered me a little, since it was obvious to me from my very first viewing that the actress was most definitely not doing her own singing there.

[–] laurence01 13 years ago

Also listed as singing is "Betty Noyes" who is the person who dubbed "Would You" in "Singing in the Rain", and also sang "Baby Mine" in "Dumbo"