Did he really sing?
Does anyone know if Clintt Eastwood actually sang in the movie, or was his voice dubbed?
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Eastwood actually cut a few records in the early 1960s during his Rawhide days. You can sample them here:
http://www.clinteastwood.net/welcome2.html
(Scroll down to "A Real-life Honkytonk Man.")
http://www.didyouknow.cd/music/eastwood.htm
Unknown Girl isn't bad. Eastwood kind of sounds like a matinee idol ...
I think it's obvious Clint sang, as his singing voice is not that different from his speaking voice we know and shiver from.
Many have commented that either (1) Eastwood and Marvin should not have been cast, due to lousy singing ability, or (2) Marvin does the best performance and Eastwood should have been dubbed.
I can recognize bad singing. My record/CD collection includes both Golden Throats Albums, Hollywood Hi-Fi, Shatner's record, one Nimoy Record, Tiny Tim, Mrs. Miller and the Rocky Horror PS soundtrack. Me, I love bad singing. But I don't find anything so-bad-its-good about Paint Your Wagon. People must be so hung up with the other roles played by Eastwood and Marvin that they impute bad singing where it doesn't exist.
Speaking as a paid singer/keyboardist (classical and rock), I think Clint Eastwood has a fine voice - his tone is clear and unwavering, diction is superb. These are precious qualities not all actors can boast. A chorus director or voice teacher would call Eastwood's voice "something you can definitely work with." It's not operatic or boisterous, but neither is the character he plays. Pardner is supposed to be tentative and out-of-place in the grit and machismo of No Name City. They could have cast Robert Goulet, the voice would have been magnificent but all wrong.
Lee Marvin has a ghastly voice. Trained singers would call it "something you have to work AROUND", and the soundtrack shows evidence that they worked the music around him, rearranging the background instrumental and splicing many vocal takes together to get a usable one. Which is okay because his character should sound ragged, tired and frankly unmusical. Musician's opinion: Lee's singing is just right. And yes, it IS singing.
The biggest problem with Paint Your Wagon is the profusion of long boring story-goes-nowhere passages that pad its length at the expense of the humor. The ensemble singing on "There's A Coach Coming In" is the high point. If Lerner and Logan could have sustained that energy throughout, it would have been more successful, and maybe fewer people would complain about the leading men's voices.
My question remains. Who, around 1968, thought it was a swell idea to make a musical starring Lee Marvin & Clint Eastwood?
Leaner & Logan should have run for the hills.
My question remains. Who, around 1968, thought it was a swell idea to make a musical starring Lee Marvin & Clint Eastwood?
Someone totally ingenious that's who. As someone said in another thread, this was a "man's musical" (which of course women would enjoy too) and who better to bring that to life but Lee and Clint? Also, why must musicals just consist of perfect singers or sensitive types? It's such a treat to see this kind of variety in Lee and Clint's work. And Lee singing "I Was Born Under A Wan'Drin' Star" is easily the best and most heartfelt song in the movie. share
My question remains. Who, around 1968, thought it was a swell idea to make a musical starring Lee Marvin & Clint Eastwood?
Leaner & Logan should have run for the hills.
Just for a technical clarification, the casting of Marvin and Eastwood occurred in late 1967. The idea behind casting these two 'tough guys' was obviously not to emphasize the musicality of the musical, but to provide box office clout and credibility in a Western setting.
Paint Your Wagon constituted one of the ultimate examples of Hollywood attempting to appeal to all people at all times: make a musical, which is more likely to attract women, families, and perhaps gay men, but cast hardened stars more likely to attract young, single, adult men and adolescent males. Dust off an old Broadway property in a somewhat archaic genre (the musical) that should appeal more to an older demographic, but attempt to recast it on the cutting edge through location shooting and a romantic threesome that speaks to the countercultural notion of 'free love.'
Clever, isn't it?
That said, the concept could have been worthwhile had the filmmakers stuck to Paddy Chayefsky's darker, revisionist screenplay, which is what caused Eastwood to commit in the first place. Unfortunately, only six pages of Chayefsky's version remained in Lerner's ultimate script. share
Actually, not only is Marvin's singing just right for the part, a single of "Wanderin' Star" became a hit record.
shareI think they should have cast real singers for singing parts. Broadway is chock full of good actors who can sing and act. Eastwood and Marvin were cast for their box office clout.
Marvin recording of "Wanderin Star" became a hit because of it's unexpected novelty. Like a chimp reciting Shakespeare.
You don't hear Marvin's recording anymore. On the other hand, Robert Goulet's version of "If Ever I Would Leave You" is still heard on the radio. Ezio Pinza's "Some Enchanted Evening" is still heard.
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