MovieChat Forums > Tommy (1975) Discussion > Jack singing

Jack singing

posted 17 years ago by Jacovitti86
9 replies | jump to latest

who thinks Jack Nicholson is a good singer? I think he does quite well in this movie actually.. he's got a decent singing voice

[–] WehoSteve 17 years ago

I think for someone who is not a professional musician he did very well. The part nearly went to Christopher Lee...another bullet this film dodged in terms of casting. Don't get me wrong I like Lee but he would have not been good here.

[–] jahfibbo 16 years ago

I think Christopher Lee would have been a better choice. He is a trained opera singer and more able to play an overpriced over-educated English Harley Street quack. Unfortunately, Jack 'phoned this one in' his voice is the weakest in the film and apart from a couple of trademark saturnine leers at Ann Margaret he is totally forgetable.

[–] SpiraMirabilis 17 years ago

I think he's the world's best singer ever.

Pull the string, pull the string!

[–] blueshoe711 16 years ago

He has a very rich voice.

[–] WarpedRecord 16 years ago

I think Jack handles the vocals quite well. I've always thought the doctor's song was quite lovely when the Who did it, but Jack gives it an entirely new dimension. I wish Jack sang in more films.

[–] lroy77 15 years ago

If Jack's singing was that bad, the part wouldn't have required singing or would've been dubbed.

The fact that he did his OWN singing, bad or good, is a credit to himself.

Much like Lee Marvin did his OWN singing (and I believe a Grammy to boot!) in The Painted Wagon.

I would also like to point out that it was Jack's idea to do Head (the Monkees). Obviously, he has an ear for music. For those of you who like The Monkees in the first place...

If musicals ever came back, I would pay serious money to see him in one.

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

I would so love to see Jack in a musical! He has a decent singing voice -- at least he did in Tommy 35 years ago -- and his style of acting would be well suited to musicals.

I just watched "Head" a few weeks ago, and other films of Jack's like "Psych-Out" (where he plays a musician) and "Easy Rider" show how attuned he was to the music of the '60s and '70s. Rock music and the counterculture were closely entwined, and Jack was a symbol of the latter. I wish he had more involvement in the former. His role as the doctor here is a hint of his potential in a musical role.

So yes: Jack would be perfect in a musical. I don't think it's too late, if he has any interest (which I kind of doubt these days).

[–] tnoel13-5 15 years ago

Granted I though the who version is much better, Jack does do a pretty good job especially considering (as WehoSteve pointed out) for a guy who is not even a professional singer.

[–] TopDawg 10 years ago

I rewatched this movie last night and thought that Mr. Nicholson did a fine job as The Specialist, and has a pleasant singing voice. The thing that bothered me, though, was that he did not have the range to sing the song as it is written (at least in the Broadway play) and so they altered the melody, and this song has such a great melody. Oh, well....