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Pop Culture Q&A: That was Herve Presnell doing his own singing
Question: My wife and I recently saw the old movie “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and were highly impressed with Harve Presnell's singing. Was this really Mr. Presnell's voice or was it dubbed?
Answer: That was Presnell, a trained singer who worked from time to time in musicals. Besides co-starring with Debbie Reynolds in the screen version of “Molly Brown,” he had been in the original Broadway production with Tammy Grimes.
Presnell, who died in 2009, was also known for some nonsinging roles, including as William H. Macy's grumpy father-in-law in “Fargo” and the mysterious Mr. Parker on TV's “The Pretender.”
But you have reason to be suspicious about any screen singer. There have been famous cases of dubbing. Marni Nixon did quite a few, among them the vocals for Natalie Wood in “West Side Story” and Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady.” And there are some notorious examples of actors singing badly.
Presnell recalled to me once his working in “Paint Your Wagon,” a musical with three principals not known for their musicality: Clint Eastwood, Jean Seberg and Lee Marvin. Said one movie guide: “Everyone does their own singing, a mistake except for Harve Presnell.”
Q: Back in the 1980s when we first got Disney Channel, there were pretty identical triplet girls on a program. I have always wondered what happened to them and if they are still acting.
A: You are likely thinking of triplets Leanna, Monica and Joy Creel, who starred in two Disney Channel movies, “Parent Trap III” and “Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon,” both 1989 successors to the Hayley Mills “Parent Trap” in 1961 and its sequel, “Parent Trap II,” in 1986. Mills also appeared in “III” and “Hawaian Honeymoon.” The Lindsay Lohan reboot arrived in 1998.
As for the Creel triplets, according to the Internet Movie Database, they last worked together onscreen in “The Cell,” the 2000 film starring Jennifer Lopez.
Joy and Leanna more recently took part in off-camera ventures. Only Monica — now Monica Lacy — has continued to act; she was in a couple of episodes of the current “Hawaii Five-O.” She has also done voice work and writing and producing. Her website is monicalacy.com.
Q: I just finished reading the “Wayward Pines” trilogy and was wondering when the TV series will start.
A: Fox has the 10-episode “Wayward Pines” series set for 2015, but no specific date yet. By the way, the series is based on “Pines,” the first novel in Blake Crouch's trilogy, followed by “Wayward” and “The Last Town.”
Rich Heldenfels is a staff writer for the Akron Beacon Journal. Write him at Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44328 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
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