Edith Grantham is the Jan Brady of Downton Abbey — Page 2

Lesley Nicol is my favorite actress out of character.
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/3640090680/8e65d76c8f181e0b61523073722074f3.jpeg

Followed by Daisy.

To be fair, I think this past season, at least by the end, Edith started getting more current (well to the 1920s) and fashion forward wardrobe than Mary.

Yes, "I'm Just Wild About Harry" was originally sung by a woman in "Shuffle Along" on Broadway.

I found it more upsetting that the actor they hired CAN'T SING. He's horrible. He's a handsome enough guy, and his acting is fine. But whenever he sings, he sounds like a limp noodle. A truly terrible singing voice. It isn't remotely right for the period, for the character, and it's just plain not good.

EDIT: I read more about the song on Wikipedia, and according to them, when Lottie Gee originally sang the song in the revue, it was not a hit. It only became a hit after a dancer was replaced with an understudy who didn't know the steps and improvised. Apparently, that improvised dance helped sell the number, and the song became hugely popular. Noble Sissle (a male and one of the songs authors) recorded the song (and other songs from his show with Eubie Blake) first in 1937. Then the song because the official campaign song of Harry Truman in 1948, sung by both men and women.

By the way, Noble Sissle sure looks like the character Jack Ross in Downton Abbey.

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Updated On: 2/4/14 at 07:06 AM

"I found it more upsetting that the actor they hired CAN'T SING."

Do we know that it's definitely that actor singing or is he lip synching to Marni Nixon?

Also, is there a character reason he can't sing? Are they trying to make a point a la Sally Bowles? It seems weird they would hire Kiri Te Kanawa to do less singing and then hire an actor who couldn't sing to do more singing.

Finally, is the budget so tight that they couldn't autotune him?

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The minute he opened his mouth in song, out came a purse, two pumps, and a lace doily.

Lord, have mercy! That was quite the visual.

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Best12, I just hear thin and off key when he sings. I didn't get anything whiny or effiminate about his singing voice (but that's just the way I heard it). I took it as the actor trying to project a certain style. Is he American or British in real life?

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I just did some Googling around, and the character of Jack Ross was inspired by the real-life Leslie "Hutch" Hutchinson.

Apparently, he had an affair with British debutante Elizabeth Corbett, who bore his child.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Hutchinson

Here he is, singing in 1936. He sounds so much better than his TV incarnation/inspiration.


LINK

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I wonder, too. I'm kinda fascinated by his personal life after reading that.

I wonder how much of his real life story they will try to incorporate into the Downton Abbey storyline for Jack Ross.

By the way, I've managed to make it this far, fairly "spoiler free" with this season (after learning about the deaths in advance last season, which did effect my enjoyment of them).

... that said, I was hoping, with this being 1922 and Highclere Castle serving as the inspiration and setting for the series, that Lord Grantham would head off to Egypt and be one of the people on the dig for King Tut's tomb. Many of the artifacts were stored in the basement of Highclere Castle ... and I would love for that to be part of the storyline of Downton ... and perhaps a little of the curse of King Tut's tomb as well!

Why not? It happened in real life, and in that very castle as well.

And don't tell me one way or the other! I'm trying desperately to stay "unspoiled" this season! But I do love speculating the overall storylines.

I also wish they'd add something big to this season. So far, the storylines seem to be fairly ordinary on the "soap opera" level. There's no big war, no huge life events going on (again, so far). They need to up the game a bit. Right now, it's too much of the same characters having similar conversations and challenges as they have before.

Onward, please!

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Updated On: 2/4/14 at 09:41 AM

As far as Hutchinson's funeral, I agree. But he was pretty much ruined after that alleged Mountbatten affair. It sounds like he was shunned from most of British society after that. Dramatically, as a plot point, it would be good to incorporate something similar into Downton Abbey.

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"I also wish they'd add something big to this season. So far, the storylines seem to be fairly ordinary on the "soap opera" level."

It's the 1920s. I sort of thought that we'd see one of the characters dabble in drugs. I guess that's politically incorrect thought. But with Edith hanging out in literary circles, I thought she'd encounter a little bit of marijuana.

Also, in 1920, cocaine was banned in the UK because WW1 soldiers were using it and having bad effects. But I think Thomas might take a little sniff of it or offer to the other footman.

Unfortunately the only scandal we're seeing is Rose kissing a black man. It's this is going to be soap opera then I want scandal!!!

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You're assuming she's pregnant with a human child.

Well the note, if you pause your PVR clearly spells out what exactly it's about. (I can't think that's a spoiler :P )

"I also wish they'd add something big to this season. So far, the storylines seem to be fairly ordinary on the "soap opera" level. There's no big war, no huge life events going on (again, so far). They need to up the game a bit. Right now, it's too much of the same characters having similar conversations and challenges as they have before. "

Rape's not enough for you?? :P No, Iargely felt that way about Season 4 as well--like I've said before, much of it was pleasant--I like the show enough that it's fun to hang out with the characters, but... However, I was happy with it by the end, so either it does pick up momentum, or I just got used to that rhythm.