Angela Lansbury

[binau]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 10:54pm

Why does Angela Lansbury talk in that fake US accent all the time? (At least from what I've seen of her Tony award presentations/award acceptance etc..).

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 10:55pm

because Angela Lansbury can do whatever the hell she wants.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 10:56pm

Whenever I've heard her speak, she sounds British.

She's been in the U.S. for a very long time now, so maybe her British accent has simply faded over time. It happens.

[binau]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 10:59pm

She is putting it on deliberately, I think. See a few videos on YouTube

Updated On: 11/24/08 at 10:59 PM

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 11:04pm

I think it's what Yero said. she always sounds at least a touch British to me, and it's entirely possible that her accent has faded over time.

but why does it matter?

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 11:11pm

Another pointless thread meant to work the nerves using a beloved icon. Move on!

[binau]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 11:30pm

It matters to me, because I think it's strange she feels for popularity reasons or the likes she must talk that way in the US. (But maybe there is a genuine reason, hence the reason I asked)

See her introduction of starmites (lol)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEenp3n7T6g

[PRFRMR20]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 11:37pm

Check her out here... she sounds southern!!!

Go to 00:50 and listen to when she says, "best revival of a musical"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOitlNlKOtQ&feature=related

[Mekroth]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 11:37pm

Sounds british to me.

[PRFRMR20]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 11:39pm

"best RRRReeeevaaaiiival of a Musical" and her pitch going down... sounds slightly southern, but def. not british to me
Updated On: 11/24/08 at 11:39 PM

[binau]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 11:41pm

^ Exactly.

[LadyRosecoe]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 12:07am

I live with a Brit and it isn't utterly unimaginable to hear him pronounce it that way. I really doubt this is much cause to debate over, she has a unique voice and I doubt she's putting on airs.

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 10:22am

-- "because Angela Lansbury can do whatever the hell she wants."

That was amazing, givesmevoice! Also: word. =)


And to the point, I hear her English origins clearly whenever she speaks, but her accent does seem to have faded some over time. That's normal, as she's lived in the United States for so many years.

[cello_dude]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 10:49am

She has what is called a transatlantic accent

[jv92]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 11:46am

She has a very dignified way of speaking, but I wouldn't call it a fake British accent or any type of British accent. I would just call it a very classy accent.

[Brick]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 12:04pm

UM, in that Starmites introduction clip, she does not sound American.

She sounds like a Brit who has lived in the US for some time. Which she is.

[tomwingfield]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 1:38pm

She's been in the US since the early 1940s that's why her "accent" is a mishmash. Can we just say she has a distinctive way of speaking?

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 2:48pm

... or maybe it's simply that she speaks with correct grammar and enunciates. That's more than enough to sound foreign to most Americans.

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 2:51pm

Maybe she just likes speaking with tall, round vowels and perfect grammar. I appreciate it!
Updated On: 11/25/08 at 02:51 PM

[RockabyeHamlet]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 3:08pm

*shakes head* is this what we call the bottom of the barrel? Criticizing a Tony Award winning household name? Seriously.

[EganFan2]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 3:08pm

I always thought she sounded British. Not Julie Andrews British, but I could tell she wasn't American born. Even on "Murder She Wrote".

[cello_dude]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 4:29pm

http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t4244-0.htm

[Scripps2]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 5:13pm

To my British ear there are definitely American intonations in her accent, but her mannerisms and demeanour remain very British.

[sondheimgeek]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 5:24pm

"... or maybe it's simply that she speaks with correct grammar and enunciates. That's more than enough to sound foreign to most Americans."

Or maybe certain Americans who have good grammar criticize others, while others with good grammar don't.

Updated On: 11/25/08 at 05:24 PM

[kyleorlando]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 5:44pm

Maybe its because the average American ear doesn't always clearly understand the various dialects. It takes me a moment to fully process any English spoken with a British/European dialect or accent. She might have adjusted her natural accent early on to compensate for the American ear since this is where she was making a living.