Where did Jane get her accent?
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LPurch6636 — 11 years ago(May 04, 2014 06:50 PM)
Having watched way too much classic TV, I'd say the worst offenders (no offense to these great ladies) are Jane Wyatt, Arlene Francis, and the woman who played Mrs. George Wilson on Dennis<<
Arlene Francis and the woman who played Mrs. George Wilson had a very pronounced accomplished, New York accent.
Jane Wyatt had a very pronounced and different sort of accent. I can't figure hers out except that actress Gene Tierney has the same, unfortunately low-class sounding accent. I always felt like Tierney sounded like Bugs Bunny. I guess they just couldn't get that hard vowel sound to make itself known.
My Dad was from New Jersey and he and his friends all "talked the same" and it wasn't like Jane Wyatt
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caribeno — 13 years ago(January 03, 2013 05:17 PM)
This thread shows people who post are not from Upper Hudson Valley nor New England. When Jane Wyatt grew up, the northeastern part of the United States had accents that carried a British flavor to them. If you were a wealthy New Englander, your accent was very posh, British-sounding. Listen to the Roosevelts and the Kennnedys on film. That was a common accent of the time. As television has taken over, it has homogenized a lot of accents. Many people moving from one part of the U. S. to the other has further weakend regional accents. Check out Kelsey Grammer playing in "Frazier". His character spoke posh New Englander because he was well-educated and moved in wealthy circles.
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jennylynmasters — 11 years ago(November 23, 2014 08:48 PM)
No upper-class New Yorker had a NYC/NJ accent. Only the lower classes have the traditional NYC accent, particularly people who are first or second generation Americans from Italy, Puerto Rico, or who are Jewish. Remember that many upper-class New Yorkers would spend their summers in New England and would often go to private boarding schools outside of New York.
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ghbbrown-1 — 10 years ago(November 22, 2015 06:28 PM)
I think the descriptor for this is Mid-Atlantic accent, something common among upper class folks, especially those who attneded the "right" schools. I can't see tht the Kennedy's tlked that way, entirely.
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PoliticallyIncorrectone — 10 years ago(December 16, 2015 04:44 AM)
It's the expensive private schools they went to.
Contrary to popular opinion, John F. Kennedy didn't have a 'Boston' accent. No one in Boston talks like that unless they've been to a posh prep school.