MovieChat Forums > The Catered Affair (1956) Discussion > What a great cast.

What a great cast.

posted 10 years ago by lnoft97
4 replies | jump to latest

Ernie - he was believable enough, in his frustrated workin' man role. Loved the scene at the wedding planners!

Barry Fitzgerald - he looked about 100, I wonder how long HIS marriage lasted. (I'm leaning toward the marriage being a success. He would have missed his sister, but his new bride would have spoiled. him. rotten. And his new bride is so thrilled to death to be married, well!!!!)

Debbie - not much education, but a 'nice', intelligent, thoughtful girl. I really liked her here, I liked her wanting a small quiet wedding. (not a fan of Miss Perky Perky Ponytail, but here she was lovely, and did some good acting.)

Rod Taylor - another quiet, intelligent, thoughtful actor, a great match for Debbie. I loved him here! I think their marriage would have been a success. They were a couple moving on from the 50's, wonder how they would have made out in another 10 years, when the swingin' 60's came along.

Bette - miscast. She lookes awful, dowdy and bug-eyed! and that accent - what the heck was that accent supposed to be? I was kind of sorry for her, but really she was over the top and not believable. She put across all her wishes, hopes, dashed dreams, and disappointments in a very heavy handed manner. Not her fault, really, it was Paddy C.'s doing, but she was just weird.

[–] maggieameanderings 10 years ago

what the heck was that accent supposed to be?

According to people who know (which wouldn't include me), Bette was doing an accurate accent for the time and place.

As for looking dowdy, she was supposed to look dowdy. She was a working class housewife of at least three children who lived a hard life trying to make ends meet. Also, it's not like Borgnine's good looking. You've got two fat, plain people married to each other. They match.

http://maggieameanderings.com/Archive.htm

[–] gary135r 9 years ago

what the heck was that accent supposed to be?

Massachsetts

[–] jcb-nyc 9 years ago

No. It wasn't Massachusetts, nor was it intended to be. Bette was an educated woman, and she certainly knew better than to try to use her native Lowell accent as a New York one, especially when so many millions of people would have noticed the gaffe. (I'm a Framingham native, and I also know the difference.) Whatever Bette did, it was on purpose.

I've heard some old-timers here in the NYC area who speak the way Agnes Hurley did. All that extra emphasis on final D and T, although with the people here in NYC, it's more on the final S; they draw it out. Bette may have been attempting the Irish final T, which is an approximant. (IOW, you sort of breathe it out)

[–] thecrux-1 8 years ago

You've made a very astute observation.

NYC English is very big on hard consonants at the beginning and ending of words; especially the Bronx.

I had to chuckle at the reference to the final T being more or less "breathed" out: It's so true! You have to hear it to know.