HIDING BEHIND AN ACCENT
Ben Wright accented numerous episodes of CBS radio programs
such as Escape and Suspense.
Fans of the 'Chinese' accents perpetrated by him and Virginia Gregg
in the radio version of Have Gun-Will Travel,
can find other 'Asian' flavors in these programs beyond the western range.
For example, in the Escape episode 'Eye Of Evil,'
Ben Wright doubles as a Burmese door-opening house servant;
but ring that gong, because he and his accent sound... Chinese.
On the prairie itself, check out an episode of Frontier Gentleman
called 'Gentle Virtue,' which aired in March 30, 1958
and thus preceded the fortune cookie performances in HGWT
by eight months. Here too Virginia Gregg played
a young Chinese woman, but she managed to strike
the right tones and at the same time be intelligible.
Ben Wright, however, was playing a Chinese man
but managed to sound... Japanese.
Wright does get his turn to shine,
in 'Random Notes,' the last episode of Frontier Gentleman;
his rendition of a Chinese man
is intelligible, dignified, and unbound from the stereotype.
For that matter, Kam Tong--
when given a sizable part with many lines,
as in 'Hey Boy's Revenge'--was the very embodiment
of intelligence, independence, dignity, and honor.
There was something inherent in Ben Wright's voice and personality
that kept him from rising to any lasting lead roles.
As a matter of fact, there was something about it that made it
the least sympathetic of all the Gunsmoke voices.
Every other guest star's voice gladdens the heart
when one first identifies it
as a Gunsmoke episode unfolds,
but Wright's had the least such effect.
Listen long enough, however, and there are indeed
some likable performances.
Many episodes of Have Gun-Will Travel are worth checking out
for Wright felicities or atrocities:
In 'A Matter Of Ethics,' you'll find Wright
doing a very good 'regular American accent'
when he doubles as a train conductor.
In 'The Teacher,' Wright does his most subdued
and lightest-tongued rendition of a German speaker;
irony of ironies, it is here where someone in the story
actually points out that his character has an accent.
In 'The Lady,' Wright doubles as a homesteader
fleeing marauding Comanches, and proves
that a 'supreme dialectician' can render as bad a drawl
as any of the awful guest stars of the color era of tv Gunsmoke.
The same goes for his performance as a stagerobber
in 'Brother Lost.'
Listen to Wright's wonderful work as Judge Baker
in 'Like Father.' It shows just what the man could do
with his voice, when he left the accent at home.
In 'The Statue Of San Sebastian,'
Wright does a gentle portrayal
of Franciscan monk Padre Bartolomé,
admirably light on the Mexican accent.
Ben Wright played a soldier absent without leave
in the Romance episode 'This Above All,'
a WWII story quite brave about issues of war,
and not surrendering to gushiness till the end.
Not preoccupied here about accent & tone,
Wright gives a courageous performance
and lets his voice go haywire and human.
Wright's most sympathetic role in tv Gunsmoke
was his Father Tom in the episode 'Friend.'
Again there has to be an accent,
but this time it doesn't get in the way.
On radio, his most touching performance may be as Hans Ryker
in the HGWT episode 'The Gunsmith.'
Or perhaps his reunion with Virginia Gregg
in an Escape version of... 'The Birds.'
September 23, 2005
Copyright © 2005 - 2013 E. A. Villafranca, Jr.
All Rights Reserved
Ben Wright accented numerous episodes of CBS radio programs
such as Escape and Suspense.
Fans of the 'Chinese' accents perpetrated by him and Virginia Gregg
in the radio version of Have Gun-Will Travel,
can find other 'Asian' flavors in these programs beyond the western range.
For example, in the Escape episode 'Eye Of Evil,'
Ben Wright doubles as a Burmese door-opening house servant;
but ring that gong, because he and his accent sound... Chinese.
On the prairie itself, check out an episode of Frontier Gentleman
called 'Gentle Virtue,' which aired in March 30, 1958
and thus preceded the fortune cookie performances in HGWT
by eight months. Here too Virginia Gregg played
a young Chinese woman, but she managed to strike
the right tones and at the same time be intelligible.
Ben Wright, however, was playing a Chinese man
but managed to sound... Japanese.
Wright does get his turn to shine,
in 'Random Notes,' the last episode of Frontier Gentleman;
his rendition of a Chinese man
is intelligible, dignified, and unbound from the stereotype.
For that matter, Kam Tong--
when given a sizable part with many lines,
as in 'Hey Boy's Revenge'--was the very embodiment
of intelligence, independence, dignity, and honor.
There was something inherent in Ben Wright's voice and personality
that kept him from rising to any lasting lead roles.
As a matter of fact, there was something about it that made it
the least sympathetic of all the Gunsmoke voices.
Every other guest star's voice gladdens the heart
when one first identifies it
as a Gunsmoke episode unfolds,
but Wright's had the least such effect.
Listen long enough, however, and there are indeed
some likable performances.
Many episodes of Have Gun-Will Travel are worth checking out
for Wright felicities or atrocities:
In 'A Matter Of Ethics,' you'll find Wright
doing a very good 'regular American accent'
when he doubles as a train conductor.
In 'The Teacher,' Wright does his most subdued
and lightest-tongued rendition of a German speaker;
irony of ironies, it is here where someone in the story
actually points out that his character has an accent.
In 'The Lady,' Wright doubles as a homesteader
fleeing marauding Comanches, and proves
that a 'supreme dialectician' can render as bad a drawl
as any of the awful guest stars of the color era of tv Gunsmoke.
The same goes for his performance as a stagerobber
in 'Brother Lost.'
Listen to Wright's wonderful work as Judge Baker
in 'Like Father.' It shows just what the man could do
with his voice, when he left the accent at home.
In 'The Statue Of San Sebastian,'
Wright does a gentle portrayal
of Franciscan monk Padre Bartolomé,
admirably light on the Mexican accent.
Ben Wright played a soldier absent without leave
in the Romance episode 'This Above All,'
a WWII story quite brave about issues of war,
and not surrendering to gushiness till the end.
Not preoccupied here about accent & tone,
Wright gives a courageous performance
and lets his voice go haywire and human.
Wright's most sympathetic role in tv Gunsmoke
was his Father Tom in the episode 'Friend.'
Again there has to be an accent,
but this time it doesn't get in the way.
On radio, his most touching performance may be as Hans Ryker
in the HGWT episode 'The Gunsmith.'
Or perhaps his reunion with Virginia Gregg
in an Escape version of... 'The Birds.'
September 23, 2005
Copyright © 2005 - 2013 E. A. Villafranca, Jr.
All Rights Reserved