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Sun 13 Jan, 2008 01:42 am
To such strange names.
It's understandable that Archibald Leach would change his name to Cary Grant,
but why would Mary Louise Streep change her name to Meryl which sounds like a village in Wales,and why not use the obvious anagram of streep and change her name to Peters?
and why did Susan Weaver call herself Sigourney? what is wrong with Susan?
How about Whoopee Goldberg, she had the perfectly nice name of Caryn Elaine Johnson, what is wrong with that?
Are all these women bonkers? I use the word bonkers as a noun not a verb
I have often wondered. How about this? Whatever Bob Hope's name was, when they wanted him to get a nose job early in his career.
roger wrote:I have often wondered. How about this? Whatever Bob Hope's name was, when they wanted him to get a nose job early in his career.
What's wrong with Leslie Townes Hope? O.K. its not great Bob is easier
My favourite one is Rip Torn. (Can't remember any films he "starred" in, but have never forgotten the name!)
I wonder what is real name was?: Harold Brown?
msolga wrote:My favourite one is Rip Torn. (Can't remember any films he "starred" in, but have never forgotten the name!)
I wonder what is real name was?: Harold Brown?
Oddly enough msolga his real name was Elmore Torn and Rip was what the menfolk were called in his family
A lot of the time and probably the reason sigourney weaver changed from susan is because there is already someone with their name in the screen actors guild. Michael J. Fox wanted to just be michael fox but it was already taken and the guy would not give it up even after he offered a decent sum of money to get the other guy to change.
The start of the movie business in the US was just around the time of heightened immigration with people losing their family names getting off a boat. The aim was as always and ever will be, that is, PR. Some played with it, e.g., Rip Torn.
Some of this was/is reasonable. There are vast blankets of predudice covering the fields, re names and much else, even now.
Personally, I've never understood all this, but... so what.
Much has been gained in the last bunch of decades with people using their own names or working challenging approximations.
It comes down to marketability. Like the name Cary Grant rolling off the tongue better than the name Archibald Leach thus being more marketable, Meryl is a sexier sounding name than the grandmotherly or auntish, Mary Louise, thus it has greater marketability.
John Wayne sounds so much more cowboy butch than, Marion Robert Morrison, or Marion Michael Morrison.
Prissy wrote:A lot of the time and probably the reason sigourney weaver changed from susan is because there is already someone with their name in the screen actors guild. Michael J. Fox wanted to just be michael fox but it was already taken and the guy would not give it up even after he offered a decent sum of money to get the other guy to change.
I understand the point you make Prissy, Michael Keatons real name is Michael Douglas but there already was one
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