During a career that spanned the second half of the 20th century, Plimpton was a quarterback for the Detroit Lions, pitched at Yankee Stadium, sparred with Archie Moore, played the triangle with. There was one more matter I never heard my dad discuss. These events were recalled in his best-known book Paper Lion, which was later adapted into the 1968 feature film starring Alan Alda. I do believe his accent was decidedly Swamp Yankee. expelled from the very expensive, very WASP-y Philips One thinks of the glorious character actress, Kathleen Freeman, as the voice coach Phoebe Dinsmore in Singing in the Rain: Round tones, Miss Lamont. In Woody Allens Radio Days, Mia Farrow has an impossibly thick Brooklyn accent until she takes voice lessons and becomes a successful radio purveyor of celebrity gossip. The most recent was about how to extend the swing though impact, and the trick, George said, was to station an imaginary dwarf several feet in front of your ball and then (you have to re-create those broad Plimptonian vowels here) smack the dwarf in the ass. I dont know whether it works, because I cant think of it without laughing. These interviews are a collaborative effort, and, I believe, a fascinating contribution to literary history. My dad could never say what he feltnot reallyand neither can any of us. His high Boston accent might have been heard as an influential transitional hybrid, and its interesting how prominent parodies of the speech of Brando, Dean, and Kennedy were at the time: seems a sign that we were noticing a marked change. [40] They had two children: Medora Ames Plimpton and Taylor Ames Plimpton, who has published a memoir entitled Notes from the Night: A Life After Dark. That life couldnt contain him, hed burst its seams like it was an old coat two sizes too small. Manhattan DVD. [citation needed], Plimpton's studies at Harvard were interrupted by military service from 1945 to 1948, during which time he served in Italy as an Army tank driver. Read more. Louis Begley, novelist:Jim Atlas interviewed me for an Art of Fiction piece in the Paris Review, a feature of the magazine that George invented and brought to perfection. A graduate of Harvard University and King's College, Cambridge, Plimpton was recruited to Paris by Peter Matthiessen in 1952 and signed on to the project shortly thereafter. Heres a sampling for today, with more planned in the days ahead. He came from a family where such endearments were not expressed, and phone conversations were curt. There youd be, talking with her on the phone, and shed say, Well, tell him I called, and youd say, O.K., Grandma, good to talk to you, I Grandma?. Showdown in the Pits. Plimpton revisited pro football in 1971,[18] this time joining the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Colts and seeing action in an exhibition game against his previous team, the Lions. They all sound just like George. (To read Part One, click here. George Plimpton: what kind of accent? And his apartment, with those windows that looked out onto the East River, became a famous landmark in NYC. George Plimpton was a literary man about town who did it all, from co-founding The Paris Review to boxing (and dribbling and quarterbacking) with the pros. Butch, he says, because he always called me Butch. Besides, third is a very respectable showing! One night Joe DiMaggio was here, and they had never met, so I introduced them. George Plimpton is beautifully connected. [37] His son, Taylor, described it as a mixture of "old New England, old New York, tinged with a hint of King's College King's English."[14]. He is also credited with saving, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Plimpton! Ever. LL is typified, I think, but an almost clenching of the teeth while talking, producing a mushy sound, if you will. :rolleyes: Ive got news for you, buddy, youre not even second in line! That was the last party for a while., I just got back from a road trip from Michigan. With a little more practice, you could give us boys in the big leagues a run for our money. The opposing team: the Detroit Lions. By George Plimpton. I remember getting the news: It was my wife Madeleines birthday, Aug. 7. And the role of Katharine Hepburn, whose Locust Valley Lockjaw accent was a cousin of announcer-speak: I was just discussing this not a week ago with a friend who has done voice work in film and television, and can adopt this accent in an instant to evoke that period, much to my amusement. And he told everyone that night, and for many years after, that hed diverted me from a career of filling prescriptions. Mid-Atlantic. He hosted Disney Channel's Mouseterpiece Theater (a Masterpiece Theatre spoof which featured Disney cartoon shorts). He was so open to life and all its new and unexpected situations. . Another entertainment-related explanation for the shift, right about the time of the Eisenhower-Kennedy transition: The plumby announcer voice that hovers over the Atlantic midway between the Eastern Seaboard and England was mortally wounded in 1959. In it Van Voorhis has the formal delivery that would have seemed familiar to many mid-century listeners but which in retrospect we know was on the way out. He had, for instance, a series of antiquated phrases and terms of affection. [11], His mother was Pauline Ames,[12] the daughter of botanist Oakes Ames (1874-1950) and artist Blanche Ames. They were born to Plimpton and his second wife, Sarah Dudley, 26 years younger than he, who is chairwoman of the East Harlem Tutorial Program, for which he was a trustee. [41] She is the daughter of James Chittenden Dudley,[42] a managing partner of Manhattan-based investment firm Dudley and Company, and geologist Elisabeth Claypool. He was respected by all. Plimpton sparred for three rounds with boxing greats Archie Moore and Sugar Ray Robinson while on assignment for Sports Illustrated. Richard Howard, poetry editor, the Paris Review:I worked with George for 10 years on the magazine. She was the daughter of writers Willard R. Espy[39] and Hilda S. Cole, who had, earlier in her career, been a publicity agent for Kate Smith and Fred Waring. [3] During the summers, he lived in the hamlet of West Hills, Huntington, Suffolk County on Long Island. Between 2000 and 2003, Plimpton wrote the libretto to a new opera, Animal Tales, commissioned by Family Opera Initiative, with music by Kitty Brazelton directed by Grethe Barrett Holby. In early 1959, George Plimpton was preparing to watch an execution in Cuba. The Writer's Chapbook A Compendium of Fact, Opinion, Wit, and Advice from the Twentieth Century's Preeminent Writers. Could it be fairly said that Plimptom had it? Firstly, then-managing director of SI, Mark Mulvoy, gave Plimpton the liberty to create a hoax.Secondly, SI photographer Lane Stewart recruited his friend, Joe Berton to play the part of Sidd Finch. We were both excitedId just come back from a weekend in Las Vegas, and hed just come back from celebrating the fortieth anniversary reunion of his Detroit Lions team at Ford Field, where the fans had given him a standing ovation, and he had raised his hatand for a moment we were no longer father and son, but just two big excited boys, each comparing adventures, and I could hear the pride in his voice, the happiness. For it was George Plimpton the writer, not the editor nor the celebrity, who was honored here . But Labov said that in post-World War II New York, fancier people started becoming rhotic, and recovering their Rs. It was horrifying.. No one realized till the next day that this was the weather that created the extreme blue skies of Sept. 11a condition I since learned that pilots call severe clear. The next day, friends called and said, That was the last party. I have worked as poetry editor with editors on other magazines; only with George has the experience been entirely agreeable. Norman Mailer said that George Plimpton was the best-loved man in New York. Here's how Geroge Plimpton and his team created a prodigious pitcher out of thin air. Sign up for the Books & Fiction newsletter. [45], Plimpton is the protagonist of the semi-fictional George Plimpton's Video Falconry, a 1983 ColecoVision game postulated by humorist John Hodgman and recreated by video game auteur Tom Fulp.[46]. [citation needed] Some of these events, such as his stint with the Colts, and an attempt at stand-up comedy, were presented on the ABC television network as a series of specials. What was our problem? Youd be on the phone with him and get to the end of the conversation, and youd say I love you, Dad, and at most, hed reply, without subject or object, Love, like he was signing a letter. Shootout at Rio Lobo", "The Smaller the Ball, the Better the Book: A Game Theory of Literature", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Plimpton&oldid=1137974740, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 10:19. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Look out, Wilson! 3 people found this helpful . Where are you?, Im at dinner with my wife, I said. It is the kind of study . "[27], Plimpton was a member of the cast of the A&E TV series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (200102). Actors Nathan Lane (from Jersey City, NJ) and Robin Williams (grew up in SF Bay area) often adopt this accent. Vault. Puss, and my father enjoyed nothing more than holding the beast high in the air and making strange, affectionate sounds in that distinguished voice: Yeanngghh, Puss Yeaannngh Puss Puss Puss.) He called my sister Puss, too, sometimes, though mostly I think with her it was Kiddo, which he also called me, though there was a period in which he occasionally called me Ernie, which was the dogs name. His dish was Spaghetti Bolognese. He also served as editor of the Harvard Lampoon. Famed participatory journalist George Plimpton (1927-2003) was a writer, editor, amateur sportsman, actor, and friend to many. Back to Plimpton I dont remember the LL affect at all. Whee!! Were taking off from Teterburo, N.J., at 4 a.m. tomorrow. Youll get another shot at the big time, trust me. [32] When lit, the firework remained on the ground and exploded, blasting a crater 35 feet (11m) wide and 10 feet (3.0m) deep. . I always thought it sounded similar to the accent of William F. Buckley, Jr., who I believe was not reared in Boston. The Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent, is a . I can understand your frustration, but celebrities die every day. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. [2], A November 6, 1971, cartoon in The New Yorker by Whitney Darrow Jr. shows a cleaning lady on her hands and knees scrubbing an office floor while saying to another one: "I'd like to see George Plimpton do this sometime." [citation needed], In 1963, Plimpton attended preseason training with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League as a backup quarterback, and he ran a few plays in an intrasquad scrimmage. Exeter Academy after an incident involving a Peter Matthiessen took the magazine over from Humes and ousted him as editor, replacing him with Plimpton, using it as his cover for Matthiessen's CIA activities. In another cartoon in The New Yorker, a patient looks up at the masked surgeon about to operate on him and asks, "Wait a minute! I never thought that George slept. Elaine Kaufman, owner of Elaines restaurant:Over the 40 years I knew him, George came in often, sometimes twice a week, usually on his way back from a cocktail party. I knew that between the time Id asked Plimpton to do the auction and the night itself, he had probably received five invitations for a better evening, but he would never have reneged. Losing, he knew, always makes a better story than winning. Quite sad, as he just had a daughter not many years back. The point of the flipped prestige markers is that generally the fewer the Rs, the fancier the person. Actually, thats not far off from how my mom felt when she first met him. Even Orson Welles on occasion. That phony-baloney feigned British pronunciation thing. YESTERDAY IS NOT FAR AWAY. Even the most basic conversation was often a struggle. Her mother, a writer and critic for Commonweal and Catholic World. If you are in the big league, God help us all. Even the manliest actors, such as Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable sometimes slipped into this voice-coach mode. Others outside the entertainment industry known for speaking Mid-Atlantic English include William F. Buckley, Jr., Gore Vidal, George Plimpton, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Norman Mailer, Diana Vreeland, Maria Callas, Cornelius Vanderbilt IV. After the technology improved the need to speak so histrionically went away, and so did "announcer English.". But he has never employed that voice professionally, and certainly does not speak that way in real life. For his grandfather, the publisher and philanthropist, see, Calvin Gay Plimpton and Priscilla G. Lewis were the parents of, He was widely reviled for years after the war by Southern whites, who gave him the nickname "Beast Butler." And the many candidates for the crown of Last American to Speak This Way. And you are going to come with me. The Left Bank really became East 72nd Street. He appeared in commercials for Oldsmobile and Intellivision, and appeared. The enormously popular speech styles of Brando and Dean (and I could add Elvis Presley) clearly pushed vernacular style into a kind of mainstream acceptability, then desirability. In most situations, he had the remarkable quality of making everyone he talked to feel at ease, at home, welcome, no matter who they were or what they didbut for whatever strange reason there wasnt this effortlessness with me, this warmth. I remember the Lowell Thomas documentary films of the 50s where Mr. Thomas' mellifluous tones and distinct radio-style pronunciation gave him a respectability that a similar huckster could hardly hope to replicate today by the mere application of such an artifice. Now, in George, Being George, 200 friends, lovers and rivals detail Plimpton's remarkable exploits. Would you like Mike to run for you, George? the coach asked. May a diseased yak squat in your hot tub. 3: Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Alan Alda, portraying my dad in the movie version of Paper Lion (his book on playing quarterback for the Detroit Lions), didnt bother with his voice at all. There was love thereactually, his inability to express it sometimes made him positively brim with itbut speak the words, his voice could not. :rolleyes: Ive got news for you, buddy, youre not even second in line! George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 - September 25, 2003) was an American journalist, writer, literary editor, actor and occasional amateur sportsman. Now the interview is perfect!. Family (1) Spouse George Plimpton Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family . Read more in this thread (long). Plimpton, along with former decathlete Rafer Johnson and American football star Rosey Grier, was credited with helping wrestle Sirhan Sirhan to the floor when Kennedy was assassinated following his victory in the 1968 California Democratic primary at the former Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. [citation needed], Outside the literary world, Plimpton was famous for competing in professional sporting events and then recording the experience from the point of view of an amateur. **Get a life. You can. He smiled broadly, signaled for the coach to send Lupica in to run for him, and trotted back to the sidelines. My suspicion is that the shift might have begun in the switch away from the two paired styles in American movies, the classical acting of the British School and the rapid patter of popular American actors (Marx Brothers, Cagney, Powell and Loy, etc), and over to the Method Acting style of the Strasberg/Brando/Dean school. Dan Rather certainly marks the definitive end of the newsreel style and the ascendance of the folksy vernacular: those rustic analogies! But he would do this in the most charming and agreeable way. Ad Choices. He was one of her original supporters and had published an article about her work in The Paris Review. We were bound to play the roles of father and son, unable to simply be ourselves. I think it was an affectation people adopted because they thought it made them sound much more intelligent! Its a joke to say 500 of my closest friends, but that would have been true with George1,000 of his closest friends, actually. If you say, I parked my car in Harvard Yard, you are being rhotic. #1 was Who Was the Last American to Speak This Way, #3 is Class-War Edition, and #4 is The Origin Story., Who Was the Last American to Speak This Way. Mr . By George Plimpton. Kennedy died the next day at Good Samaritan Hospital. I think he came down [to the shooting of Paper Lion in] Florida once. Aldas version was always angry or consternated, like a character in a Woody Allen film, while my dad, though he certainly faced hurdles as an amateur in the world of the professional, bore his humiliations with a comic lightness and charmmuch of which emanated from that befuddled, self-deprecating professors voice. Thats a common name for such an accent. Felix Grucci Jr., of Fireworks by Grucci (Plimpton wrote about the Grucci family, widely held to be the first family of fireworks, in Fireworks: A History and Celebration):George had a very big passion for fireworks. 2) Truman v. Kaltenborn, 1949. That was how it was in New York in those days, George just dragged it out a bit longer." Dudley Plimpton suspects the excess contributed to Plimpton's death in his sleep in 2003, at the age of 76.
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