On one of our cartoon voice panels last year at San Diego, voicing superstar Maurice LaMarche spoke of how he'd looped the part of Orson Welles in the Tim Burton movie, Ed Wood. Vincent D'Onofrio played Welles and as you'll see, he really looked the part. But as Maurice ("Moe" to his friends) told the story, D'Onofrio used a somewhat high-pitched, effete voice for Welles and when Burton got into the editing room, it became obvious it wouldn't do.
Burton was a fan of the cartoon show, Pinky and the Brain, on which Moe played the latter role with a dead-on Orson Welles imitation. "Get the the guy who plays The Brain," Burton said…and indeed, they did. Moe went in and for a nice piece o' change I'm sure, redubbed the part. Here's that scene…shot, I believe, in the Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard — one of my favorite places to eat and, I would hope, yours. If you're familiar with the LaMarche simulation of Welles, you'll note how cleverly and appropriately, Moe "dialed down" the impression from the on-camera (or on-mike) Orson to something that matched the character's mood in the scene.
By the way: One of my favorite "star-spotting" memories occurred not far from the Musso & Frank Grill. Across the street and down a bit is the Hollywood Magic Shop, which like most magic shops caters to a lot of amateurs and beginners. But it also serves many celebs and seasoned professionals, and one day in the seventies when I was walking by, I spotted two men standing out front — Orson Welles and Carl "The Amazing" Ballantine. Carl was heckling tourists who walked by and Orson was roaring with laughter at everything Carl said, which is still not an uncommon response around Ballantine. I stood there for maybe ten minutes, taking in the show until a huge convertible pulled up at the curb and Welles, with great effort, went over and got in. Years later, when I became friends with Carl, I reminded him of that day and thanked him for that moment. It was one of the rare times Hollywood Boulevard was ever as colorful as we all wish Hollywood Boulevard was.
Here's the scene from Ed Wood…
