Moroni Olsen, aptly named after Moroni by his Mormon parents the year of his birth, 1889 in Ogden, Utah.

He grew up to become a well known stage and film actor. Nominated for best supporting actor in 1949 for his role in "Command Decision." He is best remembered for the voice of the mirror in Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" 1937, and later Clarence's supervising angel in "It's a Wonderful Life," among others.

He never married, but taught Bible Studies to the youth of his Beverly Hills ward where he attended.

That seems unusual for a lifelong Mormon male not to marry.

Interesting bio.

http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2009/07/26/moroni-olsen-class-act/

The thought occurred to me that Moroni Olsen may not have ever married because he was gay.

That may be how he reconciled his sexuality with his religion, choosing celibacy over living a lie or sinning according to his worldview.

Or maybe he just never met the right person.

Amyjo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The thought occurred to me that Moroni Olsen may
> not have ever married because he was gay.
>
> That may be how he reconciled his sexuality with
> his religion, choosing celibacy over living a lie
> or sinning according to his worldview.
>
> Or maybe he just never met the right person.

If he was gay, it would have been fairly easy for him to become part of the Hollywood closet...a "place" which existed (at least) by 1919 (and probably began in the late nineteenth century, with the birth of films).

(Before films existed commercially, vaudeville and legitimate theatre had their own, overlapping, closets...and many of the established stage people quickly transitioned---geographically, as well as in their careers---over to moving pictures).

But at least by 1919 (depending on the accuracy of the historical sources of Blood Moon Productions ;) ), the recently-formed "Hollywood closet" became a fairly widely-known "secret"---a "place" where performers and others connected with the then-emerging entertainment industry could truly be themselves (regardless of "who" they portrayed on the screen).



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2017 12:11PM by Tevai.

Interesting. He was part of the early gilded days of Hollywood. That may be. There's nothing in his bio to indicate this, but then many actors back then couldn't be open about their sexuality no matter what their religious affiliation was.

He also played Willard Richards in Brigham Young.

Interesting guy.

moroni, giovanni battista

1523-1579

I had two Moronis at my inner-city Salt Lake high school. I think they were both special-needs people.

A few months ago, I watched "The Long, Long Trailer" with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It was made in 1953, to capitalize of "I Love Lucy" and Lucille Ball in general. I found it at the local library. I think I must have seen it years ago, but didn’t remember much about it.

Moroni Olsen has a credit in it as Mr Tewitt, who I think is a relative of hers when they go to visit after the wedding. He has about 2 lines and never appears again.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047191/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

The movie itself gets 7.1 stars on IMDB but as much as I liked I Love Lucy, it is a pretty bad movie. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the screenplay and script are a mess, and Lucy in general is so unlikable and silly. I’m not sure why they made her character so unpleasant an unlikable, just the opposite of how she played Lucy on TV. And most of the scenes with them pulling a HUGE trailer with a Mercury convertible are just unreal.

I just saw him in Father’s Little Dividend, and he brought the puffed-up stuffiness to his roll perfectly. Reading the earlier posts, I add that he had the persnickety elocution that is often associated in popular entertainment with homosexuality. A la Mr. Belvedere.

I just noticed that Hayden Rourke, from I Dream of Jeannie, was in Father’s Little Dividend as well. He also had that almost-British theater accent, and he was a “known” homosexual. But it was harder back then to come out of the closet than it was for a genie to come out of her bottle.

Just curious. What is an "almost-British theater accent"?

I'm a classic movie fan and saw him in lots of old WW2 movies.


As for the accent...

"We have nothing to faaare but faaare itself..."


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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_accent

he Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent,[1][2][3] is a consciously learned accent of English, fashionably used by the late 19th-century and early 20th-century American upper class and entertainment industry, which blended together features regarded as the most prestigious from both American and British English (specifically Received Pronunciation). It is not a native or regional accent; rather, according to voice and drama professor Dudley Knight, "its earliest advocates bragged that its chief quality was that no Americans actually spoke it unless educated to do so".[4] The accent was embraced in private independent American preparatory schools, especially by members of the Northeastern upper class, as well as in schools for film and stage acting,[5] with its overall use sharply declining after the Second World War.[6] A similar accent that resulted from different historical processes, Canadian dainty, was also known in Canada, existing for a century before waning in the 1950s.[7] More broadly, the term "mid-Atlantic accent" can also refer to any accent with a perceived mixture of American and British characteristics.[8][9][10]

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In the 1920s and into the 1950s, Hollywood had a particular way of talking. It was called the Midatlantic or the Transatlantic accent. But we don't speak like that anymore. The accent was acquired, so there's no line tracing it back through history — but we gave it a try.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLT-SQUBRDw



#######

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a32292809/mid-atlantic-accent-golden-age-of-hollywood/

What Is the Mid-Atlantic Accent: Why Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant Sound like (Fake) Millionaires

In the golden age of Hollywood, scores of actors adopted a fictionalized upper-crust intonation, which gets a starring role in Ryan Murpy's new Netflix series.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2024 05:55PM by anybody.

I would've said that it's a nice way of saying "an American trying to do a British accent", but then I'm nasty that way.

Just as Brits' imitations of American accents tend to be bad (listen to drama on the BBC...).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2024 12:55PM by Soft Machine.

This infamous Hammer Horror made in the UK has British actors pretending to be Americans, accents aren't too bad but slip every now and then


"City Of The Dead" / U.S. Title "Horror Hotel" (1960)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1rjf0c

This infamous Hammer Horror made in the UK has British actors pretending to be Americans, accents aren't too bad but slip every now and then


"City Of The Dead" / U.S. Title "Horror Hotel" (1960)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1rjf0c

Was in Costco today and I asked the cashier where I could pick up my prize for finding an item that seems to be in a different place every time I shop. He ignored my question but asked: "Do you live here or are you visiting?" When I visit England my accent is perceived as tainted. Here I might be a visitor. Is that what you mean by a mid Atlantic accent?