Spot On!

This is a slide show of twenty entries. Couple of new additions to the roster of actors with bad accents include: Humphrey Bogart's attempt at an Irish brogue in Dark Victory; Mickey Rooney's yellowface performance in Breakfast at Tiffany's; Demi Moore's awful British accent in Flawless. Bonus -- includes links to YouTube clips.

Toronto Sun, March 2, 2011, "Worst Movie Accents".

WHO: Dick Van Dyke as Bert. MOVIE: “Mary Poppins” (1964). ACCENT SUPPOSED TO BE: British (Cockney). SOUNDS LIKE: A man who needs a new dialect coach.

Dr. Mark Sloan and Mr. Hyde

BroadwayWorld.com, March 1, 2011, "JEKYLL AND HYDE, New Wimbledon Theatre" by Gary Naylor

After Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse wrought almost as thoroughgoing a transformation on the tale as Doctor Jekyll did to himself, this version provides plenty of setpiece songs, mercifully few special effects and costume changes and yet more opportunities to hear that stage Cockney accent that owes rather more to Dick Van Dyke than to the East End of London..

An Oscar Nod

An English actor who can do a good American accent, chided for reverting to an English accent. Hoo-kay.

The Telegraph, Feb. 28, 2011, "Oscars 2011 highlights: best and worst moments" by Anita Singh

And an honourable mention for Christian Bale, who had an American accent a while back but now appears to be channelling Dick Van Dyke.

Tweet, Tweet, Birdie

Moments ago on Twitter:

@jupitusphillip Phillip Jupitus
Lawks! Doris Day's 'Do Not Disturb' is on Film 4 now. British accent work that makes Dick Van Dyke sound like Brian Sewell...

Something's Missing.

Hang on -- mention of Dick Van Dyke and British accents, check. Mention of accent coach, check. Mention of "...lazy mouth Midwesterners," check. Mention of how bad Dick Van Dyke's accent was...

Oh, it's an American speaking. Carry on.

The Plymouth Patch (Plymouth, Michigan), Feburary 13, 2010, "Barefoot Productions Takes on British Farce with 'Black Comedy'" By Nicole Krawcke

“I’ve told the entire cast through the rehearsal process that this is really nothing more than a Dick Van Dyke episode with British accents,” Hane said.

"SCOTLAND!"

Dick Van Dyke referenced at 0:57.



Thanks, Fred!

DVD Chided for NOT Doing an Accent

Poor guy gets criticized for doing a bad cockney accent even when he isn't doing one.

The Daily Journal (New Jersey), December 8, 2010, "'Disney's A Christmas Carol' now out on DVD" by Joanne Thornborough.

Perhaps the worst musical ever committed to celluloid, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (now on Blu-ray; previously available on DVD) is an abomination in so many ways the only question to be asked is what drug was the studio exec on who greenlit this.

The basic plot -- if you can call it that -- has a widowed eccentric inventor (Dick Van Dyke, who avoids an English accent, but introduces a few unaddressed questions in the process) raising his two kids with an assist from his equally eccentric father (Lionel Jeffries) all while slowly developing a romantic attachment to the daughter (Sally Ann Howes) of a mildly cantankerous confectioner.