MovieChat Forums > Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958) Discussion > Josh Randall's Accent

Josh Randall's Accent

posted 14 years ago by mnpd3
10 replies | jump to latest

Last year I bought the box set Wanted Dead or Alive and finally found the time this year to go through the episodes. I haven't seen mention of this before, but McQueen spoke in his normal voice for most of the 1st Season. By the time the show was well established, McQueen began making an attempt at a Southern accent. He drawled his words, used Southern phrases, and was big on "yep", "nope", and "yuh heah."

I popped in an early first season disk to be sure. Yep, McQueen started out sounding like.... McQueen. McQueen was like a Jimmy Stewart or John Wayne; he wasn't a character actor. He always played himself, except for the last 2/3rds or so of the Dead or Alive series.

I watched the series as a kid, and never noticed the change in the main character's speech. I probably wouldn't have now except that I flew thru so many episodes in a short time. If anyone has access to the early episodes, it might be interesting to compare them to 2nd and 3rd season ones. The change in Josh Randall's accent is profound.

[–] quirt1 14 years ago

That accent is basically the same one he uses in "The Magnificent Seven."

[–] Miinerva 11 years ago

McQueen is McQueen but it is annoying. Just started watching it and I haven't seen any normal speaking pattern yet so I must be seeing the latter ep's.
I wouldn't even call it a southern accent. Everytime he says Go it sounds like goooo.

[–] ronaldt49 11 years ago

In "Fourth Headstone" he says he's from Alabama. Can't tell it though from his speach!!!

[–] thbryn 11 years ago

Saw a few Ep's recently and I have to say the accent is not only hard to pick up it sounds dumb.
And there was a scene where he's talking to a clerk and he's handed a paper and he can't read it? Now I don't know if what he was seeing was illegible or he's the clueless Josh but it looked weird.

Someone should have picked up on this and switched to the more understandable Josh.

Kisskiss, Bangbang

[–] LarrupinLou 8 years ago

Saw a few Ep's recently and I have to say the accent is not only hard to pick up it sounds dumb.

It does sound a little dumb, but I like him better in those episodes than the earlier non-accented ones. Yes, he sounds like himself in the first-season episodes, but he hadn't perfected "Steve McQueen" yet and his voice sounded kind of forced and stilted to me at times.

No blah, blah, blah!

[–] ridgerunner72160-609-362419 10 years ago

According to the series Josh helped fight for the South's independence. I guess they wanted him to speak with a southern accent.

[–] mam13143 10 years ago

McQueen had a funny way of talking sometimes, even in movies like the Sand Peebles. It was kinda like jimmy Stewart but not as prevalent. Don't know if was natural or put on. A terribly under rated actor, meaning he should have gotten oscars specially for Papilon.

[–] herc_takes_five 9 years ago

"Les goo."

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mikethemartian 8 years ago

I saw the later seasons first and found the cornpone accent odd. Sort of reminds me of Festus's accent on Gunsmoke but not as natural sounding. It wasn't until I saw the Christmas episode with the boy that I heard him speak with his regular voice. I prefer the regular voice.

The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.