OT Victor Borge - the Piano Tuner (Israel)

[David Ilvedson]

When was that made?   Did the technology exist to match the pianist's hands to the sound...or was Victor simply making sure he hit the notes in time with the piped in music?   Another clue would be the lack of differences from one piano to the next if over-dubbed....

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Tom Sivak" <tvaktvak at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Received: 3/15/2008 8:06:35 AM
Subject: RE: OT Victor Borge - the Piano Tuner (Israel)


>Israel

>I did in fact meet Victor Borge once, on Michigan
>Avenue in Chicago.  He really was a hero of mine when
>I was growing up.  I was thrilled to see him standing
>on the corner with an associate and I just wanted to
>tell him that I had been watching him and enjoying his
>antics since I was a child.  And, being a professional
>pianist at that time in my life, I had some piano
>music with me, and I thought I'd have him autograph
>one of my pieces of music.   Perhaps a conversation,
>just pianist to pianist, might ensue!  

>Unfortunately, he was brusque, nearly rude to me.   I
>handed him the piece of music to sign;  you'd think he
>might say.   He took it, signed it, and walked away
>from me before I could get a word out.

>Now, that's not why I am certain that the sound was
>dubbed in.  

>Even Chico Marx's piano work in the films was dubbed
>in later.  At least with Chico, he did actually play
>everything you see in the film and performed his
>routines live.  But if you look closely enough, you
>can see him hit a crack that is not heard in the audio
>track;  other things vary slightly, either in timing
>or in the actual notes you hear versus what you see.  
>It was dubbed in later, just to make it perfect.  

>But this Victor Borge video clip, as entertaining as
>it is, is pure fraud.  There's no way that what you're
>hearing was produced at the same time as what you see.
> The million dollar offer still stands.

>Tom Sivak
>Chicago

>--- Israel Stein <custos3 at comcast.net> wrote:

>> 
>> >
>> >Subject: RE: OT Victor Borge - the Piano Tuner
>> >Message: 2
>> >
>> >Don
>> >
>> >It was the last two pianos at the far end of the
>> room
>> >from the camera that led me to believe it was
>> dubbed
>> >in.  He sat at the piano on the right and reached
>> >behind to play octave A's on the piano behind him
>> at
>> >the end of each phrase.
>> >
>> >No one, not Victor Borge, not Horowitz, could reach
>> >blindly behind himself and strike octave A's
>> cleanly,
>> >twice in a row.  I don't care how much he
>> practiced,
>> >unless he has eyes in the back of his head, that
>> was
>> >dubbed in.
>> >
>> >The rest of it also looked dubbed in to me.  The
>> >cavalier way in which he'd strike the chords as he
>> >went from piano to piano.  There was no care at the
>> >last moment to strike the right keys.  It was all
>> for
>> >show.
>> 
>> Tom,
>> 
>> Have you ever met Victor Borge in person? Did you
>> ever spend any time 
>> around him? He cultivated that "off-hand" manner. At
>> the piano, 
>> backstage, out and about - his public persona was an
>> endless 
>> progression of off-hand gags, one after the other. I
>> wouldn't bet the 
>> mortgage if I were you - never mind $1,000,000.
>> 
>> Israel Stein
>> 
>> >I'd bet a million dollars on it.
>> >
>> >Tom Sivak
>> >Chicago
>> >--- Don Mannino <donmannino at ca.rr.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>