14 replies to this topic

[Turn]

I caught part of Dr. No on cable the other day and the scene where Professor Dent goes to warn Dr. No. Dent is put in the strange room with just a chair and the tarantula cage and we only hear No's voice and it got me thinking.

Actor Eric Pohlman provided Blofeld's voice for FRWL, but I've seen conflicting accounts about whether it was Pohlman or Dr. No himself, Joseph Wiseman, who was Blofeld's voice in Thunderball. As I watched that scene in DN I listened closely to hear if he sounded like Blofeld from TB, and I think it sounds more like Wiseman. Pohlman had a slightly deeper voice with a bit of an accent in FRWL, whereas the the voice in TB sounded a bit different.

I've checked sources. The first time I read about Wiseman doing the TB voice was in Steven Rubin's The James Bond Films book. However, I cross-checked it in Rubin's later James Bond Encyclopedia and he listed Pohlman for having done Blofeld's voice in TB. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang also lists Pohlman as Blofeld's voice in TB, as does the IMDB, which isn't necessarily always accurate. I still have my doubts.

I guess the only consistency is Anthony Dawson, who played Prof. Dent, plays Blofeld physically, whose face we can't see in FRWL and TB. Anybody else care to guess which man is the voice in TB?

[Qwerty]

I've always assumed it was Pohlman providing the voice for Thunderball.

[Tanger]

It's Pohlman.

[Bryce (003)]

I've heard both reported through the same sources, but I put on TB and turned off the TV and piped it through the surround sound system.

To my ear, and using the above scene in Dr. No as reference, after a few back and forths between the two, it *sounds* like Wiseman.

Taking it a step further, I loaded up both scenes into my computer and ran the audio through my editing software - One of my levels measures resonance and on a couple of lines match perfectly.

Dr. No - "You came to warn me?"

TB - "Two million three?"

That's just my tinkering around, but I'm 95% certain it's Wiseman voicing Blofeld.

[mccartney007]

Unreleated bit of information, but Eric Pohlman's widow, Lilly, is currently dating/married to Peter Janson-Smith who was Ian Fleming's literary agent and who was in charge of Glidrose until his retirment in 2002.

[The Dove]

This is an issue thats been bugging me too. For the longest time, I believed that Joseph Wiseman did Blofeld's voice in Thunderball, every source I've read says its Pohlman's voice. Even the documentary "Inside From Russia With Love" says that Pohlman reprised the voice in Thunderball. I think why the voice in Thunderball sounds different than From Russia With Love, is that Blofeld is speaking into some sort of amplfication/voice enhancer device. Hard to say, but I believe that its Pohlman in Thunderball.

[Turn]

This is an issue thats been bugging me too. For the longest time, I believed that Joseph Wiseman did Blofeld's voice in Thunderball, every source I've read says its Pohlman's voice. Even the documentary "Inside From Russia With Love" says that Pohlman reprised the voice in Thunderball. I think why the voice in Thunderball sounds different than From Russia With Love, is that Blofeld is speaking into some sort of amplfication/voice enhancer device. Hard to say, but I believe that its Pohlman in Thunderball.

I took the voice apliphication thing into account too. But, as Bryce pointed out, there are so many similarities between the Dr. No and TB scenes there has to be some sort of edge toward it being Wiseman.

[bebopfoot]

It's Wiseman, no doubt about it. It sounds just like him! The Pohlman thing is a mass lie along the lines of Lee Harvey Oswald killing Kennedy for some similar conspiratorial reason. Probably something to do with royalties or a behind the scenes fight or maybe it was Pohlman and then Peter Hunt had Wiseman redub it or something.

[Harry Palmer]

Having spoke with Peter Hunt on many occasions regarding the dubbing of actors in the Bond movies, I can assure everyone here that Peter confirmed what my ears had always told me - Blofeld's voice in both 'From Russia With Love' and 'Thunderball' WAS DEFINITELY Eric Pohlmann.

Graham Rye
Editor, Designer, Publisher
OO7 MAGAZINE

www.007magazine.co.uk

[Bryce (003)]

Thanks

Good enough for me.

Damn though - almost identical patterns...

Guess I need to upgrade my software.

[mccartney007]

Welcome to the boards, Graham! Always good to have a new, knowledgeable face around.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Indeed, welcome to the CBn forums Graham.

[zencat]

Having spoke with Peter Hunt on many occasions regarding the dubbing of actors in the Bond movies, I can assure everyone here that Peter confirmed what my ears had always told me - Blofeld's voice in both 'From Russia With Love' and 'Thunderball' WAS DEFINITELY Eric Pohlmann.

Graham Rye
Editor, Designer, Publisher
OO7 MAGAZINE

www.007magazine.co.uk

Welcome Graham Rye, err...I mean, Harry Palmer...to CBn.

"I hope we're going to have some gratuitous sex and violence now that you're here."

[Qwerty]

Welcome to CBn!

[J J]

Good to see you up here Harry!