Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and the Art of Speaking Like an Aristocrat There’s a certain charm to old Hollywood movies — glamorous stars, sweeping orchestral scores, and, of course, that oddly posh, vaguely British way of speaking. You know the one. The voice makes Katharine Hepburn sound like she’s perpetually midway through an important luncheon and Cary Grant appear to deliver a one-liner while also sipping afternoon tea. This isn’t just a coincidence; it’s the Transatlantic accent, and for a while, it was the gold standard of sophisticated speech. Hollywood, never one to pass up a trend, adopted this cultivated accent in the early days of talkies. Why? Because it made actors sound polished, articulate, and, quite frankly, fancy. The crisp, clipped tones worked wonders for those speedy, back-and-forth screwball comedy exchanges. Just watch “His Girl Friday” and try not to be dazzled by the machine-gun dialogue between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell! Why Did Old Hollywood Sound So Fancy?
And then, just as suddenly as it arrived, the Transatlantic accent packed its bags and vanished. By the 1950s, Hollywood started shifting away from aristocratic dramas and high-society stories, opting instead for gritty realism and everyday characters. The era of Marlon Brando and James Dean meant mumbling was in, and sounding like you vacationed on the French Riviera every summer was … well, out. Of course, we can still enjoy the legacy of the Transatlantic accent in classic films. Want to master it yourself? Pick up “Speak With Distinction” by Edith Skinner, the holy grail of old-school elocution training. Soon enough, you’ll drop your R’s, crisp your T’s, and stretch your vowels until “dance” becomes “dahnce.” After all, old Hollywood may be gone, but its impeccable enunciation will never go out of style.
Unlike normal regional dialects, the Transatlantic accent wasn’t something people naturally developed by growing up in a particular area. It was an acquired accent drilled into the minds of upper-crust New Englanders at elite boarding schools and embraced by stage actors who wanted to sound refined. Essentially, it was the linguistic equivalent of wearing a tuxedo at all times.
HUMOR’S REMARKABLE HEALTH BENEFITS
Laughter helps you live.
If you feel better after watching a funny film or hearing an amusing anecdote, you’re likely experiencing the biological gifts of good humor that help our minds and bodies thrive. These surprising scientific facts prove we all should chuckle more consistently. Humor’s Healing Touch In many ways, a good belly laugh is as effective in maintaining our health as a balanced diet. In addition to elevating our blood’s oxygen levels and strengthening our immune system’s ability to fight infections, laughter lowers depression and anxiety by releasing stress- reducing hormones in our bodies. Remarkably, it can even help alleviate symptoms of certain chronic lung conditions by helping us cough up the bad stuff. Additionally, humor has been shown to have a direct link to sustained heart health. Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee found that genuine laughter can lead to a 20% increase in heart rates and an increase in calorie-burning energy. While any form of laughter is good, studies have found that doing it with others substantially affects our social interaction skills and overall mental health.
Limitless Life Lifts To gain a greater sense of how helpful a good ha-ha is to our everyday lives, look no further than a recent report by UCLA Health that noted that laughter has the potential to reduce pain levels in cancer patients by half. Some medical experts believe this benefit comes from the release of endorphins — the hormones that help make us happy — and the patients’ improved perception of their situations during funny moments. In general, laughter can also positively affect people’s ability to learn and find greater motivation in fulfilling everyday tasks. With its ability to bring so much to our lives, laughter is the best medicine. Whether you need a quick pick-me-up or ways to ensure ongoing physical or mental health, a great joke or two will go a long way in making your days more delightful.
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