American tourists talk about Australia (1961) | RetroFocus
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- čas přidán 11. 10. 2019
- In 1961, Keith Smith boarded the cruise ship Monterey to talk to its American passengers about their impressions of Sydney, and Australia in general.
The segment was never edited for broadcast and has been left mostly as Keith and the ABC crew filmed it.
Exact date of recording is unknown.
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It's crazy how much the American accent has changed!
I have been thinking this as well but when I mentioned it to my mother she could not seem to make our any difference, I thought that was so interesting because to me it’s very noticeable
@@haleymoon657 It really is different, even their intonation is different.
Now it sounds dumb.....
I assure you the accent has not changed. It's the combination of the film's dated audio and wind going through the mic that makes these people sound different. These people had to speak directly into the mic because the technology wasn't as good as it is now. This is why they may sound different to your ears.
Just a simple misunderstanding on your end.
It has change quite a bit.
Theory why the reporter stands so close to the interviewee: He wants the mic to capture both voices at a similar loudness without him having to move the mic back and forth
Very different time back them, very different tech
yeah. it looks a little windy too, so he may be crowding to provide a bit of shelter for the mic
It also seems like he needs to do this in order to get them both into the frame. Idk.
@@fuzyy1994 he is so close that in many of the shots there is a third of the frame completely empty on the side of the interviewee ... he is in fact ruining the shot by being too close as far as visual appearance goes.
Small TV screens back then that people would watch on; so I guess everything had to be quite tight in the frame while filming. Possibly?
I'm just happy these recordings are still available and will be in this world for a very long time. A little glimpse in the past.
Who is watching in 1961?
Always good to see another Time traveller!
3558 BC here.
Yes!!!
😂😂😂
No one without a time machine
I love the charming sound of the 50's and 60's American accent. Like most accents, they change over the years.
John Dunstan I said the same thing to my daughter and my husband they both looked at me crazy when I said everyone sounded different then.Then I thought maybe it was just me then I came across your comment and I thought it’s not just me.
@@darkmindedbutterfly5290 It would seem some people just really don't have a discerning ear for subtle accent variations. The accent definitely has some characteristics, especially the intonation/rhythm of it, that have since changed.
these people would have been more well off as well. International travel wasnt cheap back then.
@@darkmindedbutterfly5290 American accent changes from state to state & social class, no matter what century you go to Texas, you will hear the southern accent, Boston, NY same thing, California is mixed because its people moving here from all other states. :-)
@Ocean Blue not necessarily, do you folks think it disappeared at that time. Sure the posh and respectable nature everyone including I offered back then as what was accustom, however the accent per say transitioned in variants till around early of the 2000s. Its that "well iy-al be, gee you caynt be siri-ess!?" If that makes sense, it is hard to explain. Although through this video simply listen to the american dialects they use.
They answer so confidently and know exactly what they're gonna say, there is no hesitation or awkward silence.
I truly believe fluoride affects cognitive and linguistic ability
Indeed. They're intelligent, wealthy people.
@@mattyd3079 .... and the prevention of dental decay, but ok.
Really A few of them seemed to be a bit unsure, but chances are they were asked in advance if they wanted to be interview and they had tried to prepare themselves.
Look at the guy who said Sydney was becoming more like an American city, then asked if he had been here before and he responds No, but then goes on to reassert it's becoming more like an American city...
@@RogerJJSmith is it intellect? nowadays you have a lot of people dictating what you can and can’t say
edit: i think people are just hesitant today because of the whole PC culture
How is this Californian accent changed so much to that of Kardashian type accent? I also felt their politeness in their speech.
Very much so. A time of mutal respect.
Agreed
It’s a moneyed accent. Trans Atlantic almost. Pretty pretentious today.
Their accents are one of the "sub-accents" of the 60s Californian accent.
In Australia we have cultivated, general and broad accents.
But then, each of those three have variations depending on class, education, and ethnic background.
The Italian-Australian "wog" accent is a sub-accent, almost. In most cases, people who speak like that have parents who speak with general accents.
I was born in 2000 in Adelaide and my parents are Italian. But there have been numerous occasions on which even native Australians have mistaken me for a British person.
So it turns out there's a lot more variation in each accent of each state of each country than what most might initially think 😂
Regarding Kardashian - that's a totally inaccurate characterization of what people from California sound like these days. As to the people in the clip, many probably were from another state before moving to California anyway.
This guy wins most confronting reporter in history
Its quite striking how the interviewer stand so close to his interviewees..
Why did he stare at the woman and say nothing like that?
That's what I was thinking
Wants to have sexy time
@@CFCMAMO1 back then they were nice not like you... you have a dirty mind what's wrong with you act like that.. will you stop being so rot meaning to him
tim Langdon Jokes exist, you know.
It might have just been like that for an editor the cut it there, so it didn't randomly cut while they were talking or something. Yes, it was a little awkward, but it was likely just for an easy clean cut by the editor later on, apparently which they didn't do a great job on lol
1:53 - Australian pronunciation is cool. When you're in hospital and ready to leave, the nurse will say "You´re going today." sounding like "You´re going to die."
Funny comment😀
Lol
@@Bratzismylife Saw it years ago in a cartoon in a learning English book I think it was.
: D Nurse comes in, says it unmoved, patient shocked to death, shoots up and sits upright in his bed, hair standing on end.
😂😂😂😂👏👏👏.
It absolutely does NOT 🤦♂️ Why do Americans believe this nonsense ? We honestly do not pronounce it like that whatsoever...foolish of you if you think we do!
Love that Transatlantic accent! Watching old Canadian, Australian, and American footage you can see how close we got to have one standard-ish broadcast accent.
The closest we get is Fraser
How much do you think these Americans are worth now? Nobody travels around the world 1960s unless you were absolutely rich.
Nothin, they ded
I'd suspect most people interviewed are now deceased
Depends on country my father and grandfather travelled the world and we aren’t “absolutely Rich”
Definitely upper class citizens at least, now and then, in the case of the more older travellers
Interesting you say that when the people had a better financial standing then than they do now. I guess EZ credit wasn't a thing so people weren't so keen of spending it.
I’m a 47 year old American who would love to take a tour to 1961 Australia! ❤ 🇦🇺
I'm a 50 year old black american so not so much in my case 😢
@@davidh8924 Can't argue with that.
Everyone is dressed so nicely and well spoken.
People were more eloquent then than they are today.
To go on a cruise to Australia in 1961 you would have to be wealthy. They're eloquent because that are better educated. It's just the nature of class that's all.
OK boomber
That okay boomer seems a little unearned given your original comment, lol
@@wowcool8749 ok snowflake
@@gavinhudson5251 My grandma was a legal secretary in Sydney after she was widowed in the 50s. She saved up and went on a couple of big cruises in the 1960s, including to Canada and the US.
Bit of an annoying close talker, this reporter
He's way too keen.
Microphone technology for the time.
@@gavinhudson5251 I mean he has a working arm...soooo
@@Muonium1 He still has to stay in the frame of the camera though. Otherwise you'll just see the interviewee talking to an extended arm. Maybe that was the style of interviewing back then, in that the audience had to see the interviewer as well.
0:03 - What do you think of Australia? - I'm a bit of surprised about the size of the city.
4:34 Interesting to see that Frank Costanza was able to visit Australia in 1961...
Ha! Definitely
Hahahaha! 😂 Nicely played!
CANTSTANDYA
"serenity now!" when the horn blared lol
Anyone else feel like we’ve evolved backwards when watching these eloquent, beautifully put together and intelligent people?
Definitely.
As science and technology evolve, humanity devolve.
Absolutely!
The interviewer was a bit of a comedian, he also had a kids radio show called riddle roundup. He wasn’t taking it too seriously, having a bit of fun.
0:34 uhm what happened here??
I am asking myself the same question..
Yeah it was a bit odd.
Some type of authorities coming to stop whatever he was doing I'm guessing.
Now I realize he's on a cruise ship. He definitely finesse his way on there. great team work guys.
Hell the way he started the video was odd. Ran up on shorty like a whole weirdo lol
It's funny how the Americans are much more poised and less laid back and jokey than the Australians but still friendly
If you think contextually, most of these American tourists at that time would have been the wealthy and the "elites" - the sort of people that may not be lent towards frivolity.
@@ibnyahud good point, and contrast that with the pub-going types in another abc retro video
Ibn Yahud yea, these Americans would have been dominated completely by the professional and wealthy classes elite couples and families. Very different from the average worker.
thats because these were wealthy Americans so naturally they would have been more poised and less laid back. the average American and Australian are very similar in that regard
As a 21 year old with an immigrant US father this is so interesting to watch. I love the way everything was spoken.
I had to laugh when he commented on the couple standing close together. He’s the king of standing too close to people! 😄
@Jamie B - That’s not necessarily true. I used to work in television and I’ve never met anyone who stood practicality on top of someone to interview them.
0:32 "should I kiss her?"
0:34 "No, I better not, her husband is here.
Lmao why is this the best explanation of the interaction?
Americans incredibly polite and articulate .
Australia was so backwards still in 1961. I think these Americans were just being polite
I was born in 1961.
Australia 🇦🇺 was quite a remote place then.
These visitors had travelled a very long way.
In those days, places like Melbourne, offered just about zero night life.
It was normal to those that lived here.
On the Beach movie was filmed in Melbourne.
Ava Gardiner, said at the time, Melbourne was a great place to film a story on the end of the world.
Was it Frank Sinatra?
He called our reporters
Hookers.
What a shock to society!!! That was a new word here.
I’m fascinated with adults from the 50s and 60s. They’re so put together, well-spoken, and classy. They’re a generation that were children during the Great Depression, and teenagers during ww2. All they had ever known was hardship, never having enough, and working together to fight the war. I believe that’s why this generation valued the importance of organization and following rules, because they’re kinda have this military mentality. But I also think that when they became adults in the 50s they were finally allowed to have fun and let loose, so for the first time in their lives they were thriving. Movies and music really started to blow up in the 50s. Same with fashion and technology. I truly believe this generation was the best imo. Of course their privileged spoiled children ended up being the total opposite becoming hippies because they never had to struggle to appreciate what was given to them. They were just born into a perfect economy and given nice things they never had to work for. But hey, hippies are cool too though ✌️
I have no idea how old you are but you are spot on. I’m a gen Xer. we grew up in the 80s and watched the detritus of the 60s turn into the hangover of the 70s. The 70s were not a good time for most. I feel immensely privileged to have grown up in the time that I did. These ghosts from the past remind us that there was a time when politeness and dignity were paramount. The pain that they went through during the depression (real depression) and the subsequent war put steel in their spines and spirit in their hearts. May the tough times ahead of us improve us as well.
I’m 25 ☺️ and I agree with you wholeheartedly
I don’t know where you are in the world. I’m currently in Australia, and not moving very far any time soon. LOL. When the world starts turning again I’ll be able to re join the larger world. I’ve had my first vaccine, the second is due in a week. Reunite the world , beat Covid
@@davidrossi1486 I’m in France. I spent 7 months in Australia, amazing country and hands down my favorite in the world. Australians are lovely people and the country itself is beautiful. I’d love to go back again some day after the Covid is over.
To be fair, most of these people were probably quite wealthy travelling Australia in the 60s and all.
Love how the reporter looks up and down the people he's interviewing like he's inspecting them.
So rude.
wow that dude worked for lockheed during the sr-71 era, that's awesome.
He looks like a former pilot.
I never met many Americans personally myself when growing up in my home state in Sth Australia . I think the first one I met was through my high school I attended in the early to mid eighties. She was our exchange maths teacher from the United States I was an insecure shy type teenager ( & introvert )
but she was really casual and friendly to everyone so I liked her still. I recall even how once when trying to get to know us more I guess she sat on her desk facing us and with her legs dangling and swinging from the desk while talking to us which I thought was unusual because all the other teachers would always just sit seated behind their desks. Still remember her name too. It was Hilary Whitehouse ! Also remember her for taking our class to the school library one afternoon to watch a black and white movie called.." To Sir With Love " starring Sidney Poitierre. Judging by what the movie is about I suppose she was trying to teach us to treasure our school girl days and our teachers too because one day soon they will be gone. How true !
Thanks Ms Whitehouse. Fond memories. ⚘👍
How could you NOT remember a name like Hilary Whitehouse! Hilary Clinton comes to mind, as well as Mary Whitehouse, the notorious reactionary sexually repressed English prude! I love serendipity!
@@williamstringer6519 😅👍
I had a teacher at a Sth Australian all-boys high school. I was madly in love with her. Her name was Binks-Williams. She was tough and cute.
To Sir With Love is not a black and white film.
@@Her.Serene.Feline.Cuteness. The one with Sidney Poitier is.
that american accent is so elegant.
I wanna jump back in to this video and be like wasuuuuuuuup
Angel Pablo your black ass will scare them 🤣
Asim Chaudhary lmao
This YT algorithm is something else...
indeed
It's a pain in the ash now you can't even say clock. The aneurysm is kylling free speech.
2:20"You look like a typical tourist, and your neck looks delicious. You can't imagine how hard it is to be a vampire in Australia."
Hahaha, what's up with the way that the reporter just cuts the Americans off mid sentence as though he's just bored with what they have to say.
Why should 1961 be any different?
They are not saying what he wants to hear ?
@@NickSquids :-)
It's bizarre, he couldn't possibly be worse at his Job, he's like the original Joe Rogan.
...this is shot on film, only so many minutes on a reel...
...pretty expensive and no second takes...
...can't waste it on a rambler or a non related answer...
Loving these video keep them coming
"We've learned some new expressions."
"Well don't quote them right here because I can imagine what some of them are."
More of this type of thing please ABC!
0:00 Holy crap, he looked like he was going to mug her!
Loving all these old videos.
3:13 it's funny how the L.A. girl has the closest to a modern general America/Canadian accent. I wonder if it has to do with the movie industry
Nice observation
Yes, everyone has a California accent now. It’s the entertainment industry in general
I was thinking the same thing!
Max Rush, just out of curiosity where are you from? To me she doesn't sound Canadian at all, at least not compared to people in Ontario (that's what I'm most familiar with). Detecting Canadian vs. American accents seems to challenge a lot of people.
@@justso4509 im from Canada. it sounds more like a west coast canadian accent tbh. Also i feel like people outside the GTA sound more american
people actually using adjectives other than "cool" and "super exciting" and "awesome".
And not a “like” to be heard at all!
I know right. Not a phone in sight just people living in the moment
Yes, people spoke English back then... an antiquated and derelict language by now...
And "amazing".
@Jamie B You are so right Jamie. And it all comes back to money. Nothing cheaper to produce than junk reality tv, sadly.
this reporter reminds me of the close talker from seinfeld
It takes forever for someone from Indiana to answer a question.
Like the vibe of these videos 🖤
That reporter creeps me out 😧
Should have had this reporter do the “how to get in a fight in a Sydney bar” clip. I feel like he would have found out fairly quickly.
Great comment😅.
I like how they are keeping the cuts in the video
1:24 I love how the interviewer just cuts the guy off when it's apparent he's talking out of his ass 😂
He’s not, Australia now is literally like a British Texas. Exactly what he was saying as modernization.
@@M16music69 are you Australian or talking out your ass with that comparison
I think he cut him short because the kids were distracting the conversation.
I thought it was because of the children in the background
its obviously because of the noisy kids, not the sharpest, are you?
Lockheed aircraft corporation (Now known as Lockheed-Martin after a merger) is a company that designed and built fighter aircraft, choppers and missiles and is currenlty a major player in the arms industry, it would've been very interesting to hear about what the last interviewee did at his job
Damn sum Americans sounded almost British
As did the Australian reporter
Because we are
@@nathenbosher1067 ya we basically are
Where do you think the English language comes from?
That's called the 'trans-Atlantic' accent.
it's cool seeing something so normal during this time. Early 60's were mad.
So cool to me that some of the older people in these interviews could of been born in the 1800s
Could 'have' been born in the 1800's.
They were born in the 1700s I think
IN YOUR FACE reporting lol awesome to see, thanks for posting 👍
The American accent was so much better back then.
The reporter just launches at people, gives em a shock
Wow! So polite
I like these interviews. I like that the people are so composed back then and dressed so neat and clean! They spoke clearly! Nowadays people look and act a hot mess lol.
첼시Cakt That’s sadly true, I think we’ve become far too casual as a modern society, especially in our public presentation of ourselves
@@pluto9 pretty much lousy behaviour for the sake of comfort it is evident from culture aswell as the consumerism which heavily caters the needs of the consumers
They are wealthy tourists. Ordinary Americans did not vacation in Australia.
Keep in mind, these aren't the typical Americans. They were able to afford a ticket to Australia back then.
He stands so close because there is no wide shot. Notice there is barely any background in the shots. TV'S used to be small
The time when people speak the truth in front of the camera
3:15 my girl was from bellflower ! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Flying long haul was extremely expensive back then (you’d have to remortgage your home) ... most didn’t fly across the Atlantic / Pacific. Notice he’s at the Ocean liner (cruise ship) terminal? (Ships’ horns in the background).
So interesting how the accent between American and Australian was a lot closer at this time!
Everybody is so well dressed
LMAO that lady at was just so damn happy and excited about her new name she blacked out and responded incorrectly
I love this. Wow
Their accent isn’t the same now.. Wow.
He's all up in their personal space like he's trying to take a bite out of their lunch.
@Jamie B A likely excuse...
Before in Aus: late lunch
Now in Aus: BRUNCH
Personal space was obviousely not a thing back then.
Keith Smith had a more formal British sounding accent in those days than most Australians have today. Modern Australian Journalists and Presenters feel more secure in their accents and idioms nowadays. Received British accents in the UK have also become much less formal over time.
The way the vampire glides into the first interview, talk about a close talker.
Laguna Beach ! I was just there !!!!!
Let's appreciate how far air travel has come, you can fly from the US West Coast to Sydney and back now for $800, back then it must have cost at least 10 times that adjusted for inflation.
That’s why they didn’t fly across the Pacific Ocean back then. ... notice he’s at the Ocean liner (cruise ship) terminal? (Ships’ horns in the background).
Great to see this uncut interview where the reporter just cuts people off if they get too boring!
What hotel in Sydney do you think CH was or is? I’m curious.
JP M maybe Castlereagh Boutique Hotel
I think CH stood for Conrad Hilton? I suppose Americans would have preferred to have stayed at Hotels they were familiar with? Since the Interviewer said he can’t mention the name, the interviewe threw in a clue I suppose..
No personal space in those days....
The reporter is standing close because the camera man is close , probably to cut out wind n background noise
Americans were much smarter back then
It's amazing to hear the British accent back then, most if not all people interviewed seemed to sound part like 'foreign'
Less fat and sugar
the average person may have been "smarter", but less knowledgeable
however, our smart people now have an unbelievable advantage
Looks like they were leaner too!
Racism, sexism, and discrimination as rampant back then...
They were so well spoken and dressed people back then :((
These people are very rich and upper class. Not every American got the opportunity to travel around the world in the 1960s. These people are well spoken and dressed because they were more educated and wealthy than others at the time. They aren’t representative of the average person
0:30 what was that end to the interview all about😂
Love it
Interviewer: "A couple of people standing very close together, why is that?" Answer: "Mrs Richard P. Dellavedowah"
3:12 Damn what a stunner 😍😍
It is kinda surprised both Australian and American were wearing slight British accent at that time.
Yeah, that 1st woman from California had a half British/Merican accent
That interviewer , couldn’t get any closer to people , could he lol lol .
3:13 she’s a time traveller, definitely from 2021!
Is that Kathy Lette's mother at 3:12?
I was thinking Kate Ceberano.
People were well spoken back then
Is Guy Williams related to this interviewer?🤣
The American accent has changed alot!
3:13 I'm sure that's Lily Tomlin, who according to wikipedia owns 2 homes in Los Angeles.
They way he moved towards that lady in the first one like dracula though 😂🤣
This guy was a youtuber before youtube existed
Does anyone know who the guy is who worked for Lockheed Aircraft Corp?
If you watch carefully and the other four corner episodes, you notice the Australians look each other straight in the eye. This doesn't happen as much with the Americans.
A world where Americans have thoughts of Australia before Shrimps on the Barby and Mick Dundee. WOW.
**public interview** "I'm Doctor Joel Peterson"
**doctor's office** "I'm Doctor Joel Peterson"
**watching tv with his wife** "I'm Doctor Joel Peterson"
**being born: It's a boy, have you picked out a name ?**
Yes, we're going to call him "Doctor Joel Peterson"
Quite interesting