Dubbed in Rome

  When we speak of English dubbing in Rome during the 1960s and 70s, we typically think of Italian films, and while it is true that the majority of films dubbed in Rome were Italian productions, Rome was at that time a major dubbing capital, and films from pretty much all over the world were dubbed into English there. One of the most obscure oddities to have been dubbed in Rome during that period is a very strange short film known as Parisian Rendezvous , about which practically nothing is known. In this post, I’m going to take a closer look at it.   The plot The protagonist of the story is an unnamed globe-trotting top journalist based in Paris. Weary from covering wars and disasters all over the world, he decides he needs a vacation and heads to San Francisco to celebrate New Year there. On New Year’s Eve, he meets an attractive young woman named Martha at a nightclub. By the time midnight strikes, the two of them are kissing, and they spend the rest of the night w...

    Leslie La Penna is an Italian-American dubbing actor/director who has been active in the Roman dubbing industry ever since the 1960s, having worked extensively with both English and Italian dubbing. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, then his very deep and resonant voice surely will, as Leslie can be heard in the English versions of just about every single Italian low-budget horror and action film made during the 1980s and 90s. Just take a look at the video below, which contains clips from a few of Leslie’s most famous English dubbing roles:     Born as Leslie James La Penna in Rome on May 13, 1954, Leslie's parents were the legendary American dubbing actor/director Tony La Penna and his Italian actress wife Natalia Ray. At the time, Tony was already a well-established name on the English dubbing scene, having played a big part in building up the English dubbing industry in Rome since its meager beginnings in the late 1940s.   Leslie's parents, Natalia...