The voice of E.T. (Extra-Terrestrial), in Steven Spielberg's film, was something of a problem. Technicians could not come up with a voice to match the appearance of the model star of the film. Spielberg’s technician, working on the film, happened to be in a store one day when he heard a lady talking to the shop assistant. Her voice was exactly what he wanted. He stopped her on the way out, gave her his card, and said “come for an audition.”

Mrs. Welsh used to be a speech trainer. But decades of cigarette smoking caused her voice to crack up, leaving her croaky and gasping for breath--exactly what Spielberg had in mind. And so Pat Welsh, an unknown American housewife, became part of one of the biggest money-making movies of all time.

Possible Preaching Angle:

All believers are called to speak on behalf of God. But when God called Moses to be his voice to Pharaoh, Moses replied, “Lord, I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Jeremiah pleaded “I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” And what’s your excuse? You don’t know enough? You’re not old enough, your too old, you’re not mature enough? However, those excuses don’t matter to God who has a unique place of service specifically for you. What he wants is a willing heart and an open mind.

Source:

Legacy Staff, “The Voice of E.T.” Legacy.com (2-11-15); Vincent LoBrutto, Sound-On-Film: Interviews with Creators of Film Sound (Praeger, 1994), p. 146