From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, many lavish Broadway musicals were successfully adapted into films, from The King and I to West Side Story to Cabaret. One of the most successful and long-running films of all time, My Fair Lady premiered on October 21, 1964, and was released in theaters with much anticipation, despite its nearly three-hour running time. , a large crowd gathered at the box office. Read more about My Fair Lady’s 60th anniversary here.
The origins of “My Fair Lady” go back even further than the 1956 Tony Award-winning production. Musical collaborators Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe were inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, in which Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle passes as a “proper lady.” The story is about a man who takes speech lessons from Professor Henry Higgins in order to achieve his goals. The two thought it would be a “nice thing” to turn the story into a musical, so they wrote a book called My Fair Lady, which won several Tony Awards in 1957, including Best Musical. It became Broadway’s longest-running musical. musical up until then. It’s no surprise that Hollywood immediately considered turning it into a movie, and Warner Bros. secured the rights, but the choice of the leading actress caused an uproar.
In one of the most infamous casting controversies of all time, Jack L. Warner dropped then-unknown Julie Andrews, who had been nominated for a Tony Award for the role of Eliza Doolittle, and replaced her with a “more famous name.” was cast. Audrey Hepburn won the Best Actress Oscar ten years ago for her first major film, Roman Holiday (1953), and went on to have a string of box office hits, making her one of the best leading actresses of our time. He had established himself as a. Warner chose Hepburn’s name knowing it would bring in box office success, but received further criticism for having Marni Nixon dubbing her singing voice. Despite initial complaints about Hepburn’s casting, her portrayal was praised and it became one of her signature roles. As for Hepburn’s “competition” for Eliza, Andrews himself did well that year, starting one of the most talked about awards season competitions in history.
Audrey Hepburn Movies: 15 Great Movies Ranked from Worst to Best
Warner was reluctant to risk a “newcomer” on a major production, but Walt Disney knew he had found his “Mary Poppins” in Andrews. “My Fair Lady” debuted two months after “Mary Poppins,” and the two musicals competed for box office revenue, with “Mary Poppins” at number one and “My Fair Lady” at the end of the year. ” took second place. The two acclaimed musicals squared off against each other throughout awards season, with the two leading ladies often competing and tongues wagging constantly about Hepburn being cast over Andrews.
Both lead actors were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy/Musical Actress, with Andrews winning. In her speech, she famously thanked “the man who made great movies and made all of this possible in the first place…Jack Warner.” There was then an uproar when the Academy removed Hepburn from the Best Actress award, and Andrews also claimed the Oscar. Despite the rivalry created between the two, Hepburn attended the ceremony to support her film and her fellow actress.
Eliza was different in the film version, with Rex Harrison reprising her role as the brilliant but socially inept phonetics professor who mentors an unsophisticated flower girl to become an elegant woman. To his own surprise, he falls in love with her. Harrison won the Best Actor award on Oscar night, making him one of the few performers to win a Tony Award and an Academy Award for the same role. Ironically, when Hepburn presented the award to the leading man in the film, she thanked everyone involved in its production and ended by mentioning the two female leads: said. To fair women, I think. ”
Do I need Tony to reach EGOT?
“Mary Poppins” won the box office at the end of the year, receiving 13 Academy Award nominations to 12 for “My Fair Lady,” but “The Fair Lady” received 8 nominations and was nominated for “Magical.” The Nanny won five Oscars. At the age of 65, My Fair Lady director George Cukor finally won the Oscar after being nominated for the fifth time, setting a record as the oldest winner in the category, which he held until 2003. . Stanley Holloway reprized his Tony Award-nominated role as Alfred P., Eliza’s father. Doolittle received an Oscar nomination for her supporting role, and veteran film actress Gladys Cooper also had a supporting role as Henry’s mother, Mrs. Higgins.
The famous Cecil Beaton was double nominated and won that night, winning statuettes for Best Art Decoration (shared) and Best Costume Design. The dresses worn for Hepburn are considered movie icons, including a black and white ascot, a white ball gown, and a pink chiffon dress. “My Fair Lady” won Best Cinematography and Best Sound, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay for Andre Previn.
The night ended with “My Fair Lady” being declared the Best Picture champion. But both later became two of the most beloved and acclaimed musicals of all time, and both were selected by Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry.
Sign up for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with the latest predictions
