What is the plot of my Fair Lady?
My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe.The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician, so that she may pass as a lady.Despite his cynical nature, Higgins falls in love with her.
Who is the actress in my Fair Lady?
Eliza Doolittle, Audrey Hepburn’s character in My Fair Lady, was 21 years old. Audrey Hepburn played Eliza Doolittle, while Henry Higgins is played by Rex Harrison, with Stanley Holloway, Gladys Cooper, and Wilfrid Hyde-White in supporting roles.
What is summary of the story of my Fair Lady?
My Fair Lady by Monica Dickens is a story about Eliza Doolittle, a young girl growing up in the 20th century. This story shows how one girl transformed from an uneducated girl working on the streets to a proper lady functioning in society. The author does a great job of describing the events and the themes of this book.
Where was my Fair Lady filmed?
‘My Fair Lady’ was filmed entirely in the US and specifically in California. Filming commenced on August 13, 1963, and was wrapped up by December 18, 1963. California fosters a boisterous cinema culture that dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The film was shot in mostly indoor studio locations comprising extravagant sets.
Is My Fair Lady Edwardian era?
The musical, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, is set in London during Edwardian England (1900 – 1910) and based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion.
Is My Fair Lady set in the Victorian era?
'My Fair Lady' is based in the Victorian era of England. The story revolves around Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl from Covent Garden, who agrees to take speech lessons from phonetician Henry Higgins in order to fulfil her dream of working in a flower shop and to increase her standard of life.
How old is Eliza in My Fair Lady?
Love Won Out. At first Warner thought that Rex Harrison, who turned 56 in 1964, looked too old to be the love interest of the 19-year-old Eliza Doolittle character.
How old was Audrey Hepburn during the filming of My Fair Lady?
Although playing a 21-year-old, Audrey Hepburn was actually 35 in real life. Jeremy Brett (who turned 30 during filming) was cast as 20-year-old Freddy Eynsford-Hill so Hepburn would not seem too old in comparison.
Do Eliza and Higgins end up together?
So it's no surprise that many audiences assume, despite so much ambiguity—despite almost no allusion to it in Pygmalion, the stage play or the screenplay of My Fair Lady—that Eliza and Higgins get together in the end: it's what we've been trained to expect.
How old was Stanley Holloway when he did My Fair Lady?
91 years (1890–1982)Stanley Holloway / Age at death
Was Eliza Doolittle a Cockney?
Eliza Doolittle, fictional character, a Cockney flower girl who is transformed into a woman of poise and polish in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion (performed 1913; filmed 1938; adapted as the stage musical My Fair Lady, 1956; filmed 1964).
Does Eliza love Higgins?
Henry Higgins did remain in Eliza Doolittle's life, but Shaw was insistent on the fact that they were no match romantically, that they remained purely friends who saw each other as sparring partners in wit and cleverness.
Who did Eliza Doolittle marry?
Freddy Eynsford-HillEliza DoolittleOccupationFlower girlFamilyAlfred P. Doolittle (father)SpouseFreddy Eynsford-HillNationalityEnglish9 more rows
Did Julie Andrews dislike Audrey Hepburn?
“Mary Poppins.” Audrey Hepburn vs. Julie Andrews. It could have been the biggest rivalry in Academy history, but with two of the classiest stars and two beloved musicals involved, this “rivalry” has just become a memorable side note to the 37th annual Academy Awards.
Did Marni Nixon sing for Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music?
Marni Nixon: Hollywood's Invisible Voice After My Fair Lady was released in 1964, Nixon appeared onscreen in only one movie — The Sound of Music — as Sister Sophia, one of the nuns who sing "How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?" The film's star — Julie Andrews — didn't need any help in the singing department.
Which nun is Marni Nixon?
Margaret Nixon McEathron (February 22, 1930 – July 24, 2016), known professionally as Marni Nixon, was an American soprano and ghost singer for featured actresses in musical films....Marni NixonNixon at the Metropolitan Room, New York City (2009)BornMargaret Nixon McEathronFebruary 22, 1930 Altadena, California, U.S.5 more rows
What does Higgins give Eliza?
Higgins subjects Eliza to many forms of speech training, none of which is successful. Just as Higgins and Pickering are about to give up, Higgins gives Eliza an encouraging speech, extolling the glories of the English language, and she experiences a breakthrough. As a test, Higgins takes her to the Ascot racecourse.
Why does Eliza come to Higgins' home?
The following morning Eliza arrives at Higgins’s home, seeking elocution lessons in order to gain employment at a flower shop. Pickering declares that he will pay for such lessons if Higgins can make good on his claim. Higgins agrees to help Eliza, who moves into his home.
What happens after Eliza's success at the event?
After Eliza’s success at the event, Higgins and Pickering are elated with their achievement, and they congratulate each other with great enthusiasm. However, both ignore Eliza’s contribution to her transformation. Higgins’s indifference enrages Eliza, and she leaves.
What was the movie My Fair Lady adapted from?
My Fair Lady, American musical film, released in 1964, that was adapted from the long-running Broadway musical of the same name and proved to be a great popular and critical success.
Who plays Eliza's father in My Fair Lady?
He accepts £5. Impressed by his approach to ethics, Higgins recommends him to a wealthy American who is studying morality. Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
Who played the flower girl in My Fair Lady?
Audrey Hepburn. …in the motion picture musical My Fair Lady (1964). Although Hepburn gave an admirable performance as the Cockney flower girl who is transformed into an elegant lady, many viewers had trouble accepting Hepburn in a role they felt belonged to Julie Andrews, who had created the part onstage.….
Who was the first actor to use a wireless microphone in a musical film?
Harrison was perhaps the first actor to use a wireless microphone in the production of a musical film. My Fair Lady features a number of memorable songs, including “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”. The movie, directed by George Cukor and with production design, scenic design, ...
What is Eliza's ambition?
Eliza's ambition is to work in a flower shop, but her accent makes that impossible ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly"). The following morning, Eliza shows up at Higgins' home, seeking lessons. Pickering is intrigued and offers to cover all the attendant expenses if Higgins succeeds.
What is the movie My Fair Lady about?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. My Fair Lady is a 1964 American musical comedy drama film adapted from the 1956 Lerner and Loewe stage musical based on George Bernard Shaw 's 1913 stage play Pygmalion. With a screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner and directed by George Cukor, the film depicts a poor Cockney flower-seller named Eliza Doolittle who ...
What song does the servants sing in the song "Bravo"?
The omitted lyrics end with the words "Hungarian rhapsody" followed by the servants shouting "Bravo" three times, to the strains of Liszt 's "Hungarian Rhapsody", before the servants sing "Congratulations, Professor Higgins.".
What is the order of the musical numbers in the Broadway show?
The order of the songs in the Broadway show was followed faithfully with the exception of "With a Little Bit of Luck"; the song is listed as the third musical number in the play, but in the film, it is the fourth . On stage, the song is split into two parts sung in two different scenes.
How much did My Fair Lady cost?
With a production budget of $17 million, My Fair Lady was the most expensive film shot in the United States up to that time. The film was re-released in 1971 and earned rentals of $2 million in the United States and Canada. It was re-released again in 1994 after a thorough restoration.
Who does Higgins recommend to Alfred?
Higgins recommends Alfred to a wealthy American who is interested in morality. Eliza endures Higgins' demanding teaching methods and treatment of her personally ("Just You Wait"), while the servants feel both annoyed with the noise as well as pitiful for Higgins ("Servants' Chorus").
When was Spartacus restored?
The film was restored in 1994 by James C. Katz and Robert A. Harris, who had restored Spartacus three years earlier. The restoration was commissioned and financed by CBS, to which the film rights reverted from Warner Bros. in 1971.
Loewe Scores with His Score
Loewe’s score for My Fair Lady included numerous songs that would become hugely popular, including “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” and “On
Perfect Mix of Elements
With a musical that was so well crafted and in which Lerner handled the primary plot between Eliza and Higgins and the subplots that involved the marriage of Eliza’s father and the courtship of Eliza by Freddy, with aplomb, the American book musical reached a new level of artistry.
Changes in the Offing
The late 1940s through the 1950s was the time when some of the greatest book musicals were written. Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady and West Side Story were all landmark shows. But as American culture ventured into the ‘60s, the book musical would start to lose energy.
What song does Eliza wonder about?
For her part, Eliza wonders in the song 'Wouldn't it be Loverly' why she does not have access to a middle-class life.
What song did Eliza get a breakthrough in?
Finally, Eliza makes a breakthrough, noted in the song 'The Rain in Spain, ' prompting Henry to take her to meet his mother at the Ascot races. Unfortunately, Eliza relapses into her Cockney slang, disgusting many, but gaining the affection of a man she originally sold flowers to, named Freddy.
What is the musical My Fair Lady about?
The mid-20th century musical 'My Fair Lady' transcends not only social class, but also time, to offer real lessons about the interactions between men and women, as well as the educated and the masses. Create an account.
Who is the flower girl in the musical "The Musical"?
The musical has been a perennial favorite since its first showing. In Act One, Eliza Doolittle is a flower girl with a severe Cockney accent trying to get by in Edwardian London when she encounters Henry Higgins, a famous expert on accents who is immediately disgusted by Eliza's voice.
Who wrote the book My Fair Lady?
Explanations. Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner. writers of My Fair Lady. Eliza Doolittle. a flower girl with a severe Cockney accent trying to get by in Edwardian London. Henry Higgins. a famous expert on accents, dislikes Eliza's voice and offers to tutor her. Colonel Pickering.
How much did Jack Warner pay for My Fair Lady?
In 1962 the president of Warner Bros. Studios, Jack L. Warner, shown here with stars Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepurn, paid a record $5.5 million for the film rights to My Fair Lady .
What is the musical about gentrification?
Happy Birthday, ‘My Fair Lady’. A critic for the New York Times once described My Fair Lady as “the perfect musical,” and the tale about the gentrification of a young working-class woman may be just that. It was a smash hit from the moment it opened on Broadway in 1956, and its adaptation to film in 1964 was advertised as ...
Who played Eliza Doolittle?
Actresses considered for the role of Eliza Doolittle were, from top left to bottom right, Julie Andrews, Shirley Jones, Shirley MacLaine, Connie Stevens and Elizabeth Taylor. 11 of 14. Everett Collection.
Who was the lead in the musical The Title That Went by the Wayside?
The Title That Went by the Wayside. The musical was to have been called Lady Liza until Rex Harrison, who was to play Professor Henry Higgins, objected to a title based on the name of the female lead (Eliza Doolittle). 3 of 14. Getty Images.
Who played Henry Higgins in the movie?
Some other actors considered for the role of Henry Higgins were, from top left to bottom right, Noel Coward, Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Peter O’Toole, Michael Redgrave and George Sanders.
Who won the Best Picture Oscars in 1965?
Best Picture (Plus 7 More) My Fair Lady swept the Oscars ceremony, winning eight in April 1965 — except for the Best Actress award, which went to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins . 13 of 14.
Who wrote the song "My Fair Lady"?
Composer Frederick Loewe, left, and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, right, wrote My Fair Lady together. The new title, My Fair Lady, was taken from the last line of the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" and appears nowhere in the musical.
How old was Audrey Hepburn when she played Eliza Doolittle?
Thus, they wrote the role especially for Rex Harrison, and adopted the idea that Higgins should not sing outright, but talk on pitch, less an expression of emotions than ideas. Eliza Doolittle was supposed to be 19, but Hepburn was 35 when she played her.
How much weight did Audrey Hepburn lose in the bathroom?
Eliza Doolittle’s Bathroom: The shoot was so physically exhausting for Hepburn that she reportedly lost eight pounds during filming. Director George Cukor had to shoot around her for a week so she could take a break and get her health back.
What is the name of the house in Pygmalion?
The Telegraph wrote an article about the house on Wimpole Street that inspired the one in Pygmalion, the 1913 George Bernard Shaw play My Fair Lady was based on. A linguistics professor named Horace Wilson lived in a 6-story, 8,500-square-foot Georgian townhouse. You can see how it looked when it was on the market in 2016 for £14.95 million.
How much did My Fair Lady cost?
At $17 million, My Fair Lady was the most expensive Warner Brothers film produced. at the time, but it was also one of the highest grossing films of 1964. Costume Designer Cecil Beaton created 1,500 costumes for this movie. In the DVD Special Features they say the wardrobe and makeup areas required.
Where is the entry hall in the movie?
The Entry Hall of Higgins’ house at 27A Wimpole Street: It was the most realistic set in the film. Other locations are a little more fanciful, “suggesting” the backgrounds of the settings, such as during the Ascot Races. The wallpaper in his townhouse was specially designed for the movie.
Who played Eliza Doolittle in the movie?
Henry Higgins’ Two-Story Library. Julie Andrews played Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, and there was an outcry when Audrey Hepburn was cast. in the movie instead. Some fans still insist the movie would’ve been better with her as the lead.
Where does the movie Pygmalion take place?
There was reportedly a nearly unlimited budget allotted for the sets on this film. Much of the action takes place inside Henry Higgins’ townhouse, 27A Wimpole Street: There’s no 27A Wimpole, but there is a real 27 Wimpole Street in Marylebone. The Telegraph wrote an article about the house on Wimpole Street that inspired the one in Pygmalion, ...
Overview
My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician, so that she may pass as a lady. Despite his cynical nature and difficulty understanding women, Higgins falls i…
Plot
In Edwardian London, Eliza Doolittle is a flower girl with a thick Cockney accent. The noted phonetician Professor Henry Higgins encounters Eliza at Covent Garden and laments the vulgarity of her dialect ("Why Can't the English?"). Higgins also meets Colonel Pickering, another linguist, and invites him to stay as his houseguest. Eliza and her friends wonder what it would be like to live a comfortable life ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly?").
Characters and original Broadway cast
The original cast of the Broadway stage production:
• Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flowerseller – Julie Andrews
• Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics – Rex Harrison
• Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father, a dustman – Stanley Holloway
Background
In the mid-1930s, film producer Gabriel Pascal acquired the rights to produce film versions of several of George Bernard Shaw's plays, Pygmalion among them. However, Shaw, having had a bad experience with The Chocolate Soldier, a Viennese operetta based on his play Arms and the Man, refused permission for Pygmalion to be adapted into a musical. After Shaw died in 1950, Pascal asked lyricist Alan Jay Lerner to write the musical adaptation. Lerner agreed, and he and his part…
Productions
The musical had its pre-Broadway tryout at New Haven's Shubert Theatre. At the first preview Rex Harrison, who was unaccustomed to singing in front of a live orchestra, "announced that under no circumstances would he go on that night...with those thirty-two interlopers in the pit". He locked himself in his dressing room and came out little more than an hour before curtain time. The …
Critical reception
According to Geoffrey Block, "Opening night critics immediately recognized that My Fair Lady fully measured up to the Rodgers and Hammerstein model of an integrated musical...Robert Coleman...wrote 'The Lerner-Loewe songs are not only delightful, they advance the action as well. They are ever so much more than interpolations, or interruptions.'" The musical opened to "unanimously glowing reviews, one of which said 'Don't bother reading this review now. You'd bet…
Adaptations
George Cukor directed the 1964 film adaptation, with Harrison returning in the role of Higgins. The casting of Audrey Hepburn as Eliza created controversy among theatregoers, both because Andrews was regarded perfect in the part, and Hepburn's singing voice was dubbed (by Marni Nixon). Jack L. Warner, the head of Warner Bros., wanted "a star with a great deal of name recognition", but since Andrews did not have any film experience, he deemed success more likel…
Notes
1. ^ "'My Fair Lady' Synopsis, Cast, Scenes and Settings and Musical Numbers" guidetomusicaltheatre.com, accessed December 7, 2011.
2. ^ Lerner, p. 36.
3. ^ Lerner, p. 38.
4. ^ Lerner, p. 39.
Overview
My Fair Lady is a 1964 American musical drama film adapted from the 1956 Lerner and Loewe stage musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 stage play Pygmalion. With a screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner and directed by George Cukor, the film depicts a poor Cockney flower-seller named Eliza Doolittle who overhears an arrogant phonetics professor, Henry Higgins, as he casually wag…
Plot
In London, Professor Henry Higgins, a scholar of phonetics, believes that the accent and tone of one's voice determines a person's prospects in society ("Why Can't the English?"). At the Covent Garden fruit-and-vegetable market one evening, he meets Colonel Hugh Pickering, himself a phonetics expert who had come from India to see him. Higgins boasts he could teach even Eliza Doolittle, the young flower seller woman with a strong Cockney accent, to speak so well he coul…
Cast
• Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle
• Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins
• Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle
• Wilfrid Hyde-White as Colonel Hugh Pickering
Musical numbers
1. "Overture" – played by orchestra
2. "Why Can't the English Learn to Speak?" – performed by Rex Harrison, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Audrey Hepburn
3. "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" – performed by Audrey Hepburn (dubbed by Marni Nixon) and chorus
Production
CBS head William S. Paley financed the original Broadway production in exchange for the rights to the cast album (through Columbia Records). Warner Bros. bought the film rights in February 1962 for the then-unprecedented sum of $5.5 million plus 47¼% of the gross over $20 million. It was agreed that the rights to the film would revert to CBS seven years following release.
Release
The film had its premiere at the Criterion Theatre in New York on Wednesday, October 21, 1964, with its regular run starting the following day with a $500,000 advance.
My Fair Lady was released in Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 25, 2021 by CBS' sister company and current rights holder, Paramount Home Entertainment.
Reception
With a production budget of $17 million, My Fair Lady was the most expensive film shot in the United States up to that time. The film was re-released in 1971 and earned rentals of $2 million in the United States and Canada. It was re-released again in 1994, this time by 20th Century Fox, after a thorough restoration. In 2019, the film was given a limited theatrical re-release through Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events on February 17 and 20 as part of TCM Big Screen Clas…
Restoration
The film was restored in 1994 by James C. Katz and Robert A. Harris, who had restored Spartacus three years earlier. The restoration was commissioned and financed by CBS, to which the film rights reverted from Warner Bros. in 1971. CBS would later hire Harris to lend his expertise to a new 4K restoration of the film for a 2015 Blu-ray release, working from 8K scans of the original camera negative and other surviving 65mm elements.