Edited by Gene Martin
MY FAIR LADY A.J. Lerner and F. Loewe CAST December 7, 2018 at 1:00 PM Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle Marni Nixon as Eliza's singing voice I will be brief because this musical is so Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins well known. In its time, it was the Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle longest running Broadway musical and Wilfrid Hyde-White as Colonel Pickering the classy songs and legendary performances made it a hit as a movie Gladys Cooper as Mrs. Higgins as well. Lerner and Lowe adapted their Jeremy Brett as Freddy Eynsford-Hill musical from the George Bernard Shaw Bill Shirley as Freddy's singing voice comedy Pygmalion. Theodore Bikel as Zoltan Karpathy Rex Harrison is repeating his stage role after Cary Grant turned down the Mona Washbourne as Mrs. Pearce, movie job. Julie Andrews originated the Higgins' housekeeper role of Eliza on Broadway but producer Isobel Elsom as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill Jack Warner felt that Andrews, at the John Holland as the Butler time unknown beyond Broadway, wasn't bankable. Hepburn's singing was Henry Daniell as British Ambassador dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also (He shot his scene and died that evening.) dubbed Natalie Wood in West Side Queenie Leonard as Cockney bystander Story (1961). Andrews instead made Moyna MacGill as Lady Boxington Mary Poppins, for which she was given the Best Actress Oscar that year, Editor’s Note beating out Hepburn. This movie, however, won Best Picture, Best The film “My Fair Lady” was shot Director, Best Actor for Harrison, and entirely in a Warner Bros. studio. This five other Oscars, and it remains one of DVD is based on the painstakingly the all-time best movie musicals. restored film created for the 30th anniversary release in 1994. Steve Schwartz✍ (Continued on Page 3)
Runtime: 179minutes • Filmed at Warner Brothers 1964 , • Remastered DVD 2009 MPAA rated g • ASIN: B002HK9IDQ Page 1 of 5
MUSICAL NUMBERS 1 "Overture" – Played by Orchestra. 14 "Transylvanian March" – Played by 2 "Why Can't the English Learn to Orchestra. Speak?" – Performed by Rex 15 "Embassy Waltz" – Played by Harrison, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Orchestra. Audrey Hepburn. 16 "You Did It" – Performed by Rex 3 "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" – Harrison, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Performed by Audrey Hepburn Chorus. (dubbed by Marni Nixon) and 17 "Just You Wait (Reprise)" – Sung Chorus. by Audrey Hepburn. 4 "An Ordinary Man" – Performed 18 "On the Street Where You by Rex Harrison. Live" (reprise) – Sung by Jeremy 5 "With a Little Bit of Luck" – Brett (dubbed by Bill Shirley). Performed by Stanley Holloway, 19 "Show Me" – Sung by Audrey John Alderson, John McLiam and Hepburn (dubbed by Marni Nixon) Chorus. and Jeremy Brett (dubbed by Bill 6 "Just You Wait" – Sung by Audrey Shirley). Hepburn (partially dubbed by 20 "Wouldn't It Be Marni Nixon) and Charles Loverly" (reprise) – Sung by Fredericks. Audrey Hepburn (dubbed by Marni 7 "Servants Chorus" – Sung by Nixon) and Chorus. Mona Washbourne and Chorus. 21 "Get Me to the Church on Time" – 8 "The Rain in Spain" – Performed Performed by Stanley Holloway, by Rex Harrison, Wilfrid Hyde- John Alderson, John McLiam and White and Audrey Hepburn Chorus. (partially dubbed by Marni Nixon). 22 "A Hymn to Him (Why Can't A 9 "I Could Have Danced All Night" – Woman Be More Like a Man?)" – Performed by Audrey Hepburn Performed by Rex Harrison and (dubbed by Marni Nixon), Mona Wilfrid Hyde-White. Washbourne and Chorus. 23 "Without You" – Sung by 10 "Ascot Gavotte" – Sung by Audrey Hepburn (dubbed by Marni Chorus. Nixon) and Rex Harrison. 11 "Ascot Gavotte (Reprise)" – Sung 24 "I've Grown Accustomed to Her by Chorus. Face" – Performed by Rex 12 "On the Street Where You Live" – Harrison. Sung by Jeremy Brett (dubbed by 25 "Finale" – Played by Orchestra. Bill Shirley). 13 "Intermission" – Played by Orchestra. Page 2 of 5 (Continued from Page 1) Extensive restoration was required Since he was not a singer and talked because CBS discarded most of the his music without a singer’s discipline basic materials according to IMDb. about timing, he never said his songs in the same tempo twice. Since his “The head of CBS, William S. Paley, numbers were wirelessly recorded as (financed) the original Broadway he did them, his lips and the music production in exchange for the rights were perfectly in sync while everyone to the cast album. When Warner else’s had the slight imperfections that bought the film rights in 1962 for the occur during lip-synced performances. then-unprecedented sum of $5 The studio thought this made the lip- million, it was agreed the rights to the syncing more obvious elsewhere in the film rights would revert to CBS.” film, so his soundtrack was edited to For example, the only surviving audio create slight imperfections in Harrison’s from the original recording is the synchronicity as well! production master, which is one A final note: the technical records of generation down from the original. The “My Fair Lady” claim that the average digital restoration of the film which camera shot length is 10 seconds! saved it from extinction took 6 months and cost $600,000 (in 1994 dollars). Next Week Another notable aspect of this film is Next week on December 14, we will the use of a wireless microphone, present Live From Red Square supposedly the first time one was used featuring solos and duets by Anna in filming a movie. Rex Harrison had Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. persuaded Director George Cukor to let They will perform highlights from him move around on the large street Verdi’s La forza del destino, I verspri set when he ‘sang’ "I've Grown siciliani, Don Carlo, Il trovatore, Accustomed to Her Face.” Because the recordists could not follow him with a Nabucco, and Rigoletto; from microphone boom, the sound engineer, Puccini’s Tosca; Giordano’s Andrea George Groves, used a wireless Chenier; and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene “ t r a n s i s t o p h o n e ” r i g g e d u n d e r Onegin; plus encores and several Harrison’s tie. numbers by the State Academic Symphony Orchestra and Grand The sound department earned an Academy Award for its work on this film. Choir conducted by Constantine Orbelian. Other than Rex Harrison’s songs, all of the musical numbers were pre-recorded and the actors lip-synced during filming.
Why not Harrison?
Page 3 of 5 OPERA AT RIDERWOOD Delivery: Courtesy of Steve Schwartz GV 416 Paula & Paula Cook KC 211 Riderwood Gene Martin KC T12 Staff
YOUR OPERA NOTES… For This Friday 1:00 PM at Encore Theater
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