On October 21st, 1964, the hit film version of the musical ‘My Fair Lady’ was released. The movie starred Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison and received the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1965.
‘My Fair Lady’ started as a musical based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play ‘Pygmalion.’ The 1956 musical adaptation on Broadway was a huge success leading to 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
It set a record for the longest run of any Broadway musical up until that year. The musical also became a hit during its London production. In both runs, Rex Harrison starred alongside Julie Andrews.
The plot involves a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, who takes speech lessons to pass as a lady. Her professor, Henry Higgins, is cynical and has difficulty understanding women. In the end, Henry grows quite fond of Eliza.
The hottest star at the time was Audrey Hepburn. She starred in 1953’s ‘Roman Holiday,’ winning an Oscar for her role alongside Gregory Peck. She also starred in 1957’s musical ‘Funny Face.’ Her most memorable film would be the romantic comedy from 1961 ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’
Audrey Hepburn was upset that producer Jack L. Warner had all her vocals dubbed by a natural soprano since the songs were out of her range. Jack Warner decided that Julie Andrews wasn’t a recognizable actress at the time, so he went with Audrey instead.
Regardless, the film was an incredible success and one of the best in American film history. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. It was the most expensive film shot in the U.S. up until that date, produced on a 17 million dollar budget. It went on to gross over 72 million dollars.
Looking to revisit My Fair Lady (1964 film)? It's still around on Amazon if you fancy some nostalgia.
