Eliza, Henry and Freddy by Jillian Kent

I was thinking about movies. I watch a lot of them. I was trying to remember the popular movies I went to see as a kid and I had no memory of when I first watched My Fair Lady. I remember The Sound of Music and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. I even remember the intermission during The Sound of Music and blowing a big bubble that popped during The Unsinkable Molly Brown that got stuck all over my face. Still I thought I should be able to remember My Fair Lady, but nothing came to me except, "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain," and I think that's because my aunt loved to go around saying that after she'd obviously seen the movie. So I went exploring to see if  I could conjure up any childhood memories. Here’s what I discovered on my quest.

The Broadway production debuted March 15,1956. I was a little over a year old. Henry Higgens was played by Rex Harrison and Eliza Doolittle was played by Julie Andrews. You mean it wasn't always Audrey Hepburn? The movie was released in 1964 with Audry Hepburn as Eliza.

                                                                             

                                                

 I might not remember when I first watched My Fair Lady at the movies. Maybe I didn't see it till years later but what I remember most wasn't Eliza, or Professor Higgens but Freddy singing On the Street Where You Live! Now imagine my surprise when I discovered as you probably all already knew that Freddy was played by Jeremy Brett! What? Didn't he play Sherlock Holmes? Those two roles just don't mesh in my brain. But it's true. I discovered at the IMDB ( Internet Movie Data Base) that Brett had not really done the singing in the movie but, "This was only partially true. The opening chorus of "On the Street Where You Live" which was written especially just for the film, was indeed sung by Brett. But the main verse of the popular song was dubbed by Bill Shirley. Similarly, the opening chorus to "Show Me" was dubbed by Bill Shirley." However, if you watch the credits after the clip below it says sung by Bill Shirley and Vic Damone.

 

Also, at IMDB ( I love that site) I discovered that Audrey didn't do most of her singing. She did a bit but most of it was done by Marni Nixon. You can read more about this trivia at the site. Very interesting, I had no idea.

Winston Churchill showed up for the premier in London.

 

And guess who else?

 

On April 29th 1958, My Fair Lady, opened at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. Those of you who love stories set in London might enjoy knowing that this theatre stands the same place it has since1663. It was destroyed by fire in 1672 and has been rebuilt four times.

Do you remember the first time you watched, My Fair Lady, on stage or at the movies? Tell us about it. What's your favorite song from My Fair Lady?

                                                                          

Jillian is employed as a counselor for nursing students in Cincinnati, Ohio and possesses a masters degree in social work. She is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and passionate about mental health, wellness, and stomping out the stigma that surrounds mental illness. She coordinates and frequently contributes to The Well Writer in Christian Fiction Online Magazine. Learn more about Jillian and her Ravensmoore novels at www.jilliankent.com