The King and I

The King and I is one of my favorite movies and musicals. Not only according to me. The movie won five Oscars, including best actor (Yul Brynner). It was the first (or one of the first) movies I ever saw with my dear Mom.

So what if Marni Nixon dubbed the singing for Deborah Kerr (just as she did for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, and and in West Side Story, too)?

So what if the biography of Anna is inaccurate?

So what if Rodgers and Hammerstein were initially reluctant to write the songs and music?

So what if they initially wanted Rex Harrison as the king?

So what if Thailand initially banned the movie?

How can you help but loving the story, the songs, the costumes? And so what if the play is dated? So am I!

In September, 1980, my wife and I were in the UK for a scientific meeting in Reading (3-5 September 1980,Microbial Adhesion to Surfaces, Reading, U.K.) Strolling through the theatre district, we came upon the King and I, with Yul Brynner starring!! We managed to buy tickets at the very top of the theatre near the ceiling (we were on a tight budget and perhaps these were the only tickets left).

Embed from Getty Images

Thanks to the internet, it was easy to find the history of that UK  tour. Yul Brynner was great, perhaps not as young and agile, but wonderful nonetheless. And how lucky we were! The tour closed just a few days later!

From Wikipedia: The tour was extended in 1979, after the New York run, still starring Brynner and Towers. The production then opened in the West End, at the London Palladium, on June 12, 1979, and was reported to have the largest advance sale in English history. Brynner stated, “It is not a play, it is a happening.”^[101] 

Virginia McKenna starred in London as Anna,^[101] winning an Olivier Award for her performance.^[102] June Angela again played Tuptim, and John Bennett was the Kralahome.^[103] It ran until September 27, 1980.^[104]

From Wikipedia: The musical was filmed in 1956 with Brynner re-creating his role opposite Deborah Kerr. The film won five Academy Awards and was nominated for four more. Brynner won an Oscar as Best Actor for his portrayal, and Kerr was nominated as Best Actress.^[154] Sharaff won for best costume design.^[155] The film was directed by Walter Lang (who was also nominated for an Oscar) and choreographed by Robbins. Marni Nixon dubbed the singing voice of Anna, and Rita Moreno played Tuptim. Saunders as Thiang, Adiarte as Chulalongkorn and Benson as the Kralahome reprised their stage roles, as did dancers Yuriko and de Lappe. 

Alan Mowbray appeared in the new role of the British Ambassador, while Sir Edward Ramsey (demoted to the Ambassador’s aide) was played by Geoffrey Toone.^[156][157] The movie’s script was faithful to the stage version, although it cut a few songs; reviews were enthusiastic. Thomas Hischak, in his The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia, states: “It is generally agreed that the [movie] is the finest film adaptation of any R & H musical”.^[156][158] Thai officials judged the film offensive to their monarchy and banned both film and musical in 1956.^[159]