Review of My Fair Lady (1964) by Van R — 09 Sep 2009

Jack L. Warner paid CBS-TV mogul William S. Paley the sum of $5.5 million to acquire the movie rights to make MY FAIR LADY into a movie. Warner actually produced MY FAIR LADY, something that rarely had done since the 1920s.

Initially, Warner had sought Cary Grant for the role of Henry Higgins, but Grant not only turned him down but also threatened to boycott the movie if Rex Harrison did not star in it. At the time of its release, MY FAIR LADY generated some excitement because the star of the stage version, Julie Andrews, did not receive the Liza Doolittle role.

Instead, Warner and the studio went with Audrey Hepburn because she was a recognized commodity that would pull audiences into the cinema. Indeed, Warner anted up one of the biggest pay checks ever for Hepburn: a cool million.

Rex Harrison reprised his stage role as Professor Henry Higgins. Harrison didn't sing but rather spoke his songs as he had done on stage. MY FAIR LADY is essentially a music version of George Bernard Shaw's play PYGMA LION.

The early scenes between Harrison and Hepburn as they argue with else other at the station is spiirited material. There isn't a bad song in the lot. Stanley Holloway is a hoot as Liza's father, but Warner had originally wanted James Cagney to play the role.

Cagney had retired by then and could not be induced. MY FAIR LADY wound up costing Warner a whopping $17-million to produce, one of the most expensive movies in Hollywood at the time.