Synopsis:
An insufferably arrogant linguist, Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), bets a colleague that he can transform a flower-selling Cockney guttersnipe into a regal lady. His quarry, the irrepressible Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), accepts his offer for diction lessons in good faith, hoping to improve her station with a career as a shopgirl. This quintessential musical, scored by Lerner and Loewe, was based on the 1913 play PYGMALION by George Bernard Shaw, and virtually swept the Academy Awards, winning, among others, Best Picture, Director, and Actor (Harrison).

Notes:
Theatrical release: October 21, 1964. Filmed at the Warner Bros. Studios. One of the most expensive musicals ever, the estimated budget was $17 million. Jack Warner reportedly paid $5.5 million to the Shaw estate for the rights to the musical; additionally, the owners of the stage property were to receive 47.5% of all proceeds after the first $20 million. The Broadway musical MY FAIR LADY was staged by Moss Hart, produced by Herman Levin, and starred Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison, and Stanley Holloway. Warner didn't want to cast Julie Andrews in the film because she wasn't known enough in the U.S. at the time. Vincente Minelli was the studio's first choice for director. MY FAIR LADY was named Best Film by the New York Film Critics and one of the 10 Best Films of the Year by the National Board of Review. Marni Nixon, who dubbed Audrey Hepburn's singing voice, had previously dubbed Natalie Wood's singing voice in WEST SIDE STORY and Deborah Kerr's in THE KING AND I. Many speculated that Hepburn was passed over for an Academy Award nomination because she did not do her own singing. The voice for Jeremy Brett, who played Freddie Eynsford-Hill, was supplied by Bill Shirley. Dr. Peter Ladefoged from UCLA served as phonetics advisor. Actor Wilfrid Hyde-White served as "Ascot" advisor. Cecil Beaton's screen credit reads Costumes, Scenery, and Production Designer, which in actuality referred to his work for the stage version of MY FAIR LADY. For the film, he was responsible for Costumes, Makeup and Hair. George Bernard Shaw's straight play PYGMALION was adapted for the screen in 1938, starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller.

Reviews:
"...Glorious....Features [Beaton's] astounding costumes, [Cukor's] stately direction, the best-loved, most hummable of all Broadway scores and a sublime cast headed by [Harrison and Hepburn]..." - 09/21/1994 New York Times, p.C13

"...One of the most joyous musicals ever written....Cukor's film is a pleasure to behold..." - 09/23/1994 Chicago Sun-Times, p.40

"Eliza Doolittle’s transformation from flower girl to princess in MY FAIR LADY is, of course, one of the great moments of musical theater..." - 11/18/2011 New York Times

"[Hepburn is] an absolute gem as cockney Brit Eliza Doolittle given a high-class makeover..." - 04/08/2021 USA Today