Screenings:
Saturday, April 29, 1:00 PM
The Senator

Before shooting even began in 1964, George Cukor's My Fair Lady, the Super Panavision 70mm adaptation of the beloved stage musical, was embroiled by controversy. The decision to cast Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle over Julie Andrews, who had created the role on Broadway, caused quite a stir-Time magazine proclaimed: "There is an evil and rampantly lunatic force at loose in the world and it must be destroyed."

Director George Cukor had the benefit of working with ace talent: Cecil Beaton was hired for Costume Design, Andre Previn was musical director, and Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway reprised their roles from Broadway. Though she had intended to do her own singing, the decision was made to replace Audrey Hepburn's voice with that of Marni Nixon. The Maryland Film Festival 2000 screening will be accompanied by rare footage of Audrey Hepburn's screen tests-in which she sings for herself.

Despite its rocky beginings, My Fair Lady received critical acclaim upon its theatrical release, earning a spot as one of Warner Brothers' highest grossing films.

Tidbit:
The Julie Andrews casting snub came back to haunt My Fair Lady at the 1965 Academy Awards. After being passed over by Jack Warner on My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews went on to star in Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins received 13 Oscar nominations to My Fair Lady's 12. The difference-Audrey Hepburn was (criminally) overlooked in the Best Actress category. The Best Actress Oscar was awarded to Julie Andrews. Nevertheless, Hepburn graciously agreed to present the Oscar for Best Actor. Rex Harrison, her My Fair Lady co-star won. My Fair Lady also exacted some satisfaction when Cecil Beaton won the Oscar for his Costume Design, beating out Mary Poppins' Tony Walton-Julie Andrews' then-husband.

Bio:
Bob Harris See Spartacus.

Marni Nixon's radiant voice has been heard by millions-yet she rarely receives credit for some of her best known works. The reason? Her voice flowed from the lips of Natalie Wood (West Side Story), Deborah Kerr (An Affair to Remember) and Audrey Hepburn (My Fair Lady), to name a few. In addition to her work in films, Ms. Nixon's distinguished career includes touring as sidekick with Liberace and Victor Borge, and performing as a soloist with the likes of Previn, Mehta, Stravinsky, Stokowski, Bernstein. Off-Broadway she originated the roles of Sadie McKibben in Opal and Edna in Taking My Turn. Her favorite roles include Nurse in Romeo and Juliet and touring as Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret. Most recently, Nixon was heard as the voice of Grandmother Fa in Mulan and seen on Broadway in the musical adaptation of James Joyce's The Dead.