Day 43: My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady: 1965: Winner of the 37th Academy Award


Starring:

Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins

Audrey Hepburn (Marni Nixon, singing) as Eliza Doolittle

Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle

Wilfrid Hyde-White as Colonel Hugh Pickering

Gladys Cooper as Mrs. Higgins

Jeremy Brett (Bill Shirley, singing) as Freddy Eynsford-Hill

Theodore Bikel as Zoltan Karpathy

Mona Washbourne as Mrs. Pearce, Higgins' housekeeper

Isobel Elsom as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill

John Holland as Butler

From the memorable first scene where Eliza is selling little peonies for men’s coats to the last scene. My fair lady is the utmost example of Cinderella. Eliza has nothing in the world, the gentleman has too much money and too much time , so he bets he can make Eliza a woman and not some bedraggled forgotten girl selling flowers. Her transformation is astonishing but so is the process behind the scenes. He begins to love this creature he has created, love her because even though she has become a lady she is still Eliza but like a mature version now. This movie made me love Audrey Hepburn. Audrey is good example of someone going from a rough and tumble beginning and ending at the top of the ranks despite all odds. The rags to riches story that e all hear off and secretly dream of. Hollywood has this ideal close to heart because any movie with that premise and with the right actors are almost guaranteed an Oscar. For example, “Million Dollar Baby” “Rocky” and “Gi-Gi” to some extent are movies that have one on that premise with some boxing thrown in. I like this movie and it has been on my to get list for quite some time. If you love Audrey Hepburn you will love this, and who doesn’t love Audrey Hepburn?

It also won awards for;


Academy Award for Directing - George Cukor

Academy Award for Best Actor - Rex Harrison

Academy Award for Best Cinematography - Harry Stradling

Academy Award for Sound - George R. Groves, Warner Brothers Studio

Academy Award for Original Music Score - Andre Previn

Academy Award for Best Art Direction - Gene Allen, Cecil Beaton and George James Hopkins

Academy Award for Costume Design - Cecil Beaton

Day 35: It Happened One Night

It Happened one Night: 1934: Winner of the 7th Academy Award

Starring:

Clark Gable as Peter Warne

Claudette Colbert as Ellie Andrews

Walter Connolly as Alexander Andrews

Roscoe Karns as Oscar Shapeley

Jameson Thomas as "King" Westley

Alan Hale as Danker

Arthur Hoyt as Zeke

Blanche Friderici as Zeke's wife

Charles C. Wilson as Joe Gordon

Wow,  Claudette Colbert, show your gams girl! I never knew that the showing of the leg to get some  male traveler to stop was from this gem from the mid -thirtes. Starring two of the greatest actors of the time, Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable. Gable has also popped out on “Mutiny on the Bounty” and the very small movie “Gone with the Wind.”  Although in this one he plays a lovelorn sailor, I mean a lovelorn gambler, I mean a lovelorn journalist. Ah yes that’s the ticket. Well he is a down on his luck journalist who finds himself riding on the same bus to New York with a millionaire’s daughter who in her discontent has run away from home.  So he takes her on after she loses her luggage and any material possession she may own.  As per diem she falls in love with him and it’s a bit of a cat and chase movie until the end.    I saw this movie in the Sex and the City 2 movie actually. The very first scene where Carrie and Big are at the Hotel after Stanford’s wedding. They watch the movie and Carrie says Claudette Colbert is “pretty” (sorry I don’t think so.) I like Clark Gable in this movie I really do. It might actually be my favorite. But considering I have only watched.. umm three Clark Gable movies not sure if that stands. Also I had a bit of a marathon watched all three Clark Gable included movies, so saw his many facets and could see why he was so loved by studios. Even though I will say his justification air of authority annoyed me in Mutiny on the Bounty. 

It also won awards for :

Best Picture :Columbia Pictures (Frank Capra and Harry Cohn)

Best Director: Frank Capra

Best Actor :Clark Gable

Best Actress: Claudette Colbert

Best Writing, Adaptation: Robert Riskin