The Six Most Shocking Behind the Scenes Facts About the 1956 Film ‘The King and I'
Going to live with a king in a far off land is every girl's dream. Not only does it sound oh-so romantic, but that fantasy is usually accompanied by lavish dresses and sparkly jewels. In truth, though, the odds of that happening are quite slim — unless you happen to be Anna Leonowens in The King and I.
The King and I is an award-winning movie musical — based on an Award-winning Broadway musical — that was released in 1956. It follows the recently widowed Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr), who has traveled to the country of Shim to serve as governess and tutor for the children of King Mongkut of Siam (Yul Brynner). While there, Anna encounters many bumps in the road, including the king's stubborn personality, his many wives and kids and trying to figure out who she is now that her husband is gone.
And if that wasn't dramatic enough, these six The King and I facts are! Keep scrolling to learn who didn't actually sing in the film, where the idea for the movie came from and more surprising facts!
Wanting to watch King and I? The film is available for streaming on Sling.
1. The King and I was based on the hit Broadway musical
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With music by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the original King and I musical debuted at the St.James Theater on March 29, 1951. It ran until March 20, 1954 and had 1,246 shows in total.
The musical was revived on Broadway in April of 1977 and ran until December 1978. It was back again in December 1984 until June 1985. Following that, the show ran from March 1996 until February 1998.
The last Broadway revival of The King and I took place in March 2015. That show remained at the Vivian Beaumont Theater until June 2016 and had 499 performances in total.
There was also the 1946 film entitled Anna and the King of Siam, which was adapted from the 1894 novel of the same name. While the plot is similar between the stage and film versions, the 1946 take is not a musical.
2. Yul Brynner was in the production twice
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Originating the role of King Mongkut of Siam in the original Broadway production, actor Yul Brynner then brought him to life in the 1956 film. He earned an Oscar and a Tony for his work in both adaptations, and would go on to reprise the role in the 1977 and 1985 stage productions. Additionally, he played the character in 13 episodes of the 1972 non-musical television series Anna and the King, starring opposite Samantha Eggar.
3. Deborah Kerr lost weight while filming
Actress Deborah Kerr (Anna Leonowens) spent days filming under the hot lights in clothing that weighed about 4o pounds. This caused her to sweat a lot, and therefore lose over 12 pounds. The actress even nicknamed herself "The melting Miss Kerr."
4. Maureen O'Hara was almost cast in The King and I
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Initially, production wanted actress Maureen O'Hara to take on the role of Anna Leonowens, because she could actually sing. Composer Richard Rodgers said no and Deborah Kerr won the role instead.
5. Anna was based on a real person
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Anna Leonowens was a travel writer during the 1860s. Her most famous piece of work was her 187o memoir entitled The English Governess at the Siamese Court, where she recalled her time pretending to be a British governess in the Royal Court of Siam — now known as Thailand.
Unlike the Anna on screen, though, the writer never fell in love with the King and died in 1915 at age 83.
6. Deborah Kerr didn't actually sing in The King and I
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One of the stipulations of having Kerr cast as Anna Leonowens was letting Marni Nixon record all of Anna's songs in the film.
Those songs were recorded over a six week time period with Nixon carefully watching Kerr's every move to make sure there were no inconsistencies.
Nixon would also sing for Rita Moreno in West Side Story.
For more fun facts from the golden age of Hollywood, keep scrolling!
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