1956 Motion Picture
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1956 Motion Picture
Music by Richard Rodgers / Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II / Screenplay by Ernest Lehman / Based on Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon / Original Choreography by Jerome Robbins
On June 28, 1956 (Richard Rodgers’ 54th birthday), 20th Century Fox released Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I in movie theatres across the US. The acclaimed motion picture adaptation starred Deborah Kerr and Rita Moreno and featured a legendary, Academy Award-winning reprisal of Yul Brynner’s turn as the King. Also returning for the film version were original choreographer Jerome Robbins, who recreated his dances for the camera, and costumer Irene Sharaff, whose stunning designs would also win an Academy Award. The motion picture adaptation was a critical and commercial hit, collecting five Academy Awards out of nine total nominations and becoming the fifth highest-grossing movie of 1956.
LISTEN
Released on Capitol Records, the 1956 Motion Picture Soundtrack album for The King and I included three songs that didn’t make it into the final version of the movie: “My Lord and Master,” “I Have Dreamed” and “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?” The soundtrack, featuring new arrangements by Gus Levene, was conducted by Alfred Newman. Marni Nixon dubbed Deborah Kerr’s vocals, after working closely with Kerr to mimic her speech patterns. The film’s soundtrack recording, along with other Rodgers and Hammerstein cast recordings, was rereleased in stereo in 1958.