Marni Nixon was Hollywood's great unsung singer. She dubbed the voices of Audrey Hepburn in 'My Fair Lady', Deborah Kerr in 'The King and I' and Natalie Wood in 'West Side Story'.
Marni Nixon dubbed Kerr's singing voice. She played a nun in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) opposite her long-time friend Robert Mitchum, directed by John Huston. It was very popular as was An Affair to Remember (1957) opposite Cary Grant.
Marni Nixon did the singing for, from left, Deborah Kerr in “The King and I,” Natalie Wood in “West Side Story” and Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady.” From left: 20th Century Fox; United Artists; Warner Bros. Marni Nixon, the American cinema's most unsung singer, died on Sunday in Manhattan. She was 86.
GROSS: That's Marni Nixon on the soundtrack of the film "My Fair Lady." Audrey Hepburn played the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film, but Nixon did the singing for the role. In fact, she dubbed vocals for some 50 films.
As the voice of Maria in 'West Side Story' and Eliza Doolittle in 'My Fair Lady', Marni Nixon should have been one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Instead, other actors got the credit and she became American cinema's 'most unsung singer', writes Alexandra Pollard.
Marni Nixon on Dubbing for Marilyn Monroe and Deborah Kerr
Did Debra Kerr sing in The King and I?
Kerr's singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also dubbed for Kerr in the film The King and I. "An Affair to Remember" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1957 but lost out to "All the Way". The song has since become a jazz standard.
Was Audrey Hepburn's voice dubbed in My Fair Lady?
When Audrey Hepburn (Eliza Doolittle) was first informed that her voice wasn't strong enough and that she would have to be dubbed, she walked out. She returned the next day and, in a typically graceful Hepburn gesture, apologized to everybody for her "wicked behavior."
Dubbing. Hepburn's singing was judged inadequate, and she was dubbed by Marni Nixon, who sang all songs except "Just You Wait", in which Hepburn's voice was preserved during the harsh-toned chorus, with Nixon on the melodic bridge section. Hepburn sang the brief reprise of the song in tears.
Hepburn got the part over Julie Andrews for the role of Eliza Doolittle, despite the fact she couldn't sing. She took singing lessons in an attempt to improve, but still couldn't cut it. As a result, Marni Nixon was drafted in to perform the vocals instead.
Audrey Hepburn revealed many years later that had she turned down the role of Eliza, the next actress to be offered it would not have been Dame Julie Andrews, but Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who wanted it desperately.
Her singing voice is sweet but needs more power in such a vast arena, and there's too little romantic tension between her and Darren Lee's monarch – but they do convey a fascinating meeting of minds.
In April 1978, Lansbury appeared in 24 performances of a revival of The King and I musical staged at Broadway's Uris Theatre; Lansbury played the role of Mrs Anna, replacing Constance Towers, who was on a short break.
21 May 1934), stated in a 2001 interview, "King Mongkut was in the monk's hood for 27 years before he was king. He would never have ordered an execution. It is not the Buddhist way." She added that the same Tuptim was her grandmother and had married Chulalongkorn as one of his minor wives.
By then, Kerr was 47 but willingly shed her clothes for The Gypsy Moths, a parachuting film, and then for The Arrangement (1969), director Elia Kazan's adaptation of his own bestselling novel. The Arrangement proved to be her last movie role before a 15-year retirement.
Audrey Hepburn was pretty well consistent with non-rhotic. and spoke refined English. Her accent can be characterized as British with somewhat of Flemish or Dutch blend because of her Belgian and Dutch roots. Audrey was born in Brussels, Belgium.
How old was Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's?
Audrey Hepburn was 31 years old when playing Holly. Holly Golightly wears the same dresses all the way through the movie, simply changing the accessories to give each outfit a different look. Her black shift dress features through the movie at least four times.
In an interview with Jasper Rees, Marni Nixon explained that this is what she was told her experience dubbing in West Side Story would be like. She explained that she was not given a contract, but was asked just to “help with the voice for Natalie Wood” (Nixon).
Why was Julie Andrews not chosen for My Fair Lady?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, lyricist Alan Jay Lerner had his eye on Andrews for My Fair Lady's film adaptation. "I so wanted you to do it, Julie, but they wanted a name," Lerner shared. This was in reference to Hepburn's status in the film industry compared to Andrew's.
However, she understood, her Broadway star power wasn't “important.” “I did, at that time, hope that maybe when the film was made, I'd be asked to do it,” Andrews began. “But it wasn't an ambition. I didn't really think that I was that important to warrant being used.
Julie Andrews was 20. Experienced in Vaudeville but brand new to the star and society-dominated Broadway scene. 'I was young and green – an innocent abroad with blinkers on; a young girl from Walton-on-Thames who was, more often than not, preoccupied with matters of family.
How old was Audrey Hepburn during the filming of My Fair Lady?
Although playing a 21-year-old flower girl, Hepburn was actually 34 in real life. The opera that was playing the night Professor Higgins and Eliza meet in Covent Gardens was Faust. The inspiration for the library in Professor Henry Higgins' home was a room at the Château de Groussay, Montfort-l'Amaury, in France.
How old was Audrey Hepburn when My Fair Lady was made?
Although playing a 21-year-old, Audrey Hepburn was actually 35 in real life. Jeremy Brett (who turned 30 during filming) was cast as 20-year-old Freddy Eynsford-Hill so Hepburn would not seem too old in comparison.
Did Audrey Hepburn sing in Breakfast at Tiffany's?
"Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
