The King and I (1956)

Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, Rita Moreno

Directed by Walter Lang

Available to stream on Vudu

For the final film in our month of musicals, we have Rogers & Hammerstein's The King and I. In this classic, Yul Brynner (in an Oscar-winning performance) is the King of Siam and Deborah Kerr the English schoolteacher he hires to teach his many children.

Why we love it: Beautiful sets and costumes combined with unforgettable Rogers & Hammerstein music -- “Getting to Know You,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” and other favorites --make this an excellent classic movie musical.

Fun Facts:

• Yul Brynner, born Yuliy Borisovich Briner in Vladivostok, Russia, spoke very little English when he immigrated to the US in 1940 at the age of 20. He worked a little on Broadway, had a job as a radio commentator, and then became a television director at CBS. Broadway star Mary Martin encouraged him to audition for the role of King Mongkut in the original Broadway musical The King and I and it changed his life. He became one of only ten people ever to win a Tony and an Oscar for the same role.

Yul Brynner as the King of Siam

• This was only Brynner's second film appearance. Kerr, on the other hand, was a well-established movie star.

• Some of Deborah Kerr's costumes weighed over 40 pounds and that combined with the strong lighting on set caused her to lose 15 pounds during filming. She referred to herself as "The Melting Miss Kerr."

Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr in The King and I

• Kerr's singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon (who later dubbed the voices of Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady and Natalie Wood in West Side Story.)

• The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning five including Best Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Score, and Best Sound.

Ad from Photoplay 1956

• The part of Tuptim is played by a young Rita Moreno, who would later go on to be the first Latin American woman to win an Academy Award (Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story.)

Rita Moreno as Tuptim

• The film is based on the hit Broadway musical from 1951 which had starred Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence. The original story is taken from the 1944 book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, a fictionalized account of real-life Anna Leonowens' experiences at the court of King Mongkut.

• The government of Thailand (formerly Siam) banned the musical and the film because of its portrayal of the king and other historical inaccuracies.

For more reviews and articles from the time, go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.

Featured Cocktail:

Pimm’s Cup

An English favorite in hot weather, termed “summer in a bottle.” Made with Pimm’s No. 1, a gin-based liqueur flavored with fruits and herbs.

2 oz (60 ml) Pimm’s No. 1

sparkling lemonade

cucumber slices

lemon and orange slices

sprig of fresh mint

Pour the Pimm’s into an ice filled tall glass. Add the lemonade and garnish with cucumber, lemon and/or orange slices, and mint. Sometimes strawberries are used as well.

Cheers to the Classics!