My Fair Lady<\/em> began as a smash hit on both Broadway and the West End; Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews starred in both productions, cementing themselves in the minds of theater-goers as the memorable characters of Professor Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle. Harrison was soon brought on board the production (albeit reluctantly \u2013 the studio originally wanted Cary Grant, who refused the role, insisting that they use Harrison). But Andrews, who was largely a stage performer at the time and had only a few on-screen credits, was a much more unknown quantity. So it was disappointing, but perhaps not surprising, when they elected not to hire her to play Eliza Doolittle, instead choosing the waiflike Belgian-born actress Audrey Hepburn. After popular turns in Roman Holiday<\/em>, Breakfast at Tiffany\u2019s<\/em>, and Charade<\/em>, Hepburn may not have established her musical cred, but she was exactly what the producers wanted \u2013 a bona fide movie star. Her performance in My Fair Lady<\/em> is, to be fair, delightful, even with Marni Nixon dubbing her vocals. But it still must have rankled for Julie Andrews to watch the role she made famous in the hands of another actress, especially one who wasn\u2019t even singing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t long before Andrews would get her own legendary role on the big screen. The same year that My Fair Lady<\/em> went into production, Andrews was cast in a live-action Walt Disney film called Mary Poppins<\/em>, where her effervescent charm could be shown in all its glory. To say that it resonated with audiences is a bit of an understatement. Mary Poppins<\/em> became the highest grossing film of the year, and received 13 Academy Award nominations (to say nothing of how thoroughly the character has become embedded in popular culture). One of those Oscar nominations had Julie Andrews\u2019 name on it, completing the Cinderella story of the largely unknown stage performer. Audrey Hepburn, by contrast, was snubbed for her performance in My Fair Lady<\/em>. There seems to have been a sense among Oscar voters that Andrews had been treated unfairly, and although Hepburn was a very talented actress, she didn\u2019t quite live up to the standard set by her on-stage predecessor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time the Academy Awards rolled around in April 1965, the idea that Julie Andrews was not famous enough to play Eliza Doolittle was laughable, so precipitously had her star risen. When Sidney Poitier announced that she was the winner, Andrews was all smiles, and delivered a gracious acceptance speech. \u201cI know you Americans are famous for your hospitality, but this is really ridiculous,\u201d she said with a laugh. The Oscar ceremony, after all, was not the appropriate venue for the airing of old grievances \u2013 that\u2019s what the Golden Globes are for. And two months earlier, at Hollywood\u2019s most unhinged dress rehearsal for the Academy Awards, she had gotten all her pettiness out of her system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Andrews accepted the Golden Globe for Mary Poppins<\/em>, she couldn\u2019t resist the temptation to get a little dig in at Jack Warner, who had balked at casting her in My Fair Lady<\/em>. Most of her thank yous played out as one might expect, but at the very end, she dropped what is possibly the most genteel burn in awards speech history. \u201cFinally, my thanks to a man who made a wonderful movie, and who made all this possible in the first place, Mr. Jack Warner,\u201d she said with a wide grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn were among the most celebrated actors of the 20th century, and although the media played up the tension during this awards season, there doesn\u2019t seem to have been much animosity between the two. Andrews was magnanimous when discussing the situation publicly, and Hepburn found herself in a difficult position, with many feeling as though she had unfairly wrenched the role from Andrews\u2019 hands, especially after the production insisted on dubbing her singing voice. Still, it\u2019s hard to begrudge Andrews one catty comment \u2013 especially when she was given the opportunity to so handily put the fearsome Jack L. Warner in his place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/my-fair-lady-1024x684.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n