Audrey Hepburn presenting Rex Harrison the Oscar® for Best Actor for his performance in "My Fair Lady" at the 37th Academy Awards® in 1965. Introduced by Bob Hope.
Audrey Hepburn was pure class. After all of the trouble over her being in My Fair Lady and no Oscar nomination, she was willing to fly in from Europe to present this award to whomever won it. A real gem.
And I'm *SO* glad that Audrey was in the spotlight here for over 3 minutes, despite not even being nominated for her nonpareil performance!!!!! Just listen to the rapturous applause she receives when she walks to the podium - one would think she *HAD* just won Best Actress herself!! That really is what Rex Harrison was trying to convey to the whole world by having Audrey alongside him throughout his Acceptance speech - the fact that she was AS ENTITLED to an Oscar as he was. Yup, her graciousness flying in from Europe definitely paid off perfectly. :) :)
Yet over-rated, can't act, just "talk-sung"...aka can't sing or carry a tune to save his life...his way through this with more shouting than anything yet won over an incredibly versatile actor like Cary Grant who could do it all, romance, heartbreak/sadness, drama, suspense, thriller, and comedy with utter ease yet never won any Academy Award...should've won easily at least 2 if not more, especially if the likes of Harrison, Wayne, Bogart, Stewart, Cooper, Crosby, and Sinatra who all played themselves and/or couldn't act for shit somehow won Oscars or multiples!!! It's mind-boggling!!! 🤯 Same for O'Toole who was royally screwed, especially for Lawrence of Arabia and others. It seems like the truly best actors never got an Oscar.
I have never seen an actor so in love with a co-star. He kissed her 5 times and held her like that was the last time he would hold someone he loved. Can't blame him though, she was an amazing lady, as beautiful as she was kind and generous.
No one in Hollywood today is 1/1000th as kind and generous as Audrey and Rex Harrison were. Rex was literally THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN here - sharing his victory with his co-star in public, while Audrey remained the Perfect Lady. The vast majority of contemporary 'stars' are as egocentric as they are devoid of class and true talent. Whereas Americans USED to admire actors and actresses who were real ladies and gentlemen, they now favour the kind of performer who caters to the lowest common denominator. Ugh!
+baxterpoo I'm not sure about inlove, from what I read , Rex Harrison was quite the cat with women, lol, even at his age here, 60 ? , he was quite older than her , but they did have chemistry , I say he should of made his kisses more centered and kissed her that many times and with that passion in the picture
Wow. Real classy of him to mention Julie with the whole, “two fair ladies” line. Real gentlemanly. And all that unbridled affection he was showing Audrey. *swoons*
Julie Andrews, who was passed over for Audrey Hepburn in the film version, said that when she ran into Audrey someplace, Audrey said to her, "I'm sorry Julie . . . I didn't have the guts to turn them down," which Julie said took a lot of the hurt away. What a genuinely gracious lady Audrey was to say that to her. Regretful that that kind of elegance and sensitivity seems to have gone missing from the Hollywood scene of today.
I have a huge crush on both of them and they are both very classy ladies. I don't believe that Audrey can be blamed for Julie not getting the role because I think that was two separate decisions made at different times. I believe the second choice was Elizabeth Taylor, which would have been disastrous. besides, Julie then took Mary martin's role in the Sound of Music and nobody complained. That said, i would love to have sen her do both those roles and Camelot, too.
Steven Chappell the Sound of Music is my second favorite musical after My Fair Lady. But I don't have a problem with Julie not being in the movie version of My Fair Lady. *Audrey was an excellent Eliza Doolittle*
@@44032 Mary Martin was involved in the casting decision of "The Sound of Music" film and encouraged Julie being cast as Maria, recognizing that Julie had already given a wonderful performance in the original 1957 live TV special of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella".
Harrison in My Fair Lady gives one of greatest performances in all times on screen.And this acceptan speech, with Audrey by his side, with all the genuine friendship they share, is the loveliest moment I've ever seen at Academy Awards.
@Artur Bello Actually, Julie didn't star in Sound of Music first; Mary Martin did! But Mary was too old to do the movie... Yet Mary WAS approached to do the film of Mary Poppins! That would have been interesting!
Leia Organa I know! It's a beautiful moment. Speaking of beautiful things, I love your last name. Organa. I play the organ. It beats the piano to a frazzle! My favorite piece is the hymn tune FOREST GREEN by Rafe Vaughan Williams.
If she felt like crying, it was out of happiness for Rex. She wasn't so self-involved that she'd be thinking only of herself in that moment. She is clearly beyond delighted for Rex.
That must have felt special for Audrey Hepburn to present the award to Rex Harrison. His speak singing in the movie was amazing especially done live without prerecording his vocals for his songs.
Agreed well said I love "My fair Lady" and Audrey what a lady gorgeous, gorgeous eyes perfect and of course one of the best actors of all Rex was great RIP legends you were one of a kind the very best!!!
Audrey is amazing, considering the fact that she was not even nominated for my fair lady (I still cant believe that btw x), she acts so classy and is truly happy for her partner !!!! Love her
I know exactly what you mean, Anna. The fact that Audrey was not even NOMINATED for "My Fair Lady" is the most unforgivable slight in the entire history of Hollywood. That was the performance of a lifetime, and Sir John Gielgud himself agreed that she was 'much better' (his exact words) than Julie Andrews. Watch any clip of Andrews as Eliza, and you will note how she is either too hammy (playing a caricature of the character), or surprisingly UNLIKEABLE (failing to generate any affection or sympathy for the character, whereas Audrey tugs at our heart-strings from beginning to end). Audrey actually did 25% of her own singing, performing most of 'Just You Wait' on her own, along with a couple of lines here and there in other songs. Deborah Kerr didn't do *ANY* of her own singing in 'The King and I', and was still nominated. And die-hard Julie Andrews fans shouldn't even get me started on the Cockney accent, because Andrews' accent wasn't ANY MORE AUTHENTIC than Audrey's (both actresses have gone on tape saying that it would have been impossible to do a TRULY authentic accent and still be understood by the average viewer).
***** you forgot to mention that Andrews played Eliza on the stage where you have to project and play to the last row. I'm sure she would've toned it down for the film, just like she was able to do with MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. And it's not like Audrey didn't overact, especially during the Cockney scenes and the scene immediatley after the ball.
musicaltheatergeek79 I was referring SPECIFICALLY to the sequences that Julie filmed as Eliza for THE SCREEN/TV (in the 1950s and then again in the 1970s). Admittedly, TV acting was not required to be quite as naturalistic as Film acting back then, but her screen performances of the "Just You Wait" and "Show Me" sequences make it seem like Eliza suffers from HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER. She is exceedingly more natural and believable in her screen performances of "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?", but there again, I don't think she's quite as likeable as Audrey is (compare Audrey's facial expressions with Julie's facial expressions in the same number; Julie shot it for TV at least twice, first for the Ed Sullivan Show in the '50s, and then for the Julie Andrews Show in the '70s). You can't determine whether she would have toned it down for the big screen based on her performances as Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp, because Julie never PLAYED those roles onstage - she learned them STRICTLY for film, whereas she had played Eliza on Broadway and in the West End for nearly half a decade. Even after making a number of films in the '60s, she didn't "tone down" her Eliza for TV in the 1970s (except in 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly', although her "Oh!"s there were excruciatingly stagey). This suggests to me that she was somehow unwilling to relinquish the manner in which she had portrayed the role on stage all those years (and I understand that, being an actor/singer myself). Granted, again, TV performances weren't expected to be too different from theatrical/stage performances at the time, but the sense I get is that Julie had acquired a VERY DISTINCT concept of how Eliza should be played after her marathon Broadway and West End runs. The reason she is so effective onscreen in MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, is because her work there was 100% *FRESH*. Mary Poppins did not exist as an acting role until she was hired to do the film, and she admitted in the '90s that she never *DREAMED* of playing Maria von Trapp herself one day when she watched Mary Martin do it on Broadway. Hence, those performances are as fresh as I think Audrey's Eliza is, whereas Julie's Eliza come across as OVER-RIPE on screen!! I can see how some people might charge Audrey with "overacting" in the Cockney scenes and Post-Ball scene, if they compare her performance with Wendy Hiller's more subdued performance in the late '30s film adaptation of PYGMALION for instance, but I've personally always thought Audrey was COMPLETELY "in the moment" when filming those scenes, and IMMERSED in the mindset of Eliza in a very EMOTIONALLY AUTHENTIC way. Yes, she makes much *BOLDER* - and as I see it, much more *VITAL* - acting choices than Wendy Hiller did in the 1937 film (which hearkens back to a more 'mannered' style of acting), but I don't think she comes across as over-rehearsed and OVERWROUGHT as Julie Andrews does in most of her Eliza sequences. Another TH-cam viewer once made reference to how "masculine" Julie's Eliza was in her TV performance of 'Show Me', and I think that's a very accurate statement. This 'masculinity' wasn't apparent at all on the 1956 Original Broadway Cast Album of MY FAIR LADY, but you could hear the difference by the time they made the 1959 London Cast Album. Audrey's Eliza by contrast is always very, very feminine - the perfect Galatea or even Venus to Rex Harrison's Pygmalion, whereas Julie's Eliza often reads more like a slightly unbalanced Amazon. This is not to undermine Julie Andrews as an actress or a singer in any way, because I've been a lifelong fan of hers (just like Audrey's), and would probably melt before her if I ever met her - but I firmly believe that the decision to cast Audrey as Eliza in the film was 1000% correct. My favourite Julie Andrews role onscreen is actually neither 'Poppins' nor SOM (neither of which showcased her versatility as an actress or a singer), but STAR! - they couldn't have devised a better vehicle for her at the time, and it's such a crying shame that most people have never been able to understand/appreciate that film. My favourite STAGE roles played by Julie are Polly in 'The Boyfriend', and Queen Guinevere - the coloratura singing that she was capable of back when she played Polly continues to be positively SPINE-CHILLING, while Guinevere of course fit her like a glove!! Am I a bigger fan of Audrey's than Julie's? It's hard to answer that fairly because they're apples and oranges, but just as much as STAR! is my favourite Julie Andrews fan, MY FAIR LADY will always be my favourite Audrey Hepburn film - I don't think anyone else could have *LIT UP THE SCREEN* like she did as Eliza, and I think it was her most impressive acting work ever (speaking both dramatically and comedically - yes, that's a word! lol)
musicaltheatergeek79 Oh, you don't have to thank me. I didn't write all that with the intention of changing your mind, but rather for the benefit of others reading this, so they see exactly where I'm coming from. We definitely don't see eye to eye. lol
It's high time the Julie Andrews team stopped sourgraping. One of the primary reasons they didn't cast Julie is she wasn't pretty enough. Should never would have stood out at the Embassy Ball. She may have been great onstage but film is a different medium. Julie was destined to be a pretty governess on film, but not a belle of the ball. My Fair Lady won Best Picture. A lot of the acclaim it received was because of Hepburn. She played the title role.
honest. Film and theatrer are different media with different requirements. how many film versions of musicals have musical broadway stars lost bc the camera was not in love with them? too many to count.
I can't help wondering what Julie Andrews would have done with the part, had she been cast. However, no one can deny how brilliant Audrey was in the part. She deserved a nomination.
@@manuelorozco7760 So what? You can never compere them. Audrey was a clasier lady and she DID sing every song on the film She also took singing lessons It was Warner's decision, not to use her voice.
@@manuelorozco7760 if you're confused about the voice part, Audrey didn't sing in the movie, she had the intention to do it but Warner decided to dub her with Marni Nixon's voice. About the rest of the comment, idk what they mean.
Just returned from seeing My Fair Lady in theaters tonight - so glorious up there on the big screen. Watching this sweet moment between the co-stars is a great way to end the evening.
Julie and Audrey have always been my favorite actors, ever since I was little and saw them in Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Roman Holiday, and Sabrina. The fact they were both so classy throughout all this controversy makes me love them even more. Props to Rex Harrison as well for his fantastic performance and his singling out both of them here ❤️
It was amazing how he never let go of Audrey during the entire speech, his way of saying that they are sharing the award, since she had been snubbed. She looked so emotional. I think she probably felt hurt, not for a missed nomination but because she felt that her peers in the industry thought she should not have taken the role; it was cathartic. I loved the cuts to Julie in the audience. How was SHE feeling, seeing them so united, when she had performed the role with Rex hundreds of times...?
Yes because 2 or 3 actors turned down Rex's role then they finally offered it to Rex Harrison. So if the actresses offered including Audrey turned it down they most probably offered it to Julie in the end.
Julie Andrews! Class, poise to the letter . She took it like a trouper, sitting there most regally even though the hurt and disappointment were written all over her. She should never have been replaced. Observe get most winning smile at the very end of Harrison's acceptance speech .Two major regrets:- Julie Andrews' losing out of the role of Eliza Doolittle, and Burt Lancaster's turning down "Ben Hur".
Audrey had no reason to feel snubbed. If anyone was snubbed, it was Julie, who should have had the part of Eliza in the first place. Julie created the role on Broadway and should have been in the film. Audrey didn’t even sing the role herself-it was dubbed. She didn’t deserve an Academy Award for looking beautiful in Cecil Beaton’s costumes.
@@sandee3073 , I don’t see any reason to insult Audrey Hepburn’s performance by saying she simply looked good in the costumes. I too think that Julie Andrews should have played Eliza but Hepburn acted the hell out of that role, and the award is for acting, not singing. Deborah Kerr very deservedly got nominated for The King and I, and she too was dubbed by Marni Nixon.
@@3sha214 Julie was the first option but she refused to do the casting. Second option was Audrey and third Liz Taylor. Audrey turned down in favor of Julie but after Liz was chosen, Audrey accepted the role again
My Fair Lady is one of my top 10 favorite movies. I think it's one of the most perfect movies ever made. It's kind of odd to see Rex kissing Audrey and saying that he was happy to work with her, because he was mad that she got the part of Eliza and not Julie Andrews. However, he did later on say that Audrey was his favorite leading lady to work with. :)
OMG that was so cute. He kept her by his side, and said it should be split in half. She wasn't even nominated and that was so unfair. Her performance is marvellous.
Audrey Hepburn is such a true, classy lady. She's so humble and so genuinely happy for Rex, and I love how much love he gives her in this clip, even going so far as to say he should split the award in half. Whether Audrey would have won Best Actress for My Fair Lady or not, I can't say, but I feel she deserved a nomination despite the fact that the majority of her singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon. Action stars aren't denied nominations when stunt doubles perform the difficult or dangerous scenes for them, so why should Audrey's talent not be recognized simply because all of her singing wasn't used? Besides, Deborah Kerr earned a Best Actress nomination for her performance in The King and I even though Marni Nixon dubbed her, as well. Audrey prepared extensively for the role, sang every song, and didn't know how much she was going to be dubbed; the dubbing was done later. She learned Cockney all on her own and adopted such a strong and genuine accent that she was asked to tone it down for the film because true Cockney is so difficult to understand. Above all, she gave 110% to her performance, epitomized grace, talent, and beauty, and was absolutely spectacular, and she's got the Oscar in my book :)
I too believe she deserved a nomination for her role, her acting was so great in the movie. However, I read that the reason she didn't get it was because Hollywood was kind of mad because Warner overlooked Julie Andrews for the role she originated on Broadway simply because she wasn't a big name in movies, even tho they went for Rex Harrison who also originated his role in Broadway. So it's really Jack Warner's fault.
+gigi vitelli That's right, I do remember hearing that as well. Although I agree it was rude not to offer the part to Julie Andrews, had she taken it, she wouldn't have been available for Mary Poppins, and I personally prefer Julie's Mary to her Eliza. Aside from that, none of the casting decisions were Audrey's fault, so I wish Hollywood hadn't taken their anger at Jack Warner out on her.
+Gabriella Saab Who's to say Audrey Hepburn wasn't the better choice over Julie Andrews for the role , I think she was , Andrews at the time was a Broadway star, I think she was just as pretty and maybe with those blue eyes, prettier than Audrey Hepburn, but I'm not sure this role would of been her forte on screen , if she would of projected the right feeling and chemistry with Rex Harrison, which is essential, for the movie . Idk, for example she was glorious in Sound of Music and she definitely would of been better than Hepburn in that role, it was her coup d'tat and they might have been both great and interchangeable in Breakfast at Tiffany's or Mary Poppins, she eventually became a movie star in her own right ,they were both great stars and each had their niche
The unfortunate results is there's virtually nothing far as visual recording from Rex Harrison and Dame Julia "Julie" Elizabeth Andrews version of " Eliza Doolittle as My Fair Lady "...
More likely because she was not nominated for best actress and image what if they had asked miss Audrey to present the best actress award to Julie Andrews, the original, and one and only Elisa Doolittle. It would have been great if Julie Andrews was hired to dub Audrey for the great songs of my fair lady.
@@filipchung2121 no!!!!! That’s a horrible idea.. cringey and awkward. As an actress you’d NOT want to give awards to someone playing something you played wonderfully well.. Audrey’s MFL is still my favorite.. my first and only choice film.
Rex Harrison's homage to both Julie and Audrey stands as the hallmark of a true gentleman. And kudos to that earth angel, Ms. Audrey Hepburn. She conducted herself with the radiance and poise of a queen throughout what must have been, understandably, a most stressful evening for her, given Hollywood's and the Fourth Estate's smirking poking, jabbing, and bad-mouthing of her playing Eliza Doolittle, which she was committed to do by Warner Bros. as one of their great actress and star contract employees. It was "Jackass" Warner who should have been put through the Hollywood gossip and media shredder.
+Jane hudson AMEN! I completely blame "Jackass' Warner for the whole thing. He was more worried about getting his $$ back on his investment and less about the people involved. Audrey's class here is amazing. Most would have just boycotted the whole event, but she showed up for her peers and supported them.
Agree....if Julie had done Poppins a year earlier and established herself in a movie Warner may have picked her. Too bad Mary Poppins was not made earlier. What a treasure it would be for all to have Julie on Film forever in My Fair Lady. A tragedy.
Margaret Agreed, but I think the nod has to go to Julie Andrews for originating the role, as well as for doing her own singing in it. Having said that, Audrey Hepburn's performance in the movie was magificent - and I'll bet Julie would agree.
audrey hepburn is simply the most elegant of actresses. she got a lot of negative things said about her in regards to playing ELIZA in the film of MY FAIR LADY. Wasn't nominated for it. For her to come to the Oscars at all that year…just shows her class and style!!!!
I have just watched yesterday the Blu-Ray of My Fair Lady. What an amazing movie this is! Now I go on TH-cam and see this: what a beautiful, incredible moment in Hollywood, what genuine feelings of affection between these two, it melts my heart. I am so happy that the actors I adore actually deserve to be worshipped, for their real bond of respect and love!
I have a big problem here folks! :) as much as i love and respect the truly great actor Rex Harrison, i cant deny i hate him and envy him here for those beautiful kissings of that eternal n everlasting Princess of Cinema, my adorable Audrey! :)
Julie Andrews was sooo freakin Gorgeous!!! Audrey too! I love to watch times like these, How I wish I could go back in time to experience Hollywood's Golden Age :D
What extraordinary competition during that year: career best performances by Burton, O'Toole, Quinn and Sellers. However, for Harrison, this was the signature role of a lifetime. My wife and I had the priviledge of seeing Harrison on stage in a revival of My Fair Lady in his 70's and the magic was still there. Famously, Warner offered the Higgins role to Cary Grant; he said if you don't cast Harrison I won't work for the Studio ever again. He was purportedly temperamental, but just brilliant.
I agree with Grant that he would've stunk up this role. However....Harrison is so over-rated, can't act, just "talk-sung"...aka can't sing or carry a tune to save his life...his way through this with more shouting than anything yet won over an incredibly versatile actor like Cary Grant who could do it all, romance, heartbreak/sadness, drama, suspense, thriller, and comedy with utter ease yet never won any Academy Award...should've won easily at least 2 if not more, especially if the likes of Harrison, Wayne, Bogart, Stewart, Cooper, Crosby, and Sinatra who all played themselves and/or couldn't act for shit somehow won Oscars or multiples!!! It's mind-boggling!!! 🤯
+jjj1951 They were not that giant back then. Guess what legends Kate Winslet or Meryl Streep will be in 2090! .. And if you are so in love with the 1960s Hollywood .. Julie Andrews was not allowed to hug black Sidney Poitier that evening. By contract! Good old times, indeed. -.-
+MrMcsia That seems rather odd , I know dated racist stuff was still going on in the 60's and even today, but I think I remember Anne Bancroft hugging and kissing Sidney Poitier by then a major movie star, in a gushy way, at the Oscars around the same time , who I saw french kissing kissing a white actress in his film Path of Blue , the uncut version circa 1960 ?, similiary I saw a white actress , practically all over Harry Belafonte in his 1959 ? picture and both actors ,including Sammy Davis were married to very white women (British \Swedish) in the 60's , but yeh alot of stuff both good and bad was going on in the 60's , just like now
Barbara Bach. Not "just like now", Barbara, racism was far worse, more overtly hateful and violent back then. Racism is more subtle today, but equally as damaging.
jjj1951 Pygmies??? What about Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Bates, everyone in Harry Potter? None of those actresses are pygmies.
Audrey was one of the biggest female movie stars in the world at the time. Julie Andrews had never had a movie released, It made complete commercial sense to cast Audrey. Jessica Tandy suffered a similar far when she missed out on screen role in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE.
I just love how much he adored her on stage 💞 I think Audrey was a bit teary for not being able to get the awards for herself despite how much effort she spent on this. But I hope that big love from Rex healed it a bit. And that cameraman on Julie while he was busy kissing Audrey is hilarious. Julie appeared to be happy again at the end when he mentioned "two fair ladies". But from the amount of kisses showered on Audrey I think she was his favorite--no offense, Julie, but I really really love the chemistry of these two.
Rex Harrison merits the Oscar. But, what was missing in this Oscar stage was the Best Actress Audrey Hepburn. Without her, movie My Fair Lady was without it’s magic. Who cares, after all, that the song was dubbed by someone else. Her performance excelled such incident as a minor thing.
Good God! What a lineup of great actors and classic performances by them. Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, Anthony Quinn, Peter Sellers. Becket, My Fair Lady, Zorba the Greek, Dr. Strangelove ... all in the same year. . It was a time of the highest quality in the performing arts, that's for sure.
Having just re-watched this after maybe.. 20 years, Rex Harrison carries this movie. I'm not trying to take anything away from Audrey, but man.. Rex is so amazingly fun to watch in this movie.
Rex can't stop kissing her. They were 2 halves of a whole in that movie and he is humble enough to not only admit it, but to make it known!!! God Bless!!!
I feel bad for Audrey that year. After all, she didn’t do anything wrong. She’s an actress who was thrilled to be given a job! I’m glad that Julie won though . Nasty Jack Warner...
I always feel a little bamboozled when I see the comments about Audrey being miscast in My Fair Lady, and how it would have been so much better if Julie Andrews was cast. I like Julie Andrews, she’s magnificent, but Audrey Hepburn was fabulous as Eliza, the role is one of her best performances.
Harrison was over-rated, can't act, just "talk-sung"...aka can't sing or carry a tune to save his life...his way through this with more shouting than anything yet won over an incredibly versatile actor like Cary Grant who could do it all, romance, heartbreak/sadness, drama, suspense, thriller, and comedy with utter ease yet never won any Academy Award...should've won easily at least 2 if not more, especially if the likes of Harrison, Wayne, Bogart, Stewart, Cooper, Crosby, and Sinatra who all played themselves and/or couldn't act for shit somehow won Oscars or multiples!!! It's mind-boggling!!! 🤯
Although Audrey did not sing My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews should NOT have gotten an Oscar for her Mary Poppins role. I love both of them, but I don't think Andrews' performance in Mary Poppins was demanding enough to grant her an Oscar. She should have gotten an Oscar for one of her later, more developed roles such as Victor Victoria etc.
What I like about these early Oscar presentations, were that they were completely free of any heavy-handed social justice sermonizing or lectures to the public. Or political posturing. It was purely about the movie industry and entertainment.
This was his last great film and he was really even far too old for it but somehow made it work. He INVENTED the difficult art of talk-singing for musical actors who are not really singers - it is his most amazing contribution to My fair Lady. And I don't blame all those kisses, they were farewell kisses to his life as a love interest and a leading man.
1964! What a fantastic year for the movies. all of these productions were classics to live forever. No wonder I played and produced in all of these in college during the following years.
Wonderful Oscar moment. Since Patricia Neal 1963 best actress couldn't be there to give the award to Harrison due to her stroke, Audrey always a class act gladly consented to give it to her co star.
If Audrey hadn’t of taken the role then Elizabeth Taylor would have done it. So Audrey didn’t “steal” the role from Julie. Leslie Caron was cast as Gigi in 1958 even though Audrey originated the role on Broadway. Leslie’s singing voice was dubbed in Gigi as well. I don’t remember Audrey moaning and groaning about not getting the lead in Gigi. It happens 🤷♀️
How perfect it is when Harrison says, "Deep love to two fair ladies." The moment that Hepburn hands the award to Harrison, considering the fact that Julie Andrews had won the award for MARY POPPINS earlier in the evening, is full of incredible irony. Hepburn comes out looking like such a class act. I LOVE Julie Andrews. However, I also love Audrey Hepburn in MY FAIR LADY. Maybe, in the end, Jack Warner did a good thing for all of us for without Julie Andrews in MARY POPPINS, what might we have had? Now, 1965 goes down in history as the year of TWO great movie musicals.
I must point out that the Best Actor award that year was given out *before* the Best Actress award. During this acceptance speech there was no irony and no certainty that Julie would be the winner, although she was favored to win. Speculation at the time was that she would probably win the next year for THE SOUND OF MUSIC (which had been released during the voting period for these awards) and that the dramatic work by Anne Bancroft or Kim Stanley would therefore take the prize for 1964. Julie herself has often said she thought Bancroft deserved it.
Thank you for sharing :) beautiful days they were amazing stars Audrey hepburn and the lovely smile of Julie andrews ❤️ Happiness in this video Rex deserved the oscar
Utter nonsense. Julie Andrews "achieved that" in every one of her stage performances as Eliza Doolittle over the course of 3-4 years! And yes, singing DOES count.
@@4orrcountry Spot on! I would kill to go back in time and see JA on broadway as Eliza. I did get to see Rex Harrison in MFL on stage at the Pantages in the 80's.
Peter was the more brilliant but Rex was the more deserving. Rex worked within the Hollywood system and, although a floating tax exile, always retained a moist, warm and enduring love of the industry that more rarified Brits like Burton and Sellers always disdained as false, perverse and platinum plated. Rex had been hard at work in Hollywood since the 40's and constantly showed his respect and admiration for the Hollywood that Burton, O'Toole, Reed, Harris, et al, all exploited but never acknowledged. It was always a game but Rex knew how to play it...and play it with class and gratitude.
Audrey only took the part after it was definite that Julie was definitely not being given the role. She thought Julie should have the role & only took advantage of it when they were going to start auditioning other actresses. Then she felt she had as much right as anybody, & Julie knew that as well. Of course Julie should have gotten it, but Audrey was wonderful in the role as well ...
Are you telling me that 1965 was the YEAR of Greatest Movies Ever. I think they finally evaluated on monies gained up to a certain date, because the TALENT WAS INCREDIBLE. WHO WANTS TO CHOSE BETWEEN Supercal GORGEOUS JULIE and Super-endearing Flahh gal Audrey?!!!! However maybe this is where it ultimately stands- Julie did her own singing and Audrey was not allowed to. But hey, much to his annoyance, after LOTS of practice, even Chris was not allowed to sing his own Edelweiss... Hmmmhhh. God BLESZ THEM ALL, THEY BROUGHT SUCH JOY INTO THE WORLD!!!!
It's so cute how he just holds her up there with him, and keeps kissing her cheek and saying how she should have the award too. Everyone loves Audrey. And that's JULIE ANDREWS in the crowd. Love her too:)
When Warner Brothers purchased the screen rights to the stage musical, My Fair Lady, Jack Warner wanted to protect their substantial investment by casting an established box office star. Since a determination was made to cast Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, to recreate his stage role, Warner believed that he needed to balance the casting with Audrey Hepburn, then an Oscar winning, well known actress with many commercial successes. Julie Andrews, who was disliked by Harrison, had not yet appeared on screen as Mary Poppins or as Maria in The Sound Of Music; the former won Andrews her Oscar and the latter was an enormous financial success. Hepburn had recorded the songs for the film, but her voice was deemed not polished enough to execute the songs as Andrews had, and Marni Nixon was hired to do the vocals. That may have cost Hepburn an Oscar nomination.
MrImiller07 Dear Mrlmiller07: Your comment about Harrison disliking Julie Andrews came as an interesting bit of info to me. It was my understanding that Jack Warner was too insecure to take a chance on fresh talent (read: not under contract to Warner Bros. - consider Vanessa Redgrave's casting in 1967's "Camelot," and her often lovely/sometimes off-key vocals but smashingly great dramatic performance of Gunievere(sp?). His comment?: "Who would believe the Knights of the Round Table would go to war against each other over Julie Andrews?" This was reportedly akin to his attitude in 1963 with "My Fair Lady," when he deemed Julie Andrews as "unphotographic"(!!!). Interesting to consider that BOTH sad reasons may have been equally true, huh? Likewise, Ethel Merman was destroyed when he chose Warner Bros. contract actress Roz Russell in 1961 to play Mama Rose in "Gypsy." Excellent though Ms. Russell was (and the recipient of a Golden Globe for a her performance), Lisa Kirk, a beautiful actress and singer whom is probably best known for her screamingly funny "diva" turn in 1967 as "Madame Marushka" on TV's "Bewitched," provided 98% percent of Ms. Russell's vocals in a lusty but powerfully smooth singing voice. No wonder Bette Davis donned her armour and went to war with this pig-headed, penny-wise and pound-foolish studio mogul. After what he did to poor Judy Garland and the original musical version of "A Star Is Born" (thankfully restored as much as it can be up to this time---maybe one day a pristine (and illegally purloined!) print will surface. The cuts he rendered that classic film in the name of greed were what denied Garland her Oscar (over the wooden Grace Kelly, yet, including three other far more talented and deserving actresses nominated for Best Actress in 1955: Dorothy Dandridge, Audrey Hepburn, and Jane Wyman). Ah, what the hey...in the words of the great Judy Holiday as Billie Dawn in 1950's "Born Yesterday," directed towards her bull moose of a sugar daddy: "You're just not COUTH!!!" Such "sentiment" could well be directed toward the memory of Mr. Warner...
One cannot compare these two actresses. Both were very talented however, Audrey was in a league of her own when it came to charm, poise & elegance . Nobody but nobody could have succeeded in portraying Eliza as well as Audrey did.
Tell that to Lerner, Loewe and Moss Hart who cast Julie Andrews in the Play. At the time MFL broke every broadway record. My Fair Lady is a Musical. There is no comparison period. Audrey did act the role very well, but she is not a singer. Even Marni Nixon's voice is not well dubbed, and Marni Nixon has a great voice!
@@kathryngreen504 agreed that Audrey is no singer but Andrews doesn’t have the class and that ‘Je ne sais quoie ‘ which was needed for the screeen version. The latter is a stage actress.
Audrey Hepburn was pure class. After all of the trouble over her being in My Fair Lady and no Oscar nomination, she was willing to fly in from Europe to present this award to whomever won it.
A real gem.
And I'm *SO* glad that Audrey was in the spotlight here for over 3 minutes, despite not even being nominated for her nonpareil performance!!!!!
Just listen to the rapturous applause she receives when she walks to the podium - one would think she *HAD* just won Best Actress herself!!
That really is what Rex Harrison was trying to convey to the whole world by having Audrey alongside him throughout his Acceptance speech - the fact that she was AS ENTITLED to an Oscar as he was.
Yup, her graciousness flying in from Europe definitely paid off perfectly. :) :)
They made sure to show Julie Andrews applauding for Audrey. TWO fair ladies, most certainly, and Rex honored both..
Gehan Cooray you are so absolutely right! 👍
Pie CatLady you are so absolutely right!👍
I've also seen her in Sabrina and Roman Holiday.
O my God! Richard Burton, Peter O'Tool, Anthony Quinn, Peter Selers....what a company!!
Yet over-rated, can't act, just "talk-sung"...aka can't sing or carry a tune to save his life...his way through this with more shouting than anything yet won over an incredibly versatile actor like Cary Grant who could do it all, romance, heartbreak/sadness, drama, suspense, thriller, and comedy with utter ease yet never won any Academy Award...should've won easily at least 2 if not more, especially if the likes of Harrison, Wayne, Bogart, Stewart, Cooper, Crosby, and Sinatra who all played themselves and/or couldn't act for shit somehow won Oscars or multiples!!! It's mind-boggling!!! 🤯 Same for O'Toole who was royally screwed, especially for Lawrence of Arabia and others. It seems like the truly best actors never got an Oscar.
Peter Sellars performing multiple roles in Dr Strangelove would have had my vote.
Do not call God's name in vain. Admirable is the name of God.
They also should have nominated dick van dyke for Mary Poppins!
I have never seen an actor so in love with a co-star. He kissed her 5 times and held her like that was the last time he would hold someone he loved. Can't blame him though, she was an amazing lady, as beautiful as she was kind and generous.
Very true... you can see the adoration both had for each other and I can imagine they must have had the BEST time making that movie...
No one in Hollywood today is 1/1000th as kind and generous as Audrey and Rex Harrison were. Rex was literally THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN here - sharing his victory with his co-star in public, while Audrey remained the Perfect Lady.
The vast majority of contemporary 'stars' are as egocentric as they are devoid of class and true talent.
Whereas Americans USED to admire actors and actresses who were real ladies and gentlemen, they now favour the kind of performer who caters to the lowest common denominator. Ugh!
*****
Are you serious? Rex was a gentleman? Well, maybe that evening, but surely not in his life.
+baxterpoo I'm not sure about inlove, from what I read , Rex Harrison was quite the cat with women, lol, even at his age here, 60 ? , he was quite older than her , but they did have chemistry , I say he should of made his kisses more centered and kissed her that many times and with that passion in the picture
Just a little creepy.
Wow. Real classy of him to mention Julie with the whole, “two fair ladies” line. Real gentlemanly. And all that unbridled affection he was showing Audrey. *swoons*
Audrey Hepburn was luminous.
So lovely:) And I'm happy that Rex said, "Deep, deep love to TWO fair ladies, I think!" :)
Alydia Rackham that was very thoughtful of him.
Was that for Julie?
Just lovely recognizing them both.
Julie Andrews, who was passed over for Audrey Hepburn in the film version, said that when she ran into Audrey someplace, Audrey said to her, "I'm sorry Julie . . . I didn't have the guts to turn them down," which Julie said took a lot of the hurt away. What a genuinely gracious lady Audrey was to say that to her. Regretful that that kind of elegance and sensitivity seems to have gone missing from the Hollywood scene of today.
Audrey wasn't bad but her face just was too unique and regal and beautiful to ever believe she was a bag lady. At least IMO.
I have a huge crush on both of them and they are both very classy ladies. I don't believe that Audrey can be blamed for Julie not getting the role because I think that was two separate decisions made at different times. I believe the second choice was Elizabeth Taylor, which would have been disastrous. besides, Julie then took Mary martin's role in the Sound of Music and nobody complained. That said, i would love to have sen her do both those roles and Camelot, too.
Steven Chappell the Sound of Music is my second favorite musical after My Fair Lady. But I don't have a problem with Julie not being in the movie version of My Fair Lady. *Audrey was an excellent Eliza Doolittle*
And not just from Hollywood!
@@44032 Mary Martin was involved in the casting decision of "The Sound of Music" film and encouraged Julie being cast as Maria, recognizing that Julie had already given a wonderful performance in the original 1957 live TV special of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella".
Harrison in My Fair Lady gives one of greatest performances in all times on screen.And this acceptan speech, with Audrey by his side, with all the genuine friendship they share, is the loveliest moment I've ever seen at Academy Awards.
Fabinho Dantas Flappers it surely is! Thank goodness for TH-cam. (I wasn't born until 1967, so obviously I didn't see the Oscars that year).
Julie - The Sound of Music
Audrey - My Fair Lady
Two of the best musical films ever made
msingl100 we're two peas in a pod! Because we feel exactly the same way about My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music.
@Artur Bello Actually, Julie didn't star in Sound of Music first; Mary Martin did! But Mary was too old to do the movie... Yet Mary WAS approached to do the film of Mary Poppins! That would have been interesting!
Julie sang better in my fair lady stage perform, dont like audrey voice in my fair lady
@@hridoyrahman4553 You didn't hear Audrey singing in "My Fair Lady." She was dubbed by Marni Nixon.
@@akrenwinkle ok..It didn’t go well.I didn't like Merni's voice
One of the best moments ever in Hollywood. Thank you for posting this beautiful video.
I love it so!!!
the joy on her face when she reads the name and the hug!!!
Leia Organa I know! It's a beautiful moment.
Speaking of beautiful things, I love your last name. Organa. I play the organ. It beats the piano to a frazzle! My favorite piece is the hymn tune FOREST GREEN by Rafe Vaughan Williams.
rami gertler
2:51 poor Audrey looks like she's trying not to cry. That whole fair lady controversy is probably causing her grief
That or she was a little hurt that she didn’t get an award for all the hard work she put into making the movie.
@@SuicideboysGrey59 The only good movie she did after this was 'Wait Until Dark'. And she was excellent in it.
If she felt like crying, it was out of happiness for Rex. She wasn't so self-involved that she'd be thinking only of herself in that moment. She is clearly beyond delighted for Rex.
At the end while leaving the stage it seemed like he was holding two Oscars.
That must have felt special for Audrey Hepburn to present the award to Rex Harrison. His speak singing in the movie was amazing especially done live without prerecording his vocals for his songs.
Actors like Rex Harrison only come along once in any one’s lifetime. What a privilege to see My Fair Lady once again.
Thanks for your words!!❤
Agreed well said I love "My fair Lady" and Audrey what a lady gorgeous, gorgeous eyes perfect and of course one of the best actors of all Rex was great RIP legends you were one of a kind the very best!!!
Rex Harrison, also unforgettable in "My fair lady".
Audrey is amazing, considering the fact that she was not even nominated for my fair lady (I still cant believe that btw x), she acts so classy and is truly happy for her partner !!!! Love her
I know exactly what you mean, Anna. The fact that Audrey was not even NOMINATED for "My Fair Lady" is the most unforgivable slight in the entire history of Hollywood. That was the performance of a lifetime, and Sir John Gielgud himself agreed that she was 'much better' (his exact words) than Julie Andrews. Watch any clip of Andrews as Eliza, and you will note how she is either too hammy (playing a caricature of the character), or surprisingly UNLIKEABLE (failing to generate any affection or sympathy for the character, whereas Audrey tugs at our heart-strings from beginning to end).
Audrey actually did 25% of her own singing, performing most of 'Just You Wait' on her own, along with a couple of lines here and there in other songs. Deborah Kerr didn't do *ANY* of her own singing in 'The King and I', and was still nominated. And die-hard Julie Andrews fans shouldn't even get me started on the Cockney accent, because Andrews' accent wasn't ANY MORE AUTHENTIC than Audrey's (both actresses have gone on tape saying that it would have been impossible to do a TRULY authentic accent and still be understood by the average viewer).
***** you forgot to mention that Andrews played Eliza on the stage where you have to project and play to the last row. I'm sure she would've toned it down for the film, just like she was able to do with MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. And it's not like Audrey didn't overact, especially during the Cockney scenes and the scene immediatley after the ball.
musicaltheatergeek79 I was referring SPECIFICALLY to the sequences that Julie filmed as Eliza for THE SCREEN/TV (in the 1950s and then again in the 1970s). Admittedly, TV acting was not required to be quite as naturalistic as Film acting back then, but her screen performances of the "Just You Wait" and "Show Me" sequences make it seem like Eliza suffers from HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER. She is exceedingly more natural and believable in her screen performances of "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?", but there again, I don't think she's quite as likeable as Audrey is (compare Audrey's facial expressions with Julie's facial expressions in the same number; Julie shot it for TV at least twice, first for the Ed Sullivan Show in the '50s, and then for the Julie Andrews Show in the '70s).
You can't determine whether she would have toned it down for the big screen based on her performances as Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp, because Julie never PLAYED those roles onstage - she learned them STRICTLY for film, whereas she had played Eliza on Broadway and in the West End for nearly half a decade. Even after making a number of films in the '60s, she didn't "tone down" her Eliza for TV in the 1970s (except in 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly', although her "Oh!"s there were excruciatingly stagey). This suggests to me that she was somehow unwilling to relinquish the manner in which she had portrayed the role on stage all those years (and I understand that, being an actor/singer myself). Granted, again, TV performances weren't expected to be too different from theatrical/stage performances at the time, but the sense I get is that Julie had acquired a VERY DISTINCT concept of how Eliza should be played after her marathon Broadway and West End runs.
The reason she is so effective onscreen in MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, is because her work there was 100% *FRESH*. Mary Poppins did not exist as an acting role until she was hired to do the film, and she admitted in the '90s that she never *DREAMED* of playing Maria von Trapp herself one day when she watched Mary Martin do it on Broadway. Hence, those performances are as fresh as I think Audrey's Eliza is, whereas Julie's Eliza come across as OVER-RIPE on screen!!
I can see how some people might charge Audrey with "overacting" in the Cockney scenes and Post-Ball scene, if they compare her performance with Wendy Hiller's more subdued performance in the late '30s film adaptation of PYGMALION for instance, but I've personally always thought Audrey was COMPLETELY "in the moment" when filming those scenes, and IMMERSED in the mindset of Eliza in a very EMOTIONALLY AUTHENTIC way. Yes, she makes much *BOLDER* - and as I see it, much more *VITAL* - acting choices than Wendy Hiller did in the 1937 film (which hearkens back to a more 'mannered' style of acting), but I don't think she comes across as over-rehearsed and OVERWROUGHT as Julie Andrews does in most of her Eliza sequences.
Another TH-cam viewer once made reference to how "masculine" Julie's Eliza was in her TV performance of 'Show Me', and I think that's a very accurate statement. This 'masculinity' wasn't apparent at all on the 1956 Original Broadway Cast Album of MY FAIR LADY, but you could hear the difference by the time they made the 1959 London Cast Album. Audrey's Eliza by contrast is always very, very feminine - the perfect Galatea or even Venus to Rex Harrison's Pygmalion, whereas Julie's Eliza often reads more like a slightly unbalanced Amazon.
This is not to undermine Julie Andrews as an actress or a singer in any way, because I've been a lifelong fan of hers (just like Audrey's), and would probably melt before her if I ever met her - but I firmly believe that the decision to cast Audrey as Eliza in the film was 1000% correct. My favourite Julie Andrews role onscreen is actually neither 'Poppins' nor SOM (neither of which showcased her versatility as an actress or a singer), but STAR! - they couldn't have devised a better vehicle for her at the time, and it's such a crying shame that most people have never been able to understand/appreciate that film. My favourite STAGE roles played by Julie are Polly in 'The Boyfriend', and Queen Guinevere - the coloratura singing that she was capable of back when she played Polly continues to be positively SPINE-CHILLING, while Guinevere of course fit her like a glove!!
Am I a bigger fan of Audrey's than Julie's? It's hard to answer that fairly because they're apples and oranges, but just as much as STAR! is my favourite Julie Andrews fan, MY FAIR LADY will always be my favourite Audrey Hepburn film - I don't think anyone else could have *LIT UP THE SCREEN* like she did as Eliza, and I think it was her most impressive acting work ever (speaking both dramatically and comedically - yes, that's a word! lol)
***** Thanks for taking the time to write all that, but I think we're gonna have to agree to disagree.
musicaltheatergeek79 Oh, you don't have to thank me. I didn't write all that with the intention of changing your mind, but rather for the benefit of others reading this, so they see exactly where I'm coming from. We definitely don't see eye to eye. lol
Audrey hepburn was the charm and beauty.
It's high time the Julie Andrews team stopped sourgraping. One of the primary reasons they didn't cast Julie is she wasn't pretty enough. Should never would have stood out at the Embassy Ball. She may have been great onstage but film is a different medium. Julie was destined to be a pretty governess on film, but not a belle of the ball. My Fair Lady won Best Picture. A lot of the acclaim it received was because of Hepburn. She played the title role.
honest. Film and theatrer are different media with different requirements. how many film versions of musicals have musical broadway stars lost bc the camera was not in love with them? too many to count.
@@amylumet8365 I didn’t feel like watching Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen at least
I suppose people felt that Audrey was far too regal and had the looks for it rather than hv plain Julie on screen!!!
The classiest lady, wherever she was. Beautiful Audrey.
I can't help wondering what Julie Andrews would have done with the part, had she been cast. However, no one can deny how brilliant Audrey was in the part. She deserved a nomination.
Are you kidding? JA originated Eliza on Broadway
@@manuelorozco7760 So what? You can never compere them. Audrey was a clasier lady and she DID sing every song on the film She also took singing lessons It was Warner's decision, not to use her voice.
Mabel Martín Wait what?
@@manuelorozco7760 if you're confused about the voice part, Audrey didn't sing in the movie, she had the intention to do it but Warner decided to dub her with Marni Nixon's voice.
About the rest of the comment, idk what they mean.
Ce G I knew about Marni Nixon yes
The kisses were so cute heheh, and Audrey is gorgeous.
Audrey was THE fair lady. :)
Prince YES!!! OH MY GOSH
Gehan Cooray that's what I tell the people who are pissed at Warner Brothers for choosing Audrey over Julie.
And she dressed as The Lady..not like the barely dressed "stars" of the present.
Such genuine affection!
Just returned from seeing My Fair Lady in theaters tonight - so glorious up there on the big screen. Watching this sweet moment between the co-stars is a great way to end the evening.
One of oscar biggest crime is that they don't nominate Audrey for her role in my fair lady. I love Julie Andrews but c'mon😑😑😑
Julie and Audrey have always been my favorite actors, ever since I was little and saw them in Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Roman Holiday, and Sabrina. The fact they were both so classy throughout all this controversy makes me love them even more. Props to Rex Harrison as well for his fantastic performance and his singling out both of them here ❤️
Amanda Seymour I fervently agree with everything you said.
ou
I'm literally so in love with her
wow am getting emotional after near 60 of this video release RIP to all of them
It was amazing how he never let go of Audrey during the entire speech, his way of saying that they are sharing the award, since she had been snubbed. She looked so emotional. I think she probably felt hurt, not for a missed nomination but because she felt that her peers in the industry thought she should not have taken the role; it was cathartic. I loved the cuts to Julie in the audience. How was SHE feeling, seeing them so united, when she had performed the role with Rex hundreds of times...?
Yes because 2 or 3 actors turned down Rex's role then they finally offered it to Rex Harrison. So if the actresses offered including Audrey turned it down they most probably offered it to Julie in the end.
Julie Andrews! Class, poise to the letter . She took it like a trouper, sitting there most regally even though the hurt and disappointment were written all over her. She should never have been replaced. Observe get most winning smile at the very end of Harrison's acceptance speech .Two major regrets:-
Julie Andrews' losing out of the role of Eliza Doolittle, and Burt Lancaster's turning down "Ben Hur".
Audrey had no reason to feel snubbed. If anyone was snubbed, it was Julie, who should have had the part of Eliza in the first place. Julie created the role on Broadway and should have been in the film. Audrey didn’t even sing the role herself-it was dubbed. She didn’t deserve an Academy Award for looking beautiful in Cecil Beaton’s costumes.
@@sandee3073 , I don’t see any reason to insult Audrey Hepburn’s performance by saying she simply looked good in the costumes. I too think that Julie Andrews should have played Eliza but Hepburn acted the hell out of that role, and the award is for acting, not singing. Deborah Kerr very deservedly got nominated for The King and I, and she too was dubbed by Marni Nixon.
@@3sha214 Julie was the first option but she refused to do the casting. Second option was Audrey and third Liz Taylor. Audrey turned down in favor of Julie but after Liz was chosen, Audrey accepted the role again
I think Audry Hepburn's performance in My Fair Laday was amazing and superb. I'm surprised she was not nominated for the Oscar
It's so sweet that he keeps her up there with him rather than wanting the moment all to himself, which would have been understandable. Very generous.
Also when he said he wished he could split the award in half and looks at Audrey!
You could tell Audrey was excited for Rex winning his Oscar.
My Fair Lady is one of my top 10 favorite movies. I think it's one of the most perfect movies ever made.
It's kind of odd to see Rex kissing Audrey and saying that he was happy to work with her, because he was mad that she got the part of Eliza and not Julie Andrews. However, he did later on say that Audrey was his favorite leading lady to work with. :)
OMG that was so cute. He kept her by his side, and said it should be split in half. She wasn't even nominated and that was so unfair. Her performance is marvellous.
I believe that when Julie won for Mary Poppins that same year, in her acceptance speech she thanked Jack Warner for NOT casting her in My Fair Lady!
Audrey Hepburn is such a true, classy lady. She's so humble and so genuinely happy for Rex, and I love how much love he gives her in this clip, even going so far as to say he should split the award in half. Whether Audrey would have won Best Actress for My Fair Lady or not, I can't say, but I feel she deserved a nomination despite the fact that the majority of her singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon. Action stars aren't denied nominations when stunt doubles perform the difficult or dangerous scenes for them, so why should Audrey's talent not be recognized simply because all of her singing wasn't used? Besides, Deborah Kerr earned a Best Actress nomination for her performance in The King and I even though Marni Nixon dubbed her, as well.
Audrey prepared extensively for the role, sang every song, and didn't know how much she was going to be dubbed; the dubbing was done later. She learned Cockney all on her own and adopted such a strong and genuine accent that she was asked to tone it down for the film because true Cockney is so difficult to understand. Above all, she gave 110% to her performance, epitomized grace, talent, and beauty, and was absolutely spectacular, and she's got the Oscar in my book :)
I too believe she deserved a nomination for her role, her acting was so great in the movie. However, I read that the reason she didn't get it was because Hollywood was kind of mad because Warner overlooked Julie Andrews for the role she originated on Broadway simply because she wasn't a big name in movies, even tho they went for Rex Harrison who also originated his role in Broadway. So it's really Jack Warner's fault.
+gigi vitelli That's right, I do remember hearing that as well. Although I agree it was rude not to offer the part to Julie Andrews, had she taken it, she wouldn't have been available for Mary Poppins, and I personally prefer Julie's Mary to her Eliza. Aside from that, none of the casting decisions were Audrey's fault, so I wish Hollywood hadn't taken their anger at Jack Warner out on her.
+Gabriella Saab yes I totally agree :)
+Gabriella Saab Who's to say Audrey Hepburn wasn't the better choice over Julie Andrews for the role , I think she was , Andrews at the time was a Broadway star, I think she was just as pretty and maybe with those blue eyes, prettier than Audrey Hepburn, but I'm not sure this role would of been her forte on screen , if she would of projected the right feeling and chemistry with Rex Harrison, which is essential, for the movie . Idk, for example she was glorious in Sound of Music and she definitely would of been better than Hepburn in that role, it was her coup d'tat and they might have been both great and interchangeable in Breakfast at Tiffany's or Mary Poppins, she eventually became a movie star in her own right ,they were both great stars and each had their niche
The unfortunate results is there's virtually nothing far as visual recording from Rex Harrison and Dame Julia "Julie" Elizabeth Andrews version of " Eliza Doolittle as My Fair Lady "...
i wonder if the academy asked her to present the award because they knew harrison had won
Nope its cause Patricia Neal couldn't do it ( previous year's best actress)
I thought the same
More likely because she was not nominated for best actress and image what if they had asked miss Audrey to present the best actress award to Julie Andrews, the original, and one and only Elisa Doolittle. It would have been great if Julie Andrews was hired to dub Audrey for the great songs of my fair lady.
Yes, that happens a lot of times
@@filipchung2121 no!!!!! That’s a horrible idea.. cringey and awkward. As an actress you’d NOT want to give awards to someone playing something you played wonderfully well.. Audrey’s MFL is still my favorite.. my first and only choice film.
Rex Harrison's homage to both Julie and Audrey stands as the hallmark of a true gentleman. And kudos to that earth angel, Ms. Audrey Hepburn. She conducted herself with the radiance and poise of a queen throughout what must have been, understandably, a most stressful evening for her, given Hollywood's and the Fourth Estate's smirking poking, jabbing, and bad-mouthing of her playing Eliza Doolittle, which she was committed to do by Warner Bros. as one of their great actress and star contract employees. It was "Jackass" Warner who should have been put through the Hollywood gossip and media shredder.
+Jane hudson AMEN! I completely blame "Jackass' Warner for the whole thing. He was more worried about getting his $$ back on his investment and less about the people involved. Audrey's class here is amazing. Most would have just boycotted the whole event, but she showed up for her peers and supported them.
Who's better Julie Andrews or Audrey Hepburn?
Equally lovely but with some little differences.
Agree....if Julie had done Poppins a year earlier and established herself in a movie Warner may have picked her. Too bad Mary Poppins was not made earlier. What a treasure it would be for all to have Julie on Film forever in My Fair Lady. A tragedy.
Margaret Agreed, but I think the nod has to go to Julie Andrews for originating the role, as well as for doing her own singing in it. Having said that, Audrey Hepburn's performance in the movie was magificent - and I'll bet Julie would agree.
I agree with you: it was also so kind of him to involve Audrey Hepburn in the speech.
Silvia Chuxy you are so absolutely right!
audrey hepburn is simply the most elegant of actresses. she got a lot of negative things said about her in regards to playing ELIZA in the film of MY FAIR LADY. Wasn't nominated for it. For her to come to the Oscars at all that year…just shows her class and style!!!!
i dont mind tbh it worked as a film 4 me and was the first dvd i ever bought ,😣it was stolen sadly
Lmfao shady camera man showing Julie Andrews
Allen Quinn I know that what I was thinking! 😂😂😂😂
I would've expected 1 shot of her because that's standard these days, but they cut to her THREE times. Way to be subtle there.
MediaLover194 subtlety must not be there strong suit...😂😂😂
MediaLover194 subtlety must not be there strong suit...😂😂😂
Allen M. Quinn
Yeeaah !...😈
Morboso!.. Qué esperaba ? Verla con cara de envidia?..o de pena ? 😏😏
I have just watched yesterday the Blu-Ray of My Fair Lady. What an amazing movie this is! Now I go on TH-cam and see this: what a beautiful, incredible moment in Hollywood, what genuine feelings of affection between these two, it melts my heart. I am so happy that the actors I adore actually deserve to be worshipped, for their real bond of respect and love!
Josée Larose I fervently agree with you!
I watched My Fair Lady on TCM last Saturday night. And I agree it was a beautiful film
That's a hell of a list of nominees right there.
Tears...I love "My Fair Lady" and Rex. So deserved.
I have a big problem here folks! :)
as much as i love and respect the truly great actor Rex Harrison, i cant deny i hate him and envy him here for those beautiful kissings of that eternal n everlasting Princess of Cinema, my adorable Audrey! :)
your just jealous 😂
aww i get why she had it 😁
Julie Andrews was sooo freakin Gorgeous!!! Audrey too! I love to watch times like these, How I wish I could go back in time to experience Hollywood's Golden Age :D
09c40719ms11G OKAY SAMEEE
If you ever find/make a time machine tell me! :D I would've loved to meet some of those people, my favorite actors and actresses.
Sometimes I feel that way because of how much I have grown to love that era for the past ten years.
What extraordinary competition during that year: career best performances by Burton, O'Toole, Quinn and Sellers. However, for Harrison, this was the signature role of a lifetime. My wife and I had the priviledge of seeing Harrison on stage in a revival of My Fair Lady in his 70's and the magic was still there. Famously, Warner offered the Higgins role to Cary Grant; he said if you don't cast Harrison I won't work for the Studio ever again. He was purportedly temperamental, but just brilliant.
MrImiller07 Rex Harrison = Professor Henry Higgins forever!
I agree with Grant that he would've stunk up this role. However....Harrison is so over-rated, can't act, just "talk-sung"...aka can't sing or carry a tune to save his life...his way through this with more shouting than anything yet won over an incredibly versatile actor like Cary Grant who could do it all, romance, heartbreak/sadness, drama, suspense, thriller, and comedy with utter ease yet never won any Academy Award...should've won easily at least 2 if not more, especially if the likes of Harrison, Wayne, Bogart, Stewart, Cooper, Crosby, and Sinatra who all played themselves and/or couldn't act for shit somehow won Oscars or multiples!!! It's mind-boggling!!! 🤯
What an amazing cast of nominees. All giants compared to the pygmies we have today.
+jjj1951 They were not that giant back then. Guess what legends Kate Winslet or Meryl Streep will be in 2090! .. And if you are so in love with the 1960s Hollywood .. Julie Andrews was not allowed to hug black Sidney Poitier that evening. By contract! Good old times, indeed. -.-
+MrMcsia That seems rather odd , I know dated racist stuff was still going on in the 60's and even today, but I think I remember Anne Bancroft hugging and kissing Sidney Poitier by then a major movie star, in a gushy way, at the Oscars around the same time , who I saw french kissing kissing a white actress in his film Path of Blue , the uncut version circa 1960 ?, similiary I saw a white actress , practically all over Harry Belafonte in his 1959 ? picture and both actors ,including Sammy Davis were married to very white women (British \Swedish) in the 60's , but yeh alot of stuff both good and bad was going on in the 60's , just like now
jjj1951 Now, now...Meryl Streep is among the top 3 actresses - ever.
Barbara Bach. Not "just like now", Barbara, racism was far worse, more overtly hateful and violent back then. Racism is more subtle today, but equally as damaging.
jjj1951 Pygmies??? What about Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Bates, everyone in Harry Potter? None of those actresses are pygmies.
Audrey was one of the biggest female movie stars in the world at the time. Julie Andrews had never had a movie released, It made complete commercial sense to cast Audrey. Jessica Tandy suffered a similar far when she missed out on screen role in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE.
REX...A GENTLEMAN... AND AUDREY, ...A LADY! A PERFECT MEETING!!! I loved Rex in this film...He was absolut!!!!!!!!!!!
I just love how much he adored her on stage 💞
I think Audrey was a bit teary for not being able to get the awards for herself despite how much effort she spent on this. But I hope that big love from Rex healed it a bit.
And that cameraman on Julie while he was busy kissing Audrey is hilarious.
Julie appeared to be happy again at the end when he mentioned "two fair ladies".
But from the amount of kisses showered on Audrey I think she was his favorite--no offense, Julie, but I really really love the chemistry of these two.
Just watched Agony and Ecstasy. Love his performance.
R.I.P.
It was so lovely. True chemistry between them and such a class.
Those numerous kisses between them look so genuine and wholehearted!
And Audrey Hepburn was not even nominated at that year!
I don't know, but i think the academy should change their voting members.
Thats just beacuse she sucks! But this win was completely unaccapteble, Sellers deserved this up in my ass...
She didn't suck.... And plenty of actors that suck have been nominated AND won.
She sucked and was pathetic and thats it :D
dr strangelove And then you woke up
Wut?
A costar presenting a costar with an award for a movie they both starred in!
Sam Hersch 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
The same thing happened 10 years earlier when William Holden gave Grace Kelly's Oscar for the Country Girl
Manuel pointed out the other instance that this happened with Grace Kelly but can anyone think of other moments?
Rex Harrison merits the Oscar. But, what was missing in this Oscar stage was the Best Actress Audrey Hepburn. Without her, movie My Fair Lady was without it’s magic. Who cares, after all, that the song was dubbed by someone else. Her performance excelled such incident as a minor thing.
Good God! What a lineup of great actors and classic performances by them. Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, Anthony Quinn, Peter Sellers. Becket, My Fair Lady, Zorba the Greek, Dr. Strangelove ... all in the same year. .
It was a time of the highest quality in the performing arts, that's for sure.
Having just re-watched this after maybe.. 20 years, Rex Harrison carries this movie. I'm not trying to take anything away from Audrey, but man.. Rex is so amazingly fun to watch in this movie.
Well, out of the 5 nominated actors: 3 are born in the U.K., 1 born in Mexico, and 1 born in Ireland. I just love British actors/actresses.
Audrey Hepburn was pure elegance..and what a beautiful embrace between two wonderful actors
she's so gorgeous
Rex can't stop kissing her. They were 2 halves of a whole in that movie and he is humble enough to not only admit it, but to make it known!!! God Bless!!!
I feel bad for Audrey that year. After all, she didn’t do anything wrong. She’s an actress who was thrilled to be given a job! I’m glad that Julie won though . Nasty Jack Warner...
I always feel a little bamboozled when I see the comments about Audrey being miscast in My Fair Lady, and how it would have been so much better if Julie Andrews was cast. I like Julie Andrews, she’s magnificent, but Audrey Hepburn was fabulous as Eliza, the role is one of her best performances.
Rex Harrison did amazing job in My Fair Lady.
I fell in love with Rex Harrison when I first saw the movie on Soviet black-and-white TV when I was still in school. . .
Rex Harrison was always good.
shigsho definitely!
Harrison was over-rated, can't act, just "talk-sung"...aka can't sing or carry a tune to save his life...his way through this with more shouting than anything yet won over an incredibly versatile actor like Cary Grant who could do it all, romance, heartbreak/sadness, drama, suspense, thriller, and comedy with utter ease yet never won any Academy Award...should've won easily at least 2 if not more, especially if the likes of Harrison, Wayne, Bogart, Stewart, Cooper, Crosby, and Sinatra who all played themselves and/or couldn't act for shit somehow won Oscars or multiples!!! It's mind-boggling!!! 🤯
Although Audrey did not sing My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews should NOT have gotten an Oscar for her Mary Poppins role. I love both of them, but I don't think Andrews' performance in Mary Poppins was demanding enough to grant her an Oscar. She should have gotten an Oscar for one of her later, more developed roles such as Victor Victoria etc.
2:18 just look at her eyes, she was so exquisite !!
and 2:53 with her butterfly like blinks ! her eyes were so gorgeous.
What I like about these early Oscar presentations, were that they were completely free of any heavy-handed social justice sermonizing or lectures to the public. Or political posturing. It was purely about the movie industry and entertainment.
He thoroughly deserved it. He is amazing in that role.
This was his last great film and he was really even far too old for it but somehow made it work. He INVENTED the difficult art of talk-singing for musical actors who are not really singers - it is his most amazing contribution to My fair Lady. And I don't blame all those kisses, they were farewell kisses to his life as a love interest and a leading man.
Wow! After hearing him speak, I know understand why Seth Macfarlane based Stewie Griffin on him. 😮
that’s a cool little fact I didn’t know until now lol
they got revenge on Audrey Hepburn by not giving her a nomination. meanwhile her performance is the only thing anyone remembers from that year.
1964! What a fantastic year for the movies. all of these productions were classics to live forever. No wonder I played and produced in all of these in college during the following years.
Rex Harrison was a true ladies man, he was just proving it on stage for everyone to see.
Wonderful Oscar moment. Since Patricia Neal 1963 best actress couldn't be there to give the award to Harrison due to her stroke, Audrey always a class act gladly consented to give it to her co star.
dennis walker you are so right!
If Audrey hadn’t of taken the role then Elizabeth Taylor would have done it. So Audrey didn’t “steal” the role from Julie. Leslie Caron was cast as Gigi in 1958 even though Audrey originated the role on Broadway. Leslie’s singing voice was dubbed in Gigi as well. I don’t remember Audrey moaning and groaning about not getting the lead in Gigi. It happens 🤷♀️
I don't think I ever noticed how much Audrey Hepburn and Susan Lucci resemble each other!
How perfect it is when Harrison says, "Deep love to two fair ladies." The moment that Hepburn hands the award to Harrison, considering the fact that Julie Andrews had won the award for MARY POPPINS earlier in the evening, is full of incredible irony. Hepburn comes out looking like such a class act. I LOVE Julie Andrews. However, I also love Audrey Hepburn in MY FAIR LADY. Maybe, in the end, Jack Warner did a good thing for all of us for without Julie Andrews in MARY POPPINS, what might we have had? Now, 1965 goes down in history as the year of TWO great movie musicals.
Star Sky oh my gosh yes.
Star Sky you are so absolutely right regarding both Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn. They were each perfect in their roles.
I must point out that the Best Actor award that year was given out *before* the Best Actress award. During this acceptance speech there was no irony and no certainty that Julie would be the winner, although she was favored to win. Speculation at the time was that she would probably win the next year for THE SOUND OF MUSIC (which had been released during the voting period for these awards) and that the dramatic work by Anne Bancroft or Kim Stanley would therefore take the prize for 1964. Julie herself has often said she thought Bancroft deserved it.
When Hollywood WASN'T. Hollyweird.
Thank you for sharing :) beautiful days they were amazing stars
Audrey hepburn and the lovely smile of Julie andrews ❤️
Happiness in this video Rex deserved the oscar
Ikbelle IB you are so right!
To best o'toole,Burton and sellers in those iconic films is no mean feat,Audrey was a lovely women.
Love Audrey Hepburn, that is class ♥️
Sometimes the least deserving one wins. BTW Rex Harrison was supposed to be a horrible person.
Ok, Julie could reach the high notes. Nevertheless Audrey was a better actress. Her Eliza has so much depth, Julie would have never achieved that.
Utter nonsense. Julie Andrews "achieved that" in every one of her stage performances as Eliza Doolittle over the course of 3-4 years! And yes, singing DOES count.
@@4orrcountry Spot on! I would kill to go back in time and see JA on broadway as Eliza. I did get to see Rex Harrison in MFL on stage at the Pantages in the 80's.
@@kathryngreen504 Dang
Peter was the more brilliant but Rex was the more deserving. Rex worked within the Hollywood system and, although a floating tax exile, always retained a moist, warm and enduring love of the industry that more rarified Brits like Burton and Sellers always disdained as false, perverse and platinum plated. Rex had been hard at work in Hollywood since the 40's and constantly showed his respect and admiration for the Hollywood that Burton, O'Toole, Reed, Harris, et al, all exploited but never acknowledged. It was always a game but Rex knew how to play it...and play it with class and gratitude.
Audrey only took the part after it was definite that Julie was definitely not being given the role. She thought Julie should have the role & only took advantage of it when they were going to start auditioning other actresses. Then she felt she had as much right as anybody, & Julie knew that as well. Of course Julie should have gotten it, but Audrey was wonderful in the role as well ...
Audrey would have been even more wonderful than she was if she actually did sing. No offense to the beautiful singing of Marni Nixon
Manuel Orozco she could sing, she was disallowed from it in this flick
Great admiration for one another What chemistry!!!
According to me it's wonderful that Audrey Hepburn gives this particularly Oscar to Rex Harrison as they acted in this movie together !
Orville Wilbur 👍 You are so absolutely right!👍
Are you telling me that 1965 was the YEAR of Greatest Movies Ever. I think they finally evaluated on monies gained up to a certain date, because the TALENT WAS INCREDIBLE. WHO WANTS TO CHOSE BETWEEN Supercal GORGEOUS JULIE and Super-endearing Flahh gal Audrey?!!!! However maybe this is where it ultimately stands- Julie did her own singing and Audrey was not allowed to. But hey, much to his annoyance, after LOTS of practice, even Chris was not allowed to sing his own Edelweiss... Hmmmhhh. God BLESZ THEM ALL, THEY BROUGHT SUCH JOY INTO THE WORLD!!!!
Love Ms. Hepburn!
I remember reading years ago that Audrey Hepburn was Rex
Harrison’s favourite leading lady.
It's so cute how he just holds her up there with him, and keeps kissing her cheek and saying how she should have the award too. Everyone loves Audrey. And that's JULIE ANDREWS in the crowd. Love her too:)
S F you are so absolutely right.
Too hell with the Oscar. Just kissing Audrey Hepburn would be good enough for me.
I've watched this clip before and just now noticed the "two fair ladies" that Rex gives thanks to. That's class.
Rex Harrison triumphed over a field of truly great movie actors.
When Warner Brothers purchased the screen rights to the stage musical, My Fair Lady, Jack Warner wanted to protect their substantial investment by casting an established box office star. Since a determination was made to cast Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, to recreate his stage role, Warner believed that he needed to balance the casting with Audrey Hepburn, then an Oscar winning, well known actress with many commercial successes. Julie Andrews, who was disliked by Harrison, had not yet appeared on screen as Mary Poppins or as Maria in The Sound Of Music; the former won Andrews her Oscar and the latter was an enormous financial success. Hepburn had recorded the songs for the film, but her voice was deemed not polished enough to execute the songs as Andrews had, and Marni Nixon was hired to do the vocals. That may have cost Hepburn an Oscar nomination.
MrImiller07 Dear Mrlmiller07: Your comment about Harrison disliking Julie Andrews came as an interesting bit of info to me. It was my understanding that Jack Warner was too insecure to take a chance on fresh talent (read: not under contract to Warner Bros. - consider Vanessa Redgrave's casting in 1967's "Camelot," and her often lovely/sometimes off-key vocals but smashingly great dramatic performance of Gunievere(sp?). His comment?: "Who would believe the Knights of the Round Table would go to war against each other over Julie Andrews?" This was reportedly akin to his attitude in 1963 with "My Fair Lady," when he deemed Julie Andrews as "unphotographic"(!!!). Interesting to consider that BOTH sad reasons may have been equally true, huh? Likewise, Ethel Merman was destroyed when he chose Warner Bros. contract actress Roz Russell in 1961 to play Mama Rose in "Gypsy." Excellent though Ms. Russell was (and the recipient of a Golden Globe for a her performance), Lisa Kirk, a beautiful actress and singer whom is probably best known for her screamingly funny "diva" turn in 1967 as "Madame Marushka" on TV's "Bewitched," provided 98% percent of Ms. Russell's vocals in a lusty but powerfully smooth singing voice.
No wonder Bette Davis donned her armour and went to war with this pig-headed, penny-wise and pound-foolish studio mogul. After what he did to poor Judy Garland and the original musical version of "A Star Is Born" (thankfully restored as much as it can be up to this time---maybe one day a pristine (and illegally purloined!) print will surface. The cuts he rendered that classic film in the name of greed were what denied Garland her Oscar (over the wooden Grace Kelly, yet, including three other far more talented and deserving actresses nominated for Best Actress in 1955: Dorothy Dandridge, Audrey Hepburn, and Jane Wyman). Ah, what the hey...in the words of the great Judy Holiday as Billie Dawn in 1950's "Born Yesterday," directed towards her bull moose of a sugar daddy: "You're just not COUTH!!!" Such "sentiment" could well be directed toward the memory of Mr. Warner...
MrImiller07
I'm surprised about the part you said Andrews was disliked by Harrison
Warner didn’t want Harrison either - he thought he wasn’t a big
enough star.
One cannot compare these two actresses. Both were very talented however, Audrey was in a league of her own when it came to charm, poise & elegance . Nobody but nobody could have succeeded in portraying Eliza as well as Audrey did.
Tell that to Lerner, Loewe and Moss Hart who cast Julie Andrews in the Play. At the time MFL broke every broadway record. My Fair Lady is a Musical. There is no comparison period. Audrey did act the role very well, but she is not a singer. Even Marni Nixon's voice is not well dubbed, and Marni Nixon has a great voice!
@@kathryngreen504 agreed that Audrey is no singer but Andrews doesn’t have the class and that ‘Je ne sais quoie ‘ which was needed for the screeen version. The latter is a stage actress.
What a lady. What a gentleman.
According to Anthony Quinn, during Larry King interview, right after the ceremony ended, Rex have his Oscar to Anthony and said" you deserve it"