tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post586745160120032907..comments2024-03-04T01:29:54.082-05:00Comments on Canadian Ken On...: Recasting...THE KING AND I (1956)CanadianKenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240756292929779255noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post-48783866784901351582010-02-05T11:56:52.023-05:002010-02-05T11:56:52.023-05:00Lynne, thanks for taking the time to comment. As I...Lynne, thanks for taking the time to comment. As I indicated in the post,once you picture Maureen O'Hara as Mrs.Anna the image seems so vivid it's hard to dispel. If you like her singing, I believe the CD LOVE LETTERS FROM MAUREEN O'HARA is still available at Amazon. It's full of old standards. She also did a collection of Irish folksongs, although i think that one's out of print now. There are two O'Hara performances I'm especially fond of She's memorable in her Hollywood debut (THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME) - luminous and sensitive. And I love the late career bull's-eye she scored (playing John Candy's hyper-opinionated mother) in ONLY THE LONELY. I'm still puzzled at the Academy's failure to nominate her for a supporting actress Oscar for this particular performance. As far as I'm concerned, that trophy definitely belongs on her mantel.CanadianKenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12240756292929779255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post-57434791470600565472010-02-04T17:13:11.846-05:002010-02-04T17:13:11.846-05:00Ken, I just found your blog.
I had no idea she wa...Ken, I just found your blog.<br /><br />I had no idea she was up for Anna. Deborah Kerr was lovely in it, but Maureen would have been much sparkier in the scenes with the king and they wouldn't have had to pay a singer. Brickbats to Rodgers and Hammerstein for overlooking her. Wouldn't it have been funny if she'd recorded an album of songs from R & H musicals and included songs like "Getting to Know You" and "Hello, Young Lovers." <br /><br />She also sings in "The Quiet Man," one of my favorite movies ever and a St. Paddy's Day staple at our house.Lynne Harterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00009190271245636076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post-34676691506994418492007-03-11T03:30:00.000-04:002007-03-11T03:30:00.000-04:00Most place Kerr's Anna near or at the top of her f...Most place Kerr's Anna near or at the top of her filmography, and she <I>was</I> perfectly cast in terms of the character's temperment, but if ever there was a role Kerr could've done in her sleep, Anna's it, as <I>King</I> has her playing in her "Proper English Lady" mode for approximately the 235th time in her career. She's wonderful with Brynner (especially in the very sexy moment wherein Kerr hesistantly whispers "yes" to Brynner's query they should be physically closer just before they romp around the room, hoops flying, in "Shall We Dance"), but I don't sense the film is offering her many challenges, as opposed to her truly great work in films such as <I>Black Narcissus</I>, <I>The Sundowners</I>, and <I>The Innocents</I>.<BR/><BR/>O'Hara, normally fairly tempestuous on screen, would've been interesting to watch as her Anna alternated between ladylike decorum in the classroom and fiery comportment during her clashes with the King. And I'd have loved to see her sing, too!Vertigo's Psychohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17701774152300870403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post-24707615149015611252007-02-25T16:34:00.000-05:002007-02-25T16:34:00.000-05:00Thanks for the kind words. For years I've imagined...Thanks for the kind words. For years I've imagined what a great Anna Ms O would have made. But it wasn't till I read her book that I found out how close this actually came to happening. Checked out your lovely site. And it's nice to see the lady's online presence so lovingly maintained. Kudos on a job well done.CanadianKenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12240756292929779255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post-66277093253487700852007-02-24T19:12:00.000-05:002007-02-24T19:12:00.000-05:00oGreat comments on Maureen O'Hara as relates to "T...oGreat comments on Maureen O'Hara as relates to "The King and I." I design and publish Ms. O'Hara's official website at http://www.moharamagazine.com<BR/>Back in the early 90's I wrote a letter to the editor of the American Movie Classics Magazine (no longer published) - in answer to their query to readers about Hollywood "Might Have Beens." Since I knew Maureen had actually originally been cast in the lead by Darryl Zanuck, I could hardly wait to send my story. It was published in their magazine, along with a just-for-fun picture with Maureen's face superinposed on a scene picture. The article is on a page I designed<BR/>http://www.users.qwest.net/~aknot/casting.htmJunebug101https://www.blogger.com/profile/11463977527003408904noreply@blogger.com