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Ordinarily, I'm not a fan of musicals and don't enjoy sitting through them. For example, it was a chore for me to make it through Chicago, which won the 2002 Oscar for Best Picture. However, there is one musical that I can watch again and again, and that's My Fair Lady. My Fair Lady, based on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, was originally adapted for the stage by the legendary team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe. After its amazing success on Broadway, Lerner wrote the screenplay for the 1964 Warner Bros. movie directed by George Cukor.

My Fair Lady stars Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins, a brilliant linguist and a "confirmed old bachelor." As the movie opens, Higgins is on his way to India to meet a man named Col. Pickering (played by Wilfrid Hyde-White) to discuss the latest linguistic theories. But Higgins happens to run into Col. Pickering in London, as the Colonel was on his way to see Higgins.

The two men discuss their various theories of language learning, and find that they disagree on a particular point. While Pickering is sympathetic to the plight of the poor and feels that they can't be blamed for the way they talk, Higgins takes the opposite view and says that anyone can be taught to speak well if only they tried hard enough and had the right teacher. In fact, Higgins is willing to wager that he can take a lowly peasant woman and pass her off as a high class lady in just six months. Pickering reluctantly agrees.

A dirty flower seller then catches Higgins' eye, and he realizes that she would be the perfect subject for his undertaking. Her name is Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) and he tells her to report to his home the next day.

When Eliza arrives, Col. Pickering once again voices his objections to the scheme, but Higgins pays him no attention. He is already too caught up in how he's going to transform Eliza and is far too stubborn to call the whole thing off.
The rest of the film deals with the way Higgins teaching Eliza how to be a lady, and the romantic relationship that develops as a result of the six months that they spend together.

My Fair Lady is one of my favorite films of all time. It is a wonderful story that is populated by brilliant actors and terrific songs that perfectly express what is going on in the plot. I can't imagine anyone else playing Henry Higgins; Rex Harrison was simply perfect. He brought just the right amount of irascibility and humanity to the role, and it was fun seeing him transform as much as (or perhaps even more than ) Eliza by the end of the movie.

Much has been written and said about the choice of Audrey Hepburn for the Eliza Doolittle role. Many people felt that Julie Andrews, who played Eliza on Broadway, would have been a far better choice. But I disagree. I thought Hepburn was fantastic here. She was convincing both as the flower girl, and of course as the lady that she turned out to be. Hepburn's stunning beauty really made the ballroom scene work; someone like Julie Andrews would not have had the same impact in that very important scene. That's not a putdown aimed at Andrews' looks, but let's face it: not many women could hold a candle to Audrey Hepburn in her prime!

The supporting actors in this production also turned in memorable performances, especially Hyde-White as Col. Pickering, Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle, and Gladys Cooper as Henry Higgins' mother.

And of course I must mention the songs. Lerner and Lowe really outdid themselves with the score for My Fair Lady. Every single song is inspired, and will stick in your head long after you're finished watching the film. My favorite one of all is "On the Street Where You Live," which was sung by Jeremy Brett in his role as Freddy-Eynsford Hill, one of Eliza's suitors.

If you're looking for a wonderful musical to watch, you can't go wrong with My Fair Lady. Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn make a remarkable couple, and their story is one that you'll never forget. This movie is a keeper, and one that you'll want to purchase for your own collection.