Song of the Day: Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner, “Shall We Dance?”

Song of the Day 1 Minute

Lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer and director Oscar Hammerstein II was born on this day in 1895. He’s best known for his work with Richard Rodgers, with whom he wrote musicals such as Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, and The King And I, but also collaborated with Jerome Kern on Show Boat, Vincent Youmans, Sigmund Romberg and others. He co-wrote 850 songs, many of which are standards today. This is the dance scene from the 1956 film adaptation of the 1951 musical The King And I.

Published by John Holton

Internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.

Published

14 thoughts on “Song of the Day: Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner, “Shall We Dance?””

  1. Pingback: The Post-Bastille Day Week That Was – The Sound of One Hand Typing

  2. Hard to believe this is the same guy thats in The Magnificent Seven. I’ve only seen him in a handful of movies.

    Like

      1. Westworld is one I remember the most..he was unstoppable. Yes he was a fine actor.
        I checked to make sure he wasn’t in the Great Escape…he wasn’t.

        Like

  3. I remember the film, but thought it was Julie Andrews who dubbed for Deborah Kerr. I looked her up and Marni Nixon was a ‘ghost singer’ for a lot of stars in musicals I remember like West Side Story and My Fair Lady. Such a shame she didn’t get the credit for her vocals, which reminds me of the story for Singing in The Rain.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. She’s getting the attention she deserves now, a bit belatedly. It’s also interesting to hear the actual star singing that got dubbed over. Audrey Hepburn actually had a pretty good voice…

      Liked by 2 people

  4. Love this musical and this scene even if it is Marni Nixon singing. I think it is her. My rugged dad, the lumberman, loved this musical and, I think, it was his favourite film. He loved the introduction of the children.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen the whole movie, though I have seen the introduction of the children scene.

      They did a revival of “The King and I” in Chicago not long before Yul Brynner died. One night, I was called into work, and had to walk across the Loop to get to my office. At the corner of Adams and Wells, what appeared to be a London taxi was rounding the corner, carrying none other than Yul himself. I was so shocked that I waved at him, and I swear, he waved back…

      Liked by 1 person

    1. He really changed musicals, which had been light entertainment up to then. His were actual stories, complete with plot, characters, conflict and resolution, etc. Really a remarkable librettist and lyricist.

      Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.