Page Thirteen
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 REMEMBRANCES & RECOLLECTIONS[ flashbacks / backdrafts ]

I'LL NEVER FORGET THE SPECIAL MAGIC OF FILMING " THE KING AND I " 

"The King and I" is my most unforgettable film. It marked the pinnacle of my career. There was something special about the story - a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical - and about working with people like Yul Brynner and the others in the cast. And the two dozen children in the film made things particularly enjoyable. The whole cast and crew were like a very close-knit family. It was the biggest of the films I've made and it made the biggest demand on me as an actress. One of the toughest demands was that I sing - something I had previously confined to the bathtub. I took lessons for six weeks but still I was only able to sing the low notes. The voice of singer Marni Nixon was dubbed in for the high notes. It was the first case in film history of 50-50 singing. And there were great physical demands. I lost 15 lbs. moving around in those heavy costumes. For the "Shall We Dance" number I had to move gracefully in a 48-pound hoop skirt that consisted of 60 yards of material. Oddly enough it was also the film in which I had the most accidents. The day before shooting started I burned off my eyelashes and the front of my hair while babacuing, and I was forced to wear a wig during the filming. I hurt my knees several times and I must have tripped over or crashed into every piece of scenery at least once. But all of the mishaps and demands are not the main reasons why I remember the "KING AND I" so fondly. I think every performer will admit that sometimes there is some undefinable magic that makes filming a particular movie memorable. It's an unknown chemistry that is part of the attraction of show business. I loved making the film and I love watching it. As the memory of other films I've done fades, the joys and frustrations of making "THE KING AND I" remain very much alive. It's like my very own family album. I should like to tell you about "HEAVEN KNOWS, MR. ALLISON" and the "SUNDOWNERS," but this page would need more time and space of which I'm not allowed . . .

With all good wishes,

----- Deborah Kerr