History YMMV / MyFairLady

* AwardSnub: Despite her acclaim in the film, Creator/AudreyHepburn did not get an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actress. In a twist of irony, Creator/JulieAndrews, who played Eliza on stage and was controversially rejected to reprise her role in the film version, won in that category the same year for ''Film/MaryPoppins''. Speculation arose that Hepburn wasn't nominated due to her singing voice being dubbed, and others believe that Andrews won because the Academy sympathized with her not being able to play Eliza. Hepburns' snub looks especially bad since the film was nominated in all the other eligible acting categories, and won eight Oscars, including Picture, Director for Creator/GeorgeCukor, and Actor for Creator/RexHarrison.

** The 2018 revival's ending in which Eliza returns to Henry's residence only to definitively leave. Some found it a perfect update, believing the original ending is dated and sexist, not to mention it was against George Bernard Shaw's original intentions with Pygmalion. Others thought it messed with an ending that still worked, noting that Henry changes for the better in the original and having the two go their separate ways right at the end despite this is a CruelTwistEnding.

** The ending, far moreso than the original Pygmalion's! It basically rewards emotional abuse!

* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: At the very end of "Wouldn't It Be Loverly", the high notes Marni Nixon hits are just heavenly. Or [[JustForPun rather, loverly]].

** While there's some DeliberateValuesDissonance, since it is set in Victorian England, there appears to be a reinforcement of the classist notion that it's a working class person's own fault if they're poor. Eliza bettering her station is only possible because Higgins thought it would be amusing to turn a cockney flower girl into a lady, and her father likewise because a rich man took pity on him.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The film is remembered for the scandal of Julie Andrews being passed over for the role of Eliza in favour of Audrey Hepburn - who was then dubbed by Marni Nixon. This was the film in which the previously secret industry practice of dubbing was exposed, and it's felt that this cost Audrey Hepburn an Oscar nomination for the role.

* WTHCastingAgency:
** While Creator/AudreyHepburn's acting in the film was acclaimed, her casting had remained divisive due to her singing being dubbed, with many saying Eliza should've been played by her original Broadway actress Creator/JulieAndrews. Even Audrey Hepburn herself initially told Jack L Warner to cast Julie Andrews, and later said she wouldn't have accepted the role if she'd known she was going to have 90% of her vocals dubbed.
** The choice of dubbing for Eliza was Marni Nixon who, although an extremely skilled singer, does not match up too well with Audrey Hepburn's vocals. The actress has such a distinctive voice that it becomes [[SingingVoiceDissonance unusually jarring]] in some instances.
** An even more baffling choice was the one to dub Freddie's singing. Jeremy Brett was an accomplished musical theatre performer, but they decided his voice was too mature for Freddie, and had Bill Shirley dub him. Unlike Audrey Hepburn, they have yet to uncover clips of his original voice.

* HollywoodHomely: As per the course with Audrey Hepburn in her heyday. Despite being now considered one of the most beautiful women of the Golden Age, her appearance is constantly dressed down throughout. Although intended to be dirty and unwashed when she first approaches Higgins, Eliza's face is only lightly covered with dirt, and she arguably looks quite good for someone who has to sell flowers in the rain. Even after her makeover, Higgins says she's only attractive if you squint. Granted, Higgins is typically seen as having zero interest in sex or being in denial about his feelings for Eliza.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In the genre of musical theatre, Eliza and Higgins's relationship arguably shows the influence of Anna and the King's in ''Theatre/TheKingAndI''. The idea that a musical could revolve not around a traditional love story, but around a complex, rocky yet mutually life-changing bon between a man and a woman who never become lovers, but who share obvious romantic {{Subtext}}, was put forth in Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein's musical and carried forward into this one. It probably helps that Creator/RexHarrison had played the King in the non-musical 1946 film of ''Anna and the King of Siam'', and was Rodgers and Hammerstein's first choice for the role in the musical too before Creator/YulBrynner was cast.

** When it was first made, Eliza came across as much more unacceptably uncouth to theatre-goers, and therefore just as bad as Henry, whereas it is getting more and more common to see Henry as a misogynistic, snobbish villain who is unfairly putting Eliza down. There is an element of laissez-faire that won't be apparent to today's audience. Modern audiences sympathise with Eliza, since her poverty and upbringing would naturally cause her to be rough in her speech and mannerisms, but older audiences might be less sympathetic. To today's audience, Henry also comes off as arrogant, buying Eliza for an entertaining game. While she just wants to make a fair deal, in order to rise above her station and pay for lessons. Henry implies that Eliza should be grateful, just because he was luckier in life than she was. In one scene, Henry even implies that Eliza is basically one of his belongings. Basically, they are each supposed to be a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but current values don't look favorably on characters like Higgins.

* HollywoodHomely: As per the course with Audrey Hepburn in her heyday. Despite being now considered one of the most beautiful women of the Golden Age, her appearance is constantly dressed down throughout. Although intended to be dirty and unwashed when she first approaches Higgins, Eliza's face is only lightly covered with dirt, and she arguably looks quite good for someone who has to sell flowers in the rain. Even after her makeover, Higgins says she's only attractive if you squint.

* HoYay: Higgins and Pickering have quite a bit, particularly in "A Hymn to Him", where Higgins straight up asks "Why can't a woman be more like a man?". In fact, one of the lyrics is "why can't a woman be like you?".

* MisBlamed: Many critics and commentators have blamed Alan Lerner for changing the ending of Shaw's play to make it seem like Higgins and Eliza might get together. He actually used the exact same ending as the 1938 film version.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: There is speculation, including articles in academic literary and mental health journals, that Henry Higgins has Asperger's Syndrome, symptoms of which include a lack of social awareness, repetitive patterns of behavior and interests (e.g. his study of linguistics), and difficulty with reading others' emotions and expressing empathy.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Most of the additional scenes and story elements in the musical were added to Shaw's play not by Lerner, but by the creators of the 1938 film version of ''Pygmalion'', which introduced the Embassy ball sequence, Higgins teaching Eliza to recite "The Rain in Spain," and the controversial new ending. Many critics at the time gave Lerner credit (or MisBlamed him) for the additions, though this became less common after the original film began appearing on TV and home video.

* WTHCastingAgency: While Creator/AudreyHepburn's acting in the film was acclaimed, her casting had remained divisive due to her singing being dubbed, with many saying Eliza should've been played by her original Broadway actress Creator/JulieAndrews.

* BrokenBase: The war between fans of Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn is one of the hottest in musical theatre.

* FanPreferredCouple: Eliza and Henry, to Shaw's consternation. When the 2018 Broadway revival altered the ending so that they don't get together, many fans were displeased.

* AwardSnub: Despite her acclaim in the film, Audrey Hepburn did not get an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In a twist of irony, Creator/JulieAndrews, who played Eliza on stage and was controversially rejected to reprise her role in the film version, won in that category the same year for ''Film/MaryPoppins''. Speculation arose that Hepburn wasn't nominated due to her singing voice being dubbed, and others believe that Andrews won because the Academy sympathized with her not being able to play Eliza. Hepburns' snub looks especially bad since the film was nominated in all the other eligible acting categories, and won eight Oscars, including Picture, Director for George Cukor, and Actor for Creator/RexHarrison.

* CantUnhearIt: Applies to Creator/RexHarrison as Henry Higgins. He originated the role on Broadway winning a Tony, played it again on film winning an Oscar, and was responsible for the character's famous talk singing. Combine all that with Harrison's memorable voice, and it can be hard to think of Higgins and not Harrison.

* DawsonCasting: The 1964 film had Rex Harrison, who was by that time in his late 50's, playing the 40-year old Henry Higgins, and 35-year-old Audrey Hepburn as the approximately 21-year-old Eliza.

* AwardSnub: Despite her acclaim in the film, Audrey Hepburn did not get an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In a twist of irony, Creator/JulieAndrews, who played Eliza on stage and was controversially rejected to reprise her role in the film version, won in that category the same year for ''Film/MaryPoppins''. Speculation arose that Hepburn wasn't nominated due to her singing voice being dubbed, and others believe that Andrews won because the Academy sympathized with her not being able to play Eliza.

* FanPreferredCouple: Eliza and Henry, to Shaw's consternation.

* CantUnhearIt: Applies to Creator/RexHarrison as Henry Higgins. He originated the role on Broadway winning a Tony, played it again on film winning an Oscar, and was responsible for the character's famous talk singing. Combine all that with Harrison's memorable voice, and it can be hard to not think of Higgins and not Harrison.