History Trivia / TheKingAndI

** Famously with Marni Nixon dubbing Creator/DeborahKerr. Unlike in ''Film/MyFairLady'' and ''Film/WestSideStory1961'', the latter was aware from the start that she would be dubbed and they worked carefully together to intertwine their voicals.

** Creator/MaureenOHara was nearly cast as Anna, and she sent sample recordings of her singing voice (which would not need to be dubbed). Although Darryl Zanuck loved it, Richard Rogers said "no pirate queen is going to play my Anna." Brynner personally recommended Creator/DeborahKerr for the role afterwards.

* UnderageCasting: Mongkut was fifty-eight when Anna arrived in Siam and lived to be sixty-three. Yul Brynner was thirty-six while Martin Vidnovic on the other hand was fifty-one. Later inverted when he resumed the role on Broadway in his 60s.

* RoleReprise: A reversal of sorts: Martin Vidnovic, who voiced the King, would later reprise his role on stage in a touring production with Creator/SandyDuncan as Anna.

* BannedInChina: No matter how the filmmakers rework the story, it always ends up getting banned in Thailand, where there are very strict laws about lese-majeste (basically, insulting the monarch). It wasn't so long ago that the Thai King was revered as a god, and he still has a very special status. Even an affectionate parody of any member of the Thai Royal Family can land you in jail. Anna Leonowens' story and all its adaptations portray King Mongkut as an intelligent but unsophisticated barbarian who is trying to become civilized. The fundamental problem that modern directors seem to miss is that however respectfully the King is portrayed, the basic story still requires that Thailand be a backwards country in dire need of being civilized by Westerners — Mongkut had already put the country on the fast track to modernization long before Anna got there — and ultimately that their King is wrong, which is not only disrespectful but illegal.

* DiedDuringProduction: Gertrude Lawrence died during the Broadway run, meaning she couldn't reprise her role in the film version.

* BannedInChina: Not surprisingly, the films are rather disliked in UsefulNotes/{{Thailand}}. What's worse is that no matter how the filmmakers rework the story, it ''always'' ends up getting banned in that country. A key part of the problem is that there are '''very''' strict laws about ''lese-majeste'' (basically, insulting the monarch) in Thailand; it wasn't so long ago that the king was literally revered as a god, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2orcn5tw3m8 he still has a very special status]]. King Mongkut is viewed by today's Thai people with the respect that Americans would have for, say, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln -- Mongkut's great-grandson King Bhumibol, who reigned for over 70 years until his death October 13, 2016, is [[http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/14/asia/thailand-king-privy-council-crown-prince/index.html greatly beloved in Thailand]] -- but unlike the many satirical portrayals of Lincoln, you do that in Thailand to ''any'' member of the royal family -- even affectionate parody -- and you'll go to jail. (There certainly are accepted cartoons, often showing [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ea/c4/1c/eac41ca441ff13155c3f958fa8b769ce.jpg shutterbug Bhumibol with his camera]] and/or with the [[http://image.shutterstock.com/z/stock-vector-hm-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-of-thailand-cartoon-vector-362283296.jpg stray mutt he adopted]] and [[http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-the-king-s-companions-2265373 wrote a book about]]. There was [[http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/10/17/khun-tito-story-king-bhumibols-one-and-only-royal-cat a royal kitty cat]], too.) Anna Leonowens' story and all its adaptations portray him as an intelligent but unsophisticated barbarian who is trying to ''become'' civilized. To the Thai people, ''The King and I'' is the equivalent of King Louie in ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967''. The fundamental problem that modern directors seem to miss is that no matter how respectfully the King is portrayed, the basic story still requires that Thailand be a backwards country in dire need of being civilized by Westerners -- Mongkut had already put the country on the fast track to modernization long before Anna got there -- and ultimately that their King is ''wrong'', which is not only disrespectful but illegal.
--> "Brynner's portrayal of a progressive monarch was felt to be scandalously disrespectful, not only trampling on national history but trashing deep-seated practices of deference and cultivated restraint. To see the fourth king of the Chakri dynasty turned into a tragic buffoon, with his legacy awarded to a superior Englishwoman, was intolerable, and the movie was denied a license: it could not be screened. The artistic team behind ''The King and I'' had liberal sympathies, yet if one tries to watch the musical with Thai eyes it becomes an act of colonization -- an invasion that seizes not land or material products but a people's sense of their past. - Alfred Habegger, ''Masked: The Life of Anna Leonowens''.
** Bhumibol hated the law making the king infallible -- because it implies the King isn't human. However Thailand today is run by a military dictatorship and the King is a mostly powerless role-model figurehead, like Princess Diana. Like her, Bhumibol liked to be RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2orcn5tw3m8 setting a legacy of personal connection and involvement]]. But his speech asking his subjects to ''please criticize him'' was smoothed over as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment. The junta reinforced existing lese-majeste laws so they can put more people in jail.

* CreatorBacklash: Some of the animated film's voice cast, most notably Martin Vidnovic who played the King, have since expressed dissatisfaction with the film.

* CutSong: Several songs were cut during rehearsals and tryouts, including "Waiting," a song where Anna confronts the King about his broken promise to give her a house; "Who Would Refuse (A Man Like Him)?" sung by the Kralahome about his respect for the King, and "Now You Leave," Lady Thiang's musical TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Anna, which was replaced out of town by the gentler "Something Wonderful."

* BoxOfficeBomb: While the 1999 version had a $25 million budget, its original theatrical run grossed $11,993,021 worldwide.
* CreatorKiller: For the 1999 version, the 3-strike combination of overwhelmingly bad reviews, poor box office receipts, ''and'' the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization barring any further animated adaptations of their work effectively ended any chance of Creator/RichardRich being able to make a name out of being a master animator, and possibly vindicated Disney's decision to fire him 14 years earlier in the wake of ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron''. It and ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'' also locked the career of writer David Seidler away from movie theaters until 2010. Both films are major parts of the string that led to the closure of Warner Animation until The New 10's and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation effectively supplanting Warner Bros. as the traditional ArchEnemy to Creator/{{Disney}} as far as animation goes.
* DisownedAdaptation: The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization did not like the end result of the animated film much to the point where they ended up banning the creation of any more animated movies based off the duo's works.

* FranchiseKiller: The animated adaptation turned into this for any more animated Rodgers and Hammerstein projects when the R&H Organization was disgusted with the Disneyfication of their work and put the kibosh on the animation ideas.
* NoAdaptationsAllowed: The failure of the AnimatedAdaptation caused Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein to turn down any further plans to adapt their musicals into animated films.

* OldShame: Some of the animated film's voice cast, most notably Martin Vidnovic who played the King, have since expressed dissatisfaction with the film.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Had the 1999 film not flopped, an animated version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' would have been the follow-up project.

** Famously with Marni Nixon dubbing Deborah Kerr. Unlike in ''Film/MyFairLady'' and ''Film/WestSideStory1961'', the latter was aware from the start that she would be dubbed and they worked carefully together to intertwine their voicals.

* AccidentallyCorrectWriting: Given the incredible liberties this movie takes with its source material, the tiny details it ''does'' get right are perhaps best explained as this. For example, there [[https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/khun-tito-story-king-bhumibols-one-and-only-royal-cat/ really was]] a pet cat in the King's palace.
** Chulalongkorn being a martial artist and constantly practicing in his spare time isn't just [[AllAsiansKnowMartialArts racist stereotyping]], the real Chulalongkorn was an avid Thai boxer and was one of the major forces behind adapting [[UsefulNotes/MuayThai Muay Thai]] as Thailand's national sport. The 1946 version refers to this when he and Louis get into an argument and he tells Louis that because his head and shoulders cannot be touched, stick fighting would be the only way: he's apparently referring to a type of ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AmdeJtoMR4 krabi krabong]]'', which he rightly describes as "a matter that takes much skill. I would have beaten him badly."
** In the 1999 version, Tuptim's lover Lun Tha is AdaptedOut, she becomes Chulalongkorn's love interest instead, and the two of them get a HappilyEverAfter ending in place of the original Tuptim and Lun Tha's tragic fate. This was obviously done to make the movie more family-friendly. However, [[https://web.archive.org/web/20200809215807/https://www.ilab.org/articles/king-and-lie according to Mongkut's great-granddaughter Princess Vudhichalerm Vudhijaya]], Anna Leonowens' story of Tuptim's forbidden romance and death was total fiction; there really was a Tuptim, but she outlived Mongkut ''and became one of Chulalongkorn's wives'' and the grandmother of [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/432627107926682664/ Princess Vudhichalerm herself]]. So in this detail, the animated version is more accurate than the original!
* BannedInChina: Not surprisingly, the film (both the animated and live-action versions) is rather disliked in UsefulNotes/{{Thailand}}. What's worse is that no matter how the filmmakers rework the story, it ''always'' ends up getting banned in that country. A key part of the problem is that there are '''very''' strict laws about ''lese-majeste'' (basically, insulting the monarch) in Thailand; it wasn't so long ago that the king was literally revered as a god, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2orcn5tw3m8 he still has a very special status]]. King Mongkut is viewed by today's Thai people with the respect that Americans would have for, say, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln -- Mongkut's great-grandson King Bhumibol, who reigned for over 70 years until his death October 13, 2016, is [[http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/14/asia/thailand-king-privy-council-crown-prince/index.html greatly beloved in Thailand]] -- but unlike the many satirical portrayals of Lincoln, you do that in Thailand to ''any'' member of the royal family -- even affectionate parody -- and you'll go to jail. (There certainly are accepted cartoons, often showing [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ea/c4/1c/eac41ca441ff13155c3f958fa8b769ce.jpg shutterbug Bhumibol with his camera]] and/or with the [[http://image.shutterstock.com/z/stock-vector-hm-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-of-thailand-cartoon-vector-362283296.jpg stray mutt he adopted]] and [[http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-the-king-s-companions-2265373 wrote a book about]]. There was [[http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/10/17/khun-tito-story-king-bhumibols-one-and-only-royal-cat a royal kitty cat]], too.) Anna Leonowens' story and all its adaptations portray him as an intelligent but unsophisticated barbarian who is trying to ''become'' civilized. To the Thai people, ''The King and I'' is the equivalent of King Louie in ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967''. The fundamental problem that modern directors seem to miss is that no matter how respectfully the King is portrayed, the basic story still requires that Thailand be a backwards country in dire need of being civilized by Westerners -- Mongkut had already put the country on the fast track to modernization long before Anna got there -- and ultimately that their King is ''wrong'', which is not only disrespectful but illegal.

* {{Blooper}}: During the climax, in several frames Kralahome can clearly be seen wearing his usual red shirt and black pants instead of the formal tuxedo he wears through the entire final act.
* BoxOfficeBomb: While the 1999 version had a $25 million budget, its original theatrical run grossed $11,993,021 worldwide.
* CreatorKiller: For the 1999 version, the 3-strike combination of overwhelmingly bad reviews, poor box office receipts, ''and'' the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization barring any further animated adaptations of their work effectively ended any chance of Creator/RichardRich being able to make a name out of being a master animator, and possibly vindicated Disney's decision to fire him 14 years earlier in the wake of ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron''. It and ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'' also locked the career of writer David Seidler away from movie theaters until 2010. Both films are major parts of the string that led to the closure of Warner Animation until The New 10's and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation effectively supplanting Warner Bros. as the traditional ArchEnemy to Creator/{{Disney}} as far as animation goes.
* CutSong: Several songs were cut during rehearsals and tryouts, including "Waiting," a song where Anna confronts the King about his broken promise to give her a house; "Who Would Refuse (A Man Like Him)?" sung by the Kralahome about his respect for the King, and "Now You Leave," Lady Thiang's musical TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Anna, which was replaced out of town by the gentler "Something Wonderful."
* DisownedAdaptation: The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization did not like the end result of the animated film much to the point where they ended up banning the creation of any more animated movies based off the duo's works.
* DuelingMovies: A downright ''bizarre'' version where the dueling films were versions of the ''same story:'' the same year the animated film came out also saw the release of ''Anna and the King'', a live action film starring Chow Yun-Fat and Jodie Foster. And it wasn't received very well either.
* DyeingForYourArt: Yul Brynner shaved his head to play the King in the stage version, and kept it that way for the rest of his career.

* FranchiseKiller: The animated adaptation turned into this for any more animated Rodgers and Hammerstein projects when the R&H Organization was disgusted with the Disneyfication of their work and put the kibosh on the animation ideas.
* NoAdaptationsAllowed: The failure of the AnimatedAdaptation caused Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein to turn down any further plans to adapt their musicals into animated films.
* NonSingingVoice:
** In the 1956 film, Marni Nixon dubbed Creator/DeborahKerr, who played Anna, Leona Gordon dubbed Rita Moreno, who played Tuptim (Moreno did her own singing for "Small House of Uncle Thomas"), and Rueben Fuentes dubbed Carlos Rivas, who played Lun Tha.
** In the 1999 animated film, Creator/MirandaRichardson provides Anna's speaking voice, while Christiane Noll sings.
* OldShame: Some of the animated film's voice cast, most notably Martin Vidnovic who played the King, have since expressed dissatisfaction with the film.

** Creator/DorothyDandridge was offered the role of Tuptim, but was advised to refuse it - as Tuptim was technically a slave. Others say she turned it down because it was not a lead role. The role ended up going to Creator/RitaMoreno instead. France Nuyen, who had played Liat in ''Theatre/SouthPacific'', was also in consideration.

** Had the 1999 film not flopped, an animated version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' would have been the follow-up project.

* DawsonCasting: Mongkut was fifty-eight when Anna arrived in Siam and lived to be sixty-three. Yul Brynner was thirty-six making this an inversion. Martin Vidnovic on the other hand was fifty-one. Later inverted when he resumed the role on Broadway in his 60s.

* BannedInChina: Not surprisingly, the film (both the animated and live-action versions) is rather disliked in UsefulNotes/{{Thailand}}. What's worse is that no matter how the filmmakers rework the story, it ''always'' ends up getting banned in that country. A key part of the problem is that there are '''very''' strict laws about ''lese-majeste'' (basically, insulting the monarch) in Thailand; it wasn't so long ago that the king was literally revered as a god, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2orcn5tw3m8 he still has a very special status]]. King Mongkut is viewed by today's Thai people with the respect that Americans would have for, say, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln[[note]](Mongkut's great-grandson King Bhumibol, who reigned for over 70 years until his death October 13, 2016, is [[http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/14/asia/thailand-king-privy-council-crown-prince/index.html greatly beloved in Thailand]])[[/note]] but unlike the many satirical portrayals of Lincoln, you do that in Thailand to ''any'' member of the royal family -- even affectionate parody -- and you'll go to jail. (There certainly are accepted cartoons, often showing [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ea/c4/1c/eac41ca441ff13155c3f958fa8b769ce.jpg shutterbug Bhumibol with his camera]] and/or with the [[http://image.shutterstock.com/z/stock-vector-hm-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-of-thailand-cartoon-vector-362283296.jpg stray mutt he adopted]] and [[http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-the-king-s-companions-2265373 wrote a book about]]. There was [[http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/10/17/khun-tito-story-king-bhumibols-one-and-only-royal-cat a royal kitty cat]], too.) Anna Leonowens' story and all its adaptations portray him as an intelligent but unsophisticated barbarian who is trying to ''become'' civilized. To the Thai people, ''The King and I'' is the equivalent of King Louie in ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967''. The fundamental problem that modern directors seem to miss is that no matter how respectfully the King is portrayed, the basic story still requires that Thailand be a backwards country in dire need of being civilized by Westerners -- Mongkut had already put the country on the fast track to modernization long before Anna got there -- and ultimately that their King is ''wrong'', which is not only disrespectful but illegal.

* BoxOfficeBomb: The 1999 version failed to make its budget of $25 million. It only made $11,993,021. And that's not all, read below.

** The studio wanted the 1956 film to have the King gored by an elephant rather than suffering public humiliation. Creator/YulBrynner however insisted they stick to the stage version. In real life, he died of malaria.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Gertrude Lawrence originated the role of Anna but died unexpectedly of cancer a year after the play's opening which is why she couldn't reprise the role in the film adaptation.