History Trivia / TheKingAndI

* DawsonCasting: Mongkut was fifty-eight when Anna arrived in Siam and lived to be sixty-three. Yup Brynner was thirty-six making this an inversion. Martin Vidnovic on the other hand was fifty-one.

* TheCameo: A voice cameo. One of the background voices during the "Small House of Uncle Thomas" performance is none other than Creator/MarilynMonroe.

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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 and cartoon 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 cartoon portrayals, 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 just this short of King Louie in ''Disney/TheJungleBook''. 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. [[note]]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, connecting personally with the populace. But his speech asking his subjects to ''please criticize him'' was a bit much for the junta -- they smoothed it over as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment and reinforced existing lese-majeste laws so they can put more people in jail.[[/note]]

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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 and cartoon 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 cartoon portrayals, 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 wrote a book about.) 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 just this short of King Louie in ''Disney/TheJungleBook''. 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. [[note]]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, connecting personally with the populace. But his speech asking his subjects to ''please criticize him'' was a bit much for the junta -- they smoothed it over as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment and reinforced existing lese-majeste laws so they can put more people in jail.[[/note]]

* AFIS100Years100Passions: #31
* AFIS100Years100Songs:
** #54, "Shall We Dance?"
* AFISGreatestMovieMusicals: #11

* EnforcedMethodActing: A variation. Marni Nixon initially had a hard time singing for Deborah Kerr because, at the age of twenty one, it was tricky to make the singing sound more mature. But she caught a cold sometime before the recording sessions, and that deepened her voice.

** In the 1956 film, Marni Nixon dubbed Deborah Kerr, 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.

* TheRedStapler: Deborah Kerr's iconic pink ballgown. You'll find plenty of replicas these days, some of them going for thousands.

** The studio wanted the 1956 film to have the King gored by an elephant rather than suffering public humiliation. Yul Brynner however insisted they stick to the stage version.
** Maureen O'Hara 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." Yul Brynner personally recommended Deborah Kerr for the role afterwards.

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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 and cartoon portrayals of Lincoln, you do that in Thailand to ''any'' member of the royal family -- even affectionate parody -- and you'll go to jail. 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 just this short of King Louie in ''Disney/TheJungleBook''. 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. [[note]]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, connecting personally with the populace. But his speech asking his subjects to ''please criticize him'' was a bit much for the junta -- they smoothed it over as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment and reinforced existing lese-majeste laws so they can put more people in jail.[[/note]]

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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 and cartoon portrayals of Lincoln, you do that in Thailand to ''any'' member of the royal family -- even affectionate parody -- and you'll go to jail. 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 just this short of King Louie in ''Disney/TheJungleBook''. 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. [[note]]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 UsefulNotes/PrincessDiana. Like her, Bhumibol liked to be RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething, connecting personally with the populace. But his speech in which he asked that his subjects ''please criticize him'' was a bit much for the junta -- they smoothed it over as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.[[/note]]

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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 and cartoon portrayals of Lincoln, you do that in Thailand to ''any'' member of the royal family -- even affectionate parody -- and you'll go to jail. And the "Anna and the king" story, even in the 1999 film, portrays him as a barbarian who is trying to become civilized, just this short of King Louie in ''Disney/TheJungleBook''. 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. [[note]]Bhumibol hated the idea that "the King is always right" -- because it implied the King wasn't human. However Thailand today is really run by a military dictatorship and the King is a mostly powerless role-model figurehead, like UsefulNotes/PrincessDiana. Bhumibol liked to be RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething and strove to connect personally with the populace. His speech in which he asked that his subjects ''please criticize him'' was a bit much for the junta though -- they dismissed it as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.[[/note]]

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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]]. 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, and ultimately that their King is ''wrong''. In Thailand, suggesting that the King is wrong about anything is punishable with a hefty jail sentence.[[note]]While Bhumibol hated the idea that "the King is always right" -- because it implied the King wasn't human -- the people who ''really'' run Thailand today are a military dictatorship with their own reasons for keeping the King as a figurehead without much power. Bhumibol, however, liked to be RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething and strove to connect personally with the populace. His speech in which he asked that his subjects ''please criticize him'' was a bit much for the junta though -- they dismissed it as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.[[/note]]

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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]]. 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, and ultimately that their King is ''wrong''. In Thailand, suggesting that the King is wrong about anything is punishable with a hefty jail sentence.[[note]]While Bhumibol hated the idea that "the King is always right" -- because it implied the King wasn't human -- the people who ''really'' run Thailand today are a military dictatorship. His speech in which he asked that his subjects ''please criticize him'' was largely dismissed as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.[[/note]]

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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]](The present holder of the throne, King Bhumibol, who's reigned for over 60 years, is greatly beloved in Thailand)[[/note]]. The fundamental problem that modern directors seem to be missing 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, and ultimately that their King is ''wrong''.

* CreatorKiller: For the 1999 cartoon version, the 3-strike combination of overwhelmingly bad reviews, poor box office receipts, AND the Rodgers And Hammerstein estate barring any additional 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 ''Disney/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 them as the traditional ArchEnemy to Creator/{{Disney}}.

* CreatorKiller: For the 1999 cartoon version, the 3-strike combination of overwhelmingly bad reviews, poor box office receipts, AND the Rodgers And Hammerstein estate barring any additional 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 ''Disney/TheBlackCauldron''. It and ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'' also locked the career of writer David Seidler away from movie theaters until 2010.

* CreatorKiller: For the 1999 cartoon version, the 3-strike combination of overwhelmingly bad reviews, poor box office receipts, AND the Rodgers And Hammerstein estate barring any additional 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 ''Disney/TheBlackCauldron''.

* OldShame: The estates of Rodgers and Hammerstein were greatly displeased with the liberties the animated film took with its original source material, thus banning the creation of any more animated movies based off the duo's works. Some of the voice cast have also since expressed dissatisfaction with the film.

** There was an announcement that Rogers and Hammerstein would write some new songs specifically for the film. This didn't come to pass, and the film does not contain any original songs.

** Although Rita Moreno sings for Tuptim, Leona Gordon was brought in to augment her voice.

* NonSingingVoice: In the 1956 film, Marni Nixon dubbed Deborah Kerr, 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, Miranda Richardson provides Anna's speaking voice, while Christiane Noll sings.
* OldShame: The estates of Rodgers and Hammerstein were greatly displeased with the liberties the animated film took with its original source material, thus banning the creation of any more animated movies based off the duo's works.
** Some of the voice cast have also since expressed dissatisfaction with the film.

* BoxOfficeBomb: The 1999 version. Budget, $25 million. Box office, $11,993,021. And that's not all, read below.

* CreatorKiller: For the 1999 cartoon version, the 3-strike combination of overwhelmingly bad reviews, poor box office receipts, AND the Rodgers And Hammerstein estate barring any additional animated adaptations of their work effectively ended any chance of Richard Rich 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 ''Disney/TheBlackCauldron''.

* 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.

* AFIS100YearsOfMusicals: #11

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Thailand]]: Not surprisingly, the film 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 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, AbrahamLincoln[[note]](The present holder of the throne, King Bhumibol, who's reigned for over 60 years, is greatly beloved in Thailand)[[/note]]. The fundamental problem that modern directors seem to be missing 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, and ultimately that their King is ''wrong''.