Warning: This video cuts off abruptly in the middle of something pretty interesting. But what comes before is interesting enough (and complete) so I decided to link you to it anyway.
A lot of people will tell you that the original My Fair Lady starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews was just about the most perfect musical to grace Broadway…and maybe it was. But the show had two major problems to solve before it could get to New York.
One was that Ms. Andrews, while ideal in the portions where Liza has learned to speak non-Cockney English, was having trouble learning the "before" part of that role. For the longest time, she simply couldn't speak Cockney in a convincing manner. It was so bad that at one point, Mr. Harrison either refused to rehearse with her any longer or so threatened. His position was that she would never "get it" and that it was a waste of his time to rehearse with someone who so obviously would have to be fired and replaced. Eventually though, the director Moss Hart and a vocal coach or two managed to do the reverse of what Henry Higgins did in the play. They taught her how to sound like an unrefined flower girl.
The other problem was that Harrison had never sung on stage before and while he was okay in the rehearsal hall with a lone pianist, he was terrified of having to sing with a full orchestra. It led to all sorts of temper fits and anxiety attacks and even after he overcame most of his fears, he had to pretend the orchestra wasn't there, couldn't even look at the conductor. (One night after the show had been running a bit, he came out and noticed the conductor was wearing a white coat. The first time Harrison exited the stage, he sent a note to the conductor that read, "Please take that coat off. I can see you.")
This video is an excerpt from a 1960 TV special in which Andrews and Harrison participated in somewhat fictionalized re-creations of what they each went through before My Fair Lady opened. The Andrews segment is complete but the Harrison part ends prematurely so don't be surprised. If I ever come across a link to the full video, I'll let you know.
Your host is Henry Fonda. The announcer you'll hear at the beginning is the legendary Jackson Beck…
