Rita Moreno in THE KING & I- Page 2

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 6:19pm

Sure that's not Chita Rivera?

[end threadjack/]

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 6:29pm

no, and it isn't BarBara Luna either...

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 8:39pm

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 8:41pm

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 9:48pm

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 9:57pm

I rechecked my TKAI Soundtrack booklet to make sure..

and yes Rita DEFINITELY sang MY LORD AND MASTER by herself. She sounds lovely, but her voice does falter at the end, if it was another singing dubbing it - the vocals would've been PERFEECT. And in the booklet it says for Rita's other songs her vocals were "enhanced by Leona Gordon", so that leads me to believe she wasn't completely dubbed on Tuptim's other songs.

It is a shame though, that a singer like Rita had to get dubbed/augmented in movie MUSICALS. Poor Rita.

[Justice]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 2:50am

I would have liked it more had Dorothy Dandridge taken the part, as she was the original choice.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 7:39am

Well as much as I love Dandridge she was just coming off a Best Actress Oscar nominated performance in Carmen Jones it really would have been a step back if she would have went on to play the part of "Tuptim". It's a supporting role. Rita on the other hand had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

To be completely honest I really don't see Dandridge in this role at all.

Actually the situation is touched upon in the movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge starring Halle Berry as Dandridge. Zanuck actuall offered her the part of "Tuptim" hot on the heels of her Carmen Jones success. Her agent argues that "Tuptim" was not the lead role but Zanuck reasoned that the role would give her major exposure as well as fulfill Dandridge's three picture deal with Fox. Dandridge accepted the role.

She got her Oscar nomination for Carmen Jones *after* she had already accepted the part in "The King & I". It was then that Otto Preminger stepped in and convinced Dorothy to turn down the part because she was now an Academy Award nominated actress and it would be a step back.

Her agent tried to stop Dandridge from turning down the part to no avail. Dandridge turned down the role after giving Zanuck her word. He then put her on suspension and another good role wasn't offered to Dorothy until Island in the Sun.

Donald Bogle wrote in his biography of Dandridge that she wound up regretting that choice because she felt it hurt her chances in Hollywood.

[Glebb]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 7:52am

I met her several times in the 80s at The Music Center in LA and she was as sweet as can be. The first time I met her she blew kisses to me and my friends from a staircase in the Dorothy Chandler.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 8:11am

I met her at special anniversary screening of WEST SIDE STORY that was held at Radio City Music Hall back in 2001. I have never been so nervous meeting someone in my life! But this was RITA MORENO! As a Puerto Rican she represents so much to us! I was literally shaking inside and had to compose myself before going up to her. I told her how much she meant to me and she gave me a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. I didn't even ask for an autograph, to be in her presence was enough for me.
Updated On: 12/19/05 at 08:11 AM

[Justice]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 3:05pm

Don't forget to mention that she was persuaded to turn down the role because of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" number. She did not want to play a slave, but, more, show America that black actor's can be more than maids or slaves. Still...I would have loved to see her Anita (in the national tour) in WSS.
Personally, I feel that turning down this role did exactly what she didn't want to do. Had she taken it, I'm more than sure she would have been bigger today...because, keep in mind that by not doing the film, she also backed out of the 4 picture deal. Her other films were never as succesful as Carmen. Yet, the King and I was MORE succesful than Carmen Jones.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 3:26pm

It's funny that Moreno stepped in for Dandridge in King & I and then Dandridge went on to do a role ("Anita" in WSS) that Moreno won an Oscar for.

In May 1963 the two crossed paths when Dorothy was seated next to Rita at a large rally held for Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As far as Dorothy's stint in West Side Story it was actually a summer regional theatre production of the musical. Dandridge did not recieve good reviews. Thomas Willis of The Chicago Daily Tribune wrote: "And as you may have guessed, Dorothy Dandridge's Anita was out of her range and element". The show opened on August 14, 1962. Dorothy fell ill and left the production on August 29th.
Updated On: 12/19/05 at 03:26 PM

[Justice]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 3:42pm

Was this before or after Showboat???


About Rita, she is a wonderful represnetative of the Puerto Rican culture...being a Puerto Rican and having played many different cultures in her career. Personally, I feel her best work was A. In "the Ritz", and B. Her "Fever" number on the Muppet Show.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 3:49pm

Dandridge did West Side Story two years before Showboat. She played the part of "Julie" alongside Kathryn Grayson as "Magnolia" in a production that inaugurated the Hyatt Music Theatre in Burlingame, California. She missed two or three performances some speculate it was due to drinking. This had to be around 1964.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 3:52pm

Yes Rita Moreno is much loved, admired and respected. Many Hispanic performers today point to her as an inspiration. Her performance in The Ritz on Broadway and in the film version is legendary. I also love that "Fever" number from The Muppet Show for which she won an Emmy for.

My first exposure to her was as a kid watching The Electric Company on PBS. I loved that line she yelled at the opening of each show: "Hey, you guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuys"!!!

Updated On: 12/19/05 at 03:52 PM

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 4:02pm

Speaking of The Electric Company...20 episodes of the show are being released on a Best of... DVD set which is due to hit store shelves on February 7, 2006.

Rita Moreno is featured in an exclusive interview and also has filmed new intros for each of the episodes featured on the DVD.

Cool Beans!!
The Best of THE ELECTRIC COMPANY on DVD

[StageManager2]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 8:05pm

This is not about Rita but about Deborah Kerr in THE KING AND I. I have a soundtrack with a booklet containing an interview with Marni Nixon, who dubbed Deborah's singing voice. Marni mentions that during the SHALL I TELL YOU WHAT I THINK OF YOU number (which was also cut from the movie), she and Deborah both do the singing. Deborah does the speaking and minimal singing, while Marni manages the high notes. It was very interesting so I listened to the song repeatedly and you can hardly tell that it's two people singing at different times. I didn't notice at first. Marni and Deborah sound eerily alike. Another thing, Marni was not the first choice to dub Deborah's voice. The studio had hired another singer who thereafter was killed in a car crash. Thus, Marni was considered and signed up.

[EadieWasALady]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 10:58pm

Was this the original stage production?