FILM REVIEW OF ''THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD" (2017)

As the summer doldrums descend upon us with the impending change of the seasons, it is reassuring Hollywood has produced a genuinely entertaining action comedy to tide us over until the major Thanksgiving and Christmas releases.   Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson make a charismatic combo with no love lost for each other in the fast-paced but formulaic thriller “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (***1/2 out of ****) co-starring Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek.  “Expendables 3” director Patrick Hughes proves not only that he can orchestrate some extraordinary stunts involving vehicular mayhem on a modest $30-million budget, but he also gets inspired performances from his gifted cast.  Indeed, you’ve seen variations of “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” many times before in road pictures about mismatched heroes, such as the two “48 HRS” movies, “The Rundown,” “The Rookie,” the “Rush Hour” trilogy, the “Lethal Weapon” series, “The Nice Guys,” and “Midnight Run.”  This adrenalin-laced saga benefits from catchy dialogue courtesy of “Fire with Fire” scenarist Tim O’Connor who gives everybody quotable lines peppered with flavorful profanity as well as a plot sizzling with surprises galore.  Of course, you know Ryan Reynolds is going to deliver Samuel L. Jackson as a witness to testify against villainous Gary Oldman before the deadline when the latter can be cleared off all charges against his murderous Eastern European regime.  The destination isn’t as much a revelation as the rollercoaster ride that everybody takes to arrive there in the nick of time.  All too often movies like “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” lose steam somewhere in the middle, but Australian director Patrick Hughes maintains the momentum throughout its 118 minutes.  The gauntlet that our bickering heroic pair must negotiate keeps challenging them right up until to the last second. Happily, the gals in this slam-bang, grudge match aren’t destitute damsels-in-distress, but babes that can shoot straight, smash testicles with their feet, and rival the guys with their profanity.  Clearly, sensitive souls searching for philosophical insights about life’s mysteries should shun this implausible but entertaining nonsense.

Debonair Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds of “Deadpool”) is at the top of his game as an elite triple-A bodyguard who will shield any scoundrel who can afford his services.  Bryce knows all the tricks of the trade.  As “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” unfolds, our clean-shaven, well-dressed, suit and tie executive has escorted a notorious Japanese arms dealer, Kurosawa (Tsuwayuki Saotome of “London Has Fallen”), to the airport to bid him farewell when a random shot out of the blue obliterates the arms dealer as the latter is peering out the window of his jet at Bryce.  Our protagonist is stunned beyond expression and watches as his bodyguard service folds.  Initially, Bryce blames his girlfriend, Interpol Agent Amelia Roussel (Elodie Yung of “Gods of Egypt”), for her lack of discretion. Michael believes Amelia leaked word about the Japanese arms dealer’s presence.  They separate over this breach.  Meantime, genocidal Belarusian dictator Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman of “True Romance”), is on trial at The Hague in the Netherlands for international human rights violations.  As the trial winds down to its inevitable conclusion, the prosecution cannot seem to keep its’ witnesses alive long enough for them to testify.  The last man scheduled to take the stand against Dukhovich is the world’s deadliest hitman, Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson of “Pulp Fiction”), who refused an offer from him.  Simply said, Kincaid doesn’t murder innocent women and children. He has irrefutable evidence which will seal Dukhovich’s fate.  Basically, Kincaid has cut a deal with the prosecutor to talk if she will release his wife, Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek of “Everly”), from an Amsterdam prison.  As Kincaid later tells Sonia, he doesn’t care if they send him to prison because there isn’t a prison secure enough to hold him.

Interpol sets out to haul Kincaid from Manchester, England, under a heavily armed guard to The Hague.  An informer within the ranks, however, tips off Dukhovich’s top assassin, Ivan (Yuri Kolokolnikov of “Game of Thrones”), about the route.  Ivan’s trigger-happy henchmen ambush the Interpol van and wipe out everybody but Amelia and Kincaid. Kincaid catches a slug in the leg before Amelia and he elude the killers.  She escorts Kincaid to a safehouse where he digs the bullet out of his calf as if he were Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo and bandages himself.  Afterward, Kincaid refuses flatly to cooperate with Interpol.  Reluctantly, Amelia swallows her pride and resorts to Michael for help.  At first, he wants nothing to do with this suicidal kiss of death exercise.  Nevertheless, he caves in to his desperate ex-girlfriend’s pleas.  No sooner have Michael and Kincaid met than they are shoving pistols in each other’s faces. “My job is to keep you out of harm’s way,” Michael reminds Kincaid. “I am harm’s way,” Jackson retorts defiantly.  Since his near miss with death during the ambush, Kincaid has gone to packing a pistol.  As it turns out, Michael and Kincaid discover they are old adversaries, and they spend the rest of “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” swapping insults when they aren’t whittling down the army of gunmen that outnumbers them. 

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” indulges in everything action movie fans crave.  Director Patrick Hughes knows better than to let the expository dialogue scenes interfere with the plethora of shooting and killing.  The body count escalates into double-digits, and Kincaid himself knocks off almost thirty gunmen.  Although our heroes cannot perish, life is hardly a picnic as they dodge one barrage after another. Half of the time, Kincaid and Michael are working against each other. For example, Kincaid stomps the brakes during a careening car chase and a surprised Michael performs a header through the windshield but regains his footing without missing a stride.  Ironically, the relationship between them improves as the odds against their survival worsen.  Meanwhile, Gary Oldman arouses our wrath as an appropriately despicable villain who kills without a qualm.  Villains must be hard-boiled in thrillers.  Despite its familiarity, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” delivers everything that makes an action movie unforgettable!

FILM REVIEW OF ''THE BANDIT OF SHERWOOD FOREST" (1946)

Two competent Hollywood helmers—George Sherman of “Big Jake” and Henry Levin of “The Man from Colorado”--teamed up for the above-average Columbia Pictures’ release “The Bandit of Sherwood Forest,” yet another saga about Robin Hood and his merry men in their battle with an autocratic tyrant. Scenarists Wilfred H. Petitt of “A Thousand and One Nights” and Melvin Levy of “The Robin Hood of El Dorado” have adapted author Paul A. Castleton’s 1941 novel “The Son of Robin Hood” in a rustic outing that tampers with British history, specifically the Magna Carta. The chief difference here is Robin Hood is a gray-haired, old fart, and Will Scarlet, Allan-A-Dale, Little John and Friar Tuck appear a mite long in the tooth, too. Robin Hood, Earl of Huntington, has fathered a son with an unseen Maid Marian and the son--Robert of Nottingham--must now eclipse his father’s legendary standing. Whether he is romancing a lady-in-disguise or crossing swords with the dastardly foe, a mustached Cornel Wilde appears to be in his element. He has no end of self-confidence, and his superb skills as an archer, an equestrian, and a swordsman testify to his expertise with these weapons of warfare. Mind you, Wilde is no Errol Flynn. He lacks Flynn’s flamboyance. Moreover, he doesn’t have any scenes here that stand out from the rest of the heroics. Nevertheless, Wilde was a champion fencer on the U.S. Olympic fencing team during the 1930s, and he appears to be performing his own fighting in the finale when he clashes with bad guy Henry Daniell. Unfortunately, the dames here are nothing delectable. Wilde’s romantic interest--former Warner Brothers starlet Anita Louise--is no pin-up girl, but she is an adequate actress. Jill Esmond makes only a minor impression as the Queen Mother.

“The Bandit of Sherwood Forest” (**1/2 out of ****) opens with scores of green clad archers on horseback of every description assembling in the wilderness to hear an elderly Robin Hood (Russell Hicks of “Tarzan’s New York Adventure”) address them about imminent danger of tyranny that has loomed up in the personage of the Lord Regent, William of Pembroke (Henry Daniell of “The Sea Hawk”), who intends to repeal the Magna Carta. “Comrades,” Robin states, “I’ve called you together again because the people of England face a grave crisis. Many years ago, as Robin Hood, I led you as an outlaw band here in Sherwood Forest. Together, we resisted the tyrant King John. When he died, we dispersed because we believed that tyranny had died with him. But tyranny did not die, it merely slept. And now it has awakened again. It’s the same tyranny, different only in name. And its name is William of Pembroke, the Lord Regent. Now, the Lord Regent calls the Council of Barons to a special meeting at Nottingham Castle. As the Earl of Huntington, I will attend, but on one knows what the outcome will be. But if he dares do anything to destroy the rights given you by the Magna Carta, we must take up our swords again.”

Later, after Pembroke has rescinded the Magna Carta, Robin Hood delivers a passionate speech at the Council of Barons in Nottingham Castle against Pembroke’s actions. "I've sat here hardly believing what my ears hear or my eyes see. Have you forgotten that English blood was shed to gain the Magna Carta? Does it means nothing to you that thousands of men have died for the people's right to rule themselves, to tax themselves, to live in liberty and in dignity? Now, the Regent asks you to take away those rights, and you are ready to agree. How can you face your families, your friends, and all those people you will betray for one ambitious man? Or if you will not think of others, you must think of yourselves. Today, the Regent calls on you for help because without you he is powerless. If you grant the Regent what he asks, he will need you no longer and he will turn on you and destroy you, just as surely as today he is destroying those whose only protection is the Magna Carta. If you refuse the Regent what he asks, you'll be your country's heroes. But I warn you if you give into him, you'll be history's blackest traitors."

The other barons capitulate to Pembroke, but Robin refuses to accommodate him. Consequently, Pembroke banishes the former outlaw and confiscates his wealth. Robin warns the Queen Mother to watch over her son because Pembroke may try to kill him. Naturally, the Queen Mother refuses to believe that Pembroke could behave so monstrously. Nevertheless, Robin pledges his service to the King and Queen and then returns to Sherwood Forest. Meantime, the wily Pembroke plots his strategy. First, he separates the Queen Mother from the young King of England (Maurice Tauzin of “The Piped Piper”) and orchestrates the demise of the monarch at the castle. Pembroke plans to have the young king plunge to his death from the tower where he has arranged for the youngster to lodge. Pembroke’s best-laid plans go awry when the Queen Mother (Jill Esmond of “The White Cliffs of Dover”) and Lady Catherine Maitland (Anita Louise of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”) escape from the castle. Pembroke dispatches search parties, but they return to the castle at dusk. Instead, Robert (Cornel Wilde of “High Sierra”) stumbles upon them in the woods. Lady Catherine and the Queen Mother try to masquerade as scullery maids. Robert doesn’t believe a word of it, especially after he gets a glimpse of Lady Catherine’s silk stocking. Eventually, our hero discovers the identities of the two women, and Robin sends Allan-A-Dale (Leslie Denison of "Desperate Journey") in the guise of a minstrel to the castle to perform. Allan-A-Dale eavesdrops on Pembroke and the Sheriff of Nottingham as they discuss murder.

Before this can happen, our heroes masquerade as religious figures who request shelter for the night at Nottingham Castle. Lady Catherine poses as the ill Prioress of Buxton. Initially, Fitz-Herbert (perennial villain George Macready of “Gilda”) believes that the appearance of church people will derail their plans. On the contrary, argues Pembroke, the church people will serve as “witnesses to the fact that the king died by accident.” Later, Fitz-Herbert leaves with a regiment to scour the countryside for the heroes when he runs into the real religious figures. Although they manage to rescue the king, Robert, Lady Catherine and Allan-A-Dale are captured. Pembroke plans to hang them, including Lady Catherine. Robert demands his right as a nobleman in the law of trial by combat. Pembroke accedes to Robert’s wishes and then locks the protagonist up with no food or water for three days. The sly Pembroke also orders Fitz-Herbert to assemble the archers and have them ready to fill Robert with arrows if he gains the upper hand. Little do the villains know that Lady Catherine has been sharing her food and drink with Robert while he maintains a starved attitude. Meantime, Robin and his men take the king to safety and infiltrate the castle while Robert and Pembroke clash swords. The villainous Sheriff of Nottingham intervenes and stabs Robert in the back during the sword fight. Robin Hood skewers the Sheriff and Pembroke is desperate for help. Robert is reduced to fighting with his other hand. Pembroke races up a staircase to a higher level and hurls his sword at the protagonist like a spear. Robert hurls his and it lands in Pembroke’s chest and he plunges off the wall to his death in the courtyard below. “The Bandit of Sherwood Forest” concludes with the young King knighting Robert as the Earl of Sutherland and seeing to it that Lady Catherine becomes his bride.

Clocking in at a trim 86 minutes, “The Bandit of Sherwood Forest” is a brisk swashbuckler on a budget. Presumably, neither Sherman nor Levin collaborated on this epic. The question is who replaced whom? Interestingly, when the arrow sinks into the screen credit for the two directors, it lands solidly on George Sherman’s name. Sherman may have been the alpha director. Occasionally, one or both of these helmers uses the shadows of the combatants on the walls as another way to depict the scene. Undoubtedly, Sherman and Levin helmed separate scenes, perhaps like director Michael Curtiz did after he replaced William Keighley on “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” Incidentally, lenser Tony Gaudio photographed not only the Flynn classic, but also he was one of three photographers on the Wilde version. Lensers George Meehan of “The Black Parachute” and William E. Snyder of “Creature from the Black Lagoon” also received credit as directors of photography on “The Bandit of Sherwood Forest.” Some of the casting choices are quite novel: western tough guy Ray Teal plays Little John and Edgar Buchanan portrays Friar Tuck. The scene where Buchanan’s Friar Tuck tangles with Robert has got to be the only time that Buchanan worked up a sweat on screen. Typically, Buchanan specialized in slippery, conniving, sedentary supporting characters, but here he displays incredible agility.

FILM REVIEW OF ''THE ZOMBIE DIARIES" (GREAT BRITAIN 2006)

This atmospheric but abysmal British-produced zombie epic endeavors to conceal its threadbare budget by lensing everything from the perspective of the lout lugging around the video camera. Indeed, "The Zombie Diaries" (* out of ****) amounts to another of those queasy first-person photography movies that may send you screaming to your medicine cabinet for Dramamine owing to its nausea-inducing camerawork. Little distinguishes “The Zombie Diaries.” What little value the tremulous first-person photography contributes to this lukewarm chiller is far surpassed by its hopeless shallow narrative. The story appears to be broken into three video diaries about survivors of a mysterious virus that has transformed many of their countrymen into blood-splattered zombies. Unfortunately, freshman co-directors & co-writers Michael Bartlett and Kevin Gates clutter up their narrative with too many characters and none make an impression. Furthermore, these are static, one-dimensional characters so they never engage our sympathy. The survival of one of the characters doesn’t offset the fact that the villains escape without a scratch. Ironically, the zombies pose less of a danger to our protagonist than some other humans. Mind you, a zombie movie were the zombies present less of a threat than humans is rather anticlimactic.

“The Zombie Diaries” is book-ended by scenes of cammo-clad soldiers surrounding a barn. The filmmakers then shift to a series of interviews about the mysterious virus and we learn that nobody knows if the virus is airborne, waterborne, or in contaminated food. Initially, a news crew cruises from London into the country to shoot an interview with a poultry farmer who has had to cull his chickens. When they arrive, the news crew finds nobody at home. Naturally, one of them complains that they have missed the bigger story in London. They find themselves isolated in the sticks and their cell phones don’t work. Bartlett and Gates know how to set up a situation, but the pay-off generates no sizzle. Eventually, they return to the chicken farm and discover to their horror that the gut-munching has begun. This is where the first zombie inserts herself into the narrative. The narrative shifts to a month later and we are riding in a car with three characters that bear no relation to the news crew. John, Elizabeth, and the videographer are out scavenging for food because they have run out of anything to eat. They enter a deserted town, hit the grocery, and load up on food before the zombies appear. The third diary concerns four survivors. They are look like they are simply hunting zombies. The third diary shifts back to the second and zombie bites John and they chow down on Elizabeth. The videographer and John vanish into the woods, but the videographer has to kill John because the latter is too far gone. About 13 minutes before “The Zombie Diaries” concludes, the narrative leaps back to the news crew as they meet Goke and Manny. By now one of the news crew has gone missing and Goke kills Andy.

Obviously, if you are not a fan of zombie movies, then you should not watch this film. The only reason anybody should waste their time on this 81-minute potboiler is that they are die-hard zombie fans. Nevertheless, even zombie fans may their appetite blunted by the vertigo-inducing camera-work and a needlessly complicated plot. Bartlett and Gates may have been the first to capitalize on this first-person shooting gimmick for zombie movies in the venerable tradition of movies like "84 Charlie Mopic," "The Blair Witch Project," and "Cloverfield." The Spanish film “REC,” however, showed more imagination with their application. Unfortunately, very little makes sense and there is not anything dynamic enough about the subject matter or the presentation to warrant more than a single viewing, much less single this saga out for honorable mention. Okay, the Dimension Studios DVD contains two commentary tracks featuring the two directors and the cast. The Bartlett & Gates commentary could serve as a useful primer about the logistical problems involved with movie production. Sadly, this writer/director duo had more potential than they could deliver in cinematic form. Similarly, a decent cast is wasted because we gain no insight into their flat characters, least of all the murderous Goke.

Most of the action has the participants knocking off the zombies as they shamble into sight like a bad nightmare. For the record, the zombies here are old school; they stagger along with little momentum like the zombies in the George Romeo classics. Unlike "Night of the Living Dead" or its sequels, the plague of zombies is attributed here to a flu-like virus, an obvious homage to the half-baked but ultimately superior Danny Boyle movie "28 Days Later." The blood & gore remains minimal, and the worst you see is a zombie munching on intestines. The hysteria that this hand-held, pseudo-documentary approach strives to induce falls short of the mark. Bartlett and Gates show little flair in their use of suspense. The appearance of the first zombie is only mildly shocking. This zombie doesn’t lurch at the camera. Instead, it poses for it and our heroes clear out of the room before it can inflict itself on them. Indeed, it looks precisely like a bunch of lads went into the woods to make just another mediocre zombie movie.

"The Zombie Diaries" qualifies as a monotonous film without a trace of humor but more importantly a shred of suspense. The villains get away so there is no sense of closure. One last thing that needs to be discussed is the cover art for the DVD that depicts a man in a vest with a pump-action shotgun. There is no man in a vest with a pump-action shotgun. Moreover, scenes on the back cover show zombies rampaging through London, but no zombies are ever shown in London. The overall effect of "The Zombie Diaries" is forgettable. An infinitely better movie in the same mode is the Spanish zombie movie "REC" that was later remade in America as "Quarantine." These two films were shot looking through a video news camera.

FILM REVIEW OF ''MY FAIR LADY'' (1964)

Warner Brothers film studios honcho Jack L. Warner paid CBS-TV mogul William S. Paley the sum of $5.5 million to acquire the movie rights to turn "My Fair Lady" into a movie. Moreover, Paley demanded 50 percent of the film's gross once it exceeded $20 million. Incidentally, "My Fair Lady" raked in $72-million during its preliminary theatrical release. Paley stipulated also that the film could not be released until "My Fair Lady" completed its Broadway engagement. According to Warner biographer Bob Thomas, Warner actually produced "My Fair Lady," something that he had rarely done since the 1920s. Initially, Warner had sought Cary Grant for the role of Professor Henry Higgins, but Grant not only turned him down but also threatened to boycott the movie if Rex Harrison did not star in it. Warner approached Peter O'Toole who had recently starred in “Lawrence of Arabia,” but O'Toole's price including profit percentages was astronomical. Warner hired the highly respected “woman’s picture” director George Cukor, who had directed such classics as "The Women" and "Adam's Rib," to helm this 170-minute film. Cukor received $300-thousand for a minimum of 52 weeks, from January 1963 to February 1964.

At the time of its release, "My Fair Lady" (**** out of ****) generated some controversy because the star of the stage version, Julie Andrews, did not receive the Liza Doolittle role. Principally, Warner chose Audrey Hepburn over Julie Andrews because Hepburn was a recognized commodity that would attract audiences to the cinema. Hepburn had made a bundle for Warner Brothers with “A Nun’s Story.” Indeed, Warner anted up one of the biggest pay checks ever for Hepburn, paying her a cool million. For tax purposes, the studio paid the million dollars over a period of seven years. Meanwhile, Warner ignored the fact that Andrews had played Liza Doolittle in 2,281 performances on the London stage and 2, 715 performances on Broadway. Interestingly, Audrey Hepburn did not receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The 1964 Best Actress Oscar went to Julie Andrews for "Mary Poppins." Keep in mind, “Mary Poppins” was Andrews’ film debut. Reportedly, Andrews thanked Warner at the ceremonies for making her Oscar possible. According to Turner Classic Films historian Frank Miller, Rex Harrison wound up reprising his stage role as Professor Henry Higgins for $200-thousand. Harrison didn't sing a line but rather spoke his lyrics as he had done on stage. Harrison also lobbied on behalf of Andrews to get the Liza role. Veteran British character actor Stanley Holloway, the only other actor in the stage presentation, reprised his role and was a hoot as Liza's blue-collar father. Originally, Warner had sought tough guy hoofer James Cagney to play the role. Cagney had retired by then and could not be induced.

"My Fair Lady" wound up costing Warner a whopping $17-million to produce, one of the most expensive movies in Hollywood at the time. 'My Fair Lady" received the 1964 Oscar for Best Picture. The last time that a Warner Brothers movie had been accorded this high honor was in 1943 with "Casablanca" starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart won the statuette. "My Fair Lady" also brought home the Oscars for Best Color Cinematography, Best Color Art Direction, Best Color Costume Design, Best Adapted Musical Score, and Best Sound.

Director George Cukor's "My Fair Lady" is essentially Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's cinematic musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion." Shaw derived the idea for his play from Greek mythology. In one of Ovid's narratives, a Cypriot sculptor Pygmalion becomes enamored with a statue of a woman that he had carved out of ivory. Shaw adapted his play in 1938 for a British film that toplined Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller. Like "My Fair Lady," "Pygmalion" concerned a Victorian phonetician who wagers that he can teach a Cockney flower girl to speak correct English so that he can have her masquerade in high society as a lady. Wendy Hiller played Eliza Doolittle and Howard—best known for "Gone with the Wind"—was cast as Professor Higgins. Hiller and Howard both received Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress while Shaw actually won an Oscar for his screenplay that he wrote with W.P. Lipscomb and Cecil Lewis. Ian Dalrymple and Anatole de Grunwald also contributed to the screenplay but they never received credit, while Kay Walsh provided some additional dialogue. In 1956, Lerner and Loewe rewrote the play because Shaw's work broke two important musical conventions: the main story lacked a romance and allowed no place for an ensemble.

As in "Pygmalion," "My Fair Lady" has voice coach Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) challenges his incredulous colleague, Colonel Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), that he can train boisterous Cockney street vendor Eliza Doolittle so she can talk in proper English and fool the lords and ladies at Buckingham Palace into believing that she is a duchess. Pickering not only takes the bet but also provides the funds to dress Eliza to fit the role. For six months Higgins toils day and night working on refining Eliza so that the aristocrats at the biggest social event of the season will believe that she is royalty. Of course, before it is over, both Higgins and Doolittle grow to hate each other but inevitably the hate sweetens into love at fade out. The early scenes between Harrison and Hepburn as they argue with each other at the station are hilarious. There isn't a bad song in the lot.

According to Frank Miller, virtually every cent of the massive production budget of "My Fair Lady" appears on screen. Lerner and Loewe complained when Warner decided to lens the film on the Warner Brothers backlot in Burbank, California. Nevertheless, Warner Brothers went to extreme lengths to recreate the actual British setting. For example, the stones for the cobblestoned Covent Garden streets were manufactured one at a time, rather than the usual practice of making them all for one mold. The sets were painted and retouched by Art director Gene Allen to give some of the edifices the illusion that they had been standing for hundreds of years. He also aged Hepburn's flower-vendor costumes so she wouldn't appear too prosperous. One thing that couldn't be fixed about Hepburn was her voice. Although Hepburn had sung songs in Funny Face” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” the “My Fair Lady” songs would prove to be beyond her range. The studio musical experts felt her voice wasn’t good enough. None of the meticulous rehearsals, recordings, and re-recordings passed muster. Ultimately, Warner hired ‘a voice double’ Marni Nixon to dub Hepburn in spite of the actress's extensive preparation for the part. Future Sherlock Holmes actor Jeremy Brett was cast as Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Although Brett had a fine voice, Bill Shirley ended up dubbing him.

Movie reviewers at the time largely loved “My Fair Lady.” The only complaint that surfaced concerned the casting of Audrey Hepburn rather than Julie Andrews. Many critics felt that Hepburn was not credible as a Cockney flower vendor. The final note of interest in this story about this celebrated hit movie is the October 1964 premiere. Jack Warner told his publicity manager Joe Hyams the following about the premiere. “I want this to be a Tiffany operation. Everything you do must be one-hundred percent style and class, money no object. Just remember: it’s a Tiffany product.” Hyams followed Warner’s orders to the letter.

In his book “The Clown Prince of Hollywood, the Antic Life and Times of Jack Warner,” Bob Thomas described an ironic event that occurred at the benefit party afterward that mirrored “My Fair Lady.” Mrs. William S. Paley, the Duchess of Windsor and Mrs. Winston Guest chaired the benefit party and were gearing up for the cream of New York society to attend. Mrs. Paley had arranged for Jack Warner to escort her daughter at the premiere and the ball, but Miss Paley was unable to attend because she had developed a cold. Hyams got back to Warner about this complication. “Now Mrs. Paley is worried about your having someone to sit with at the head table.” Hyams and Warner huddled in the bar at the Sherry Netherland hotel in New York City at the time. Warner spotted a girl in the bar who according to Thomas was “an attractive young woman, who appeared to Hyams to be one of the high-class hookers that were allowed to work the hotel as a convenience for guests.” Warner escorted the hooker to the premiere decked out in a gown that Warner’s designer Ceil Chapman had made and they had styled the girl’s hair, too. The girl could not believe the charade that Warner was requesting her to do, but she attended the events. Again, according to Warner biographer Bob Thomas, “In the midst of the festivities, the girl in the bar arrived, looking like Eliza Doolittle.” Warner introduced her as Lady Cavendish, and everybody at the party, with the exception of Rex Harrison, believed that she was Lady Cavendish. After Warner kissed the girl good night and told Hyams to make sure that the clothes were returned, she turned to Hyams and told him. “What an unbelievable night! And you know something? I had such a good time, I’m not going to charge him.”

In his biography about director George Cukor, Patrick McGilligan classified “My Fair Lady” as the “last great studio movie . . . produced by the last great studio mogul: Jack Warner.”