Pygmalion (1938)

Shaw's play in which a Victorian dialect expert bets that he can teach a lower-class girl to speak proper English and thus be taken for a lady.

Directors:

Anthony Asquith, Leslie Howard

Writers:

George Bernard Shaw (play), George Bernard Shaw (scenario and dialogue),

Stars:

Leslie Howard, Wendy Hiller, Wilfrid Lawson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Howard	...	Professor Henry Higgins
Wendy Hiller	...	Eliza Doolittle
Wilfrid Lawson	...	Alfred Doolittle
Marie Lohr	...	Mrs. Higgins
Scott Sunderland	...	Colonel George Pickering
Jean Cadell	...	Mrs. Pearce
David Tree	...	Freddy Eynsford-Hill
Everley Gregg	...	Mrs. Eynsford-Hill
Leueen MacGrath	...	Clara Eynsford Hill
Esme Percy	...	Count Aristid Karpathy
Violet Vanbrugh	...	Ambassadress
Iris Hoey	...	Ysabel, Social Reporter
Viola Tree	...	Perfide, Social Reporter
Irene Browne	...	Duchess (as Irene Brown)
Kate Cutler	...	Grand Old Lady

Storyline

The snobbish & intellectual Professor of languages, Henry Higgins makes a bet with his friend that he can take a London flower seller, Eliza Doolittle, from the gutters and pass her off as a society lady. However he discovers that this involves dealing with a human being with ideas of her own.

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Plot Keywords:

bet | english | gutter | professor | language | 

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Taglines:

Miss 'Pygmalion'? Not ****** likely!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pigmalión

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gabriel Pascal Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although he expressed indifference to the Academy Award he won for writing this movie, his friend Mary Pickford reported that George Bernard Shaw proudly displayed his Oscar in his home, and showed it off to his visitors.

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Quotes

Eliza Doolittle: Walk? Not bloody likely. I'm going in a taxi.

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Connections

Referenced in L.A. Law: Pigmalion (1987)

User Reviews

Good, and definitely not My Fair Lady

After seeing Leslie Howard as Henry Higgins, there is no way I could find Rex Harrison half as appealing, with his chanting/singing, in My Fair Lady. Leslie Howard simply is Henry Higgins, and if he seems unappealing and unlikable, that's because he's supposed to be unappealing and unlikable -- Henry Higgins is not a nice man. Howard does an incredible job with the role, and Wendy Hiller's Eliza puts Audrey Hepburn, as lovely as she is, to shame.

If George Bernard Shaw thought that Howard's interpretation of his play was good, then who are we to argue?