The King and I (1956)

More than your eyes have ever seen... More than your heart has ever known! The King and I was one of the successes of Russian-born United States-based film and stage actor Yul Brynner (1920-1985), famous for his completely bald head. His portrayal of King Mongkut of Siam in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'The King and I' was immediately a sensation. He played the role 4,625 times on stage and won two Tony Awards. For the film version, The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956) opposite Deborah Kerr as the widow who accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children, he also won the Academy Award.


German postcard by ISV, no. A 50. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


West-German postcard by ISV, no. A 55. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Deborah Kerr in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


Italian postcard by Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze, no. 3334. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Rita Moreno, as the Burmese character Tuptim, in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956). Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


Spanish postcard by Archivo Bermejo, no. 239/5920, 1959. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).

An immediate sensation

In 1946, The young Yul Brynner co-starred with Mary Martin in a Broadway production of 'Lute Song'. A few years later, he made his film debut in the Film Noir Port of New York (László Benedek, 1949) with Scott Brady.

The next year, at the urging of Mary Martin, he auditioned for Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's new musical, 'The King and I' (1951).

Yul Brynner became an immediate sensation. The part of King Mongkut would become his most famous role which he played 4625 times on stage. Brynner shaved his head for his role and continued to shave his head for the rest of his life.

Brynner's shaven head was unusual at the time, and his striking appearance helped to give him an exotic appeal. He won Tony Awards for both the first production in 1951 and for the Broadway revival in 1985.

In 1956, Yul Brynner also appeared in the film version, The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956), opposite Deborah Kerr as Mrs. Anna Leonowens. For his role, he won an Academy Award as Best Actor. Brynner is one of only nine people who have won both a Tony Award and an Academy Award for the same role.

Deborah Kerr won the Golden Globe Award for The King and I (1956). Her vocals in the film were dubbed by Marni Nixon. Kerr established a warm rapport with Nixon. According to Nixon, she and Kerr worked at least a week on each musical number and Nixon closely followed Kerr's movements during rehearsals on the set.


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 875. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner and Patrick Adiarte in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 876. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 877. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Rita Moreno and Carlos Rivas in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 878. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).

Governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam

'The King and I' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel 'Anna and the King of Siam' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. The musical's plot relates to the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher who is hired as part of the King's drive to modernise his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love to which neither can admit.

In 1950, theatrical attorney Fanny Holtzmann sought a part for her client, veteran British actress Gertrude Lawrence. Holtzmann realised that Landon's book would provide an ideal vehicle. Holtzmann initially wanted Cole Porter to write the score, but he declined. She was going to approach Noël Coward next but happened to meet Dorothy Hammerstein (Oscar Hammerstein's wife) in Manhattan. Holtzmann told Dorothy that she wanted Rodgers and Hammerstein to create a show for Lawrence, and asked her to see her husband read a book that Holtzmann would send over.

In fact, both Dorothy Rodgers and Dorothy Hammerstein had read the novel in 1944 and had urged their husbands to consider it as a possible subject for a musical. Dorothy Hammerstein had known Gertrude Lawrence since 1925 when they had both appeared in André Charlot's London Revue of 1924 on Broadway and on tour in North America. Rodgers and Hammerstein were initially reluctant but agreed to write the musical. The pair initially sought Rex Harrison to play the supporting part of the King, a role he had played in the 1946 film made from Landon's book, Anna and the King of Siam (John Cromwell, 1946), but he was unavailable. They settled on the young actor and television director Yul Brynner.

The musical won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actress (for Lawrence) and Best Featured Actor (for Brynner). Lawrence died unexpectedly of cancer a year and a half after the opening, and the role of Anna was played by several actresses during the remainder of the Broadway run of 1,246 performances. A hit West End London run and U.S. national tour followed, together with the film version, The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956), for which Yul Brynner won an Academy Award, and the musical was recorded several times. In later revivals, Brynner came to dominate his role and the musical, starring in a four-year national tour culminating in a 1985 Broadway run shortly before his death.

Yul Brynner also starred in a non-musical 1972 TV comedy series, with Samantha Eggar as "Anna Owens". CBS cancelled the series in mid-season after 13 episodes. It followed the main storyline of the musical, focusing on the relationship between the title characters. Christopher Renshaw directed major revivals on Broadway (1996), winning the Tony Award for Best Revival, and in the West End (2000). A 2015 Broadway revival won another Tony for Best Revival. Both professional and amateur revivals of 'The King and I' continue to be staged regularly throughout the English-speaking world.


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 879. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 880. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 916. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, Minden-Westf., no. 2392. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).

Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.

The Ten Commandments (1956)

The Ten Commandments (1956) was director and producer Cecil B. DeMille's last and most successful film, a partial remake of his 1923 silent film of the same title. It was filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula, shot in VistaVision with colour by Technicolor. The film dramatises the biblical story of the life of Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince who becomes the deliverer of his real brethren, the enslaved Hebrews. He leads the Exodus to Mount Sinai, where he receives, from God, the Ten Commandments. Charlton Heston played Moses, Yul Brynner played his jealous half-brother Rameses II and Anne Baxter the Egyptian throne princess Nefretiri.


French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 830. Offered by Les Carbones Korès "Carboplane". Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 831. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956). For his pursuit of the Israelites, Yul Brynner in his role as Rameses II wears the blue Khepresh helmet crown, which the pharaohs wore for battle.


Belgian postcard by Papeterie, Bruxelles no. 3847. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, no. AX 3871. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, no. AX 3881. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956) with Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Anne Baxter.


French postcard in the Entr'acte series by Éditions Asphodèle. Mâcon, no. 004/2. Photo: Collection B. Courtel / D.R. Cecil B. DeMille and Yul Brynner on the set of The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1955). Caption: Yul Brynner, film actor and photo enthusiast, takes a break to photograph director Cecil B. DeMille.

Put on Earth to do God’s will

Based on the Holy Scriptures, with additional dialogue by several other hands, The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956) tells the story of Moses, leader of the Hebrews, considered to have been a prophet by Jews, Christians and Muslims. He is thought to have lived in Egypt, in or around the 14th century BC.

The older he became, the more Cecil B.  DeMille was convinced that he had been put on Earth to do God’s will. He decided to remake The Ten Commandments, in response, he claimed, to scores of imploring letters: “The world needs a reminder, they said, of the Law of God.”

Charlton Heston, who had previously worked with DeMille in The Greatest Show on Earth (Cecil B. DeMille, 1952), won the part of Moses after he impressed DeMille at his audition with his knowledge of ancient Egypt. The film follows Moses from the time he was discovered in the bull rushes as an infant by the Pharaoh's daughter, to his long, hard struggle to free the Hebrews from their slavery at the hands of the Egyptians.

Heston was also chosen to be the voice of God in the form of a burning bush, toned down to a softer and lower register. As soon as Heston announced to DeMille that his wife Lydia was pregnant, Heston's newborn son, Fraser (1955), was cast by DeMille. Fraser Heston was three months old during filming.

Edward G. Robinson was cast as Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora, Debra Paget as Lilia, and John Derek as Joshua. The film features Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi, Nina Foch as Bithiah, Martha Scott as Yoshebel, Judith Anderson as Memnet, and Vincent Price as Baka. For the large crowd shots, at least 14,000 extras and 15,000 animals were used.


Spanish card, 2004. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston and Yvonne De Carlo in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Spanish card, 2004. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston and Anne Baxter in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Spanish card, 2004. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Spanish card, 2004. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Spanish card, 2004. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter and Ian Keith in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Spanish card, 2004. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Spanish card, 2004. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Spanish card, 2004. Photo: Paramount. Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).

The most eventful 219 minutes ever recorded

In 1957, The Ten Commandments was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. John P. Fulton, head of the special effects department at Paramount, won the Academy Award for his effects. Fulton’s effects included the building of Sethi’s Jubilee treasure city, the Burning Bush, the fiery hail from a cloudless sky, the Angel of Death, the composites of the Exodus, the Pillar of Fire, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the highlight, the parting of the Red Sea.

The production, at the time incredibly expensive with a budget of $13 million, grossed $122.7 million at the box office. It was re-released in 1966 and 1972, and one more time in 1989. The liberties taken with the biblical story of Exodus nor its nearly four-hour length has had any effect on its popularity. According to Guinness World Records, in terms of theatrical exhibition, The Ten Commandments (1956) is the seventh most successful film of all time when the box office gross is adjusted for inflation.

During production, DeMille had customarily spread out prints of paintings by Lawrence Alma-Tadema to inform his set designers of the look he wanted to achieve. However, in terms of accuracy about Moses and his time, The Ten Commandments is patchy. Alex von Tunzelmann in The Guardian: “It's amazing how much the fashions of New Kingdom Egypt seem to resemble those of 1956. DeMille can just about be forgiven for the makeup because ancient Egyptians did indeed paint their eyelids, lips and nails, but he is pushing it by dressing dancing girls in fluorescent green bikinis. At least the spectacular scenes filmed on location in Egypt and Sinai, with thousands of extras, lend the whole thing a sense of authenticity.”

Hal Erickson at AllMovie: “DeMille's The Ten Commandments may not be the most subtle and sophisticated entertainment ever concocted, but it tells its story with a clarity and vitality that few Biblical scholars have ever been able to duplicate. It is very likely the most eventful 219 minutes ever recorded to film - and who's to say that Nefertiri (Anne Baxter) didn't make speeches like, "Oh, Moses, Moses, you splendid, stubborn, adorable fool"?”

During the production in Egypt, Cecil B. DeMille had a colossal heart attack. The doctor insisted that he spend the next two weeks flat on his back in an oxygen tent, and then recuperate for several weeks after that. Typically, DeMille took no notice and was back at work the next morning. He finished filming The Ten Commandments on the day after his 74th birthday. But although he lived for another five years, his health never recovered. On 20 January 1959, his doctor paid him a visit and suggested he should go straight to the hospital. “No,” DeMille told him. “I think I’ll go to the morgue instead.” He died the next day.



Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5183. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956) with Charlton Heston as Moses. Moses' robe was hand-woven by Dorothea Hulse, one of the world's finest weavers. She also created costumes for The Robe (Henry Koster, 1953), as well as textiles and costume fabrics for Samson and Delilah (Cecil B. DeMille, 1949), David and Bathsheba (Henry King, 1951), and other films.

Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5184. Photo: Charlton Heston and Yvonne De Carlo in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956), released in Dutch as De Tien Geboden.


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5185. Photo: Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956), released in Dutch as De Tien Geboden.


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5187. Photo: Edward G. Robinson as Dathan in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956), released in Dutch as De Tien Geboden.


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5190. Photo: Paramount. Martha Scott as Yochabel and Babette Bain as Little Miriam in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5193. Photo: Charlton Heston, Nina Foch, and Martha Scott in The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956), released in Dutch as De Tien Geboden.


Trailer The Ten Commandments (1956). Source: YouTube Trailers (YouTube).

Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), John Preston (The Telegraph), Alex von Tunzelmann (The Guardian), Wikipedia, and IMDb.

Yul Brynner

Yul Brynner (1920-1985), famous for his completely bald head, was a Russian-born United States-based film and stage actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut of Siam in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I. He played the role 4,625 times on stage and won two Tony Awards. For the film version, The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956), he also won the Academy Award. In the following decades, he starred in a wide range of roles from Egyptian pharaohs to Western gunfighters, both in Hollywood and European films.


German postcard by ISV, no. A 50. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 45. Photo: Sam Levin.


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK-61. Photo: Herbert Fried / Ufa.


German postcard by ISV, no. A 54. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Publicity still for Anastasia (Anatole Litvak, 1956).


Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin. Publicity still for Kings of the Sun (J. Lee Thompson, 1963).

King Mongkut

Yul Brynner was born Yuly Borisovich Briner (Russian: Юлий Борисович Бринер) in Vladivostok, Far Eastern Republic (present-day Vladivostok, Russia) in 1920. His father, Boris Yuliyevich Briner, was a mining engineer and inventor. Brynner's mother, Marousia Dimitrievna (née Blagovidova), came from the Russian intelligentsia and studied to be an actress and singer. In 1923 his father fell in love with an actress, Katya Kornukova, at the Moscow Art Theatre, and soon after abandoned his family.

Yul's mother took him and his sister, Vera, to Harbin, China, where they attended a school run by the YMCA. In 1932, fearing a war between China and Japan, she took them to Paris. Brynner played his guitar in Russian nightclubs in Paris, sometimes accompanying his sister, playing Russian and Roma songs. He trained as a trapeze acrobat and worked in a French circus troupe for five years, but after sustaining a back injury, he turned to acting. In 1940, speaking little English, he and his mother emigrated to the United States, where his sister already lived.

During World War II, Brynner worked as a French-speaking radio announcer and commentator for the US Office of War Information, broadcasting propaganda to occupied France. At the same time, he studied acting in Connecticut with the Russian teacher Michael Chekhov. He toured the country with Chekhov's theatrical troupe. Brynner’s first Broadway performance was a small part in William Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' (1941). Brynner found little acting work during the next few years. He did some modelling work and was photographed nude by George Platt Lynes.

Brynner's first marriage was to actress Virginia Gilmore in 1944, and soon after he began working as a director at the new CBS television studios, directing Studio One, among other shows. In 1946, he co-starred in a production of 'Lute Song' with Mary Martin. He made his film debut in the Film Noir Port of New York (László Benedek, 1949) with Scott Brady.

The next year, at the urging of Mary Martin, he auditioned for Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's new musical, 'The King and I' (1951). King As King Mongkut, Brynner became an immediate sensation. The part would become his most famous role which he played 4625 times on stage. Brynner shaved his head for his role and continued to shave his head for the rest of his life. Brynner's shaven head was unusual at the time, and his striking appearance helped to give him an exotic appeal. He won Tony Awards for both the first production in 1951 and for the Broadway revival in 1985.


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, Minden-Westf., no. 2392. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Publicity still for The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


Spanish postcard by Archivo Bermejo, no. 239/5920, 1959. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Yul Brynner in The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956).


German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. 177. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Publicity still for Anastasia (Anatole Litvak, 1956).


French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 831. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956). For his pursuit of the Israelites, Brynner in his role as Rameses II wears the blue Khepresh helmet crown, which the pharaohs wore for battle.


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, no. AX 3871. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956).

Gunslinger robot

In 1956, Yul Brynner also appeared in the film version, The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956), opposite Deborah Kerr. For his role, he won an Academy Award as Best Actor. Brynner is one of only nine people who have won both a Tony Award and an Academy Award for the same role. He quickly gained superstar status with his roles as Pharaoh Rameses II opposite Charlton Heston's Moses in the blockbuster The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1956) and as General Bounine in the historical drama Anastasia (Anatole Litvak, 1956) opposite Ingrid Bergman.

He made the 'Top 10 Stars of the Year' list in both 1957 and 1958. He co-starred with Lee J. Cobb in The Brothers Karamazov (Richard Brooks, 1958), based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel. Brynner starred as Solomon opposite Gina Lollobrigida in the epic Solomon and Sheba (King Vidor, 1959), and as Chris Adams in the Western The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960) with Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, and Horst Buchholz. The film was a box office disappointment in the United States but proved to be such a smash hit in Europe that it ultimately made a profit.

Over the next two decades, Brynner appeared in more than 40 other films. In the early 1960s, he starred in Taras Bulba (J. Lee Thompson, 1962) and Kings of the Sun (J. Lee Thompson, 1963). He co-starred with Marlon Brando in Morituri (Bernhard Wicki, 1965), and with Katharine Hepburn in The Madwoman of Chaillot (Bryan Forbes, 1969). In Europe, Brynner appeared in the Anglo-French war film Triple Cross (Terence Young, 1966) with Christopher Plummer and Romy Schneider, in the Yugoslavian partisan film Bitka na Neretvi/Battle of Neretva (Veljko Bulajić, 1969) and in the British thriller The File of the Golden Goose (Sam Wanamaker, 1969). He also appeared in drag as a torch singer in an unbilled role in the Peter Sellers comedy The Magic Christian (Joseph McGrath, 1969).

In the following decade, he played a gunslinger robot in the Science fiction Western thriller Westworld (Michael Crichton, 1973) and returned in its sequel Futureworld (Richard T. Heffron, 1976). Among his final feature film appearances were the titular role in The Ultimate Warrior (Robert Clouse, 1975) and his role opposite Barbara Bouchet in the Italian film Con la rabbia agli occhi/Death Rage (Antonio Margheriti, 1976). Later in life, Brynner was an active photographer and wrote two books. His daughter Victoria put together Yul Brynner: Photographer a collection of his photographs of family, friends, and fellow actors, as well as those he took while serving as a UN special consultant on refugees. Brynner wrote 'Bring Forth the Children: A Journey to the Forgotten People of Europe and the Middle East' (1960), with photographs by himself and Magnum photographer Inge Morath, and 'The Yul Brynner Cookbook: Food Fit for the King and You' (1983).

Yul Brynner died of lung cancer in 1985, in New York City. He married four times. His first three marriages ended in a divorce. Brynner had a long affair with Marlene Dietrich, who was 19 years his senior, beginning during the first production of 'The King and I' in 1951. He fathered three children and adopted two. His oldest son Rock wrote a book about his father and his family history titled 'Empire and Odyssey: The Brynners in Far East Russia and Beyond' (2006).


French postcard in the Entr'acte series by Éditions Asphodèle. Mâcon, no. 004/2. Photo: Collection B. Courtel / D.R. Cecil B. DeMille and Yul Brynner on the set of The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, 1955). Caption: Yul Brynner, film actor and photo enthusiast, takes a break to photograph director Cecil B. DeMille.


French postcard in the Entr'acte series by Éditions Asphodèle, Mâcon, no. 006/10. Photo: Collection B. Courtel / D.R. Yul Brynner and Harold Hecht on the set of Taras Bulba (J. Lee Thompson, 1962). Caption: Harold Hecht, the film's producer, and Yul Brynner, the film's lead actor, observe from a distance a scene filmed by the second crew.


West-German postcard by Rüdel-Verlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf, no. 2261. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Maria Schell and Yul Brynner in The Brothers Karamazov (Richard Brooks, 1958).


German postcard by ISV, no. B 20. Photo: MGM. Publicity still for The Brothers Karamazov (Richard Brooks, 1958).


Spanish postcard by Sobernanas / Damm, no. 12.007. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Publicity still for The Sound and the Fury (Martin Ritt, 1959).


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 1274. Photo: Terb Agency / Ufa.


Trailer Westworld (1973). Source: Ron Flaviano (YouTube).

Source: Jim Beaver (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 20 August 2023.