Pygmalion (1938)
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- Approved
- 1h 36min
- Comedy, Drama
- 03 Mar 1939 (USA)
- Movie
A phonetics and diction expert makes a bet that he can teach a cockney flower girl to speak proper English and pass as a lady in high society.
Directors:
Writers:
Awards:
- Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Leslie Howard | ... |
Professor Henry Higgins
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| Wendy Hiller | ... |
Eliza Doolittle
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| Wilfrid Lawson | ... |
Alfred Doolittle
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| Marie Lohr | ... |
Mrs. Higgins
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Scott Sunderland | ... |
Colonel Pickering
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| Jean Cadell | ... |
Mrs. Pearce
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| David Tree | ... |
Freddy Eynsford Hill
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| Everley Gregg | ... |
Mrs. Eynsford Hill
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| Leueen MacGrath | ... |
Clara Eynsford Hill
(as Leueen Macgrath)
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| Esme Percy | ... |
Count Aristid Karpathy
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| Violet Vanbrugh | ... |
Ambassadress
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| Iris Hoey | ... |
Ysabel - Social Reporter
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| Viola Tree | ... |
Perfide - Social Reporter
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| Irene Browne | ... |
Duchess
(as Irene Brown)
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| Kate Cutler | ... |
Grand Old Lady
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| Cathleen Nesbitt | ... |
A Lady
(as Kathleen Nesbitt)
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| O.B. Clarence | ... |
A Vicar
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Wally Patch | ... |
First Bystander
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H.F. Maltby | ... |
Second Bystander
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George Mozart | ... |
Third Bystander
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| Ivor Barnard | ... |
Sarcastic Bystander
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Cecil Trouncer | ... |
First Policeman
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| Stephen Murray | ... |
Second Policeman
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Eileen Beldon | ... |
Mrs. Higgins' Parlourmaid
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| Frank Atkinson | ... |
Taxi-Driver
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Wallace Bosco | ... |
Passer-by (uncredited)
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| Leo Genn | ... |
Prince (uncredited)
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| Moyna MacGill | ... |
Woman Bystander (uncredited)
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| Patrick Macnee | ... |
Extra (uncredited)
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| Anthony Quayle | ... |
Eliza's Hairdresser (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Anthony Asquith | ||
| Leslie Howard | ||
Written by
| George Bernard Shaw | ... | (screen play and dialogue) (as Bernard Shaw) |
| W.P. Lipscomb | ... | (scenario) and |
| Cecil Lewis | ... | (scenario) |
| Ian Dalrymple | ... | () (uncredited) |
| Anatole de Grunwald | ... | () (uncredited) |
| George Bernard Shaw | ... | (play) (uncredited) |
| Kay Walsh | ... | (additional dialogue) (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Gabriel Pascal | ... | producer |
Music by
| Arthur Honegger | ||
Cinematography by
| Harry Stradling Sr. | ... | (photography) (as Harry Stradling) |
Editing by
| David Lean | ||
Art Direction by
| John Bryan | ||
Production Management
| Phil C. Samuel | ... | production manager (as Phil G. Samuel) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Teddy Baird | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
| Laurence Irving | ... | sets designer |
| Baden Siddall | ... | property buyer (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Sash Fisher | ... | recordist (as Alex Fisher) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Jack Hildyard | ... | camera |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Ladislaw Czettel | ... | dress designer (as Professor L.Czettel) |
| Madeleine Godar | ... | wardrobe (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Louis Levy | ... | musical conductor |
| William Axt | ... | composer: additional music (US release) (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Carl Mayer | ... | script advisor (uncredited) |
| Hazel Wilkinson | ... | continuity (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Suzanne Clair | ... | producer's secretary (uncredited) |
| Charles Clement | ... | subtitles: French (uncredited) |
| Dennison Thornton | ... | publicist (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Pascal Film Productions (present)
Distributors
- General Film Distributors (GFD) (1938) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as General Film Distributors Ltd. also)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1938) (United States) (theatrical)
- Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1939) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Radio Pictures (1939) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1939) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Wivefilm (1945) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Folkuniversitet (1951) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Rosenbergs Filmbyrå (1951) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Ellis Films (1949) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Lloyd-Filmverleih (1949) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Filmways Australasian Distributors (Australia) (theatrical) (re-issue)
- Embassy Home Entertainment (1985) (Japan) (VHS)
- Channel 5 Television (1987) (United Kingdom) (video)
- Embassy Home Entertainment Australia (1987) (Australia) (video)
- Embassy Home Entertainment (1987) (United States) (VHS)
- Beam Entertainment (2000) (Japan) (DVD)
- I.V.C. (2000) (Japan) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2000) (France) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2000) (United States) (DVD)
- Art Station (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
- GP Museum Soft (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2004) (United States) (DVD)
- ADP Film Distribution (2006) (United Kingdom) (video)
- Horse Creek Entertainment (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Lancaster Films (2007) (France) (DVD)
- Second Sight Films (2007) (United Kingdom) (video)
- Carlotta Films (2008) (France) (DVD)
- Research Entertainment (2015) (Spain) (video)
- HBO Max (2020) (United States) (video) (VOD)
- The Criterion Channel (2020) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- Solaris Films (2021) (France) (theatrical) (re-release 4K restored version)
- Nelson Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
- New Line Home Video (United States) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Worth and Schiaparelli (dresses by)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
The snobbish and 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.
Written by Steve Crook |
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| Taglines | He picked up a girl from the gutter - and changed her into a glamorous society butterfly ! . . . See Wendy Hiller, new star discovery, in this amazing role ! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $350,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | The scene in which Eliza accidentally swallows a marble while having an elocution lesson does not appear in the original play. During rehearsals for this scene, a pained expression came over Wendy Hiller's face. When she spat out the marbles she had in her mouth, she said, "Leslie, I've swallowed one!" to which Leslie Howard replied, "Never mind, there are plenty more." This caused such amusement among the watching crew that it was added to the movie and to its musical version, My Fair Lady (1964). See more » |
| Goofs | After the ball when Mrs. Pearce is serving Professor Higgins his tea, the shadow of the camera can be seen in the bottom left, moving back across his blanket. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Big Parade of Hits for 1940 (1940). See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Opening credits prologue: PYGMALION WAS A MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTER WHO DABBLED IN SCULPTURE. HE MADE A STATUE OF HIS IDEAL WOMAN-GALATEA. IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL THAT HE PRAYED THE GODS TO GIVE IT LIFE. HIS WISH WAS GRANTED. BERNARD SHAW IN HIS FAMOUS PLAY GIVES A MODERN INTERPRETATION OF THIS THEME. See more » |
| Quotes |
Eliza Doolittle:
Walk? Not bloody likely. I'm going in a taxi. See more » |