Anna and the King (TV series)

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Anna and the King
220px
Yul Brynner and Samantha Eggar, 1972.
Genre Sitcom
Written by Bud Freeman
Bill Idelson
Margaret Landon
Jerry Mayer
Harvey Miller
Tim Pine
Tina Pine
Gene Thompson
Directed by Gerald Mayer
Lee Philips
William Wiard
Starring Yul Brynner
Samantha Eggar
Composer(s) Jerry Goldsmith
Richard Shores
Country of origin USA
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Executive producer(s) Gene Reynolds
Producer(s) Bill Idelson
Harvey Miller
Running time 30 mins.
Production company(s) 20th Century Fox Television
Release
Original network CBS
Original release September 17 –
December 31, 1972
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Anna and the King is a sitcom broadcast in the United States by CBS as part of its 1972 fall lineup.

Overview

Anna and the King is a non-musical adaptation of the 1956 film of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, which was in turn based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. Unlike the majority of attempts to turn hit films into television series, Anna and the King featured the original film's star, Yul Brynner, who was probably more identified with that role than any other.

The plot, like that of the musical, involved the king's bringing to Siam of a British governess, Anna Leonowens (portrayed here by Samantha Eggar), to educate his 12-year-old son and heir, Crown Prince Chulalongkorn (Brian Tochi). As time goes on, the two develop a platonic infatuation with each other, despite the low status of women in Siamese society, which appalls Anna, as does the king's related practice of polygamy. Also appearing regularly was a member of the royal household, Kralahome (Keye Luke).

While the musical, both film and stage versions, was a tremendous worldwide success (Brynner was still touring in the stage version until just before his death), this series was cancelled at midseason.

Cast

Actor Role
Yul Brynner King Mongkut of Siam
Samantha Eggar Anna Leonowens
Brian Tochi Crown Prince Chulalongkorn
Eric Shea Louis Leonowens
Keye Luke Kralahome
Lisa Lu Lady Thiang
Rosalind Chao Princess Serena

Episodes

Ep # Title Airdate
1 Pilot September 17, 1972
2 "The Baby" September 24, 1972
3 "The King or the Tiger?" October 1, 1972
4 "Chulalongkorn's Grades" October 8, 1972
5 "Anna's Romance" October 15, 1972
6 "The Bicycle" October 22, 1972
7 "The Haunted Temple" November 5, 1972
8 "Louis, the Pawn" November 12, 1972
9 "The Chimes" November 19, 1972
10 "Serana" November 26, 1972
11 "The Marriage of Prince Chula" December 10, 1972
12 "The King and the Egg" December 17, 1972
13 "Louis' Love" December 31, 1972

Unsuccessful lawsuit by Margaret Landon

Margaret Landon was unhappy with this series and charged the producers with "inaccurate and mutilated portrayals" of her literary property; she unsuccessfully sued for copyright infringement.[1][2]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Lawrence Meyer, "Court And “The King”", Washington Post, 21 November 1972, pg. B2
  2. ↑ Landon v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 384 F. Supp. 450 (S.D.N.Y. 1974), in Donald E. Biederman, Edward P. Pierson, Martin E. Silfen, Janna Glasser, Law and Business of the Entertainment Industries, 5th edition, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood, 2006, pp. 349-356

External links

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