Getting to Know You (song)
Encyclopedia
"Getting to Know You" is a show tune
from the 1951
Rodgers and Hammerstein
musical
The King and I
. It was first sung by Gertrude Lawrence
in the original Broadway production and later by Marni Nixon
who dubbed for Deborah Kerr
in the 1956 film adaptation
. In this show, Anna sings the song as she strikes up a warm and affectionate relationship with the children and the wives of the King of Siam.
This song is one of the few cases during the Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership when Rodgers re-used a melody he had written for an earlier show and then discarded. In this case the melody was a tune he wrote for South Pacific
, called "Suddenly Lucky", which he originally intended for the character of Nellie to sing but replaced it with the song "(I'm in Love with) a Wonderful Guy". Mary Martin
, the star of South Pacific, who had proposed that Rodgers should cast Yul Brynner
as the King, reminded Rodgers of this tune, and so Hammerstein wrote new lyrics to it.
Popular versions on record include Dinah Shore, Sharon, Lois & Bram
, Bing Crosby and Nancy Wilson. Leon Redbone sang the song in ads for the Chevrolet Geo.
Show tune
A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" , especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context...
from the 1951
1951 in music
-Events:*January 29 – Nilla Pizzi wins the first annual Sanremo Music Festival with "Grazie dei fiori".*February – The first complete performance of Charles Ives's Second Symphony is given in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.*March – Alan...
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
. It was first sung by Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence was an English actress, singer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End theatre district of London and on Broadway.-Early life:...
in the original Broadway production and later by Marni Nixon
Marni Nixon
Marni Nixon is an American soprano and playback singer for featured actresses in movie musicals. She has also spent much of her career performing in concerts with major symphony orchestras around the world and in operas and musicals throughout the United States.-Biography:Born Margaret Nixon...
who dubbed for Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr, CBE was a Scottish film and television actress from Glasgow. She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago performance as Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy, a role which she originated on Broadway, a Golden Globe Award for the motion picture The King and I, and was a three-time...
in the 1956 film adaptation
The King and I (1956 film)
The King and I is a 1956 musical film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Walter Lang and produced by Charles Brackett and Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman is based on the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical The King and I, based in turn on the book Anna and the King...
. In this show, Anna sings the song as she strikes up a warm and affectionate relationship with the children and the wives of the King of Siam.
This song is one of the few cases during the Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership when Rodgers re-used a melody he had written for an earlier show and then discarded. In this case the melody was a tune he wrote for South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
, called "Suddenly Lucky", which he originally intended for the character of Nellie to sing but replaced it with the song "(I'm in Love with) a Wonderful Guy". Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
, the star of South Pacific, who had proposed that Rodgers should cast Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
as the King, reminded Rodgers of this tune, and so Hammerstein wrote new lyrics to it.
Popular versions on record include Dinah Shore, Sharon, Lois & Bram
Sharon, Lois & Bram
Sharon, Lois & Bram is the name of a Canadian children's musical trio composed of Sharon Hampson , Lois Ada Lilienstein , and Bramwell "Bram" Morrison .-Group formation:Sharon Hampson, Lois Lillenstein, and Bram Morrison began their singing...
, Bing Crosby and Nancy Wilson. Leon Redbone sang the song in ads for the Chevrolet Geo.
In popular culture
- The song was featured in the film The Addams FamilyThe Addams Family (film)The Addams Family is a 1991 American black comedy film based on the characters from the cartoon of the same name created by cartoonist Charles Addams....
(1991). - Jack BennyJack BennyJack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
and Gisele MacKenzieGisele MacKenzieGisèle MacKenzie was a Canadian-American singer, most famous for her performances on the popular television program Your Hit Parade.-Biography:...
performed this as a violin duet on The Jack Benny ProgramThe Jack Benny ProgramThe Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
. - The song was sung by the patrons of Gary's Olde Towne Tavern to the CheersCheersCheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
gang in the episode "Bar Wars VII" (1993). - Gertrude Lawrence's recording of the song was featured on the sitcom The King of QueensThe King of QueensThe King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007.This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions , CBS Paramount Television ,and CBS Television Studios in association with Columbia TriStar Television , and Sony Pictures...
in the episode "Arthur, Spooner" (2002). - The song is currently being used in advertisements for kitchenKitchenA kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
chain MagnetMagnet KitchensMagnet is a British kitchen retailer operating in over 200 locations across the UK supplying products under the Magnet and Magnet Trade brands. The company has over 2,000 employees and its headquarters are in Darlington, County Durham...
. - Doug and Wendy sang this song in College Road TripCollege Road TripCollege Road Trip is a 2008 American family/comedy directed by Roger Kumble and starring Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symoné, Brenda Song, Margo Harshman, and Donny Osmond. The film centers on college-bound teen Melanie Porter , who goes on a road trip to different colleges with her father...
(2008). Scooter also sang this song at the end of the movie. - The song was used as a signal to start a weekly task for Week 1 on the 3rd Season of Pinoy Big Brother: Double UpPinoy Big Brother: Double UpPinoy Big Brother: Double Up was the third regular season of Pinoy Big Brother, which began on October 4, 2009 on ABS-CBN. Toni Gonzaga, Mariel Rodriguez, and Bianca Gonzalez reprised their hosting duties this season...
- The song was sung by legendary children's entertainers, Sharon, Lois & BramSharon, Lois & BramSharon, Lois & Bram is the name of a Canadian children's musical trio composed of Sharon Hampson , Lois Ada Lilienstein , and Bramwell "Bram" Morrison .-Group formation:Sharon Hampson, Lois Lillenstein, and Bram Morrison began their singing...
and can be found on their Friends ForeverFriends Forever (album)Friends Forever is the nineteenth album by popular children's entertainers Sharon, Lois & Bram, originally released in April of 1998. Hitting the shelves just in time for Easter, Friends Forever was the first of the trio's albums to be released under their new Skinnamarink Entertainment group...
album and television series, Skinnamarink TVSkinnamarink TVSkinnamarink TV is a children's television show that aired from 1997 to 2000 and aired on CBC in Canada and The Learning Channel in the US. It was created by Lynn Harvey and Richard Mortimer for Skinnamarink Entertainment in association with Craftsman & Scribes Creative Workshop, The Learning...
. - The song features in the first episode of SpacedSpacedSpaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
. - The song was featured in a recent Honda commercial that has the Asimo Robot in a "leaning child" role going all across Canada.
- The song is featured in the season 2 premiereAudition (Glee)"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
of the show, GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
. - The song was sung by Curt Pasisz while eating a chicken dumpling from "The King and I" restaurant in Cheektowaga NY on 8/12/11.