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Also: Brynner didn't win the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical
Last Edit: WaymanWong 04:07 am EST 02/13/21
Posted by: WaymanWong 03:59 am EST 02/13/21
In reply to: Please - brYnner with a Y. - Chromolume 12:15 am EST 02/13/21

Contrary to the Hollywood Reporter story linked in the original post, Brynner won the Tony for Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical.

At the 1952 Tonys, it was Phil Silvers who won Best Actor in a Musical for ''Top Banana.''

However, Brynner did win Best Actor for the film adaptation of ''The King and I'' at the 1957 Academy Awards.

And stars of Broadway revivals of ''The King and I,'' like Lou Diamond Phillips and Ken Watanabe, were Tony-nominated for Leading Actor
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His Tony was for "distinguished supporting performance" by an actor in a musical
Posted by: AlanScott 08:25 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: Also: Brynner didn't win the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical - WaymanWong 03:59 am EST 02/13/21

He did, however, win the Variety poll and the Donaldson award as leading actor in a musical in 1951, when his only real competition was Robert Alda for Guys and Dolls. In the Variety poll, Brynner got 10 votes, Alda got 1. The King and I was in competition for the 1952 Tonys, when his main competition would have been Phil Silvers if he had been in leading. It's not so clear that he would have won that, despite the sensational reviews and, apparently, audience response for his performance.

But, again, no one cared that much about the Tonys at this time.
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Yul B wouldn’t have been allowed to do it nowadays
Posted by: KingSpeed 06:01 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: Also: Brynner didn't win the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical - WaymanWong 03:59 am EST 02/13/21

He’s not Asian
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re: Yul B wouldn’t have been allowed to do it nowadays
Posted by: Quicheo 04:37 pm EST 02/14/21
In reply to: Yul B wouldn’t have been allowed to do it nowadays - KingSpeed 06:01 pm EST 02/13/21

I was fascinated to read about his ancestry, which does include some Asian ancestors, even if not counting eastern Russians as Asians.
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re: Also: Brynner didn't win the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical
Posted by: larry13 12:56 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: Also: Brynner didn't win the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical - WaymanWong 03:59 am EST 02/13/21

Brynner was billed below the title(explanation, not justification, for the Tony decision)and, once again, maybe the Tonys thought they were doing him a favor by guaranteeing him a win. Famously, Gertrude Lawrence supposedly on her deathbed asked that he be moved to above the title--which he was.(And, of course, the new Anna would then share top billing--which Lawrence never did.)
As outrageous as the King being seen as a supporting role, it still isn't as ludicrous as Molly Brown being so cited.
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re: Also: Brynner didn't win the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical
Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 01:52 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: re: Also: Brynner didn't win the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical - larry13 12:56 pm EST 02/13/21

Right. For what it's worth, I think the overwhelming reason why Brynner did not initially receive star billing for the original production of THE KING AND I and, therefore, was nominated not nominated in the leading actor category was that he was a little-known commodity at the time. I'm not saying it's a GOOD reason (I don't think it is), but I do think that's the explanation, as you say.
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Mary Beth Peil as Anna in "King and I" was nominated for Supporting Actress
Last Edit: PlayWiz 04:41 pm EST 02/13/21
Posted by: PlayWiz 04:38 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: re: Also: Brynner didn't win the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical - Michael_Portantiere 01:52 pm EST 02/13/21

It's also kind of ludicrous that when Mary Beth Peil did one of Brynner's Broadway "King & I" revivals she was nominated for Supporting (or Featured, whatever they called it that year) Actress for Anna! Yes she was below the title, but it was originally conceived as the star part of the whole show. But Tonys are very inconsistent over the years with categories; they did that with putting leading people in supporting categories like those Tony winners Tom Bosley in "Fiorello", Tammy Grimes in "Molly Brown", Dick van Dyke in "Bye Bye Birdie" which I can think of offhand and also nominee William Daniels' huge role of John Adams (who declined that nomination for "1776").
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re: Mary Beth Peil in "King and I" was nominated for Supporting
Last Edit: WaymanWong 05:19 pm EST 02/13/21
Posted by: WaymanWong 05:16 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: Mary Beth Peil as Anna in "King and I" was nominated for Supporting Actress - PlayWiz 04:38 pm EST 02/13/21

What's also so ridiculous about Peil's Supporting nomination is: Who is she supporting? ''The King and I'' was designed to be a star vehicle for Gertrude Lawrence. Anna has more songs to sing in ''The King and I'' than anyone else. The show revolves around her arc, and the King is her colorful antagonist. Lawrence won her Tony for Best Actress in a Musical as Anna, and decades later, so did Donna Murphy and Kelli O'Hara.

Despite her billing, the Tonys should've bumped Peil up to Leading Actress, and she could've competed with Leilani Jones, who was billed above the title in ''Grind.'' (It wouldn't have been the first time there were just two Tony nominees in that category.) Instead, the Tonys dumped the Leading Actress category, and bumped Jones down to Featured Actress, alongside Peil, and Evalyn Baron and Lenka Peterson, both from ''Quilters.''
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re: Mary Beth Peil in "King and I" was nominated for Supporting
Posted by: larry13 05:51 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: re: Mary Beth Peil in "King and I" was nominated for Supporting - WaymanWong 05:16 pm EST 02/13/21

And 'we" still discuss, debate, question, predict, argue, etc. etc. etc.(as the King might have said)the Tony nominations and awards. And it's not even as if the awards(except maybe best musical), let alone nominations, had any real box-office clout.
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Yes, the Tonys were pretty unimportant in 1952
Posted by: AlanScott 08:16 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: re: Mary Beth Peil in "King and I" was nominated for Supporting - larry13 05:51 pm EST 02/13/21

Thank you. I have said that a bunch of times here. In 1952, the Tony awards were pretty unimportant to the public. Newspaper ads might mention the New York Drama Critics Circle award if a show had won it, but rarely if ever Tony awards.
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re: Mary Beth Peil in "King and I" was nominated for Supporting
Last Edit: PlayWiz 07:36 pm EST 02/13/21
Posted by: PlayWiz 07:35 pm EST 02/13/21
In reply to: re: Mary Beth Peil in "King and I" was nominated for Supporting - larry13 05:51 pm EST 02/13/21

There was a time I believe when Best Actor and Actress in both a musical and play prompted people to buy tickets to check out the award winner, at least when tickets were reasonably affordable. Sometimes supporting as well, if they were a sensational breakout star like Gwen Verdon in "Can-Can", for example. For a while when there were some really great choreographers on Broadway, the winner of the Best Choreography award also sold tickets.
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