Anna and the King (TV series)

CBS TV Series

American TV series or program

Anna and the King

Yul Brynner and Samantha Eggar, 1972.

Genre| Sitcom
Based on| The King and I
by Rodgers and Hammerstein
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
* Brian Tochi
* Keye Luke

Composers|

* Jerry Goldsmith
* Richard Shores

Country of origin| USA
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 13
Production
Executive producer| Gene Reynolds
Producers|

* Bill Idelson
* Harvey Miller

Running time| 30 mins.
Production company| 20th Century-Fox Television
Distributor| 20th Television
Release
Original network| CBS
Original release| September 17 (1972-09-17) –
December 31, 1972 (1972-12-31)

Anna and the King is a television sitcom that aired Sunday nights at 7:30 pm (EST) on CBS as part of its 1972 fall lineup.

## Contents

* 1 Overview
* 2 Cast
* 3 Episodes
* 4 Unsuccessful lawsuit by Margaret Landon
* 5 References
* 6 Notes
* 7 External links

## Overview[edit]

Anna and the King is a non-musical adaptation of the film of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I (1956), which was in turn based on the 1944 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 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 worldwide success (Brynner was still touring in the stage version until just before his death), this series was cancelled at midseason.

## Cast[edit]

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[edit]

No.| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original air date

|
|
|
|

1| "Pilot"| Gene Reynolds| Bill Idelson & Harvey Miller| September 17, 1972 (1972-09-17)
2| "The Baby"| Michael O'Herlihy| Jim Fritzell| September 24, 1972 (1972-09-24)
3| "The King or the Tiger?"| Michael Gordon| Jerry Mayer| October 1, 1972 (1972-10-01)
4| "Chulalongkorn's Grades"| James Shledon| Gene Thompson| October 8, 1972 (1972-10-08)
5| "Anna's Romance"| William Wiard| Gene Thompson| October 15, 1972 (1972-10-15)
6| "The Bicycle"| Jack Donohue & William Wiard| Maurice Richlin| October 22, 1972 (1972-10-22)
7| "The Haunted Temple"| Lee Philips| Jerry Mayer| November 5, 1972 (1972-11-05)
8| "Louis, the Pawn"| Hy Averback| Bud Freeman| November 12, 1972 (1972-11-12)
9| "The Chimes"| E.W. Swackhamer| Jerry Mayer| November 19, 1972 (1972-11-19)
10| "Serana"| Jeff Corey| Les & Tina Pine| November 26, 1972 (1972-11-26)
11| "The Marriage of Prince Chula"| William Wiard| Bill Idelson & Harvey Miller| December 10, 1972 (1972-12-10)
12| "The King and the Egg"| Terry Becker| Austin & Irma Kalish| December 17, 1972 (1972-12-17)
13| "Louis' Love"| Gerald Mayer| Jim Fritzell| December 31, 1972 (1972-12-31)

## Unsuccessful lawsuit by Margaret Landon[edit]

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[edit]

* Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows

## Notes[edit]

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[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anna and the King (TV series).

* Anna and the King at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Margaret Landon's Anna and the King of Siam

Characters|

* Anna Leonowens
* Mongkut, King of Siam
* Prince Chulalongkorn
* Louis T. Leonowens

Films|

* Anna and the King of Siam (1946)
* The King and I (1956)
* The King and I (1999)
* Anna and the King (1999)

TV|

* Anna and the King

Stage|

* The King and I (musical)

Songs|

* "I Whistle a Happy Tune"
* "Hello, Young Lovers"
* "Getting to Know You"
* "We Kiss in a Shadow"
* "Something Wonderful"
* "I Have Dreamed"
* "Shall We Dance?"

Albums|

* Original cast recording (1951)
* London cast recording (1953)
* jazz version by The Mastersounds (1957)
* Julie Andrews and Ben Kingsley album (1992)

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