For the credited cast members, we have used the original souvenir program as our source for the character names. This source has certain idiosyncrasies that we have retained: Eliza Doolittle is merely Eliza; Freddy Eynsford-Hill is listed only by his first name, which is spelled as Freddie (rather than Freddy, as the character's name had usually been spelled in the major stage productions); and Alfred Doolittle is listed without his middle initial of P.
Producer Jack L. Warner paid $5.5 million for the film rights, a record at the time.
The film's producer, Jack L. Warner, reportedly offered role of Henry Higgins to Cary Grant. It is said that Grant turned it down, telling Warner that only Rex Harrison could play the role in the film. According to reports around the time of the film's release, Peter O'Toole was also considered for the role. In his memoir, The Street Where I Live, Alan Jay Lerner wrote that Warner, after having been turned down by Grant, wanted to offer the role to Rock Hudson but Lerner dissuaded him.
According to Dominic McHugh's book, Loverly: The Life and Times of My Fair Lady, there is evidence that Lerner was interested in the idea of Richard Burton playing the role in the film, although Lerner later claimed that he always felt that only Harrison should be offered the role.
