Still Not Standing Pat

The other day, I wrote about the revival of The King & I in 1977 that Yul Brynner had starred in opposite Constance Towers, posted a video of it.  In the piece, I mentioned him performing the same "Shall We Dance?" number at the 1971 Tony Awards with Patricia Morison, who had starred with him on Broadway when she was a replacement 'Anna,' in 1954, and then toured together with the show.

Morison had had a very respectable film career, but achieved her greatest success on Broadway in the original cast of Kiss Me Kate in 1948, which I've posted video of that from a TV production she did, as well as a glorious "return" to Broadway she did in her 90s to sing a song at a benefit concert.

And here is another gem I just came across.  It's from an interview she did with Scott Feinberg of the Hollywood Reporter last year -- when she was 100.  I've posted an earlier, similar interview that the two did together when she was a sprightly 98, and he seems to pull out the best of her.  In this one, they get around to talking about an acclaimed new revival of The King & I being on done on Broadway last year with Kelli O'Hara (who ended up winning the Tony Award) and Ken Watanabe (who came to attention starring opposite Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai).  And Feinberg asks if Ms. Morison would like to send a little greeting tribute to Ms. O'Hara and perhaps include a little song.

She does, and it's wonderful.  Though is a bit hesitant at first and then...

But we'll get to that in a moment.  First, to help put that moment in perspective, here again is that other moment.  The one when she and Brynner re-created their famous "Shall We Dance?" number at the 1971 Tonys.  When she was just a kid of 56...
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And here now is Patricia Morison last year at 100.  At first, being an old pro, she doesn't want to sing, no longer being in good voice, but Scott Feinberg does get her to sing very briefly a greeting to her new Anna, though that's all.  But don't give up on the video.  She is, after all, as I said, an old pro...

​And a gem of one.  Now, 101.