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The Incomparable Rex: Rex Harrison: The Last of the High Comedians
Rex Harrison’s fifth – but not last – wife, Elizabeth said of him: ‘I was very fond of Rex before we were married, and even more fond of him after we were married – it ws the bit in between that was so difficult.’
The Incomparable Rex is an affectionate and witty memoir of one of Britain’s great theatrical and cinematic talents, Rex Harrison. When he died in 1990, the English-speaking world lost one of its most eloquent and fastidious high comedians.
Patrick Garland worked with Harrison on the revival of My Fair Lady and came to know him well and – despite Rex’s reputation as something of an unholy terror – became extremely fond of him. Rex Harrison was famed for his urbane style, his mordant wit, his numerous wives and his truly appalling temper, quite apart from his legendary and much loved performance as Henry Higgins on both stage and screen.
The Incomparable Rex is a delightful and frequently laugh-out-loud blend of anecdote, pen-portraits and personal reminiscence which gives a vivid flavour of this complex man, and the pressures of working with him and a large cast, and of reviving a great musical on the American stage. This edition features a new introduction from actor and writer Simon Callow.
‘A scrupulously fair and most diverting memoir’ Daily Telegraph
- GenresBiography
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1998
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About the author
Patrick Garland
12 booksPatrick Garland was a British actor, writer, and director. He was the only child of Captain Ewart Garland and his wife, Rosalind Fell. His father was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during the First World War and his wartime exploits as a member of the Royal Flying Corps were fictionalised by Patrick in a well received novel, 'The Wings of the Morning' (1989). Patrick was educated at St Mary's college, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he was tutored in English literature by Lord David Cecil (reading Victorian novels remained a passion for Garland).
Garland started Poetry International in 1963 with Ted Hughes and Charles Osborne. He was a director and producer for the BBC's Music and Arts Department (1962–1974), and worked on its Monitor series. In 1964, he directed the Monitor film, "Down Cemetery Road," about Philip Larkin, in which John Betjeman also appeared. He served as the Artistic Director for the Chichester Festival Theatre twice, 1981–1985 and 1990–1994, where he directed over 20 productions. His 1971 television film of The Snow Goose won a Golden Globe for "Best Movie made for TV," and was nominated for both a BAFTA and an Emmy. He was made an Hon D Litt University of Southampton 1994; Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford in 1997.
Patrick Garland's appearances as an actor included "An Age of Kings". In 1980, Garland was responsible for the York Mystery Plays. He directed the revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway in the early 1980s with Rex Harrison (about whom he wrote The Incomparable Rex) and the musical Billy with Michael Crawford at Drury Lane, Don Giovanni and in Japan, Handel's opera Ottone. He directed his own play, Brief Lives, based on the life and writing of John Aubrey, and starring Roy Dotrice in the premiere as well as the 2008 production and Michael Williams in an earlier revival. He also directed Eileen Atkins in his own adaptation of Virginia Woolf's book A Room of One's Own.
Recently, he directed Simon Callow in The Mystery of Charles Dickens by Peter Ackroyd, in a tour that culminated in Australia and Broadway, and Joan Collins in Full Circle by Alan Melville. He also worked with Alan Bennett, directing the original stage production of Forty Years On; and for television, directing Patricia Routledge in the second Talking Heads and Bennett himself in Telling Tales.
He directed the film of Ibsen's A Doll's House with Claire Bloom, Anthony Hopkins and Ralph Richardson, and his 1971 television film of The Snow Goose won Golden Globe: "Best Movie made for TV" and was nominated for both a BAFTA award and an Emmy. He directed Fanfare for Elizabeth at Covent Garden on Queen Elizabeth II's 60th Birthday, and in 1986 at Westminster Abbey Celebration of a Broadcaster of the late Richard Dimbleby. 1989 he directed the Thanksgiving Service in Westminster Abbey for Lord Olivier. He has also devised and presented several performances for the Charleston Festival.
Garland started Poetry International in 1963 with Ted Hughes and Charles Osborne. He was a director and producer for the BBC's Music and Arts Department (1962–1974), and worked on its Monitor series. In 1964, he directed the Monitor film, "Down Cemetery Road," about Philip Larkin, in which John Betjeman also appeared. He served as the Artistic Director for the Chichester Festival Theatre twice, 1981–1985 and 1990–1994, where he directed over 20 productions. His 1971 television film of The Snow Goose won a Golden Globe for "Best Movie made for TV," and was nominated for both a BAFTA and an Emmy. He was made an Hon D Litt University of Southampton 1994; Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford in 1997.
Patrick Garland's appearances as an actor included "An Age of Kings". In 1980, Garland was responsible for the York Mystery Plays. He directed the revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway in the early 1980s with Rex Harrison (about whom he wrote The Incomparable Rex) and the musical Billy with Michael Crawford at Drury Lane, Don Giovanni and in Japan, Handel's opera Ottone. He directed his own play, Brief Lives, based on the life and writing of John Aubrey, and starring Roy Dotrice in the premiere as well as the 2008 production and Michael Williams in an earlier revival. He also directed Eileen Atkins in his own adaptation of Virginia Woolf's book A Room of One's Own.
Recently, he directed Simon Callow in The Mystery of Charles Dickens by Peter Ackroyd, in a tour that culminated in Australia and Broadway, and Joan Collins in Full Circle by Alan Melville. He also worked with Alan Bennett, directing the original stage production of Forty Years On; and for television, directing Patricia Routledge in the second Talking Heads and Bennett himself in Telling Tales.
He directed the film of Ibsen's A Doll's House with Claire Bloom, Anthony Hopkins and Ralph Richardson, and his 1971 television film of The Snow Goose won Golden Globe: "Best Movie made for TV" and was nominated for both a BAFTA award and an Emmy. He directed Fanfare for Elizabeth at Covent Garden on Queen Elizabeth II's 60th Birthday, and in 1986 at Westminster Abbey Celebration of a Broadcaster of the late Richard Dimbleby. 1989 he directed the Thanksgiving Service in Westminster Abbey for Lord Olivier. He has also devised and presented several performances for the Charleston Festival.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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July 2, 2015I listened to this as a book on tape. I was partially interested to see if it had anything interesting to say about My Fair Lady, and it does somewhat - because this largely about putting together the 1981 revival.
I haven't read Harrison's biographies or Fatal Charm, which is about the way he treated women. Yet Harrison comes across as just egotistical and obnoxious in these collected reminiscences. Garland admits that Harrison had great talent, brought a type of tailored refinement and sex appeal to Henry Higgins, and had great intelligence and presence as a performer, and that he was sometimes funny offstage - but largely he comes across as a narcissist who was always looking for opportunities to wittily put down other people.
Garland says that Harrison, when dining in restaurants, would often send back the first wine that he ordered - complaining that "the damn thing's corked" or ruined (he even did this with a bottle he had kept in his house ) - even though Harrison apparently knew little to nothing about wine. This seems like a core aspect of his personality to me – in addition to making up a lot of his childhood: beneath a shiny and charismatic exterior, part of him seems inherently empty and a poseur. People might say “what would you expect from an actor?” but that’s not the case. That was just him.
Garland says that Harrison ultimately sank the My Fair Lady revival by trying to control aspects of it that he should have left alone - rather than just concentrating on his part. Originally, Harrison was the one who fought for much of the dialogue from Pygmalion to be kept in the 1956 production of My Fair Lady - and people admitted that that helped the show. But in the revival, Garland says he caused a great deal of damage.
(The book’s style is fluidly written, but I almost abandoned it when Garland talks about the audition process for the production and acts like it was tedious. I’ve heard other theater representatives complain about having to sit through auditions – but really, all you have to do is pay attention to people for a number of hours, even if some of them are not very good. There are worse, mind-numbing jobs.)
I haven't read Harrison's biographies or Fatal Charm, which is about the way he treated women. Yet Harrison comes across as just egotistical and obnoxious in these collected reminiscences. Garland admits that Harrison had great talent, brought a type of tailored refinement and sex appeal to Henry Higgins, and had great intelligence and presence as a performer, and that he was sometimes funny offstage - but largely he comes across as a narcissist who was always looking for opportunities to wittily put down other people.
Garland says that Harrison, when dining in restaurants, would often send back the first wine that he ordered - complaining that "the damn thing's corked" or ruined (he even did this with a bottle he had kept in his house ) - even though Harrison apparently knew little to nothing about wine. This seems like a core aspect of his personality to me – in addition to making up a lot of his childhood: beneath a shiny and charismatic exterior, part of him seems inherently empty and a poseur. People might say “what would you expect from an actor?” but that’s not the case. That was just him.
Garland says that Harrison ultimately sank the My Fair Lady revival by trying to control aspects of it that he should have left alone - rather than just concentrating on his part. Originally, Harrison was the one who fought for much of the dialogue from Pygmalion to be kept in the 1956 production of My Fair Lady - and people admitted that that helped the show. But in the revival, Garland says he caused a great deal of damage.
(The book’s style is fluidly written, but I almost abandoned it when Garland talks about the audition process for the production and acts like it was tedious. I’ve heard other theater representatives complain about having to sit through auditions – but really, all you have to do is pay attention to people for a number of hours, even if some of them are not very good. There are worse, mind-numbing jobs.)
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March 16, 2021Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
A revealing but not particularly "delightful" look into the world behind the curtain, centered around the star of My Fair Lady, Rex Harrison. Garland, who directed Harrison in the American revival of the musical in the mid-seventies, seems to see reminiscing about the production as a fine opportunity to collect his memories of the man he considered a friend as well as a great artist, and perhaps to demonstrate why he remained so attractive to many in spite of his irascibility. But much of Harrison's in-person charm is lost when we are confronted with his bald words upon the page, divorced from his finely modulated voice and manners. He comes across as insensitive, boorish, and even cruel. One of his ex-wives (he had five, plus a current model) commits suicide during the tour and he appears largely unmoved. His treatment of his own son -- which took even Garland aback -- is horrible. Off the stage, intermingled with Wildean quips he spews a constant stream of profanity; his nickname for My Fair Lady is "F*** the Music."
This attitude also demonstrates his contempt for any artists involved with a production other than himself. Challenged by his own lack of singing skills, his "speech singing" became a brilliant and very suitable expression of the character of Henry Higgins, which largely contributed to his success in the role. But it IS an eminently musical show, and he had no respect for music or for singers. He ignored the long-suffering conductor's requests for Harrison to follow him, demanding that he lead and the orchestra follow. He sank the revival production because when his co-star playing Eliza became overwhelmed by the vocal demands of the score, he refused to allow an understudy to take over. When forced by the crisis to do so, played so coldly to her that she ended up prostrate in her dressing room after the preview performance attended by the New York critics. I suspect that he feared being upstaged by any talent that might have proved to be greater than his own, and used these antics to keep other actors in their place.
I'm sure such attitudes and practices are not uncommon among stage folk, and so Garland's record allows us to see a side of show business that is not at all glamorous. But it left me sad, and wondering why Harrison became such a dreadful person -- a question not addressed in this particular book.
A revealing but not particularly "delightful" look into the world behind the curtain, centered around the star of My Fair Lady, Rex Harrison. Garland, who directed Harrison in the American revival of the musical in the mid-seventies, seems to see reminiscing about the production as a fine opportunity to collect his memories of the man he considered a friend as well as a great artist, and perhaps to demonstrate why he remained so attractive to many in spite of his irascibility. But much of Harrison's in-person charm is lost when we are confronted with his bald words upon the page, divorced from his finely modulated voice and manners. He comes across as insensitive, boorish, and even cruel. One of his ex-wives (he had five, plus a current model) commits suicide during the tour and he appears largely unmoved. His treatment of his own son -- which took even Garland aback -- is horrible. Off the stage, intermingled with Wildean quips he spews a constant stream of profanity; his nickname for My Fair Lady is "F*** the Music."
This attitude also demonstrates his contempt for any artists involved with a production other than himself. Challenged by his own lack of singing skills, his "speech singing" became a brilliant and very suitable expression of the character of Henry Higgins, which largely contributed to his success in the role. But it IS an eminently musical show, and he had no respect for music or for singers. He ignored the long-suffering conductor's requests for Harrison to follow him, demanding that he lead and the orchestra follow. He sank the revival production because when his co-star playing Eliza became overwhelmed by the vocal demands of the score, he refused to allow an understudy to take over. When forced by the crisis to do so, played so coldly to her that she ended up prostrate in her dressing room after the preview performance attended by the New York critics. I suspect that he feared being upstaged by any talent that might have proved to be greater than his own, and used these antics to keep other actors in their place.
I'm sure such attitudes and practices are not uncommon among stage folk, and so Garland's record allows us to see a side of show business that is not at all glamorous. But it left me sad, and wondering why Harrison became such a dreadful person -- a question not addressed in this particular book.
November 30, 2015
Oh boy was he a character towards the end of his life. If you looked up Rex Harrison in the dictionary, I should find irascible, hot head, vindictive, arrogant, cocky, narcissistic, egotistical, etc... He was talented, but apparently the worst to work with if he didn't get his way. At least at this point in his life, which was the stage production of My Fair Lady (in the 80's).
Quite an interesting depiction of Rex!
Quite an interesting depiction of Rex!
May 1, 2025
I thought this was a straight biography of Rex Harrison. Instead it's a book of reminiscences by a director who knew him for about 20 years and who directed him in the revival of My Fair Lady. Nevertheless, Garland very clearly showed what a rotten egocentric personality resided in Rex.
While he was a great actor of British high comedy, Harrison treated everyone, including his 7 wives and two sons, like dirt. In many ways it is a sad story about a great actor.
While he was a great actor of British high comedy, Harrison treated everyone, including his 7 wives and two sons, like dirt. In many ways it is a sad story about a great actor.
May 19, 2021
A lot of other reviewers whining about how much of a cunt he was. But the truth is that they would have melted in Rex's shadow. He knew he was a huge name and name taxed accordingly. Bizarrely I think I would have got along well with Rex.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews