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
Original release
Network	CBS
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.

Overview

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

Episodes

Unsuccessful lawsuit by Margaret Landon

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]