Prem Chauhan and Sylla Haskell When Eliza Doolittle went to see Prof. Henry Higgins to ask for speech lessons, she said that she wanted to learn how to talk like a “Mayfair” (the fashionable district of London) lady. However, with her cockney accent, she said “My-fair lady” and that was the inspiration for Lerner and Lowe’s musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and not the children’s nursery rhyme about London Bridge falling down.

This was just one of the many tidbits of information gleaned by the members of The Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead on Wednesday, October 22 nd at 1:30 p.m. at the Garden City Library. Drama/Literature chairperson Prem Chauhan introduced Sylla Haskell’s multi-media presentation comparing the dramatic and film versions of Shaw’s classic tale.

As a teenager, London born Ms. Haskell starred in the popular English Christmas pantomimes and entertained at Hampton Court Palace. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has appeared on stage and television and was a headliner on Celebrity, Cunard and Norwegian Cruise Lines. She has utilized her various accents on recordings and voice-overs.

Ms. Haskell showed filmed excerpts from the 1936 film version starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller, and showed the corresponding scene from the Academy Award winning 1964 film with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. The film clips were interspersed with biographical notes about George Bernard Shaw.

A brief question and answer period followed the presentation during which Ms. Haskell related her experiences working with such luminaries as Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of The Community Club is requested to phone the club at 746-0488 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.