A word of warning for film fans – Don’t believe everything you read in the magazines!
The following little snippets seem to be more gossip than anything else. Best one says Clark Gable will definitely NOT be Rhett Butler!
It’s fun to think if these casting choices had gone ahead. Personally, I can see many of them working. Any thoughts?
1937:
. The suggestion of Charles Laughton as the schoolmaster hero of GOODBYE MR CHIPS is on again.
Charles Laughton
Walter Connolly gets the distinction of being the first player cast for an important part in GONE WITH THE WIND. He will play ‘Gerald O’Hara’, Scarlett’s father. Scarlett herself still remains uncast. Rumours that Paulette Goddard will have the part are on again.
Walter Connolly
The only other item of news about the picture is purely negative – Clark Gable will NOT play ‘Rhett Butler.’
- 1938:
Selznick wants Jean Arthur to costar with Charles Boyer in INTERMEZZO, a remake of a Swedish film.
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Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur.
Mae West is trying to get Basil Rathbone as her leading man in CATHERINE THE GREAT.
Zanuck plans to star young Lynn Bari in THE RAINS CAME , which for months has been rumoured as Dietrich’s comeback. Lynn’s costar may be Ronald Colman who is very keen on the story.
- 1939:
Both Cary Grant and Robert Taylor are being suggested for Garbo’s leading man in NINOTCHKA.
Myrna Loy is to star in THE FORSYTE SAGA. Originally it was planned to make it in England on a GWTW scale, but that being out of the question,it will be made at Culver City early next year.
(Wonder why it took another ten years before it came to the screen.)
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Myrna Loy
- 1941:
We may see Astaire and Rogers together again. It is RKO’s idea and if it matures the title will be, appropriately, “TOGETHER AGAIN.
Wait another 8 years and ask MGM.
Paulette Goddard has been tested for the lead in FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, as have a number of other actresses.
- 1942:
Hedy Lamarr has secured one of the plum roles of the year – the important role of ‘Jade’ in Pearl Buck’s story ‘DRAGON SEED.
Warners have taken that famous novel,MOBY DICK, off the shelf and are dusting it off for Errol Flynn. Just a word of warning. The sea captain must not be a glamour boy.
Vienna's Classic Hollywood
Re “The Forsyte Saga” taking ten years – 13 writers producing 17 adaptations might be why.
Will always love the BBC 1960s adaptation. Too much story for one film.
“Gone” has so many famous stories around the players. Frances Dee rejected because she was too beautiful and would show up Leigh! Gable didn’t want it. Gary Cooper said it was gonna be a big flop and turned it down.
But look at it from where they were standing at the end of the ’30s.
The biggest hits of the day were things like Saratoga, Stella Dallas, Adventures of Robin Hood, Can’t Take It With You…. Gable’s movies were big hits – Saratoga, Test Pilot, Too Hot To Handle. Cooper had been playing in Bluebeard and Cowboy & The Lady and The Plainsman. Great movies for sure but not really anything to do with a four hour epic that’s mostly talk… anybody coming off of those kinds of roles – and they did big box office numbers too – might be a little skeptical. “Gone” is… a little bit intellectual in a way, and intellectual movies were not getting it done in that era. Definitely not. In fact it was getting people labeled Box Office Poison.
To me it’s not so surprising that they had their doubts; but Selznick knew what he had all right
Fine though Donat was, I can very much imagine Laughton being at least as good (though of course very different) in “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”.
I agree that Laughton would have succeeded too. A fine actor. But Mr. Chips will always be Donat .
I wonder why Fox though that Lynn Bari would have been suitable for the sophisticated Lady Edwina in The Rains Came. Much as I like Lynn, I just can’t see her in that part. Too young for starters.
Brenda Joyce role maybe.
Myrna Loy cool sophisticated lady
Could be, and blonde Brenda would have been a better contrast to Myrna Loy.