Classic Hollywood Does Dallas

Laurie Marr

Laurie Marr

Telly Talk Well-Known Member
Leaving aside the fact that the show was already well cast and had a few well known faces from the studio system (BBG, HK, Donna Reid and Alexis Smith) who would you have cast from the dying days of the Golden Age of Hollywood? Only one stipulation: everyone has to be age appropriate for shooting the show in 1959. Some quick suggestions:

Jock - John Wayne
Miss Ellie - Katherine Hepburn
JR. - Paul Newman
Bobby - James Garner
Sue Ellen - Natalie Wood
Pam - Audrey Hepburn
Gary - Montgomery Clift
Cliff - Jack Lemmon
Lucy - Sandy Dennis
 
Kenny Coyote

Kenny Coyote

Telly Talk Star
Laurie Marr said:
Leaving aside the fact that the show was already well cast and had a few well known faces from the studio system (BBG, HK, Donna Reid and Alexis Smith) who would you have cast from the dying days of the Golden Age of Hollywood? Only one stipulation: everyone has to be age appropriate for shooting the show in 1959. Some quick suggestions:

Jock - John Wayne
Miss Ellie - Katherine Hepburn
JR. - Paul Newman
Bobby - James Garner
Sue Ellen - Natalie Wood
Pam - Audrey Hepburn
Gary - Montgomery Clift
Cliff - Jack Lemmon
Lucy - Sandy Dennis
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Great casting, Laurie Marr! I don't think I can improve on that. I have few ideas that might have been very good in their own way.

Jock: still John Wayne
Miss Ellie: still Katherine Hepburn
JR: Marlon Brando
Sue Ellen: Lauren Bacall
Bobby: still James Garner
Pam: Natalie Wood
Gary: still Montgomery Clift
Cliff: John Garfield
Lucy: still Sandy Dennis
Digger: Orson Welles
Julie Grey: Lana Turner
Kristin: Lee Remick

Additions:

Ray: Paul Newman
Donna: Grace Kelly
Patricia Shepard: Joan Crawford
 
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Snarky Oracle!

Snarky Oracle!

Telly Talk Supreme
Please. Sue Ellen is obviously Joan Crawford.
 
Kenny Coyote

Kenny Coyote

Telly Talk Star
Kenny Coyote said:
Great casting, Laurie Marr! I don't think I can improve on that. I have few ideas that might have been very good in their own way.

Jock: still John Wayne
Miss Ellie: still Katherine Hepburn
JR: Marlon Brando
Sue Ellen: Lauren Bacall
Bobby: still James Garner
Pam: Natalie Wood
Gary: still Montgomery Clift
Cliff: John Garfield
Lucy: still Sandy Dennis
Digger: Orson Welles
Julie Grey: Lana Turner
Kristin: Lee Remick
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In continuing the the most expensive project in Hollywood history:

Just thinking that being so young then, Natalie Wood might have been great as Lucy.

So,

Elizabeth Taylor as Pam (28 years old) and the have Natalie Wood play Lucy (21 years old)

If this is a movie: Clark Gable would be a great Clayton Farlow

Gable died in 1960 so it doesn't work if this is TV.
 
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Kenny Coyote

Kenny Coyote

Telly Talk Star
Snarky's Ghost said:
Please. Sue Ellen is obviously Joan Crawford.
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In 1959 she's 55, but how about making her Patricia Shepard and giving Patricia a bigger role?

Just like I'd like to see Digger have a bigger role if Orson Welles played him.

If Brando plays JR, how about Paul Newman as Ray? Or would Newman be a better JR and have Brando as Ray?
 
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Snarky Oracle!

Snarky Oracle!

Telly Talk Supreme
Kenny Coyote said:
In 1959 she's 55, but how about making her Patricia Shepard and giving Patricia a bigger role?

Just like I'd like to see Digger have a bigger role if Orson Welles played him.

If Brando plays JR, how about Paul Newman as Ray? Or would Newman be a better JR and have Brando as Ray?
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Okay, so now we have to get all the old Classic Hollywood casting the right age?
 
Laurie Marr

Laurie Marr

Telly Talk Well-Known Member
Kenny Coyote said:
In continuing the the most expensive project in Hollywood history:

Just thinking that being so young then, Natalie Wood might have been great as Lucy.

So,

Elizabeth Taylor as Pam (28 years old) and the have Natalie Wood play Lucy (21 years old)

If this is a movie: Clark Gable would be a great Clayton Farlow

Gable died in 1960 so it doesn't work if this is TV.
Click to expand...
I considered Taylor for Pam, but I just couldn’t see it. And you’re correct, Wood is a little young in 1959. Wasn’t thrilled with Hepburn either, too much breeding. I found Pammy really difficult to cast.
 
Laurie Marr

Laurie Marr

Telly Talk Well-Known Member
Snarky's Ghost said:
Thank you. I missed that.

Well, Linda was almost 50 when she left the show. So why not?
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Under different circumstances (early 40s) Crawford would have been the best choice. I just can’t see her on screen alongside the emerging method approach of someone like Newman.

Judy Garland?
 
Taylor Bennett Jr.

Taylor Bennett Jr.

Telly Talk Winner
interesting that no one has challenged John Wayne and James Garner for Jock and Bobby.

Can’t think of a Bobby offhand, but I’ll throw out an older Clint Eastwood for Jock.
 
Kenny Coyote

Kenny Coyote

Telly Talk Star
Laurie Marr said:
I considered Taylor for Pam, but I just couldn’t see it. And you’re correct, Wood is a little young in 1959. Wasn’t thrilled with Hepburn either, too much breeding. I found Pammy really difficult to cast.
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Pam is hard to cast!

If Natalie plays Lucy, the actresses suggested for Pam so far are:

Elizabeth Taylor
Susan Hayward
Audrey Hepburn

Just a crazy thought but Marilyn Monroe (33) as Pam?



What do you think of Lauren Bacall as Sue Ellen?

I love your suggestion for Katherine Hepburn (52) as Ellie, but if you're not sure, how about Claudette Colbert (56)?
 
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Laurie Marr

Laurie Marr

Telly Talk Well-Known Member
Kenny Coyote said:
Pam is hard to cast!

If Natalie plays Lucy, the actresses suggested for Pam so far are:

Elizabeth Taylor
Susan Hayward

Just a crazy thought but Marilyn Monroe (33) as Pam?



What do you think of Lauren Bacall as Sue Ellen?

I love your suggestion for Katherine Hepburn (52) as Ellie, but if you're not sure, how about Claudette Colbert (56)?
Click to expand...
Interesting choices. I think Colbert is too brittle for Ellie and Bacall too self-possessed for Sue Ellen. Who knows, though, it would be fun to see.
 
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