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Daniel Avery
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When a recast occurs, many writers/producers see it as an opportunity to do a "soft reboot" of the character. Whether the character needs to be tweaked is not really the point. Writers might be bored with the constraints (real or imagined) that the former actor placed on the character, and recasting said character can often be viewed as their golden opportunity to go new places with the character, to have fun with a character they might not have liked before this. A more cynical person might add that such experimentation, when done poorly, can then be blamed on the recast, allowing the errant writer to pass the blame away from themselves.
Had Julie Harris not been hired years before to play Ewing-adjacent Lilimae Clements on Knots Landing, I think she could have played Miss Ellie well, especially if they wanted her to be closer to how Barbara Bel Geddes played her. But as I said above, I think the writers wanted something different so they could put a new spin on Miss Ellie to entertain themselves.
Had Julie Harris not been hired years before to play Ewing-adjacent Lilimae Clements on Knots Landing, I think she could have played Miss Ellie well, especially if they wanted her to be closer to how Barbara Bel Geddes played her. But as I said above, I think the writers wanted something different so they could put a new spin on Miss Ellie to entertain themselves.
ClassyCo
Telly Talk Warrior
I'll bump this thread up considering I'm just now stumbling upon it.
Recasts on the '80s nighttime soaps didn't work. On DYNASTY, all four of the Carrington kids had two faces (the case of Steven mirrored that of Miss Ellie, as he started out as Al Corley, morphed into Jack Coleman for several years, and then back into Al Corley for the follow-up TV miniseries), and none of the recasts worked. The personalities of Steven and Fallon, the two original Carrington heirs, were watered-down and messed up entirely.
The same goes for DALLAS.
Miss Ellie was a pivotal part of Southfork, the heart and focal point of much of the show. As played by Barbara Bel Geddes, a talented and well-respected character actress with good film, TV, and stage credits, the character brought a warmth and sincerity to the power-hungry Ewing family. Her memories of the Southworth family and her love for the ranch way of life reads as very organic and provides a lineage to the Ewings' wealth and status as giants in the Texas oil game.
I hate that Bel Geddes had to be recast. Whether it was a salary dispute or health issues, I wish she hadn't had to leave at all. She was, by the time, of her exit, solidified as Miss Ellie.
Ideally, if Bel Geddes had to go, she shouldn't have been replaced. We're talking about a TV show after all, and a soap opera at that, so she could've gotten married to Clayton and stayed over in Europe for a little while. This could've given Lorimar and the producers time to iron out the details of Bel Geddes' exit, how to move on without Miss Ellie being seen on screen, and to see if Bel Geddes would want to return.
If Miss Ellie just had to be recast, I think they went the completely wrong route. Donna Reed was too well-known to TV audiences (her self-titled sitcom lasted eight years and was doing fine in syndication, and she was seen in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE every Christmas) to be a good recast for Miss Ellie. What ever high hopes she had about booking the gig were quickly squandered. The scripts were not in her favor, neither were the cast members, and she was phased out as the season lingered on.
What Lorimar should've done was hire another character actress who was less familiar to TV audiences in 1984. Going by the choices from the original post, I'm intrigued by the casting of someone like Eva Marie Saint or Joan Fontaine, but still feel they'd each be too familiar to tackle a character role like Miss Ellie. Vera Miles might've been the best choice from the photos pasted in the OP. They all just have a look that's just too "Hollywood" to fit right as Miss Ellie -- which is a key reason Donna Reed didn't work. She just too glamorous-looking.
I honestly haven't any idea who I'd consider as a good recast for Miss Ellie. Nancy Olson seems like a good possibility, but none of them would've worked entirely, I don't think.
Recasts on the '80s nighttime soaps didn't work. On DYNASTY, all four of the Carrington kids had two faces (the case of Steven mirrored that of Miss Ellie, as he started out as Al Corley, morphed into Jack Coleman for several years, and then back into Al Corley for the follow-up TV miniseries), and none of the recasts worked. The personalities of Steven and Fallon, the two original Carrington heirs, were watered-down and messed up entirely.
The same goes for DALLAS.
Miss Ellie was a pivotal part of Southfork, the heart and focal point of much of the show. As played by Barbara Bel Geddes, a talented and well-respected character actress with good film, TV, and stage credits, the character brought a warmth and sincerity to the power-hungry Ewing family. Her memories of the Southworth family and her love for the ranch way of life reads as very organic and provides a lineage to the Ewings' wealth and status as giants in the Texas oil game.
I hate that Bel Geddes had to be recast. Whether it was a salary dispute or health issues, I wish she hadn't had to leave at all. She was, by the time, of her exit, solidified as Miss Ellie.
Ideally, if Bel Geddes had to go, she shouldn't have been replaced. We're talking about a TV show after all, and a soap opera at that, so she could've gotten married to Clayton and stayed over in Europe for a little while. This could've given Lorimar and the producers time to iron out the details of Bel Geddes' exit, how to move on without Miss Ellie being seen on screen, and to see if Bel Geddes would want to return.
If Miss Ellie just had to be recast, I think they went the completely wrong route. Donna Reed was too well-known to TV audiences (her self-titled sitcom lasted eight years and was doing fine in syndication, and she was seen in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE every Christmas) to be a good recast for Miss Ellie. What ever high hopes she had about booking the gig were quickly squandered. The scripts were not in her favor, neither were the cast members, and she was phased out as the season lingered on.
What Lorimar should've done was hire another character actress who was less familiar to TV audiences in 1984. Going by the choices from the original post, I'm intrigued by the casting of someone like Eva Marie Saint or Joan Fontaine, but still feel they'd each be too familiar to tackle a character role like Miss Ellie. Vera Miles might've been the best choice from the photos pasted in the OP. They all just have a look that's just too "Hollywood" to fit right as Miss Ellie -- which is a key reason Donna Reed didn't work. She just too glamorous-looking.
I honestly haven't any idea who I'd consider as a good recast for Miss Ellie. Nancy Olson seems like a good possibility, but none of them would've worked entirely, I don't think.
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Sea - Boo! - Er
Telly Talk Warrior
The first change was explained in-story so that he was supposed to look different. Changing back to Al Corley without explanation was problematic, at least for me.
"Entirely" is probably too much to ask for but, as you suggest, some choices are better than others.
ClassyCo
Telly Talk Warrior
Yes, and with that explanation, a change in the actor portraying the troubled, multi-layered Steven Carrington could've worked, but Jack Coleman was simply a poor replacement for Al Corley.
The change back to Corley for the 1991 miniseries didn't seem to matter much, either, because the miniseries itself wasn't good. Well, that's what I hear anyway. I haven't seen it myself just yet.
You're right. Recasts "entirely" working out is a bit of a stretch. It's a lot to hope for when one actor is so closely associated and identified with a specific role.
There could've been a "better" choice for a recast for Miss Ellie once Barbara Bel Geddes left the role. The character was crucial to the show, and with the producers fully believing she wasn't coming back, it only stood to reason that the recast option was brought up and therefore utilized.
They just chose wrong. Donna Reed wasn't a good choice to succeed Bel Geddes. They're two very different actresses. Finding a more character actress, similar in style to Bel Geddes, would've worked. The new actress should've been similar enough to that which was familiar, but good enough to bring her own little spin on Miss Ellie to avoid any outright mimicry of a performance that had been on TV for some seven years.
Mustard
Telly Talk TV Fanatic
In Dynasty, they actually wrote the recasting of Steven Carrington, from Al Corley to Jack Coleman, into the storyline itself, by having Steven's face disfigured by fire. They played the role differently though. Al Corley played Steven as sensitive, vulnerable and quietly intelligent, while Jack Coleman played Steven as more direct, aggressive and confrontational. Al wanted to play a gay character, while Jack was a bit uncomfortable with all that. The real-life AIDS pandemic of the time didn't help matters either.
For the record with the Carrington children:
Adam Carrington was played by:
Gordon Thomson (Seasons 3-9 of Dynasty)
Robin Sachs (1991 Reunion)
Fallon Carrington was played by:
Pamela Sue Martin (Seasons 1-4 of Dynasty)
Emma Samms (Part-time on Seasons 5-7 of Dynasty; Full-time on Seasons 1-2 of The Colbys and Seasons 8-9 of Dynasty)
Steven Carrington was played by:
Al Corley (Seasons 1-2 of Dynasty, + 1991 Reunion)
Jack Coleman (Seasons 3-8 of Dynasty)
Amanda Carrington was played by:
Catherine Oxenberg (Seasons 5-6 of Dynasty)
Karen Cellini (Season 7 of Dynasty)
The only time that Fallon and Amanda met each other on screen were the recast versions of both characters during Season 7 of Dynasty.
The thing is, Dynasty stopped being compelling in terms of storylines after Season 3 for the most part, and it was more about character interaction and over the top actions that compelled people afterwards. The storyline writing wasn't very good after the first 3 seasons. Dallas, on the other hand, was compelling storyline wise for years and years. The way that Donna Reed played Miss Ellie was a total contrast compared to Barbara Bel Geddes, to the point that Miss Ellie was now a different person, with a different outlook and a different approach to her background, which altered Miss Ellie's dynamic within the family and even down to her personality. That becomes all the more noticeable when Dallas was usually so good at storylines for years and years and how characters fitted into those storylines.
For the record with the Carrington children:
Adam Carrington was played by:
Gordon Thomson (Seasons 3-9 of Dynasty)
Robin Sachs (1991 Reunion)
Fallon Carrington was played by:
Pamela Sue Martin (Seasons 1-4 of Dynasty)
Emma Samms (Part-time on Seasons 5-7 of Dynasty; Full-time on Seasons 1-2 of The Colbys and Seasons 8-9 of Dynasty)
Steven Carrington was played by:
Al Corley (Seasons 1-2 of Dynasty, + 1991 Reunion)
Jack Coleman (Seasons 3-8 of Dynasty)
Amanda Carrington was played by:
Catherine Oxenberg (Seasons 5-6 of Dynasty)
Karen Cellini (Season 7 of Dynasty)
The only time that Fallon and Amanda met each other on screen were the recast versions of both characters during Season 7 of Dynasty.
The thing is, Dynasty stopped being compelling in terms of storylines after Season 3 for the most part, and it was more about character interaction and over the top actions that compelled people afterwards. The storyline writing wasn't very good after the first 3 seasons. Dallas, on the other hand, was compelling storyline wise for years and years. The way that Donna Reed played Miss Ellie was a total contrast compared to Barbara Bel Geddes, to the point that Miss Ellie was now a different person, with a different outlook and a different approach to her background, which altered Miss Ellie's dynamic within the family and even down to her personality. That becomes all the more noticeable when Dallas was usually so good at storylines for years and years and how characters fitted into those storylines.