Who was the worst actor replacement?

[Swellin]

Who do you think was the worst actor replacement to play the same character on Dallas?

 

[Jock-O-Lantern]

Donna Reed because she essentially changed the character from a matriarch of a ranch family to a socialite.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

Yeah, Donna Reed, the poor thing. It had the most negative impact, if only because of Miss Ellie's place at the center of the family.

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

Yes, I'm sorry to say I agree. It's a shame because she was a good actress but was misled about what the character should have been.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

In my head, Reed is Jenna's aunt Caroline who arrives in Dallas in anticipation her niece's nuptials to Bobby, all while Miss Ellie convalesces at Takapa with that psychotic mental breakdown collapse which nuDALLAS would "out" her on some 30 years later.

 

[xab]

I voted Priscilla Presley first. And then Donna Reed.

At least Donna Reed was an awarded actress. She was just a miscast...

Priscilla Presley was just a widow with a big name... In season 9 she was so bad, she made a fool of herself... Even Barbara Carrera proved to be a better actress... Fortunately, it was just a dream.

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

I think Priscilla was quite good when she first appeared and Jenna still had an edge to her. It was the writing that made her character more insipid.

 

[Rove]

I voted for Donna Reed. I'm not blaming her personally. That fault lies at the feet of the knee-jerk, dumb-arse producers for recasting such a central character - Miss Ellie.

I liked the introduction of Priscilla Presley as Jenna. There was something about her which drew me in...perhaps it was her dogged independence. Unfortunately her time on Dallas was too long and her character should have been shipped/killed off prior to her entanglement with Ray. That relationship had no spark.

 

[LB-Colby]

I like Donna Reed as Miss Ellie.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I like Donna Reed as Miss Ellie.

I like Donna Reed, she was highly underrated as Miss Ellie. I thought she worked well with Howard Keel.
It was the only season that I found Clayton even mildly tolerable.
People overlook that Donna Reed was in at least a half dozen westerns, so she was not in unfamiliar territory.
She also based her interpretation on real life wives of oil barons that she knew,
and that deserves respect for her preparation.
And I still think that her more upscale dressing was more realistic for a wealthy woman.
Note that Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley dressed more fashionably as well, and she was a ranch matriarch
People often become different when they become wealthy, and they do dress better, if for no other reason
than their public appearances with other wealthy people. I think Donna Reed had that right

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

She also based her interpretation on real life wives of oil barons that she knew,
and that deserves respect for her preparation.

I give respect for the preparation but Miss Ellie's status as wife of an oil baron was incidental to her own persona as a rancher.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

I like Donna Reed as Miss Ellie.

Just as some peopled liked Peter Dunne and Howard Lakin.

 

[Barbara On A Broomstick]

Straight from the lips of Howard Keel and his bio

 

[Rove]

Straight from the lips of Howard Keel and his bio

Nice to read some honesty from someone on set...unlike others who play the party line.

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

Didn't know that Nancy Olsen was married to Alan Jay Lerner (my favourite golden years lyricist) but nice to see him endorse my opinion.

Nice to read some honesty from someone on set...unlike others who play the party line.

Yes, but how long after the fact did he publish?

 

[Monzo]

It would have been a shock if Lorimar had hired Nancy Olsen who was written out of the short-lived Lorimar soap Paper Dolls a few months earlier because she didn't click with the audience. If she wasn't convincing there, how would she have worked as Miss Ellie?

How come Margaret Michaels only received one vote (yet)? We got to see a bit more of her acting skills as Jeanne, and I wasn't impressed. Her single scene as Pam was enough for me. I was glad she didn't join fulltime as Pam.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

It would have been a shock if Lorimar had hired Nancy Olsen who was written out of the short-lived Lorimar soap Paper Dolls a few months earlier because she didn't click with the audience. If she wasn't convincing there, how would she have worked as Miss Ellie?

How come Margaret Michaels only received one vote (yet)? We got to see a bit more of her acting skills as Jeanne, and I wasn't impressed. Her single scene as Pam was enough for me. I was glad she didn't join fulltime as Pam.

I agree, I don't see how Nancy Olson would have worked.
Supposedly Dorothy Malone was offered the role and declined, and I don't think she would have been much different from Donna Reed in the role.

Then again, the only actress I would have considered for the role is Barbara Stanwyck

Dorothy Malone - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Spooky Owl!]

It would have been a shock if Lorimar had hired Nancy Olsen

Nancy Oleson was more of a (watered-down) Barbara Bel Geddes 'type' (unlike Donna Reed who was totally different on the face of it). Neither re-cast choice was ideal, and began the long, slow degradation of the series during the last half of its run.

EDIT: in fact, I could see BBG in Olson's role as William Holden's girlfriend in SUNSET BLVD. -- and I might like it even better!

 

[Swellin]

Recasting Miss Ellie

I think everyone agrees that Donna Reed was a terrible actress to recast as Miss Ellie. Who else do you think could have done a better job? Below are a couple of thoughts. In honour of BBG most are Hitchcock actresses Vera Miles Eva Marie Saint June Allyson Eve Arden Joan Fontaine

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