BRUCE WILLIS GAVE AN INCEDIBLE PERFORMANCE IN DIE HARD AS MAVERICK COP JOHN McCLANE. BUT THE ROLE WAS FIRST OFFERED TO BOTH CLINT EASTWOOD AND RICHARD GERE. BOTH TURNED THE ROLE DOWN, AS DID SEVERAL OTHER ACTORS, BRUCE GOT THE PART AND BECAME A LEADING MOVIE STAR.
SOME LIKE IT HOT WAS VOTED THE BEST COMEDY IN MOVIE HISTORY BY AFI. MARILYN MONROE'S QUINTESSENTIAL ROLE AS SUGAR KANE IS LEGENDARY. BUT DIRECTOR BILLY WILDER ORIGINALLY WANTED MITZI GAYNOR FOR THE ROLE.
OH YES, ONE MORE EARLY SOME LIKE IT HOT CHOICE. INSTEAD OF JACK LEMMON PLAYING THE CROSS-DRESSING DAPHNE, WILDER WANTED FRANK SINATRA. FRANK DECLINED, AND LEMMON GAVE ONE OF THE GREAT COMIC PERFORMANCES IN MOVIE HISTORY.
CHRIS FARLEY AS SHREK???? YES, THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN. BUT CHRIS' TRAGIC EARLY DEATH PUT AN END TO IT. MIKE MYERS TOOK OVER, WAS BRILLIANT, AND STARTED A HUGE MOVIE FRANCHISE.
HUMPHREY BOGART WAS QUITE POSSIBLY THE GREATEST ACTOR IN MOVIE HISTORY (AT LEAST IN MY OPINION). BOGIE WON HIS ONLY ACADEMY AWARD FOR THE AFRICAN QUEEN. HIS LEADING LADY WAS KATHARINE HEPBURN. BUT IN 1938, BETTE DAVIS WAS OFFERED THE ORIGINAL ROLE IN THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO FILM "QUEEN". HER CO-STAR WOULD HAVE BEEN DAVID NIVEN. BUT BETTE SAID "NO". BETTE WAS AGAIN OFFERED THE ROLE IN 1947, BUT SHE WAS PREGNANT. IN 1949, SHE TRIED AGAIN, BUT NO, BY THIS TIME THE ROLE WAS HEPBURN'S.
PRODUCER SHERWOOD SCHWARTZ INTERVIEWED 464 BOYS AND GIRLS FOR THE ROLES OF THE BRADY KIDS IN THE BRADY BUNCH.
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW WAS A LANDMARK SHOW IN TV HISTORY, SHOWING TV'S FIRST REALLY INDEPENDENT LEADING WOMEN CHARACTER. MARY'S BOSS MR. GRANT WAS PLAYED BY THE EMMY-WINNING ACTOR, ED ASNER. BUT GAVIN MACLEOD, WHO WAS TO PLAY MARY'S FRIEND MURRAY IN THE SHOW, ORIGINALLY AUDITIONED FOR THE ROLE.
ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS OF ALL-TIME IS IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE WITH JIMMY STEWART AND DONNA REED. BUT REED WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL CHOICE TO PLAY STEWART'S WIFE MARY. DIRECTOR FRANK CAPRA ORIGINALLY WANTED JEAN ARTHUR FOR THE ROLE.
REMEMBER THE APARTMENT WITH JACK LEMMON AND SHIRLEY MACLAINE? ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FILMS EVER MADE. REMEMBER THE SCENE WHERE SHIRLEY ATTEMPTS SUICIDE BY OVERDOSING ON PILLS? THEN, THE DOCTOR COMES IN AND RESCUES HER. WELL, THE STUDIO WANTED GROUCHO MARX (!!!!) TO PLAY THE DOCTOR ROLE, BUT DIRECTOR BILLY WILDER THOUGHT A MORE SERIOUS CHOICE WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE.
THE PATRICK SWAYZE LEAD ROLE IN DIRTY DANCING WAS FIRST OFFERED TO VAL KILMER. HE REFUSED. THEN BILLY ZANE WAS CONSIDERED, BUT HIS DANCING DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT.
Comments