Re-Cast List
Deanna Durbin- Dorothy
Edward G. Robinson- Wizard/ Professor Marvel
Fred Astaire- Scarecrow
Gene Kelly- Tin Man
Stubby Kaye-Lion
Spencer Tracy- Uncle Henry
Lucile Watson- Auntie Em
Greta Garbo- Elmira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West
Myrna Loy- Glenda
After researching for hours and watching lots of clips on youtube this is the cast list I’ve decided on. In no way do I think it is better than the original cast, as David said the cast is so closely identified with the movie that it is hard to imagine anyone else in these roles. But, I think it makes a decent alternative. I tried not to make the cast too star studded but found that the number of actors in the 30s were few. Also I know that certain actors were contracted with certain studios, but I didn’t consider those limitations, so this makes for a more idealized cast. There were several parts that were very difficult to cast. The scarecrow was probably the hardest because it was hard to find an actor that I thought was body conscious enough to move like the scarecrow, one that could sing, and act well enough for you to really connect with. I considered Jimmy Stewart because he could’ve acted the part beautifully, but he couldn’t sing. I also considered Frank Sinatra, but decided he was too “cool” to play such a goofy role. Glenda was also very hard to cast and I’m still not completely happy with my choice, no one embodies that role quite right. Stubby Kaye was the most obvious choice for the lion, he would’ve only been 21 at the time but I think he would’ve been able to pull it off. I considered Anne Shirley for the part of Dorothy because I thought she could act the lost farm girl part very well but chose Deanna Durbin instead because she sang better and “Over the Rainbow” is such an important song in musical history that it wouldn’t have been sang as well by Anne Shirley. I also considered Doris Day and would put her over Deanna Durbin, but she didn’t start her career in film until 1948 even though she would’ve been 17 the same age as Judy Garland at the time The Wizard of Oz was made. However, I didn’t think it was right to put a then undiscovered actress in the part. The Wicked Witch was also difficult to cast and I considered Joan Crawford but thought she was too elegant, Greta Garbo seemed more cynical in the films she was in so I thought she’d play Elmira Gulch better.
Thank you for reading Rewind and Recast. Please feel free to comment and agree/disagree/offer alternatives and please tell me what films you’d like recast by commenting here or by e-mailing recastthisplease@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading,
Lyndsay
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I wrote the recast right before I read David's post about Buddy Ebsen. I don't know how the movie would've been all that different had Ebsen played the Tin Man, I think the Tin Man was the least memorable of the three friends Dorothy makes. But, that could also be because I haven't watched the movie in a while. What I think would've made the biggest difference is that Ebsen was originally slated to play the Scarecrow and Ray Bolger was originally to play the Tin Man but they decided to switch roles. I think that would've made a hugh difference. It was very hard for me to recast the part of the scarecrow because I loved Ray Bolger as that character, it's my favorite character in the whole film. It is unfortunate for Ebsen that he was allergic to the Tin Man makeup but I can't picture the film being better with any other Tin Man than Jack Haley.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I think your cast selections are quite good.
ReplyDeleteDeanna Durbin probably was the best alternative as Dorothy, simply because of her singing ability.
Robinson is a good choice for the wizard, but I'm inclined to think he's a good choice for anything. And I like the notion of Astaire and Kelly in roles that called for good dancers. Likewise, Kaye is probably a good pick for the lion, not for dancing but for his comic ability.
And I'm an admirer of Spencer Tracy, so I think he's a fine pick for Uncle Henry, even though it's kind of a small role for an actor of his stature.
I'm not as convinced about Greta Garbo in the role of the witch, but I'm not really sure who I would choose instead -- maybe Crawford or Bette Davis, maybe Katharine Hepburn. Myrna Loy isn't a bad pick for Glenda, but my personal preference would be someone like Teresa Wright (although she hadn't really burst onto the Hollywood scene in 1939) or Jean Arthur.
Very good casting. What is interesting to ponder is: What would have happened to the careers of some of the original cast if they hadn't been there? I'm sure Garland would have made it just as big as she was such a talent. And all might have gone just as planned with the way Hollywood worked at that time.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about our culture? Even though Deanna Durbin was a talent, would "Over the Rainbow" be part of our cultural soundtrack? Would "Oz" be on all the "Greatest Movies" lists?
David-
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you think my selections are mostly good, it was a very good challenge and took up my whole Sunday but was very fun. Thank you also for including a posting on your blog about it, I really appreciate it.
Dad- What would've happened to the careers of the other actors in the film is a good question. Some of them may not have made it as big but I'm sure others still would've. Like Ebsen who was supposed to be the Tin Man, he still made it big as Jeb in Beverly Hillbilies even thought that was years later. I couldn't imagine him as anyone other than Jeb and if he had played the Tin Man I don't know if he'd have been as believable in B.H.
Also, I don't know if Deanna Durbin would've made "Over The Rainbow" as big a hit. However, with such big name costars as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Spencer Tracy, etc. I think that the movie would've still been just as big of a hit simply because of their reputation.
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Lyndsay