- Arthur Malet, Heaven Can Wait, 1977. The exceeding popular Brit – his Dad’s Army comedy series of 1978-1977 is still being re-run on BBC Television…!!! T0o his surprise, the lowley Lowe was invited to Hollywood by producer-co-writer-co-director-star Warren Beatty for a “key role” in his re–tread of trhe 1940 Here Comes Mr Jordan. Lowe turned it down because, goes the legend, there was no role offered to his actress wife, Joan Cooper!! Itv cannot have been such a “key role” or Beatty would have given Mrs Lowe something to play with… and ,perhaps, removed her from the final cut.
- Alec Guinness, Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy, TV, 1979. Convinced that he had not correctly captured author John Le Carré’s spymaster, George Smiley, a depressed Guinness rang his director, John Irvin, at 3am demanding to be dropped and replaced by Lowe, a popular BBC TV star. “Certainly not,” said Irvin, “I’ve been seeing the rushes.” Despite the triumph of the mini-series, Guinness said much the same to director Simon Langton during Smiley’s People, 1982. “Don’t worry,” said Le Carré, “he’s done that before.”
- Alan Cassell, Breaker Morant, Australia, 1980. Going from TV’s Dad’s Army fussbudgetto Field Marshal Horatio Kitchener… People would have guffawed too much, ruining a fine film about a shocking chapter of the Boer War.
Birth year: 1915Death year: 1982Other name: Casting Calls: 2