- Hope Lange, Peyton Place, 1957. Both were up for poor Selena Cross – raped by her drunken stepfather. She then kills him. Accidentally. Naturally. Yes, yes, this is the mother and father of all movie and TV soaps from Grace Metalious’ novel blowing the lid off sex in a small New England township. (Brigitte Bardot wrote a similar best-seller in her early hit: En effeuillant la marguerite (UK: Mam’selle Striptease; US: Mademoiselle Striptease, Please Mr Balzac and Plucking The Daisy, 1955). Peyton only really succeeded when headlines screamed about how the real daughter of the star, Lana Turner, had killed her mother’s gangster lover, Johnny Stompanato
- Ann-Margret, State Fair, 1961. She tested in 1960 – before Little Miss Olsson was the song ’n’ dance sensation of the 1962 Oscars.
- Janice Rule, Doctors’ Wives, 1971. Barbara lost Richard Crenna’s wife to Janice in the medical soap. All rich docs and cast-off wives. Rule is into morphine – as an aphrodisiac. Oh and John Colicos kills his missus, Dyan Cannon.
- Lois Chiles, Creepshow 2, 1986. The navel-less Jeannie (in I Dream of…) for 139 episodes and two tele-flicks, was a bizarre notion for the hit ‘n’ run driver in The Hitch-Hiker tale. She had to leave the cast to tend her ill mother. Enter: Chiles, from the more up-market Moonraker and Dallas. This is the 22nd of Stephen King’s staggering record of 313 screen credits. (King Kameo: Truck driver).
- Bette Midler, Beaches, 1988. Garry Marshall’s soap opera (with songs, not arias) was fjrst aimed at TV with tube favourite,. Eden – and her navel – as the big, brash singer CC Bloom. Barbara Eden?!
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 4