- Gene Tierney, Laura, 1944. Head Fox Darryl F Zanuck and (the first) director Rouben Mamoulian peculiarly wanted Zsa Zsa’s younger sister, a Fox, for the titular Laura Hunt. A wiser mind prevailed. Otto Preminger’s. (Fourteen years later, Preminger would again replace Mamoulian, as director of Porgy and Bess).
- Tamara Toumanova, Deep In My Heart, 1954. “To all those who love the music of Sigmund Romberg…” Gabor, Linda Christian (Mrs Tyrone Power) and Lana Turner were playing musical chairs for leggy French chanteuse Gaby Deslys in the bio-musical stuffed with MGM stars: Cyd Charisse, Rosemary Clooney, Vic Damone, Howard Keel, Tony Martin, Ann Miller, Jane Powell, Russ Tamblyn… even Gene Kelly with his brother Fred.
- Martha Hyer, My Man Godfrey, 1956. Youngest of the three Hungarian Gabor sisters, Eva tested as June Allyson’s sister (“always a sister!”). But so did Hyer. Godfrey, the butler, also changed from German star OW Fischer to the lighter, funnier, wittier David Nivenin the the re-make of the 1935 romcom.
Birth year: 1919Death year: 1995Other name: Casting Calls: 3