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Doris Day, The Pajama Game, 1956. The way other folk buy tickets, head brother Jack Warner bought Broadway’s hottest new musicals, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. And offered to fly in the New York casts – but a top role had to be a genuwhine movie star. Like Sinatra for Game, opposite’s Paige – Broadway’s Babe. Frankie passed, letting in the stage star, John Raitt. Poor Paige was dropped to make room for Doris. Raitt soon disappeared. He looked good, sang good but acted as wooden as a plank. No wonder producer George Abbott had wanted Marlon… Hey, didn’t they all.
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Kim Novak, Pal Joey, 1957. When Janis, Marlene Dietrich or Barbara Stanwyck were due in Rita Hayworth’s role. Joey was Frank Sinatra, although there had been some (plain silly) talk of Kirk Douglas, Jack Lemmon. Or the Broadway Joe: Gene Kelly.
- Angie Dickinson, Rio Bravo, 1958.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 3