- Dorothy Lamour, The Hurricane, 1936. Bandleader Zavier Cugat’s Mexican niece was signed by producer Sam Goldwyn for the Polynesian girl, Marama, Then, she quit – allowing Lamour, on loan from Paramount, to further establish her signature sarong, begun the previous year as a Jungle Princess. Margo won 25 other (mainly TV) roles.
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Lynn Bari, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, 1943. Benedict Bogeaus, a former Chicago tycoon, switched to movies at the top – spending $50,000 for Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in Peru, 1774. (His next 27 films until 1961 were not so grandiose . He wanted Fritz Lang or Rouben Mamoulian to direct Pola Negri and Margo opposite Kent Smith as the twins, Manuelo and Esteban… and settled for Rowland V Lee helming Alla Nazimova, Lynn Bari and Francis Lederer. All the real money had gone on the book.
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Mona Maris, The Falcon in Mexico, 1944. Before the pert Argentine Maris, the Mexican Margo had been first choice for Raquel in the ninth of The Falcon thrillers – the best starred George Sanders (three) or, as here, his elder brother Tom Conway (nine), as the sauve ‘tec., ripping off The Saint. The siblings had also played The Saint – Sanders on film, Conway on radio. Conway specialised in suave dicks: Bulldog Drummond, Tom ‘Duke’ Martin, Mark Saber, himself as a private and a certain private eye called – wait for it – Norman Conquest.
- Ruth Warrick, China Sky, 1944. Margo, Claudette Colbert, Ellen Drew, Maureen O’Hara and Luise Rainert were early choices to fight over Pearl Buck’s medical hero, Paul Henreid or Randolph Scott. Finally. Warrick and Scott melo-ed. Ironically, Margo was not among the Spanish actress’ many names which she replaced with Mrs Eddie Albert for 39 years.
- Maureen O’Hara, The Spanish Main, 1944. Laraine Day and Merle Oberon were also in the rigging for Countess Francisca – stolen from her fiancé Walter Slezak by Dutch pirate (Dutch?) Paul Henreid
Birth year: 1917Death year: 1985Other name: Maria Margarita Guadalupe Teresa Estella CastillaCasting Calls: 5