Lucille Ball as Scarlett O'Hara

Geon

Donor
I know this was discussed briefly in another thread, with one of those discussing the matter speaking of the butterflies unleashed from it. However, last night I watched a Turner Classic Movies Channel special on the making of "Gone With the Wind." I was frankly amazed when I discovered that Lucille Ball's name was on the list of those considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. With the kind permission of other members of AH I would like to pose these questions. First, all other things being equal assume that Lucy and not Vivien Leigh does get the role, unlikely as it seems. Assuming she does get the role how does the filming of Gone with the Wind proceed and how successful is the film? Selznick gambled a great deal on it and had it failed it would have been a major catastrophe for his career and many others.

Geon
 

Driftless

Donor
Nowdays, what we remember is the screwball Lucy Ricardo of "I Love Lucy". In the 1930's Lucille Ball was considered to be a hottie and she did a few dramatic movie roles along with her obvious skill in comedy.

Lucille Ball - filmography

To be sure, some of the stars who were screen tested for Scarlett O'Hara was more for additonal exposure to the Hollywood brass and maybe not seriously expecting to get the role.
 
Driftless,
You are quite correct re her having a very wide range of comedic and dramatic roles in the 30's through late 40's.
Of course, what would have been REALLY interesting had not only Lucy been cast but also, if Selzick had seriously taken Miss Mitchell's suggestion for Rhett Butler: GROUCHO MARX!:D

While Miss Mitchell was a very talented author, she DID have a sly sense of humor about herself and the world in general so it's quite probable she may have been joking re Mr. Marx.
 
Lucy & Groucho going on to careers making serious movies would be interesting, some comedians have pulled it off with varying degrees of success
 

Geon

Donor
Driftless,
You are quite correct re her having a very wide range of comedic and dramatic roles in the 30's through late 40's.
Of course, what would have been REALLY interesting had not only Lucy been cast but also, if Selzick had seriously taken Miss Mitchell's suggestion for Rhett Butler: GROUCHO MARX!:D

While Miss Mitchell was a very talented author, she DID have a sly sense of humor about herself and the world in general so it's quite probable she may have been joking re Mr. Marx.

Lucille Ball would have been one thing but realistically I don't see Selznick getting Groucho to play Rhett Butler. He was simply too untried in a drama role and Selznick was looking for a more sure thing in an actor to play the lead. In all honesty according to my limited sources no leading actor was realistically considered for the part other then Clark Gable.

Geon
 
do know that Lucille Ball was slated to appear with Orson Welles in The Smiler with the Knife if Carole Lombard was "not available" with Welles apparently hoping Ball would be cast (so yes she WAS considered for all types of roles at that time.)
 

Geon

Donor
Skit

Years afterward in the 70's Lucy actually got to spoof her close run-in with film history on Here's Lucy. She did a spoof of Gone with the Wind with herself playing Scarlett O'Hara, Gail Gordon playing Rhett Butler, and Flip Wilson playing Mammie.

But I did see her in a serious film in a 30's film entitled Five Came Back where she played a woman of dubious morals. Also, she danced in a musical number in the Technicolor film entitled The Great Ziegfeld. She was an extremely multi-talented woman and I think one who's full range of talent was never fully appreciated by Hollywood.

If she had been given the role I think she could have done a good job. But would it be good enough to make Gone with the Wind the legend it became? Remember Selznick needed the film to be a hit given the huge amount of money invested in it or he would be through.

Geon
 
I could see her becoming a big movie star. There would not have been an I Love Lucy.

If she does become a big movie star instead of a TV star does she also become a movie mogul instead of a TV mogul? I.e. Desilu makes films instead of TV programmes.

Would all the TV programmes made by Desilu and Paramount Television still be made? E.g. Star Trek.
 
If she does become a big movie star instead of a TV star does she also become a movie mogul instead of a TV mogul? I.e. Desilu makes films instead of TV programmes.

Would all the TV programmes made by Desilu and Paramount Television still be made? E.g. Star Trek.


Not a bad theory but by the time Lucy [and Desi] decided to strike out on their own, television was considered a threat to the very survival of movie studios so I'm not so sure she or Desi would have been so eager to start a movie studio as they had been a television one.
 
Dark Side of the Force

People forget movies like"Pinkey",which showed Lurie's dark side very well.(It also had a hapless Henry Fonda). It is like Angela Lansbury, who had a lengthy career as an overwhelming "good looking bitch" before her tv show as the charming crime writer.
 

Geon

Donor
Film/TV

Lucy could be good for both films and the young TV industry. As a film star she would have recognized the potential danger the young media posed to the film studios. As shown in OTL she also understood the full potential of the new media. She perfected several techniques still used on TV shows today. Assuming a success in GWTW she would be a force to reckoned with in both medias. As such she could initiate changes that would wed both medias and show them to be good for one another. One example: have whatever studio she is a part of start producing made-for-TV films much earlier and make them original productions in their own rights.

Geon
 
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