Would the Original Casting Have Made The Film Even More Beloved?
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srklondie — 10 years ago(December 20, 2015 01:31 PM)
Power might not have been a bad choice, but I'd still favor Johnson in the role. Power did very little in the way of comedy during his career, so that's why I'd favor Johnson over him. Johnson was a decent actor, but Powerwell, Power was aces. What acting chops. I hope you've seen him in ' Nightmare Alley '. In the end, I'm glad that Payne got the role. He was pretty much perfect for it. Don't know if you know it or not, but Miracle is playing today and Wednesday on the big screen in certain parts of the country. Although I own it and have probably seen it twenty times, I've never seen it on the big screen, so I think I'm going to try and catch one of the Wednesday showings. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best Christmas production ever.
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strntz — 10 years ago(December 08, 2015 04:16 PM)
Disclaimer: I'm not a fan of John Wayne. The only film I liked Wayne in was The Quiet Man (one of my favorite films of all time), but I think Wayne would have done a wonderful job in this. Would he have been better than Payne? I don't think so as John Payne did a
very
nice job. Still, it would be interesting to have an alternative universe app on my ipad to let me see this film with John Wayne in it.
Is very bad to steal Jobu's rum. Is very bad. -
tmaj48 — 10 years ago(December 12, 2015 09:44 PM)
In the original script, written for Wayne, Fred and Kris angrily confront Sawyer (played by Ward Bond) in a 42nd Street tavern after they learn of his mistreatment of Alfred. An extended bar fight ensues. The scene was deleted from
the script when Payne was signed on.
I'm not crying, you fool, I'm laughing!
Hewwo. -
mlaiuppa — 10 years ago(December 21, 2015 12:14 PM)
As much as I like Wayne and am a fan of The Quiet Man, he would have been over his head in this film.
Yes, he would have ruined it.
John Payne was perfect. The entire cast is.
Which is why every time they try to remake this film, it falls short of the original. -
PoliticallyIncorrectone — 10 years ago(December 21, 2015 05:50 PM)
Those who think Wayne would have been the wrong choice are wrong, and I can prove it. Wayne had wonderful chemistry with Sherry Jackson in "Trouble Along The Way" and with Lee Aaker in "Hondo". Wayne was never afraid of being upstaged by anyone, let alone a child. He frequently sought other more charismatic actors (like Kirk Douglas or Ward Bond) as co stars, even actors taller than he was. He was very generous about letting others actors have their scenes.
There's no reason to think, given either John Wayne's or John Payne's cinematic resume, that one would have been better than the other.
John Wayne had great chemistry with Natalie Wood in "The Searchers", and with Maureen O'Hara in several movies.
Those who don't like John Wayne have allowed Wayne's politics to cloud their opinion of Wayne the actor.
By the way, I think John Payne did a good job, but let's face it, the role didn't require heavy lifting. Many other young actors like William Holden or Glenn Ford would have been equally good. The part doesn't have as big an arc as the part played by Maureen O'Hara.
I think Wayne was a far bigger star than John Payne by 1947 and casting him would have busted the budget. By 1947, Wayne was producing his own movies. -
jbaker1-2 — 4 years ago(September 02, 2021 05:14 AM)
Wayne always played himself. I doubt he was capable of anything else.
There are 8.2 billion people in the world. 8.19 billion of them have never heard of and don't give a fuck about Charlie Kirk. Get over it. -
dmnemaine — 9 years ago(December 14, 2016 07:53 PM)
This doesn't ring true. John Payne was a 20th Century Fox contract player and the role of Fred Gayley is subordinate to the Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara, and Natalie Wood roles. John Wayne was too big a star for a role that any Fox contract player could have been cast in. That's not to diminish the wonderful job John Payne did with the role.
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BrentReid — 9 years ago(January 07, 2017 09:31 AM)
Smells extremely fishy to me. Unless the OP wants to return and cite their source, I'm most inclined to dismiss it as a tall story, possibly even one of the OP's own invention.
Brenton Film:
The past, present and future of silent film
http://www.brentonfilm.com/ -
joe_538 — 9 years ago(January 07, 2017 10:24 AM)
I Googled "John Wayne Miracle on 34th Street" and found nothing but Maureen O'Hara obits. A check at notstarring.com also came up empty. I think the OP's just telling stories.