Maybe Lorne Greene's character had some lead in his pencil at a very early age.
You've seen Guy Standeven in something because the man was in everything.

Ava Gardner was a last minute replacement and so everyone else had probably been cast, they originally wanted Audrey Hepburn but she turned it down saying it was to physical and not a decent enough script.
I think Ava is quite good in her role, sure it's nothing great but she plays a bitch well, plus if she hadn't of made this would she have gone on to make the erm masterpieces that were The Cassandra Crossing and City On Fire! lol.
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My theory is that they just wanted to whack in as many "names" as they could in spite of the "demands" of the storyline. Lorne Green of Bonanza fame was well known for his arguably prematurely grey hair and the producers just figured they could get away with casting Ava as his daughter. Trouble is, she looked all of her 50 plus years and virtually the same age as Lorne, creating this rather comical father/daughter mismatch.

There was something going with Mark Robson during this time: he made a couple of decent flicks after this, but made Valley of the Dolls before (with a miscast Duke) He must have seen that Gardner/Lorne were not a match.

Funniest part of the movie IMO.

'way before botox, lifts and moderated alchohol/smoking addictions '
It wasn't way before. Facelifts have existed for 60-80 years

The same sort of thing happened in "Indiana Jones: The last Crusadw." Sean Connery and Harrison Ford aren't that far apart in age I don't think as Connery is only 12 yrs older than Ford.

She wasn't trying to kid anyone - she only did the film cos she needed to spend a summer in LA and she was running out of money. According to her biographer, someone asked her if the part was any good and she said "Nah, just some goddamned old broad.'

It was hilarious how they cast her as Lorne Greene's daughter when they were both in their 50s when the film was made (and both looked it). Who was she trying to kid, I wonder.

It reminded me of a bit in MST3K Space Mutiny- "I'd like you to meet my daughter. We're about the same age."

Exactly!!! The baby scenario happened once, never again!!! I just say hello.

I've made that mistake in the office before. A man and a woman come in together and I think she's the mother, when in fact she's the wife. Learned that lesson the hard way. Ever since then, I always let people explain their relationships and never assume anything.
(Another lesson learned: NEVER ask a woman when the baby is due unless you have already been told she is expecting! lol )

Don't you people have friends or aquaintances where you say "that's your (insert relation)?, I thought it was your (insert relation)"?
I mean it does happen. Some parents look like they're their own children's siblings. Good genes.

I remember when I first watched this in the 70's thinking that Ava Gardner looked like she could have been Lorne Greene's wife, not his daughter.

Integrity is what you do when's nobody's watching.

Agree! Greene's character was supposedly young and vigorous enough to be lowering the escaping office workers out of the building, so Ava Gardner was very unconvincing in that role. (Not to mention she looked like she could have been Heston's mother.)

Listen Matt Damon played a 17 year old boy in Behind The Candelabra, in reality he is 42!
So Ava's age difference that not seem so crazy!