Second Choice Oscars: Classic Women Quiz

Answer: Joan Crawford

"Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young" - Ida Corwin (Eve Arden)

Joan Crawford wound up taking home an Oscar for playing Mildred Pierce. Davis, Russell and Sheridan all turned down the role. Barbara Stanwyck was interested in playing Pierce, but was rejected.

"Mildred Pierce" (1945) features Crawford as a long-suffering mom with the world's worst daughter (Ann Blyth as Veda). It is a melodrama with crime drama overtones. Both Blyth and Evve Arden were nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was nominated for Best Picture. Along with her Oscar, Crawford won a National Board of Review award.

In some alternate universe, Joan Crawford accepted roles in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942), "Her Cardboard Lover" (1942), "The Heavenly Body" (1944) and "From Here to Eternity" (1953). Crawford frequently lost roles to Norma Shearer.

Answer: Judy Holliday

Judy Holliday is fabulous as a gangster's moll who becomes educated by a newspaperman (William Holden) at the request of her thuggish boyfriend. Holliday won both the Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Costumes.

Judy Holliday's big breakout role was in the Tracy/Hepburn comedy "Adam's Rib" (1949). She only made about a dozen films before dying at the age of 43 in 1965.

In the alternate film universe, there are versions of "Singing in the Rain" (1953) with Holliday as Lina Lamont, and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) with Judy instead of Marilyn Monroe.

Jean Arthur, Lucille Ball and Lana Turner all turned the opportunity to play Billie. Rita Hayworth was also considered for the role.

Answer: Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn plays a bored princess who runs away and finds love with a cynical reporter (Gregory Peck). Along with Hepburn's Academy Award, it also won for best screenplay (Dalton Trumbo) and best costume design (Edith Head). It was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director (William Wyler).

Paramount intially looked at both Jean Simmons and Elizabeth Taylor to play the princess, and Suzanne Cloutier was actually the first choice. Italian bombshell Gina Lollabrigida also auditioned for the role.

Audrey Hepburn roles in an alternate universe: Honey Ryder in "Doctor No" (1962), Maria in "West Side Story" (1961), also Maria in "The Sound of Music" (1965) and "Myra Breckridge" (1970).

Answer: Joanne Woodward

Joanne Woodward can thank Eva Marie Saint and Jane Allyson for declining the role of Eva White/Eve Black. Caroll Baker was another possibility, but she quit when she became pregnant.

"The Three Faces of Eve" (1957) is based on a true life story of a woman with multiple personality disorder. Eve White is a timid, mousy housewife and Eve Black is wild; a third personality, Jane, is the middle ground. Woodward won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for her work on the film.

In some alternate universe where Frank Sinatra was less of a jerk, there is a version of "Some Came Running" (1958) with Woodward instead of Shirley MacLaine.

Answer: Anne Bancroft

"The Miracle Worker" (1962) is based on the William Gibson play about Helen Keller. Patty Duke won a best supporting actress Oscar as Keller, and Bancroft won for playing Sullivan, Helen's teacher. Along with the Oscar, Bancroft won a BAFTA Award and National Board of Review Award.

Ingrid Bergman actually turned down the role. Other roles that Bergman turned down include "The Farmer's Daughter" (1953), Zira in "Planet of Apes" (1968) and Varinia in "Spartacus" (1960).

While the studio wanted either Hepburn or Taylor, director Arthur Penn vetoed them.

Alternate universe Anne Bancroft films: Ellen Burstyn can thank her for turning down "The Exorcist" (1973) and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1974). She dodged a bullet by taking a pass on "Mommie Dearest" (1981).

Answer: Julie Andrews

While today it is difficult to imagine anybody other than Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins (apologies to Emily Blunt), she was not necessarily the first choice for the 1964 film. Maureen O'Hara says that she was in consideration years before Disney made the film. Angela Lansbury and Broadway veteran Mary Martin were considered, as was Bette Davis.

"Mary Poppins" (1964) was a live action/animated film from Disney Studios. It is the story of a magical nanny who appears to improve the lives of a London family. The film is most notable for its soundtrack, which contains many great songs.

"Mary Poppins" was both a commercial and critical success. Along with Andrews winning an Oscar, the film won for editing, visual effects, best song and best musical score. It received 13 total nominations.

"Mary Poppins" lost many of those Oscars, including Best Picture, to "My Fair Lady." Julie Andrews had originated the role of Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, but when the play was turned into a film, Audrey Hepburn was chosen over Andrews. Ironically, Hepburn was not even nominated for her role in "My Fair Lady."

In some other universe, there are versions of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (1968), "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969) and "Cabaret" (1972) featuring Julie Andrews.

Answer: Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor plays bored, drunken housewife Martha in the film version of Edward Albee's play. The film starred her then husband Richard Burton as husband George, and George Segal and Sandy Dennis as a young couple. All four actors received Oscar nominations; Taylor and Dennis won. The film received 13 nominations and also won for its cinematography (Haskell Wexler), Art Direction and Costume Design.

Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most bankable stars of all time, so she was suggested for a wide range of projects. Possible alternate movies starring Taylor include "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965), "Green Mansions" (1959), "High Society" (1956), "North By Northwest" (1959)
and "Young Bess" (1953).

Taylor won her first Academy Award for "Butterfield 8" (1960). Bergman won her Oscars for "Gaslight" (1944) and "Anastasia" (1956), and a third in 1975 for "Murder on the Orient Express." Davis won Oscars for "Dangerous" (1935) and "Jezebel" (1938). Patricia Neal won for "Hud" (1963).

Answer: Maggie Smith

"Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life." Before she was Minerva McGonigill, Maggie Smith was teacher Jean Brodie. Ms. Brodie taught at a girl's school in Scotland in the 1930s and had a fascination with fascists like Mussolini and Franco. The film focuses on Brodie's relationship with four students. Along with her Oscar, Smith won a BAFTA Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe.

While there are not many projects where Maggie Smith rejected a role, there are several movies she starred in that could have had alternate leads. "Travels with My Aunt" (1972) might have starred Katharine Hepburn, Deborah Kerr or Ginger Rogers. "Murder By Death" (1976) could have contained Greer Garson or Myrna Loy. And Vanessa Redgrave was Aunt Constance in "Gosford Park" (2001) in some alternate universe.

Answer: Liza Minnelli

"Cabaret" is set in 1931 Berlin, in the decadent days right before the rise of Nazi Germany. Liza Minnelli plays nightclub singer Sally Bowles. The film focuses on the drama of Sally's life amidst the rise of Nazism. "Cabaret" won eight Academy Awards, though it lost Best Picture to "The Godfather" (1972). But Minelli won, Joel Gray won as the Master of Ceremonies, Bob Fosse won as Best Director and it also won for Best Original Song.

Both Streisand and Dunaway turned down the role of Bowles. Jill Ireland was also offered the part, but husband Charles Bronson rejected the offer.

About half the actresses in Hollywood were considered for Sally at one time or another, including Ursula Andress, Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins as Sally Bowles?), Ann-Margaret, Julie Christie, Jane Fonda, Glenda Jackson, Shirley MacLaine, Brenda Vaccaro and Natalie Wood.

Answer: Sally Field

Sally Field won her first Academy Award as union organizer Norma Rae Webster, who works in a textile plant in North Carolina. The film is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton, a textile worker in Roanoke Rapids. The scene where Field stands on the table with the "Union" sign is based on a real life incident.

Clayburgh, Dunaway and Fonda were all A-List actresses in the 1970s and turned down the part. Marsha Mason, who had gained fame from "The Goodbye Girl" was offered the part but had to turn it down as well. Other possible Norma Raes include Shirley MacLaine and Tuesday Weld.

In some alternate universe, Sally Field played Elaine in "The Graduate" (1968); Loretta in "Moonstruck" (1987), for which Cher won an Academy Award; Thelma in "Thelma and Louise" (1991) and Amy Robbins in "Time After Time" (1979).