As I watch Elmer Gantry on TCM today, I can't help wondering what the movie would have been like if jean Simmons and Shirley Jones had switched roles.
Better? Worse? Equal?
Shirley Jones had the "look" in the movie that the role called for. Jean Simmons was just too darn beautiful to be a "lady of the night".
shareI say equal, but then I don't think either would have won the Oscar. Shirley and Jean would be playing the expected roles.
If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world
Shirley Jones was not just a lady of the night. She was a minister's daughter who was seduced by Gantry. In that respect, the casting of Shirley Jones was spot on.
The aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed and clamorous to be led to safety.