1. - Bette Davis, Kid Galahad, 1937. Edward G Robinson wanted Jane, complaining that Bette was  "as  hard  as  steel"  - not vulnerable enough. Five years later,  Eddie "adopted" Wyman in Larceny Inc. She was then wed to Ronald  Reagan, one of  Robinson's  least favourite  people since  the dullard actor got into  anti-Communist-cum-anti-Semitic  ring-wing politics.

2. -  Eve Miller,  The Big Trees, 1952. The ex-Mrs  Reagan  (her boredom about his politics led to divorce) was  enjoying her Warner spell until refusing Kirk Douglas'  Western.  Her punishment was being  loaned out for a film refused by both Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, The Blue Veil.

3. - Teresa Wright, The Actress, 1953. Ruth Gordon wanted Spencer Tracy to play her father in her script of her autobiographical play. She had already written two of his and Katharine Hepburn’s nine films (Adam’s Rib, Pat and Mike) with husband Garson Kanin.. Finding mother was not so easy. Shirley Booth was rehearsing a play; Uta Hagen was “stunning” but... Helen Hayes felt too old; Tracy voted Dorothy McGuire (not for the first time); and like Maureen Stapleton, Wyman had a chance until director George Cukor felt Teresa had the Wright comedic edge.

4. - Elizabeth Taylor, Giant, 1955.

5. - Susan Hayward, The Valley of the Dolls, 1967.