Matching actors & actresses

A handy tip for itinerant playwrights: If you want a certain movie star in the film version of your work, invent a character who’s supposed to look nothing whatsoever like the star — say, a homely waitress who could be played by Michelle Pfeiffer. To get the hang of this Hollywood trick, try to match the following character descriptions from the original plays with the screen actors who were eventually cast:

A. Dorothy in The Wiz ”A girl of thirteen or fourteen.”

B. The Dauphin in Saint Joan ”Aged 26…a poor creature physically….He has little narrow eyes [and] a long pendulous nose that droops over his thick short upper lip.”

C. Terry Randall in Stage Door ”Not at all conventionally beautiful.”

D. Glenn Griffin in The Desperate Hours ”In his mid-twenties…tall with…a rather appealing boyish expression on his handsome face.”

E. Patsy in Little Murders ”Tall, blond, vibrant, the All-American Girl.”

Answers: A. Diana Ross B. Richard Widmark C. Katharine Hepburn D. Humphrey Bogart E. Marcia Rodd