If Jane didn't .....

[Chloe-Fusco]

In my opinion no other actress could come close to Jane Wyman as Angela Channing, with the way she delivered those quips and looks. Jane was the true leadinng star but if she hadn't accepted Earl Hamner's offer of the role, who else might have been acceptable? Possibly Barbara Stanwyck (according to the grapevine) or what about Anne Baxter.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Ava Gardner or Katherine MacGregor.

 

[Matthew Blaisdel]

Maybe it sounds strange, but Bea Arthur just crossed my mind. She was good with evil and grumpy looks and of course we all know her humor and sarcasm she was able to deliver from the "Golden Girls". So .. why not?
Emma would have gotten perfectly on her nerves, just like Rose always did.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Shelley Winters!

 

[Richard Channing]

Geraldine Page?

 

[Toni]

Nancy Reagan.

 

[Angela Channing]

If she could have been coaxed out of retirement, Joan Fontaine would have been an interesting option or perhaps Alexis Smith.

 

[Matthew Blaisdel]

Nancy Reagan.

 

[ClassyCo]

I'm not a big Barbara Stanwyck fan, so I'm glad Jane Wyman ended up as Angela. In agreeing that Wyman was the one and only Mrs. Channing, I will say I would like to have seen what Ava Gardner or Joan Fontaine would have done with the role. I wonder why those two ladies weren't ever approached to be a FC guest star? But then again, who says they weren't approached, but had no interest?

 

[Julia's Gun]

I think Jane Fonda would make a good replacement - if they were to do a reboot.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I'm sure Barbara Stanwyck would have been an awesome villain, maybe even more menacing than Wyman's portrayal of the Falcon Crest matriarch.
But Jane Wyman had a natural toughness and no-nonsense approach that seemed more fitting for this role.
"My land, my water, end of discussion".
That's why it worked so well with her male adversaries, there was no inequality.

Not saying that any of the other actresses couldn't have done it (although I just can't imagine Lana Turner working in the vineyards) but when Jane Wyman played Angela she did it so effortlessly, or at least that's how it appeared to me.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

If Stanwyck had accepted the role, then she would have played the queen of not one but two northern central California valleys: San Joaquin and Napa!

Why repeat yourself??

And Ava Gardner was a goddess. Did we really want to see her pimped across the television screen in a long term series role? Her spate of appearances on KNOTS was all we needed. I was stunned how quickly she died after that.

EDIT: actually, she died in January 1990, that strange 89/90 season when so many icons bit the dust.

 

[Willie Oleson]

And Ava Gardner was a goddess. Did we really want to see her pimped across the television screen in a long term series role?

Hmm, I could see her as an alternative Jacqueline Perrault.

 

[ClassyCo]

Hmm, I could see her as an alternative Jacqueline Perrault.

That's interesting, and as much as I love Ms. Turner, Gardner may have done slightly better.

 

[ClassyCo]

If Stanwyck had accepted the role, then she would have played the queen of not one but two northern central California valleys: San Joaquin and Napa!

Why repeat yourself??

And Ava Gardner was a goddess. Did we really want to see her pimped across the television screen in a long term series role? Her spate of appearances on KNOTS was all we needed. I was stunned how quickly she died after that.

EDIT: actually, she died in January 1990, that strange 89/90 season when so many icons bit the dust.

I always wanted more of Ava on Knots, so yes I could have dealt with her having a long term series role.

 

[Grant Jennings]

I think Eleanor Parker would have been a good choice.

 

[TJames03]

Wyman had a softness and vulnerability with Angela's wicked ways than any other actress could ever hope to play. Spot on casting with her. Angela could steal your home and business from you, yet genuinely offer to let you stay in her house until you were on you're feet again.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Joan Fontaine was still doing the rounds in the 80's. She appeared as the matriarch in Aaron Spelling's failed pilot Dark Mansions and did guest spots on soapy shows like Hotel and Bare Essence, so it's surprising she didn't pop up on FC at some point, given the show's love of golden era guest stars.

Ava Gardner said she only did Knots for the money. She was living in London and had no interest in regular work. She only did Knots to top up the coffers. Similarly, she'd no interest in writing her memoirs but started the process with Peter Evans as it was either "write the book or sell the jewels". The book that eventually surfaced only a few years ago (where she briefly mentions her time on Knots) is an interesting, if sad, look at her final years in London.

Lee Grant would be my pick for an alternative Angela. She's a bit younger than Jane so having adult grandchildren like Lance would've been a tiny bit of a stretch but she has that nice balance of malice and compassion as seen in Valley of the Dolls. Plus she was the highlight of the Bare Essence miniseries as the scheming Ava.