Raquel Welch

[Snarky Oracle!]

The 1960s premiere sex symbol, the statuesque Raquel Welch, made several films. And, like many icons in the business, her fame superseded her motion picture career.

Do you have any favorites?

One of mine is FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966) which has that cold, huger-than-its-borders, echo-y, futuristic mid-to-late-'60s thing which makes it work.

Not everybody liked her.

She was considered to be aggressively "stupid" by some in the business. Farrah Fawcett said Welch was "mean-spirited" and passive-aggressive (a la, 'Are you gong to wear that??' ... "I assume you're having your teeth fixed...") when they were shooting MYRA BRECKENRIDGE (which I'm convinced I never saw).

Still, she wasn't bad at what she did. And her physicality was, then and now, rather notable.

Raquel was offered the role of Alexis on DYNASTY in 1981, which Welch turned down (as did Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, although the latter almost happened) and then turned down the role of Lady Ashley in 1984 (as did Taylor, Candice Begen and Angie Dickinson) before hapless Ali Mac Graw accepted the part in Season 5's DYNASTY. (Many of us might have liked Jacqueline Bissett). That said, I might have like Raquel in the role of Ashley.

 

[Willie Oleson]

before hapless Ali Mac Graw accepted the part in Season 5's DYNASTY. (Many of us might have liked Jacqueline Bissett). That said, I might have like Raquel in the role of Ashley.

And some of us might have liked an actress who would exude agency rather than more consumption of hairspray (because that's what would have happened to Jacqueline or Rachel).
Vanessa Redgrave, Glenda Jackson, Charlotte Rampling - or Piper Laurie. An actress who would be attractive to Blake in a different way, more like "being on the same wavelength" or "being in the know". A danger to both Krystle and Alexis in a way that they had not expected.
And actually I think the creation of Ali MacGraw's role partially succeeded in doing just that, but it also needed to be someone with an aura of supremacy, someone who wouldn't entertain Alexis with equally vixen/bitch comments. Because, you know, every Dynasty diva can do that.

But as it goes with fanfic Peter De Vilbis recasts it's only the pretty-shiny aspect that seems to interest the "many of us" (and then blame Dynasty itself for only being about the pretty-shiny stuff).

 

[Toni]

If Jacqueline Bisset had played Lady Assless, she would have eaten la Evanser with fries on the side. And then, she would say to Blake: "With me, all is real. With her, all is plastic".

And could wear a Jaclyn Smith if needed, too.
​

Bisset was too 70s, feminist and natural to fit in any supersoap. She just "didn´t do" TV shows, only some miniseries once in awhile.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

But as it goes with fanfic Peter De Vilbis recasts it's only the pretty-shiny aspect that seems to interest the "many of us" (and then blame Dynasty itself for only being about the pretty-shiny stuff).

So DYNASTY is our victim.

And I don't recall any of us, let alone many of us, complaining that the show was too shiny-pretty.

And some of us might have liked an actress who would exude agency rather than more consumption of hairspray (because that's what would have happened to Jacqueline or Rachel).
Vanessa Redgrave, Glenda Jackson, Charlotte Rampling - or Piper Laurie. An actress who would be attractive to Blake in a different way, more like "being on the same wavelength" or "being in the know". A danger to both Krystle and Alexis in a way that they had not expected.
And actually I think the creation of Ali MacGraw's role partially succeeded in doing just that, but it also needed to be someone with an aura of supremacy, someone who wouldn't entertain Alexis with equally vixen/bitch comments. Because, you know, every Dynasty diva can do that.

"Exude agency"??

And how does preferring other casting qualify as "fan-fic"tion ?? Do your casting suggestions (Redgrave, Jackson, Rampling, Laurie) also qualify as a fan-fic? Or is that different?

Curious.

 

[ClassyCo]

I'm afraid I don't have much to offer here. I once had Raquel's famous ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. picture hanging on my wall, but I've never seen the movie. Honestly, I've only seen Raquel in MYRA BRECKINRIDGE, which is easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Its not even so-bad-it's-good, it's just bad. It almost doesn't make any sense.

Outside of that, I haven't any recollection of seeing Raquel in anything.

 

[Soaplover]

These commercials that ran in the early 90s was the first time I ever saw her, and all I could recall was my mom saying 'She looks so good.' I asked my mom if she had a crush on her and all she said was 'Look at her, what do you think?' LOL

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I'm afraid I don't have much to offer here. I once had Raquel's famous ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. picture hanging on my wall, but I've never seen the movie. Honestly, I've only seen Raquel in MYRA BRECKINRIDGE, which is easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Its not even so-bad-it's-good, it's just bad. It almost doesn't make any sense.

Outside of that, I haven't any recollection of seeing Raquel in anything.

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Well, I posted FANTASTIC VOYAGE in the OP -- it's one of her best (although it doesn't require much from her, other than the ability to attract white blood cells and anti-bodies).

My father was sometimes strangely prudish in ways I never expected: I thought my parents would enjoy FANTASTIC VOYAGE, but Dad found the premise of the entire movie disgusting and refused to watch it. He had a similar reaction to the 1959 film JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (without Welch) and, I'd later realize, other cave movies -- although he'd been in various caverns on vacation trips without incident nor odd Freudian reaction.

But his response to such things seemed bizarre and somehow out of character.