I have a casting story of my own.
Back in about 1956, when I worked part time at the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
there was a director in the office. He had been by a number of times drumming up a little publicity for "The Sam Davis Pageant."*

Unfortunately, the director had a problem. The actor who was to have played the title role had quit and gone to New York. They were already six weeks into the production and there was no backing out. He was asking the editor if he knew anybody who could handle the role. So I piped up and said that there was a guy named Hal at the college who had been in some plays and was a pretty good actor.

I got their attention with that. They wanted to know more about him, so I said he was tall and good looking, with a deep voice. But at six feet four, maybe a little too big to play a "boy" of 18. Hal was 20, and played on the college basketball team.

Anyway, the editor and the director jumped into a car and went to look him up. The next thing I knew, there was a story on page one about Hal and his role as Sam Davis. I went to see the production and he was great. The pageant was a hit.

I always thought Hal would wind up in Hollywood. He would have made a perfect tall blond surfer dude, but he had other interests and never made the effort.

Hal died a couple of years ago. I saw his obit in the DNJ and the picture showed gray hair, but still the same old Hal.
Howard

*Davis is known as Tennessee's Boy Hero, from the Civil War period. His home was in nearby Smyrna, and the pageant was to be held on the front lawn.