I agree that he was not a movie star on the level of Jackman, but he had starred in several Hollywood movies. That stopped (except for The Four Poster, a somewhat special case in a couple of ways) after the Carole Landis scandal. The scandal was certainly at least part of the reason why Unfaithfully Yours was a flop despite getting generally favorable reviews, with raves for Harrison. But Harrison continued as a theatre star and he was definitely a draw on Broadway and London in a way that Preston wasn't before The Music Man and never had been in Hollywood.
Anyway, I think Osnes, say, is a big enough name and experienced enough performer to have been cast as Marian here, but I would think that part of the reason for the casting of Foster is that she's 10 years older than Osnes. |
