Casting By

Casting actors and actresses for movies and television shows would seem to be a thankless job, until one realizes that without the proper person in a role, the whole project might seem ill-conceived. East coast casting agent Marion Dougherty and her west coast counterpart, Lynn Stalmaster are the two principles spotlighted here, paving the way for their associates and colleagues to get the recognition they deserve for working with filmmakers in making the best casting choices possible. Despite a terrible early performance on TV's "Naked City", Dougherty took another chance on actor Jon Voight in 1968, sending him to meet with director John Schlesinger for "Midnight Cowboy"; Schlesinger and Jerome Hellman tested Voight but really wanted Michael Sarrazin for the part of Joe Buck, who wasn't available, causing Dougherty to actually push for Voight--as an agent might. This documentary from Tom Donahue includes some surprise commentators and lots of film clips. I would have liked to see more examples of movies in which the casting was off, but Donahue and his subjects are too polite to embarrass anyone. The intention is to shed light on an unsung profession and how it affects the show business world, and this is accomplished with great style. *** from ****

This is an excellent documentary for any movie buff. This is because although we love directors, actors and perhaps even producers, folks almost never stop to think about the casting director--the person whose job it is to find talent, appropriate talent, for all the film roles. The story primarily focuses on Marion Dougherty and how she created the position while working for Kraft Theater on television and follows her through her brilliant career. It also focus to a lesser extend on Lynn Stahlmaster who created this sort of role in Hollywood. It's all very, very informative and it was very touching hearing folks talking so fondly of Marion and crediting so much of their success to her. The only thing you DON'T learn is anything about her personal life or those of the other casting directors. And, when you look them up on IMDb, there really isn't much more than their names. Interesting...as if IMDb hasn't noticed or appreciated these folks as well...so perhaps they should see "Casting By".

It's nice to see this film, as often the perception is that Hollywood is so selfish and narcissistic, yet here so many 'heavy hitters' make themselves available for interviews and attribute so much of their success to the casting directors and in particular, Marion.

Superb and well worth seeing.

A kind of professional biography of Marion Dougherty (1923 - 2011), a casting director who began working in New York before moving to Hollywood. She was evidently peerless on the New York scene, able to catch all the shows and picking the right people for roles, like John Travolta for Barbarino, and then sending them to Los Angeles.

If a movie or a TV series were to be about New York, instead of polished California types, she would ship off REAL New Yorkers, who looked and spoke as if they'd just been pulled in off the streets In the early years, her office was a dilapidated brownstone and she rented out a few rooms to theater people without much money. Later, of course, following her success, the brownstone became a fortress and struggling actors like Ed Lauter had to trick their way inside to see her.

She did some very important work in Hollywood too. At United Artists, the protocol was to leave the casting director and the movie director alone while they did their jobs. Until Michael Eisner took over at UA. Eisner was apparently hated by everyone. He was the kind of guy who brings pleasure whenever he goes. He was about to fire Dougherty when she received an offer from Warner Brothers. Hearing of that development, Eisner flung himself at her feet and begged her not to leave because they needed her talents so badly. Savvy, by now, Dougherty tells us, "I knew that if I turned down Warners, he would fire me one minute later, so I took the offer." She was apparently well liked, as well as sensitive and skilled, otherwise, why would all these well-known people from both sides of the camera spend their expensive time telling anecdotes about her and praising her?

I do wish, though, that we'd heard about some examples of her failures. There MUST have been some, because casting directors aren't infallible. For instance, I was once offered the part of the intercontinental chief villain opposite Jacqueline Smith in a miniseries. The casting director took me to the director for his approval. He looked me up and down and said, "Perfect." Something interfered and I couldn't take the part, but I later read the book the miniseries was based on and it described the chief villain as "fat, ugly, and stupid." Well, I happen to be sinewy, handsome, and brilliant, so if THAT'S not an example of miscasting, what is?

At times, the tribute come perilously close to a polemic against the male establishment but it never quite crosses the line. In the final few minutes, it slips into sloppy sentimentality, with half a dozen big names addressing Marion directly through the camera and telling her how much they love her. Except for that, it's an effective piece. I couldn't agree more with her colleagues who complain that the casting director has become less important because now the production companies simply assign actors to the role. Whether they fit the part or not is irrelevant, as long as it brings in money.

I don't see how the decline in Hollywood movies can be denied. Late in her career Dougherty tells us that she was given the job of casting a comedy about a funny dog. It was too much of a humiliation after "Midnight Cowboy", "Slaughterhouse 5", and "The Friends of Eddie Coyle." She'd be horrified now. Hollywood is grinding out remakes. Then remakes of remakes. They've copied television series like "The Flintstones". Now they're making movies (I can no longer call them "films") based on video games like "Battleship." The depths of Hollywood's philistinism are plumbless.

Though i was familiar with some of the Casting Directors, i found out about this outstanding Documentary, after listening to a podcast interview with Actor Simon Callow. Moderated by the one and only Leonard Maltin and daughter Jessie Maltin.😊 They ask plenty of juicy questions ! Very informative Doc.

I was lucky enough to see this Film twice at the Miami International Film Festival this spring! I went with several friends and we all agreed it was a Superb Film. It illuminated a very interesting and often overlooked part of the creative process of film making. The film not only educated it's viewers about the the casting process but allowed the viewer to slowly see just how very vital the Casting Director has been in so many well known and groundbreaking films! Most importantly this film made its point with great humor, warmth and feeling. I have been a fan of the Director Tom Donahue for several decades (starting with his amazing first Documentary in Film School).

The editing of the interviews with the many wonderful actors, other Casting Directors, and the film's focus Marion Dougherty was perfect! Providing so many great old clips from the artists' body of work and other films was very entertaining and brought their words to life! I would recommend this film to anybody!