If Shirley had turned down the role - who could have played it?

Goldie Hawn would have been a good choice, she could sing and dance and was very sexy in a cute way - and Charity wasn't supposed to be too smart and Goldie played the dumb blonde very well (the film opened the same year as Goldie's Oscar winning "Cactus Flower"

I also think they may have gone with Gwen if Shirley had said no. People who say that Gwen was not big enough tend to forget about "Damn Yankees".

Remember, though, that Sweet Charity isn't the story of an unattractive woman who can't find a man; it's about a trusting, hopeful woman who is frequently used (and sometime abused) by men. And sometimes beautiful women can find themselves in that situation; they can even find themselves in the "rent-a-body" business.

What the role really requires is an actress who's appealing, vulnerable and a strong dancer, and Ann-Margret certainly has those qualities.

As for her age, Ann-Margret was around 28 when the movie was being filmed, which would have put her in the correct age range for the role -

http://www.stageagent.com/Shows/View/742

I'm not saying she should have played the part over MacLaine; however, I do believe that if MacLaine had turned the role down, Ann-Margret would have been the best option among Hollywood's leading ladies at that time.

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Shirley MacLaine is every bit as beautiful and sexy as Ann-Margret.

I always thought Angela Landsbury could've pulled it off. She certainly had the dancing, acting and singing chops (a complete triple threat). She also had some decent Hollywood cred.

The one problem is she probably was at least 10 years to old at that point (she was at the time 43-44. That was probably Gwen Verdon's biggest strike against her as well (Gwen was actually 10 months older then Angela).

It is something you could get away with on the stage, but in the harsh light of the movie camera... not so much... and you'd have to really change the the underlying fundamentals of the character Charity at that point.

I know shirley Jones is more versatile than her goody-goody image might imply, but her vocal style would have been all wrong for Charity, and she might have looked too wholesome. Mitzi Gaynor could certainly have done it, but she is an acquired taste with many people and her box-office days were behind her. Shirley MacLaine was perfectly cast. It's difficult to picture anyone else doing the role justice, just as Fanny Brice belongs to Streisand and Sally Bowles belongs to Liza.