... and by that I mean Harrison Ford was offered the part of Michael Stivic (Meathead) on All In The Family and turned it down. So the part went to Rob Reiner. Note that this review is only about the segment "Love and the Former Marriage".
Here, Ford plays the rather beta betrothed of the only daughter of a man (Carl Betz) and his recently divorced and remarried wife (Dana Wynter). Betz is called in the middle of the night because his 18 year old daughter Julie is missing. It turns out she is out with Ford and they are eloping for Vegas. Ford plays a 21 year old humanities major who, after listening to the now divorced couple fight as his fiancee packs, thinks that maybe marriage is not such a good idea after all.
So this is an opportunity to see how Ford might have played the role of Michael in All In the Family if he had taken the role. I'm sure after All In the Family took off that Ford probably beat himself up about turning down the part. But, I just wonder if, in 1976, when George Lucas was casting Star Wars, if he would have cast Ford in the part of Han Solo if America had spent the better part of six years listening to him being called "meathead" by his father-in-law and basically being pushed around and disrespected in general. I mean, can you visualize a young Rob Reiner in the role? I didn't think so. It is funny how things sometimes work out.
Here, Ford plays the rather beta betrothed of the only daughter of a man (Carl Betz) and his recently divorced and remarried wife (Dana Wynter). Betz is called in the middle of the night because his 18 year old daughter Julie is missing. It turns out she is out with Ford and they are eloping for Vegas. Ford plays a 21 year old humanities major who, after listening to the now divorced couple fight as his fiancee packs, thinks that maybe marriage is not such a good idea after all.
So this is an opportunity to see how Ford might have played the role of Michael in All In the Family if he had taken the role. I'm sure after All In the Family took off that Ford probably beat himself up about turning down the part. But, I just wonder if, in 1976, when George Lucas was casting Star Wars, if he would have cast Ford in the part of Han Solo if America had spent the better part of six years listening to him being called "meathead" by his father-in-law and basically being pushed around and disrespected in general. I mean, can you visualize a young Rob Reiner in the role? I didn't think so. It is funny how things sometimes work out.
