Casting By screening

What would Wizard of Oz have been like had it not been Judy Garland traversing the yellow brick road, or On the Waterfront with anyone but Marlon Brando swearing "I could have been a contender?" Casting By sheds a light on the essential but seldom-celebrated work of casting directors and how these men and women have shaped Hollywood's development over the past 50 years, creating a new species of movie star. The focus here is on pioneers Lynn Stalmaster and Marion Dougherty—who cast James Dean in his first commercial. Big names from Woody Allen to Bette Midler add their voices into the conversation.