Recast Minnie Castavet in Rosemary's Baby

I can actually envision Vivian Vance as Minnie. She'd have played it very differently from Ruth but she'd have been effective and it would have shocked audiences to imagine Ethel Mertz worshipping the devil.

Patsy Kelly, who played Laura-Louise, could have done it.

I would've loved to have seen Helen Hayes play it, cast against type.

What about Roman? A demonic Jimmy Stewart perhaps? Or maybe John Houseman?

Lillian Gish could have played the part, easily.

Bearing in mind the importance of that voice:

Nancy Walker.

Selma Diamond.

Margaret Hamilton.

Julie Kavner.

Gale Gordon as Roman.

Or Frank Nelson: "YEEEEEES? Oh, he has his FAAAAAA-ther's eyes!"

I feel Bride of Frankenstein Elsa Lanchester is the only supportable recasting here. Especially if paired with John Houseman as Roman.

In a zany, slapstick version I can see Paul Lynde and Imogen Coca eating cake!

Joan Blondell had the manic energy and (deceptively) sweet disposition to play a nosy New York neighbor.

Joan Rivers.

Helen Hayes

Dame Ruth Buzzi

Agnes Moorhead, if she would've/could've toned it down a hair or two.

May I suggest Gladys Cooper, cast WAY against type.

And here's one from way out in left field: Jane Wyatt.

Natalie Schafer in the room, but not as Minnie.

Lenya would be in the top three.

Margaret Hamilton, Elsa Lanchester, and Agnes Moorhead had already played witches. The film needed an element of surprise. Either Vivian or Lucy would have delivered.

R14 So Ruth Gordon was a surprise as a witch?

Nancy Kulp

R15, yes. You're thinking of her from a modern perspective. In 1968, Gordon was just a sweet, dotty old lady in the minds of moviegoers.

Myrna Loy

Miss Totie Fields

I actually don't think Bette Davis would have been good--she would have been too angry.

One of the fascinating things about Ruth Gordon's Minnie is although she's annoying, she almost never gets angry towards anyone--the only exceptions are in Rosemary's dreaming state where she overhears Minnie get angry at Roman for allowing Terry's suicide ("Sometimes I wonder where you're the leader of anything"), and the other is when Guy thinks she's conscious while having sex with Satan ("As long as she ate the mouse, she can't see nor hear. Now sing!").

I always thought it would be great to make a prequel for "Rosemary's Baby" to explain how Minnie and the other members of the coven (Laura-Louise, Dr. Shand, Mrs. Gilmore) became involved with Roman's coven and why. I would especially love to see what Roman's childhood was like in the early 20th century, and how Mrs. Gardenia (the Casetevets' next door neighbor, and the original occupant of Guy and Rosemary's apartment) got involved and then tried to extricate herself from the coven when she realized what they were up to.

It would be cool to have a whole mini-series on the Bramford before the Woodhouses moved in--showing not only the coven, but Roman's childhood at the turn of the century as the son of Adrian Marcato, and also why the Trench sisters killed and ate the children (was it related to what Marcatio was doing?), and what exactly it was Keith Kennedy did that was so awful (which is never explained).

Paging Ryan Murphy!

Just about any actress around that age would have done it as well or better. Ruth is like Jack Lemmon. Their mannerisms are distracting. WATCHING RUTH GORDON PLYING PREGNANT YOUNG INNOCENT WITH POISONED PUDDING.

Vivian Vance already had years of experience playing the pesky next-door neighbor. She'd have been superb.

Shelley Winters

R24, Shelley would have been fantastic.

None of the above. She is what she was.

I think there was a thread about "Apartment 7A" a while ago. R21

Frances Bavier (Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show.)

The chirpy, obtuse, nosy old bag neighbor was a masterful character, and the secret identity as a worshipper of satan is pretty genius. Gordon’s performance was pretty masterful, especially in scenes where her darkness is revealed, like when she mumbles about the poisoned mousse. She is all cold and dismissive when Guy is concerned about Rosemary’s semi-consciousness.

The scenes of the elderly satanists naked during Rosemary’s insemination was pretty shocking, then and how.

It’s a really cool old film. Stylistically it’s like looking into a time machine at NYC in that era. It’s really cool.

Rosemary and Guy are listed as characters in n 7A but they most likely supporting roles. Wiest will be a fabulous Minnie. That Zoe Saldana remake had a ridiculously bland Minnie and was unwatchable.

For me, no question: Thelma Ritter.