Never thought about Paul Henreid--but now that I think of it...!

Going on with that list:

Cuffy Meigs: James Cagney
Floyd Ferris: Fredric March
Robert Stadler: Fred MacMurray
Hugh Akston: Monty Wooley
Eugene Lawson: Paul Douglas
Wesley Mouch: Louis Calhern

My retro cast...to me, Dagny has ALWAYS been Ida Lupino.

Dagny: Ida Lupino
Galt: Alan Ladd
Francisco: Cesar Romero
Ragnar: Paul Henreid
Hank Rearden: William Holden
James Taggart: E.G. Marshall
Rearden's Wife: Virginia Mayo

That's probably because I remember her as Barbara Graham in "I Want To Live." Barbara Graham was a murderess, and Susan Hayward, in portraying her, deliberately dissembled in that portrayal.

Then again maybe Kay Ludlow would have had the same problem: people handing her scripts forcing her to be a liar, a cheat, a thief, or even a murderess. "They used my talent for the degradation of itself," she told Dagny.

You missed one of the toughest people I've ever seen in movies for Dagny: Susan Hayward.

I was thinking of his behavior in the last chapter. You know..."He has...to...save us. He has to...take over...and save the system.....We have to...make him...save us. We have to force him to rule."

I would classify Wesley as a weasel more than a whiner. IMPO.

Temlacos, you are so right--Patricia Neal would be a great Dagny. I would have to give a lot of thought to the others as to who I would like to see in the roles. It's a tough choice, but a nice fun break in my interesting life! Although D.B.Sweeney played Galt in #2, I think he'd make a good Quentin Daniels as well. Now I have to go enjoy a bit of a think on this :D

I agree: John Galt is definitely the most troublesome part to cast. I kept trying to stick to the hairstyles and hair colors Ayn Rand recommended for the parts. But how many blond, blue-eyed men in any age could act their way out of paper bags?

That aside: yes, Clint Eastwood would be good in the role of John Galt. And Eric Braeden would make a good Ragnar. (I remember him as Charles Forbin, PhD, in "Colossus: The Forbin Project.") Though if you really want someone who projects a single-minded quest for justice and vengeance, I would suggest Benedict Cumberbatch, whom you might remember as Khan Noonien Singh in "Star Trek: Into Darkness." (You can then readily imagine him destroying the Project F apparatus with his bare hands and sneaker-shod feet, not bothering to use any weapon or other tool.)

I suddenly would like to write in a new part for one of these two actors: Sterling Hayden (as Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper USAF in "Dr. Strangelove") or Jack Nicholson (as Col. Jessup USMC in "A Few Good Men"). I have in mind a power-mad general who muscles Cuffy Meigs out of the way and starts to build a militaristic empire. And when he finds out he can't do that, then he, not the venal Meigs, takes over the Xylophone and fights to the death over its controls with Dr. Stadler.

I put him in as Mr. Thompson because, in the "Batman" TV show, Burgess Meredith played "The Penguin" as if he were a reincarnation of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. he even affected the Roosevelt cigarette holder.

Wesley Mouch is such a whiner, I couldn't imagine Burgess Meredith playing him.

Now I might think of one other actor for either man: Peter Sellers.

I always favored Peter Graves for the Hank Rearden part.
Dagny: yes to Lauren Bacall, definitely
John Galt: I've always found this THE most troublesome role to cast. Ultimately I would vote for Clint Eastwood of the spaghetti western days!
Ragnar Danneskjold: a young Eric Braeden [remember him on the Rat Patrol?]
Hugh Akston: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. or David Niven
Midas Mulligan: Spencer Tracy
Francisco d'Anconia: second Antonio Banderas, or Lorenzo Lamas
Cheryl Brooks Taggart: Meg Ryan
Mr. Thompson: Frederic March
Robert Stadler: Patrick Stewart
Quentin Daniels: Jim Hutton

I think Burgess Meredith would be better at Wesley Mouch!!!