 Wanting to protect his $3,000,000 investment, Wrather began a search at once for two new stars to fill the roles of Ruth and Paul Martin.Casting Paul involved a good deal of effort, but Hugh Reilly, a Broadway actor with a reputation for being a solid and cooperative performer, was signed.Actress June Lockhart, who had appeared in the second of MGM's popular Lassie films "(Son of Lassie)", had been considered for the role of Ruth Martin before Leachman was signed.