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The Oscar Quest: Best Supporting Actress – 1946

1946 is a simple year. The Best Years of Our Lives wins Best Picture, Best Actor for Frederic March (taked about here), Best Supporting Actor for Harold Russell (talked about here) and Best Director for William Wyler (talked about here). All were perfect decisions, and were going to happen no matter what, given the film’s subject matter and its timeliness about a major historical event. I know we all love It’s a Wonderful Life, but it didn’t have a chance.

Best Actress this year was Olivia de Havilland for To Each His Own (talked about here). That was a perfect decision, and she was well overdue by this point.

That actually covers it for the year. The only category left is this one, which was a terrific choice, since the category was really weak, and, based on performance and historical factors involving hindsight, this was actually the best decision in the category.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – 1946

And the nominees were…

Ethel Barrymore, The Spiral Staircase

Anne Baxter, The Razor’s Edge

Lillian Gish, Duel in the Sun

Flora Robson, Saratoga Trunk

Gale Sondergaard, Anna and the King of Siam Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  March 17, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Oscars, The Oscar Quest | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pic of the Day: “By the time you get this message, I’ll be in the dead zone. It came a little sooner than we thought, but this means you won’t be able to send a message back. So, I just wanted to let you know that I don’t need the message because I know everything you wanna say. Just remember it takes eight minutes for light to travel from sun to Earth, which means you’ll know we succeeded about eight minutes after we deliver the payload. All you have to is look out for a little extra brightness in the sky. So if you wake up one morning and it’s a particularly beautiful day, you’ll know we made it.”

Posted by  |  March 17, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Pic of the Day | Tags: | Leave a comment

Pic of the Day: “I’m afraid we shall have to take the dog out.” “It’s all right, Joe. It’s my dog. And my wife.” “You might have mentioned me first on the billing.” “The dog is well-trained.”

Posted by  |  March 16, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Pic of the Day | Tags: | Leave a comment

The Oscar Quest: Best Supporting Actor – 1936

I call 1936 the year with the first “Academy” film. That is, a film that seemed designed from the start to win Best Picture won Best Picture. The Great Ziegfeld is one of those films that has everything the Academy looks for in a Best Picture, and it makes perfect sense that it would win.

Luise Rainer also won Best Actress for the film (talked about here), which I don’t really like as a decision, but would have been okay with it, if only she didn’t also win Best Actress the year after this. Best Actor this year was Paul Muni for The Story of Louis Pasteur (talked about here), which is a good decision, since Muni deserved an Oscar, but I felt it came a year too early. Best Supporting Actress (the first in the category’s history) was Gale Sondergaard for Anthony Adverse (talked about here), which makes no sense to me. And Best Director was Frank Capra for Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (talked about here), which I really can’t even begin to fathom for a lot of reasons. That was a very poor choice, I felt.

And now we have the very first Best Supporting Actor category in the history of the Oscars. The problem with it is — when you look closely at it — it stinks. It’s weak as hell. But fortunately, Walter Brennan is Walter Brennan, so him winning alleviates any concerns of how shitty the category is.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – 1936

And the nominees were…

Mischa Auer, My Man Godfrey

Walter Brennan, Come and Get It

Stuart Erwin, Pigskin Parade

Basil Rathbone, Romeo and Juliet

Akim Tamiroff, The General Died at Dawn Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  March 15, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Oscars, The Oscar Quest | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pic of the Day: “You probably heard we ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business; we in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin’.”

Posted by  |  March 15, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Pic of the Day | Tags: | Leave a comment

The Oscar Quest: Best Actress – 1962

Love me some 1962. You get Lawrence of Arabia and you get To Kill a Mockingbird. And the great thing about it is — you know Lawrence was winning no matter what, so there’s really no argument to be had. We can just be happy for all the great movies.

Lawrence of Arabia wins Best Picture and Best Director for David Lean (talked about here). Gregory Peck wins Best Actor for To Kill a Mockingbird (talked about here). Perfect decisions, naturally. Best Supporting Actor was Ed Begley for Sweet Bird of Youth (talked about here), which is the lone poor decision for the year, but since it came in so minor a category it isn’t so bad. And Best Supporting Actress was Patty Duke for The Miracle Worker, which, she played Helen Keller. Obviously it was a good decision.

Bringing us to this category, which only had two choices, and I feel they made the right one.

BEST ACTRESS – 1962

And the nominees were…

Anne Bancroft, The Miracle Worker

Bette Davis, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Katharine Hepburn, Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Geraldine Page, Sweet Bird of Youth

Lee Remick, Days of Wine and Roses Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  March 14, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Oscars, The Oscar Quest | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pic of the Day: “A duel between titans… my golden gun against your Walther PPK.” “One bullet against my six?” “I only need one, Mr. Bond.”

Posted by  |  March 14, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Pic of the Day | Tags: | Leave a comment

The Oscar Quest: Best Actor – 1954

1954 is a real easy year to recap.

On the Waterfront wins Best Picture, Best Director for Elia Kazan (talked about here), Best Supporting Actress for Eva Marie Saint (talked about here), and this category. All perfect decisions, obviously.

The two non-Waterfront winners were, first, Grace Kelly as Best Actress for The Country Girl. This is perhaps the most hotly contested Oscar category of all time, so you can read my thoughts on the matter here. And the other was Best Supporting Actor, which went to Edmond O’Brien for The Barefoot Contessa (talked about here). I’d have preferred a Waterfront nominee, but O’Brien was definitely worth an Oscar, so the decision works.

And then here — it’s Brando, it’s Waterfront. That “contender” speech alone gives him this Oscar.

BEST ACTOR – 1954

And the nominees were…

Humphrey Bogart, The Caine Mutiny

Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront

Bing Crosby, The Country Girl

James Mason, A Star is Born

Dan O’Herlihy, Robinson Crusoe Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  March 13, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Oscars, The Oscar Quest | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pic of the Day: “I think it would be fun to run a newspaper.”

Posted by  |  March 13, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Pic of the Day | Tags: | Leave a comment

The Oscar Quest: Best Supporting Actress – 1943

I love 1943. The synopsis goes by so quickly.

Casablanca wins Best Picture and Best Director for Michael Curtiz (talked about here). I rest my case.

Paul Lukas wins Best Actor for Watch on the Rhine (talked about here). Second worst Best Actor-winning performance (and probable worst Best Actor decision) of all time. Really terrible. Jennifer Jones wins Best Actress for The Song of Bernadette (talked about here). Makes sense, and was a solid choice, since Ingrid Bergman was nominated for the wrong film (not Casablanca). And Best Supporting Actor was Charles Coburn for The More the Merrier (talked about here). Great decision, although it breaks my heart to see Claude Rains lose.

Then there’s this category. Weak as hell, completely irrelevant, historically, and thoroughly forgettable in every way. The decision almost doesn’t matter.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – 1943

And the nominees were…

Gladys Cooper, The Song of Bernadette

Paulette Goddard, So Proudly We Hail!

Katina Paxinou, For Whom the Bell Tolls

Anne Revere, The Song of Bernadette

Lucile Watson, Watch on the Rhine Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  March 12, 2012 | Categories: Movies, Oscars, The Oscar Quest | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment