in 1939 Robert Donat won the Oscar for best actor in Goodbye Mr.Chips, beating out Clark Gable for Gone With The Wind and James Stewart for Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. a yr-later Jimmy won the best actor for The Pheladeplhia Story. now i know he's my favourite actor and he's great in the film, but i can't help but think he won it for the better Mr. Smith the yr before. imo there were two other acting performances more worthy of the award in 1940, Chaplin for The Great Dictator and the one the should have won Henry Fonda for Grapes Of Wrath
another yr i also feel Shirley Maclaine should have won for The Apartment, but instead Liz Taylor got it instead. i tend to think it was a sympathy vote, becuuse Liz was briefly clinically dead the yr before
Was 1940 the great Oscar robbery
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charliechaplinfan
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James Stewart did deserve an Oscar for Mr Smith Goes To Washington. In my mind he should have been pipped to the post by Clark Gable as Rhett Butler. Clark wasn't the best actor of his generation but his portrayal of Rhett is the best performance he gave in his career and for anyone who has read the book (twice) he portrays Rhett just as Margaret Mitchell wrote him. Clark Gable's performance as Rhett is one of my all time favorite male roles. I know the film itself is overblown and pure melodrama but it does hit the spot for me.
I'm not even sure James Stewart was the best actor in The Philadelphia Story, he shares that credit with Cary Grant. Cary Grant had the choice of which part to play in Philadelphia Story and chose C Dexter Haven.
When it comes to the Oscars I'm extremely sceptical. In 1940 Charlie Chaplin was nominated, there's no way he would have been handed an acting Oscar. Cary Grant wasn't attached to any studio, like Carole Lombard and a few others. He got an honorary Oscar when he'd retired. This for a man who gave so many top notch performances. Fred Astaire too, he never got an Oscar.
When I think of my favorite actors, here's my list from the other thread
Gene Kelly
Errol Flynn
John Gilbert
Douglas Fairbanks
Clark Gable
British and International
Cary Grant
Charlie Chaplin
Jean Gabin
Marcello Mastrioanni
Ronald Colman
Honorary Oscars aside, Gene Kelly won a special Oscar for Choreogrpahy, Clark Gable won for It Happened One Night, Ronald Colman won one for A Double Life and Charlie Chaplin won an Oscar for his musical score for Limelight. To me Oscar wins don't go hand in hand with longevity.
For me the biggest Oscar night robbery was Judy Garland for A Star Is Born losing to Grace Kelly.
I'm not even sure James Stewart was the best actor in The Philadelphia Story, he shares that credit with Cary Grant. Cary Grant had the choice of which part to play in Philadelphia Story and chose C Dexter Haven.
When it comes to the Oscars I'm extremely sceptical. In 1940 Charlie Chaplin was nominated, there's no way he would have been handed an acting Oscar. Cary Grant wasn't attached to any studio, like Carole Lombard and a few others. He got an honorary Oscar when he'd retired. This for a man who gave so many top notch performances. Fred Astaire too, he never got an Oscar.
When I think of my favorite actors, here's my list from the other thread
Gene Kelly
Errol Flynn
John Gilbert
Douglas Fairbanks
Clark Gable
British and International
Cary Grant
Charlie Chaplin
Jean Gabin
Marcello Mastrioanni
Ronald Colman
Honorary Oscars aside, Gene Kelly won a special Oscar for Choreogrpahy, Clark Gable won for It Happened One Night, Ronald Colman won one for A Double Life and Charlie Chaplin won an Oscar for his musical score for Limelight. To me Oscar wins don't go hand in hand with longevity.
For me the biggest Oscar night robbery was Judy Garland for A Star Is Born losing to Grace Kelly.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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myrnaloyisdope
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1944 was pretty bad with Going My Way sweeping pretty much everything over the far superior Double Indemnity.
1950 had Judy Holliday winning best actress over 2 all-time great performances in Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond and Bette Davis' Margo Channing.
1980 had Ordinary People beating out Raging Bull, which is ridiculous on many levels.
And Myrna Loy never even got nominated for an Oscar.
1950 had Judy Holliday winning best actress over 2 all-time great performances in Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond and Bette Davis' Margo Channing.
1980 had Ordinary People beating out Raging Bull, which is ridiculous on many levels.
And Myrna Loy never even got nominated for an Oscar.
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charliechaplinfan
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You are on the money, Stuart. Henry Fonda WAS robbed of the Oscar for his performance as Tom Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath". The eventual winner James Stewart also felt that Fonda should have won that year.
I always felt that either Bette Davis or Gloria Swanson especially were robbed of their Oscars when Judy Holliday won in 1951. However, the more I watch "Born Yesterday", the more I feel that Holliday did deserve that Oscar. She was a total delight as Billie Dawn.
The biggest Oscar boo-boos are that Edward G. Robinson, Myrna Loy, and Ida Lupino were never even nominated.
I always felt that either Bette Davis or Gloria Swanson especially were robbed of their Oscars when Judy Holliday won in 1951. However, the more I watch "Born Yesterday", the more I feel that Holliday did deserve that Oscar. She was a total delight as Billie Dawn.
The biggest Oscar boo-boos are that Edward G. Robinson, Myrna Loy, and Ida Lupino were never even nominated.
Joseph Goodheart
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charliechaplinfan
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myrnaloyisdope
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I think Myrna was never nominated because she never really had a tour-de-force performance with lots of crying and chances to show her range.
She generally did light sophisticated comedies, or melodramas. She was great at them, but she always strikes as being at her best in support of people, she's so subtle, and keeps things simple. It's the kind of that gets overlooked in terms of Oscars.
I thought she should have been nominated for The Best Years of Our Lives, if only because that movie got nominated for every thing else, and she's really good in it too.
I didn't realize Edward G. Robinson wasn't nominated, that's surprising given the fact that he wasn't coasting on his looks.
I haven't seen much Ida Lupino at all, so I can't speak to her worthiness.
She generally did light sophisticated comedies, or melodramas. She was great at them, but she always strikes as being at her best in support of people, she's so subtle, and keeps things simple. It's the kind of that gets overlooked in terms of Oscars.
I thought she should have been nominated for The Best Years of Our Lives, if only because that movie got nominated for every thing else, and she's really good in it too.
I didn't realize Edward G. Robinson wasn't nominated, that's surprising given the fact that he wasn't coasting on his looks.
I haven't seen much Ida Lupino at all, so I can't speak to her worthiness.
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Vecchiolarry
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Myrna and Ed....
Hi,
I too think it's a disgrace that Myrna and Eddie G. didn't even get a nomination.
And when they got their Honourary Oscars - poor Eddie was dead and Myrna was filmed for 10 seconds, long enough to just say "Thank You"...
Now back to the subject: 1940.
Another jip was Joan Fontaine not winning for "Rebecca". They gave her a concellation prize the next year for "Suspicion" but although that was a good film and she was OK in it, her sister should have won for "Hold Back the Dawn"....
I can understand the feud between those two from a purely who got jipped standpoint. They both did, but Olivia holds the grudge longer...
Larry
I too think it's a disgrace that Myrna and Eddie G. didn't even get a nomination.
And when they got their Honourary Oscars - poor Eddie was dead and Myrna was filmed for 10 seconds, long enough to just say "Thank You"...
Now back to the subject: 1940.
Another jip was Joan Fontaine not winning for "Rebecca". They gave her a concellation prize the next year for "Suspicion" but although that was a good film and she was OK in it, her sister should have won for "Hold Back the Dawn"....
I can understand the feud between those two from a purely who got jipped standpoint. They both did, but Olivia holds the grudge longer...
Larry
In a nutshell, here are my opinions on the issues raised (sorry for the brevity, but I'm at work):
*1939 - I don't consider Donat's Oscar a robbery, though Stewart could've won and I wouldn't have been complaining either. Gable as much as admitted he didn't put much effort into his performance as Rhett, so I don't consider him a front-runner. Aside from those, I'm sorry that Mickey Rooney scored a nod that year for Babes in Arms when those snubbed included James Cagney (Each Dawn I Die, The Roaring Twenties), Cary Grant (Only Angels Have Wings, In Name Only), and Henry Fonda (Young Mr. Lincoln).
*1940 - Yes, Stewart should probably have lost to Fonda or even Chaplin (though Cary Grant was snubbed yet again, this time for His Girl Friday), but I give the Academy some credit for awarding Stewart for his performance as a character that I consider atypical of his screen persona. Concerning the Actress field - well, that's one competitive contest, especially when you consider those not even nominated. And what occurred that year was a typical Academy snafu - instead of voting for one of the strong contenders, eliminate both or all and instead vote for a weak contender - in this case Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle, when you could have elected Fontaine, Hepburn, Davis, or the unnominated Russell or Sullavan as your Best Actress.
*1960 - Yes, Taylor winning for Butterfield 8 was pretty disastrous. I don't even consider that film a fun bad movie - though the opening scene is admittedly quite campy. But even Taylor thought the movie sucked. I think the lead actress field was pretty sparse that year, but MacLaine would certainly have been one of the better choices. (Actually, I think Hayley Mills could've won for Pollyanna and that would've been an improvement.)
*Edward G. Robinson - yes, his being denied a nod was an incredible robbery. Had he been nominated in 1945, I think he could potentially have won for either Scarlet Street or Our Vines Have Tender Grapes.
Well, not as brief as I thought I'd be. Better get back to work...
-Stephen
*1939 - I don't consider Donat's Oscar a robbery, though Stewart could've won and I wouldn't have been complaining either. Gable as much as admitted he didn't put much effort into his performance as Rhett, so I don't consider him a front-runner. Aside from those, I'm sorry that Mickey Rooney scored a nod that year for Babes in Arms when those snubbed included James Cagney (Each Dawn I Die, The Roaring Twenties), Cary Grant (Only Angels Have Wings, In Name Only), and Henry Fonda (Young Mr. Lincoln).
*1940 - Yes, Stewart should probably have lost to Fonda or even Chaplin (though Cary Grant was snubbed yet again, this time for His Girl Friday), but I give the Academy some credit for awarding Stewart for his performance as a character that I consider atypical of his screen persona. Concerning the Actress field - well, that's one competitive contest, especially when you consider those not even nominated. And what occurred that year was a typical Academy snafu - instead of voting for one of the strong contenders, eliminate both or all and instead vote for a weak contender - in this case Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle, when you could have elected Fontaine, Hepburn, Davis, or the unnominated Russell or Sullavan as your Best Actress.
*1960 - Yes, Taylor winning for Butterfield 8 was pretty disastrous. I don't even consider that film a fun bad movie - though the opening scene is admittedly quite campy. But even Taylor thought the movie sucked. I think the lead actress field was pretty sparse that year, but MacLaine would certainly have been one of the better choices. (Actually, I think Hayley Mills could've won for Pollyanna and that would've been an improvement.)
*Edward G. Robinson - yes, his being denied a nod was an incredible robbery. Had he been nominated in 1945, I think he could potentially have won for either Scarlet Street or Our Vines Have Tender Grapes.
Well, not as brief as I thought I'd be. Better get back to work...
-Stephen
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charliechaplinfan
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Cary Grant should have won an Oscar, only two nominations and none for some of the most beloved films of the thirties, forties and fifties. He made it look to easy.
I always think that Clark Gable was bluffing when he said he didn't put much effort into it. Easier to say that in case the public don't like him as their favorite literary hero.
Gable should of won IMHO.
Someone fill me in again. What is the feud between Joan and Olivia all about and why has it lasted so long?
I always think that Clark Gable was bluffing when he said he didn't put much effort into it. Easier to say that in case the public don't like him as their favorite literary hero.
Gable should of won IMHO.
Someone fill me in again. What is the feud between Joan and Olivia all about and why has it lasted so long?
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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myrnaloyisdope
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This isn't to do with actor nominations, but the 1929 Academy Awards are pretty bad.
If Applause isn't the best American movie of 1929 I don't know what is. And it didn't even get nominated.
Broadway Melody which won best picture is pretty much unwatchable save for a couple ok musical numbers, and I have to think that's worst best picture winner.
Also Myrna's acceptance speech for her honorary oscar is by far the greatest acceptance speech in the history of the awards.
If Applause isn't the best American movie of 1929 I don't know what is. And it didn't even get nominated.
Broadway Melody which won best picture is pretty much unwatchable save for a couple ok musical numbers, and I have to think that's worst best picture winner.
Also Myrna's acceptance speech for her honorary oscar is by far the greatest acceptance speech in the history of the awards.
[quote="charliechaplinfan"]
When it comes to the Oscars I'm extremely sceptical. In 1940 Charlie Chaplin was nominated, there's no way he would have been handed an acting Oscar. Cary Grant wasn't attached to any studio, like Carole Lombard and a few others. He got an honorary Oscar when he'd retired. This for a man who gave so many top notch performances. Fred Astaire too, he never got an Oscar.
If it's any consolation charliechaplinfan, Astaire won an honorary Oscar in 1950 "for his unique artistry and his contributions to the technique of musical pictures." He was nominated for a Supporting Actor award for 1974's The Towering Inferno, but the winner that year was Robert De Niro for The Godfather Part II.
When it comes to the Oscars I'm extremely sceptical. In 1940 Charlie Chaplin was nominated, there's no way he would have been handed an acting Oscar. Cary Grant wasn't attached to any studio, like Carole Lombard and a few others. He got an honorary Oscar when he'd retired. This for a man who gave so many top notch performances. Fred Astaire too, he never got an Oscar.
If it's any consolation charliechaplinfan, Astaire won an honorary Oscar in 1950 "for his unique artistry and his contributions to the technique of musical pictures." He was nominated for a Supporting Actor award for 1974's The Towering Inferno, but the winner that year was Robert De Niro for The Godfather Part II.
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charliechaplinfan
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Some other acting winners that I believe to be the "Worst Oscar Choices" that I don't believe have been mentioned as yet:
*1928-29: Mary Pickford in Coquette over Marion Davies in Show People or Lillian Gish in The Wind.
*1932-33: Katherine Hepburn in Morning Glory over Miriam Hopkins in Trouble in Paradise, Greta Garbo in Queen Christina, or Kay Francis in Trouble in Paradise or One Way Passage.
*1936: Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld over Miriam Hopkins in These Three, Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey, or Ruth Chatterton in Dodsworth.
*1949: Broderick Crawford in All the King's Men over Kirk Douglas in Champion or James Cagney in White Heat.
*1959: Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur over Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot.
*1928-29: Mary Pickford in Coquette over Marion Davies in Show People or Lillian Gish in The Wind.
*1932-33: Katherine Hepburn in Morning Glory over Miriam Hopkins in Trouble in Paradise, Greta Garbo in Queen Christina, or Kay Francis in Trouble in Paradise or One Way Passage.
*1936: Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld over Miriam Hopkins in These Three, Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey, or Ruth Chatterton in Dodsworth.
*1949: Broderick Crawford in All the King's Men over Kirk Douglas in Champion or James Cagney in White Heat.
*1959: Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur over Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot.