Screwed on Oscar Night

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Everyone,

I think this is an important thread and everyone has an opinion on who should have gotten an Oscar and who shouldn't and who didn't.

I have looked up a site and gotten a list of all the nominees from 1927 to 2006 and have made a list of those nominated and didn't win.

To start, here is a list from the 30's and 40's - - -

Merle Oberon
Basil Rathbone
Beulah Bondi
Charles Boyer
Greta Garbo
Margaret Sullavan
Gene Lockhart
Robert Morley
Irene Dunne
Claude Rains
Lucile Watson
Martha Scott
Judith Anderson
Barbara Stanwyck
Patricia Collinge
Rosalind Russell
Gladys Cooper
Agnes Moorehead
Frank Morgan
Walter Pidgeon
Jean Arthur
Charles Bickford
Cary Grant
Eve Arden
Clifton Webb
Lillian Gish
Dorothy McGuire
Deborah Kerr
Richard Widmark
Marjorie Main
Richard Todd
Elsa Lanchester

Each and every one worthy of an Oscar but going home empty handed.

Discussion please!! Who's your favourite(s) among these? Who do you think should not have been nominated and who should have been but wasn't?

Tomorrow, I will do a listing of the 50's and 60's....

Larry

[moira finnie]

Great list, Larry, and I'm so glad that you included three of my favorite actors, Lucile Watson, Charles Bickford and Claude Rains. They truly "wuz" robbed of the Oscar. If a poor movie featuring them is shown, their presence alone will compel me to watch, just to enjoy their work.


Patricia Collinge in Shadow of a Doubt.

Though it's difficult to pick out one among the many worthies, the name and talent of Patricia Collinge jumped out at me. Her screen debut, recreating her touching portrayal of the sweet-natured, keenly aware, browbeaten and slightly soused "Birdie" in The Little Foxes (1941), and her turn as Joseph Cotton's sister in Shadow of a Doubt* (1943) are beautiful examples of great character work. Her ability to create a fully developed character with just the right vocal inflection or the flicker of a shadow across her face have captivated me since I first saw her in The Little Foxes. Even in a less successful movie, such as Fred Zinnemann's Teresa (1951), Collinge managed to transform her usually sympathetic qualities and created a memorable, self-pitying character who manipulates her family to satisfy her own needs. Any of her appearances on film are worth a look, just to glimpse that unique blend of intelligence and vulnerability tinged with a bit of melancholy and humor. My only regret is that she didn't do more film work.

By the way, Miss Collinge's biography on Wikipedia--if accurate-- reveals a multi-faceted talent and wideranging spirit who sought expression beyond acting, exploring writing, charitable work and an interest in art and travel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*"Emma", the character played by Collinge in Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt is probably among the most sympathetic mothers that the director ever created. If you think about it, most of Hitch's Moms are pretty dense or annoying or downright evil, as in Suspicion, Notorious, and Strangers on a Train. Interestingly, Patricia Collinge's mother in Shadow of a Doubt shared the same name as the director's mother and this highly sympathetic figure appeared in the film in the same year as Hitchcock's mother's death. Could it be that he allowed some bit of real feeling into that work?

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Moira,

Patricia Collinge is a great favourite of mine. She manages to steal scenes from Bette Davis in her movie debut!!

Miss Collinge did a lot of TV work in the 50's (Climax & Studio One) and appeared several times for Mr. Hitchcock on his TV show.
Interesting about her name and motherly attributes in "Shadow of a Doubt"......
I think he must have liked her and Jessie Royce Landis as he used them over and over.

Larry

[MissGoddess]

Hi Larry----left off of your list was Robert Montgomery ; he was nominated in 1938 for Night Must Fall and in 1942 for Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

[bradtexasranger]

The movie was "The Mirror Has Two Faces" with Barbara Streisand.

I have to say, while I enjoy that movie, I can't say anything about it was Oscar-worthy. I think Oscar might have gotten it right that time, I think she would have more deserving for To Have And Have Not.

[jdb1]

Hi Everyone,

I think this is an important thread and everyone has an opinion on who should have gotten an Oscar and who shouldn't and who didn't.

Discussion please!! Who's your favourite(s) among these? Who do you think should not have been nominated and who should have been but wasn't?

Larry

Larry, they are all wonderful in some way. One of my special favorites is Elsa Lanchester, who was so charismatic and such a scene-stealer (as was her husband, Charles Laughton). All too often comic performances are overlooked by the Oscar-givers, as though somehow they are too trivial for consideration. I can't believe that, when a truly memorable comic performance requires so much subtlety and skill.

By the bye, one of the dismal reviews I've read for Evan Almighty cited Wanda Sikes' performance as the only thing worth watching in the movie, and called her the new Thelma Ritter. What do you think of that concept?

[feaito]

One of my special favorites is Elsa Lanchester, who was so charismatic and such a scene-stealer (as was her husband, Charles Laughton).

I agree with you 100% Judith. Elsa Lanchester was really a magnificent performer. I was watching "Son of Fury" on saturday and I remember thinking that she stole the scenes in which she appeared with Tyrone Power. She played her role with such sensitivity and so touchingly. I thought she even looked pretty. And I immediately remembered her versatility when she played Mary Shelley and the Bride of the Monster in "Bride of Frankenstein". I think she looked so exquisite and beautiful as Ms. Shelley. She was such a gifted actress that she could convey anything.

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

I think I've managed or mismanaged to eliminate Sara Allgood from my list. I know before posting that I realized I'd included Charles Bickford twice and so in deleting him once I think I deleted poor Sara too.
I cannot risk the 'vengeance of Mongo' if he sees her name missing!!! And of course, she does deserve to be here.

And, Robert Montgomery indeed should be included.

I can't say I know who Wanda Sykes is. Is she the one Bill Cosby is saying she has lowered the speech patterns of the Blacks and should learn to speak English??

Larry

[jdb1]

One of my special favorites is Elsa Lanchester, who was so charismatic and such a scene-stealer (as was her husband, Charles Laughton).

I agree with you 100% Judith. Elsa Lanchester was really a magnificent performer. I was watching "Son of Fury" on saturday and I remember thinking that she stole the scenes in which she appeared with Tyrone Power. She played her role with such sensitivity and so touchingly. I thought she even looked pretty. And I immediately remembered her versatility when she played Mary Shelley and the Bride of the Monster in "Bride of Frankenstein". I think she looked so exquisite and beautiful as Ms. Shelley. She was such a gifted actress that she could convey anything.

She did have a very interesting face that was probably difficult to photograph, but she could look quite pretty when handled correctly.

My favorite of all her performances is as the ditsy bohemian painter in "The Big Clock." She was really funny and really accurate in her portrayal of a free spirit Greenwich Village character of those times. It's on a parallel with Margaret Rutherford as the spacey medium in "Blithe Spirit" (a part Lanchester could have easily played).

[mongoII]

Larry, your list of Oscar nominees is impressive. Two names that hit me in the face almost immediately were Claude Rains and Deborah Kerr.
Miss Kerr should have won on her fifth and final nomination for "The Sundowners" since she was outstanding in the role. It's only too bad that Elizabeth Taylor won the sympathy vote for "BUtterfield 8", a role she herself wasn't pleased with.

Claude Rains was due his Oscar for his superb performance in Hitchcock's "Notorious", his fourth and final nomination. Although Harold Russell won as the handicapped Homer in "The Best Years of Our Lives", he was primarily playing himself. He also received an honorary Oscar For bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in "The Best Years of Our Lives".
At the Golden Globes Russell received a special award For Best Non-Professional Acting.
By the way, Claude Rains was never once nominated for a Golden Globe Award. YIKES!

Larry, you indeed redeemed yourself with Sara Allgood.

[feaito]

I have not seen "The Big Clock".

I also like Margaret Rutherford a lot. She is one of my favorite character actresses. She's fantastic in "Blithe Spirit". She's also marvellous in "Passport to Pimilico" and the 4 movies of the Miss Marple series, which I watched in a row two months ago. Great fun!

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

The greatest travesty in Oscar history, in my opinion, is that Edward G. Robinson and Myrna Loy were not even nominated for anything in their long histories.
Of course, both were given Honourary Oscars but practically on their death beds. How rude, for want of a better word.

Actually, I think EGR was dead when his wife picked it up.. I am right, Mongo?

And, here's a little story I will share among sympathetic friends, as you all are:
Told to me by Dolores Gray - -
When dear Myrna was told she was going to be given her Oscar, she somewhat paniced and didn't want to be filmed. She was older and ill and scared. Dolores and her had been friends for years and she wanted Dolores to go out to Hollywood and receive it.
But, Dolores and the doctors thought it would be good for her to accept in her home as the Academy insisted.......
That day, Dolores arrived with all her hair & makeup people and just before filming, Myrna was given a B12 shot to perk her up. But, she became befuddled and uneasy and was starting to panic, when suddenly the camera came in too close.
Dolores clapped her hands loudly and Myrna turned towards her and managed to just get out "Thank you, so very much!"....
With that the cameraman shut off the camera, leaving many, including me, in the TV audience wondering what had happened to the one event that night that I was interested in.
Poor Myrna was disintegrating and called out, "I can't do this again!!"; thinking she was on the set and having to repeat her scene.
It was all just too much for her.

That's why I'm all for giving these awards to people when they are younger and cognizant.

Larry

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

Continuing my list of nominees, who didn't win the Oscar in the 50's and 60's.
Several people from the 30's & 40's list were again nominated but I've left them off this list.

Louis Calhern
Gloria Swanson
Hope Emerson
Eleanor Parker
Thelma Ritter
Montgomery Clift
Arthur Kennedy
Joan Blondell
Mildred Dunnock
Kirk Douglas
Julie Harris
Jean Hagen
Richard Burton
James Mason
Nina Foch
Katy Jurado
Arthur O'Connell
Marisa Pavan
Anthony Franciosa
Diane Varsi
Tony Curtis
Lee J. Cobb
Peggy Cass
Martha Hyer
Cara Williams
Laurence Harvey
Doris Day
Juanita Moore
Trevor Howard
Peter Falk
Glynis Johns
Piper Laurie
Lotte Lenya
Angela Lansbury
Una Merkel
Peter O'Toole
Lee Remick
Edith Evans
Kim Stanley
Lee Tracy
Lynn Redgrave
Cecil Kellaway
Mildred Natwick
Alan Arkin
Jean Simmons


Any to add? Any disagreements?

Larry