The Verdict -- Best Supporting Actress 1953

#5. Marjorie Rambeau in Torch Song: Such a waste of a nomination. In a film that's so overflowing with Joan Crawford's diva attitude, it's bizarre that such a wisp of a performance got the recognition. She's in the movie for such a brief amount of time, and doesn't do anything memorable with that time. Her mannerisms are off putting and   exaggerated, and she doesn't register on any level other than bad.

#4. Grace Kelly in Mogambo: The hardest performance for me to write about, because I just find myself completely ambivalent towards everything about Grace Kelly in Mogambo. I'll admit that she has a pretty thankless role and Clark Gable is terrible, but her inexperience doesn't help. She has moments good, bad, and in between that leads to an uneven performance. She's quite beautiful, though, and that is what I assume helped her get the nomination (along with the gossip columns).

#3. Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity: In the outstanding ensemble cast like of From Here to Eternity, Donna Reed comes off as the clear weak link. It's not that she's terrible, but rather that she is a little too average in a role that should have a lot more vivacity. She starts off strong with a clear eroticism, and descends into mediocrity, and finally ends up horribly awkward. It's tough to see an actress squander such a juicy role with a perfectly okay performance that could go much, much farther than she takes it. Not the worst winner, but perhaps one of the most disappointing in terms of potential.

#2. Geraldine Page in Hondo: The most grounded and natural performance of the bunch, Geraldine Page gives a warm and balanced performance as Angie Lowe. She's given a somewhat unbelievable romance and a ham of a romantic interest, but Page handles it all as best she could. Angie's interest in Hondo grows as each scenes goes by, which Page shows through a series of calculated lingering stares and smiles. It's those scenes where she is allowed to express her interest where Angie really shines in the film. Page's onscreen charisma and grace is on full display, and you can see where this actress could grow to be one of Oscar's favorites. Nothing extraordinary, but solid work.

#1. Thelma Ritter in Pickup on South Street: An easy winner in this weak year, Thelma Ritter's touching performance as Moe would be wonderful in any year. Her character is one that could easily fall into stereotype or gimmickry, but Thelma does an amazing job at creating a complete character that has real emotional moments and every scene is superbly calculated. Her final speech is one of the best scene I've seen in any movie, and sealed the deal for Thelma's win.

The Year in Review: The most agonizing year yet, only because so many of these performances just weren't that good. I apologize that the quality of this 'Verdict' isn't quite up to par, it's just that I haven't felt up to writing about these women for weeks now and just would like to move on. Geraldine and Thelma are proficient enough, but Grace and Marjorie really put a damper on this field. My next year is still to be determined, but I'm hoping that I'll be doing a more recent year to jolt this blog back to life.


All Supporting Actress Nominees Ranking:

1. Patty Duke in "The Miracle Worker" (1962)
2. Dorothy Malone in "Written on the Wind" (1956)
3. Thelma Ritter in "Pickup on South Street" (1953)
4. Linda Hunt in "The Year of Living Dangerously" (1983)
5. Anna Paquin in "The Piano" (1993)
6. Cher in "Silkwood" (1983)
7. Eileen Heckart in "The Bad Seed" (1956)
8. Emma Thompson in "In the Name of the Father" (1993)
9. Patty McCormack in "The Bad Seed"(1956)
10. Claire Trevor in "Dead End" (1937)
11. May Whitty in "Night Must Fall" (1937)
12. Mildred Dunnock in "Baby Doll"(1956)
13. Angela Lansbury in "The Manchurian Candidate"(1962)
14. Geraldine Page in "Hondo" (1953)
15. Alfre Woodard in "Cross Creek" (1983)
    
16. Anne Shirley in "Stella Dallas" (1937)
17. Amy Irving in "Yentl"(1983)
18. Shirley Knight in "Sweet Bird of Youth" (1962)
    
19. Rosie Perez in "Fearless" (1993)
20. Donna Reed in "From Here to Eternity" (1953)
21. Glenn Close in "The Big Chill"(1983)
22. Alice Brady in "In Old Chicago" (1937)
23. Mary Badham in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962)
    
24. Holly Hunter in "The Firm" (1993)
25. Thelma Ritter in "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962)
    
26. Winona Ryder in "The Age of Innocence" (1993)
27. Grace Kelly in "Mogambo" (1953)
28. Mercedes McCambridge in "Giant"(1956)
29. Marjorie Rambeau in "Torch Song" (1953)
30. Andrea Leeds in  "Stage Door"(1937)

Thelma Ritter in Pickup on South Street

Thelma Ritter received her fourth Oscar nomination for her performances as Moe Williams in Samuel Fuller's Pickup on South Street. As far as the films that I've had to watch for this Supporting Actress project so far, Pickup on South Street ranks towards the very top of the list, and is truly an engaging masterpiece from Fuller. It is about a pickpocket named Skip McCoy (an excellent Richard Widmark) who steals a wallet from Candy (Jean Peters), without realizing that the wallet contained stolen government microfilm that Candy was unknowingly delivering to a group of Communists. What ensues is both the police and the Communists attempting to retrieve the microfilm from Skip. Thelma Ritter's role is as Moe Williams, a hustler who gives away information to both the police and criminals alike for a price. It's a very different type of role than her other nominated performances, where she usually played either housekeepers (All About Eve, Pillow Talk) or mothers (Birdman of Alcatraz, The Mating Season). Here she gives a complex, interesting performance with so much depth and value.

From the moment she steps onscreen, Thelma Ritter delivers such an interesting characterization of Moe Williams, and fully inhabits the character is every way possible. In her first scene in the police station we see the swagger and shadiness of Moe in a typical but effective way. Even though she wears these flowery dresses and appears to be a nice older lady, the way Thelma moves and speaks indicates the polar opposite. She just reeks of shadiness and underhanded dealings. This part of her performance merely sets up the character of Moe and sets her arc into motion. The scene establishes her as someone with a different sort of ethical code than the rest of the world, one where she looks out for herself because that's what needs to happen for her to live. It also introduces her desire to save money for a 'Fancy Funeral' rather than an anonymous one in a bad part of town. She's entertaining and quite good here, but really takes off in her subsequent scenes.

After her first scene in the film, each time we see Moe again Ritter peels back layers of this woman until finally reaching her tragic denouement. Her meeting with Jean Peter's Candy is where we begin to see the cracks in Moe's harsh exterior, but not too much. She's still appreciably slimy (even going as far as to force Candy to buy a tie) but this encounter has a snowball effect on the rest of the performance. When she meets with Skip at a bar we see the doubts grow within her about this ethical code of giving away information about people she cares about. She cares to much about Skip to be giving information about him. Then comes the real emotional kicker, where Moe is confronted by a Communist in her apartment looking to get Skip's address. It's a scene handled with such a natural delicacy and openness. Moe is fed up with the world and all her double dealings, and in this five minute sequences gives a performance that on its own would be worth an Oscar. She's heartbreaking and effecting to the point that I've teared up each time I've rewatched it in amazement.

What is so great about this performance is the journey that Ritter takes Moe on in the course of her four brief scenes. She gives such a fully realistic and natural performance, even though the role is one that could easily be overacted to stereotyped. I imagine there are a lot of people who will disagree with me, because the part and the accent could be seen as a little over the top and gimmicky. But I didn't see that, obviously. What I saw was an emotional rousing performance from an actress who I never really had seen be this good. A great performance in a great film. 5/5 Wiests.

Best Supporting Actress 1953

And the nominees were....

• Grace Kelly as Linda Nordley in Mogambo
• Geraldine Page as Angie Lowe in Hondo
• Marjorie Rambeau as Mrs. Stewart in Torch Song
• Donna Reed as Alma 'Lorene' Burke in From Here to Eternity
• Thelma Ritter as Moe in Pickup on South Street

The Field: What I like about this year is the diversity of both the films and nominated actresses. This line-up includes two Oscar favorites (Ritter and Page), an actress who would become better known for her TV roles (Reed), an emerging movie star (Kelly), and an old screen veteran (Rambeau). The only one of these films I've seen is the eventual Best Picture winner, From Here to Eternity, so once again I get to go into these performances mostly fresh and without any preconceived notions. Also, with this year Thelma Ritter becomes the first person that I get to write about twice, which is fitting because she's this category's biggest loser. This group of actresses has me very excited, so I'm glad to get started on year #6.

I'll start this year in a few days, but tomorrow or Monday I should have up an announcement about another new project I'm going to be starting. It's going to be one that's very relaxed and I expect to take some time, but I'll keep doing these Supporting Actress years at the same time. I also hope to get some more posts about other subjects going, but don't hold you're breath. I'm notoriously flaky. =)

The Verdict -- Best Supporting Actress 1962

#5. Thelma Ritter in Birdman of Alcatraz: A career recognition Oscar nomination if I've ever seen one. Ritter plays the character of Mrs. Stroud with a robotic proficiency that gives her character very little personality and and underwhelming sense of mediocrity. Yes, her final scene is a blockbuster and had she been allowed to expand on that, she just might have been able to deliver a better performance than this average one.

#4. Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird: Young Mary Badham just doesn't have the experience or acting talent to play the role of Scout in the American classic. She makes Scout loveable and relatable, but can't quite navigate the complex emotional journey that her character is supposed to go through in the course of the film. I can't fault the poor young actress too much, because she tries her best but just can't reach that deep. She's too happy and unlike the character.

#3. Shirley Knight in Sweet Bird of Youth: This rating was the most disappointing of all these five performances for me to give. It's because the potential in this performance following that first scene was just so great. In that first startling scene, she gives a completely different performance from the rest of the film. Heavenly goes from being intelligent, independent, and unexpectedly morbid to a simple minded prop that the rest of the characters manipulate with ease. It's not Shirley Knight's fault per se, but I can't reward her too amply.

#2. Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate: The most iconic performance in the bunch, but being iconic does not make the performance a great one. Lansbury does a great job at making Mrs. Iselin a memorable screen villain, but not one with a particular amount of depth. Instead, she just plays a really great caricature of a villain that can't rise about that status as a caricature. I don't want to sound too down on this performance, but I don't see what everybody else does. It's a one-note performance done quite well.

#1. Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker: Patty Duke's performance just could not be denied the win. This is a performance that just grabs a hold of you at the start of the film and continues to be startling and moving throughout the film. Duke doesn't just play Helen Keller, but channels her in every single way possible. Beautiful, haunting, and complex. None of the other nominees even comes close to touching her in terms of effectiveness. A one-note performance done brilliantly.

The Year in Review: By far the easiest verdict I've had to give to date. Patty is just heads above every other nominated lady. It wasn't a particularly fun year to do for me, as you can tell since it took me over two months to do it (Yikes!). I promise to speed the process up for my next year! Promise, promise, promise! Also, I choose all my years randomly, so as much as I love recommendations for years to do, I prefer to keeps this spontaneous and out of my own hands. But I may do a poll someday. =)

All Supporting Actress Nominee Ranking:

1. Patty Duke in "The Miracle Worker"
2. Anna Paquin in "The Piano"
3. Emma Thompson in "In the Name of the Father"
4. Claire Trevor in  "Dead End"
5. May Whitty in "Night Must Fall"
6. Angela Lansbury in "The Manchurian Candidate"
   
7. Anne Shirley in "Stella Dallas"
8. Shirley Knight in "Sweet Bird of Youth"
   
9. Rosie Perez in "Fearless"
10. Alice Brady in "In Old Chicago"
11. Mary Badham in "To Kill a Mockingbird"
    
12. Holly Hunter in "The Firm"
13. Thelma Ritter in "Birdman of Alcatraz"
    
14. Winona Ryder in "The Age of Innocence"
15. Andrea Leeds in  "Stage Door"

Thelma Ritter in Birdman of Alcatraz

Thelma Ritter received her sixth and final Oscar nomination for her performance as Elizabeth Stroud in John Frankenheimer's Birdman of Alcatraz. Thelma Ritter has a reputation for being one of the most deserving actresses not to win an Academy Awards (fellow nominee Lansbury does as well, I think), and it is so clear that this sixth nomination is a final 'We're Sorry' nomination if I've ever seen one. I'm not trying to take away from her other nominations and I'm sure this performance has it's fans, but it just isn't one that would normally be nominated had it been anyone other than Ritter. Basically, the Academy felt guilty and thus came Ritter's sixth nomination.

All that being said, I suppose I should go on to talk about the actual performance. Birdman of Alcatraz is an incredibly dull and emotionless film, with Burt Lancaster giving a stiff and uninspired central performance as Robert Stroud. I do enjoy Telly Savalas' Oscar nominated performance, however. The film is about Robert Stroud (Lancaster), a federal prison inmate whose love and care of birds earns him the nickname 'Birdman of Alcatraz', and all the troubles he goes through during his time in jail. Ritter plays his caring mother, who eventually turns on her son after he marries a woman she does not approve of. Her character really doesn't have much depth to her, only really getting significant characterization in her final scene or two. The rest of the performance is awkwardly stilted and mundane. She's very robotic and cold.

It is only in that final scene where the pain on Elizabeth Stroud's face is so evident and she feels betrayed after giving him everything for years and being the crux of his life and motivation. Yes, we as viewers are supposed to dislike her for turning on her son and help to keep him from getting bail, but for a moment you can't help but relate to the woman. Ritter's simple blank stare speaks volumes, and it's a scene that almost saves the entire performance, perhaps were Ritter allowed to expand on it with some subsequent scenes. According to further research I've done on Elizabeth Stroud's life, she fought hard to keep him from getting parole following this scene, but Frankenheimer obviously didn't feel like delving further into the legal aspects Stroud's life.

Thelma Ritter's performance in Birdman of Alcatraz is one that I don't have much to say about, as you can tell by this unusually short review. It's a nomination that reeks of guilt from the Academy, in a role too thin to really take off and go anywhere. The final scene is a blockbuster, and that alone will raise her performance's score by an extra .5 (much in the same way that Holly Hunter did in 1993), but the stiff, average nature of the performance keeps her from getting too high. 2.5/5 Thelmas.

Young vs. Overdue -- Best Supporting Actress 1962

And the nominees were....

• Mary Badham as Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird
• Patty Duke as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (winner)
• Shirley Knight as Heavenly Finley in Sweet Bird of Youth
• Angela Lansbury as Eleanor Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate
• Thelma Ritter as Elizabeth Stroud in Birdman of Alcatraz

The Field: This year is somewhat of a good look at the overall preferences that the Academy tends to have when it comes to Supporting Actresses. It has the caring mother role (Ritter), the precocious young child (Badham), the despicable villain (Lansbury), a character with disabilities (Duke), and the beautiful young woman (Knight). Some of those traits even overlap between the characters. The field also covers every single acting award won that year, so that alone makes me excited to watch all of these films. I've only seen To Kill a Mockingbird, because at most high schools the book is basically required reading, and the film was shown right after we finished. I'm not too familiar with the actresses, though I know this is Ritter's last of her six nominations even though it's the first I'll be watching. I'm hoping for a wide variety of performances that gives me my first truly great year, but either way it'll be fun.