Best Actress 1950

5. Anne Baxter, All About Eve

Love him as we might, we all know Oscar doesn't nominate extraordinary performances as often as he should, so it's always a great occasion to come across a year in which there is more than one five-statue performance to enjoy. That's why we have BATTLE OF THE FIVES: to celebrate when Oscar gets in right (in accordance to my own opinions/tastes, that is). To my surprise, 1950's Best Actress slate lived up to the massive praise to which it has reaped, as here we're presented with a whopping FOUR five statue performances (sorry Anne!). One could only wish to see Best Actress so aggressively stacked with such unique, tour-de-force work more often.

For our 4th battle, each of the four ladies in question represent something entirely different from the other. We've got Eleanor Parker's raw grit, Gloria Swanson's kooky (and practically extraterrestrial) camp, Bette Davis as Drama Queen Bitch extraordinaire, and Judy Holliday's sweet and delightful ditz. I had such a difficult time deciding on a winner and a runner-up here. But it took me enough damn time, so here we go!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

4. Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd.

3. Eleanor Parker, Caged

2. Bette Davis, All About Eve

1. Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday

IN CONCLUSION

Poor Anne Baxter. Not only is she overshadowed by a formidable costar, she generally finds herself in the last spot in many of the 1950 roundups I've caught. She's not bad at all - she's just hopelessly forgotten amidst a swarm of contenders all clamoring for attention.

I made the decision to put Gloria Swanson in fourth simply because I'm not very passionate about it. I recognize the part's excellence, and that is why it got the five to begin with, but it just doesn't stay with me as the other three do. Eleanor Parker carves out space ahead of Swanson because I was impressed by her raw emotion, and I was able to connect with the character more. (I believe the reason why it's harder for Norma Desmond to resonate with me is because hers is a character so out of this world that it's just easier to carve connections with more grounded, mortal characters.)

That leaves us with Bette vs. Judy. For a while there I was evenly split. I even contemplated a tie. But I gave it some time - and then I settled with Bette. However, in revisiting clips between the two just ahead of publishing this post, I was reminded of the soft spot I have in my heart for Billie Dawn. Judy's performance, for lack of better words, makes me happy. I'll gladly rewatch both Bette and Judy over and over again, but it's not often that a character's entire sense of self invokes sheer delight the way Judy/Billie does. That's not to say that Bette's work doesn't create joy for me (it does); I'm more in awe of Bette's Bitchery and BetteDavisery when I watch her, whereas I'm very, very charmed and pleased when I watch Judy. In such a neck and neck race, I had to stick with how I felt at the most basic level. I was most entertained by Judy, and with that she edges out of a disgustingly impressive batch of contenders for the win.

OMISSIONS & OVERSIGHTS

I mean, I'm fine with the five nominees and for once I don't think it's actually necessary to discuss omissions - but alas...

In the sixth spot I'd say Deborah Kerr was likely close to a nomination for Best Picture nominee and 1950's top box office hit King Solomon's Mines. And if not her, perhaps Betty Hutton in Annie Get Your Gun.

Adding to the comedy/musical mix is Spring Byington, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work in Louisa. And while the film missed out at the Oscars altogether, Gloria Grahame was fine in In a Lonely Place. I'm especially curious about Peggy Cummins in Gun Crazy and Ingrid Bergman in Stromboli, even though both likely didn't stand a chance. And you can bet that I will carve out some time to watch Gertrude Lawrence in The Glass Menagerie, if only out of necessity given that it's the first of many Tennessee Williams films to come ;)