July 3, 2017

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!

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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 ;)


13 comments:

  1. Wow, I can't believe that somebody else finally picked Judy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy!!! That was really worth the wait!
    It's really a great year (and I think also for the men as Ferrer, Holden and Stewart all make strong cases for a win) and I love that the Battle of the 5s was such an epic event! :)

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  2. But I see my predictions for you winners are already off to a very bad start :) I had predicted Holden and Swanson for this year :) Maybe I'll be more successful next year.

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    1. I'm glad you liked it!!!! I can certainly see how people would be for Bette and Gloria, who are magnificent, but Judy is lovely and her work and win ought not be undermined.

      As for the predictions - well...gotta keep em guessing I suppose ;)

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  3. You had much more enjoyment with this group than I. I've always found the enthusiasm for the 1950 Actress category to be overstated, with three out-sized performances garnering it more attention than it deserved. That said, I continue to enjoy Eleanor Parker's outstanding work in a film I did not expect much from and I find Swanson's performance an out-there masterpiece, though I appreciate your reservations about it (when I first saw it as a kid, she seemed like something from Jupiter to me). I think Anne Baxter is a better actress than her work in 'Eve' indicates but as for Holliday and Davis I must remain in the minority here because I just don't like their work.

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    1. A difference of in opinions is what makes this fun!

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  4. I'm not as big on Holliday as you are, but it's a good performance and certainly not an undeserving winner. Terrific work as usual!

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    1. Thank you! I look forward to your 1950 Actress coverage :)

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  5. Truly surprised about Holliday, though in a good way because I feel like her win is so unfairly maligned. It really is a great performance imo.

    Haven't seen Caged, but honestly I believe Davis, Swanson and Holliday would all have been worthy winners. I'm probably in the Swanson camp.

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    1. Parker is memorable. Give it a look if you can.

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    2. I think I came in kind of expecting Holliday to be a solid candidate for the win as I'm a sucker for comedies - that said, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Parker, so do give Caged a go when you have the time. In spite of what the plot might insinuate, I thought it was highly watchable.

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  6. I will! She's an actress I truly want to learn more about I think the only movie of hers I've seen is The Sound of Music.

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  7. Well, I was reading hours ago but had such a stomachache that wasn't the time to comment. I could only lay back down, moan and whine for pity, which was in little supply.

    The two Eleanor Parker performances I remember well are her matriarch in Home From the Hill, mother to George Hamilton and wife to Robert Mitchum in a stalemated marriage thanks to his wandering genitals. There was also the superb soap opera Three Secrets, wherein Parker, Patricia Neal and Ruth Roman all believe they are the mother of a five year old boy who survives a plane crash. Haven't seen it again in ages, and I'd love to.

    If I ever saw Caged, it was in childhood, so I won't second-guess your judgment, even if I'm inclined to swap Swanson & Parker's places.

    This one turned out pretty much as I was guessing, but I'd never envy you this summation, Allen. How many more difficult rounds as this lay ahead, I wonder.

    OT and serious advice to over-50s:
    If you're planning bedtime in two hours, but hungry, there's smarter choices than a 12" meatball sub from Wawa. Believe me. - Dave

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  8. Bette, Gloria, and Anne are all miles above Holliday to me- but it's been a while since I've seen it, so who knows?

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