5. Eleanor Parker, Detective Story
4. Jane Wyman, The Blue Veil
3. Shelley Winters, A Place in the Sun
1. Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire
IN CONCLUSION
Vivien Leigh runs away with the win (but really, no one else stood a chance). Leigh's performance is one for the ages, and thank God for that because without her, the field is pretty bleak. The rest of our nominees are essentially afterthoughts to Leigh. Katharine Hepburn comfortably lands in second place, but I don't think Jane Wyman, Eleanor Parker, and Shelley Winters turn in performances worthy of nominations. Parker ends up last because I found her performance to be a one-note, supporting part. I don't care for Wyman's work in The Blue Veil whatsoever, but in deciding the lesser of two evils between her and Parker, I suppose Wyman gets the edge for having a larger part and carrying the weight of a horribly dull film on her shoulders. Winters gets in ahead of those two because I felt a more visceral reaction watching her performance than I did the other two (it should be noted I originally gave Winters a 3, but in retrospect I've downgraded her score to a 2).
OMISSIONS & OVERSIGHTS
Regarding the sixth spot - it's a tough call! Could it have been Elizabeth Taylor for A Place in the Sun? That would surely have been a nice "Star is Born" introductory nomination...though it seems like Shelley Winters was the one snagging the Actress accolades. If not Taylor, perhaps Deborah Kerr in the box office smash Quo Vadis? I also wonder if Leslie Caron was in the mix for An American in Paris, the very thought of which makes me cringe because Caron is god awful there.
Some other names: Jan Sterling won Best Actress via the National Board of Review for Ace in the Hole, but her chances may have been slim given that the film was not well represented at the awards. Perhaps Susan Hayward for David and Bathsheba? Additionally, June Allyson won a Golden Globe for Too Young to Kiss and may have contended for a spot in the final five. And, while likely a total stretch, I've heard good things about Anita Björk in Miss Julie.
Wasn’t Hepburn a 4 for The African Queen?
ReplyDeletewhoops! my mistake. thanks for catching - i've been doing this so slowly i've ended up forgetting my scores...
DeleteYay, I predicted both years correctly :)
ReplyDeleteI almost agree with your selections except for one, but it's a big one. I'd flip Parker with Wyman, whose pedestrian, low-wattage work bored me to death, though neither deserved noms in this category. Winters belongs third only because she has a stronger role, but I still don't care for her and agree with you that she's a 2.
ReplyDeleteThe big difference is that I'd choose Hepburn over Leigh. This is my favorite performance of Kate's and I think her work is flawless. As I stated previously, I have some issues with Leigh but I do think she improves and is memorable in her final scenes.
This was a weak year for this category, with only Leigh and Hepburn deserving of their nominations, but I do think Parker and Winters should have been and were deserving of supporting nominations.
Another nice summation. It makes me want to take another look at Leigh's performance!
Surprised that Shirley Winters got a 2, because I thought you liked the performance considerably. But honestly,there's no other possible winner for this year.
ReplyDelete