Fredric March, Death of a Salesman

Won: Golden Globe (Drama) - Best Actor

20 years after receiving his first Academy Award-nominated performance in the film adaptation of The Royal Family, it is apt that Fredric March would receive his last under similar circumstances. This time, he closes out his Oscar run leading a stage-to-film adaptation of one of the greatest American plays, taking on a part that any consummate, veteran actor would desire. It is interesting then that both actor and film have been forgotten over time; one does not usually think of March when they harken back to this era of film history, and, Salesman, like The Glass Menagerie, is one of those quintessential plays that did not - and likely will not ever - result in a de-facto screen translation.

Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives

as AL STEPHENSON

Won: Academy Award - Best Actor

Fredric March appears in The Best Years of Our Lives much older and seasoned than the Freddie I had gotten to know so well the decade before. And with this age comes something new that hadn't been there prior--a profound sense of translucence, the ability to make the simplest of expressions into exhaustive significance.

Fredric March, The Royal Family of Broadway

as TONY CAVENDISH

Fredric March, A Star is Born

as NORMAN MAINE

I will preface this post by saying that I've fallen for Fredric March. Since I began my voyage of going through the nominated (leading) performances of Oscar's earliest years, March has popped up in several of the films I've seen and as a result, I became taken by the lax yet confident charisma he always exudes on the screen. I was so fond of him that I actively sought out films and performances of his not nominated for Oscars, one of which being his work as an alcoholic mess in Merrily We Go to Hell. Naturally, I was pretty excited to see him play another alcoholic mess in A Star is Born, especially since I had heard nothing but great things about him as the original Norman Maine. But upon finishing A Star is Born, I was left with a ton of indifferent feelings. My biggest issue with the film is the story, which, although interesting, doesn't do a very good job at addressing the topics of stardom and alcoholism, both of which are very hefty subjects to begin with. As a result, we're left with a performance from March that's sometimes compelling but mostly underdeveloped.

Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

as DR. JEKYLL / MR. HYDE

  Won: Academy Award - Best Actor | Venice Film Festival - Audience Referendum, Most Favorite Actor

For as long as I've been interested in the Oscars, I've always thought that Fredric March's win for Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde was a little perplexing--mostly because it's an acting win for a science-fiction/horror film. These wins, or even nominations, are basically unheard of nowadays. "How good could an early 1930's film about a dude who turns into a monster possibly be?" I thought. And while I've read a few articles in recent years praising March's performance, a part of me couldn't help but continue to judge this book by its cover.