I see 1938 as a forgotten year in Oscar history. That's probably because I don't love any movie this year. There's a lot of good movies but nothing I consider a classic. It's also a pretty boring year because Frank Capra wins his 3rd Best Director Oscar for You Can't Take It With You, a very enjoyable movie but not something that needed to win Best Picture. The next best option is Grand Illusion, a foreign film. Just take a cursory glance at the Best Picture lineup and you will see some filler.
You can see my GABBY winners and nominees HERE
BEST PICTURE
10. Alexander's Ragtime Band - Some people had a problem with La La Land and how it showed the importance of jazz but centered around white people. If you're one of those people then Alexander's Ragtime Band if not the film for you. Tyrone Power plays a classically trained musician but he just can't resist that sweet groovy jazz sound, much to the chagrin of his parents. One of the first scenes is just like That Thing You Do!, they're playing a slow song and he's like, "let's kick this up" and they start playing it all fast and swinging. Then the rest of the movie is just like That Thing You Do! because it's about a love triangle between two band members and a woman. The musical numbers are fine but there is barely a story here and all 3 leads are just vacuums of charisma (Don Ameche being the most watchable). Also, there are absolutely zero black people in this movie all about jazz or a passing mention about anyone not white.
You can see my GABBY winners and nominees HERE
BEST PICTURE
10. Alexander's Ragtime Band - Some people had a problem with La La Land and how it showed the importance of jazz but centered around white people. If you're one of those people then Alexander's Ragtime Band if not the film for you. Tyrone Power plays a classically trained musician but he just can't resist that sweet groovy jazz sound, much to the chagrin of his parents. One of the first scenes is just like That Thing You Do!, they're playing a slow song and he's like, "let's kick this up" and they start playing it all fast and swinging. Then the rest of the movie is just like That Thing You Do! because it's about a love triangle between two band members and a woman. The musical numbers are fine but there is barely a story here and all 3 leads are just vacuums of charisma (Don Ameche being the most watchable). Also, there are absolutely zero black people in this movie all about jazz or a passing mention about anyone not white.
9. Four Daughters - Claude Rains has four daughters who are all musically inclined. Three of the sisters are played by the Lane Sisters who were a real musical group of the time. The movie feels like an excuse to launch their film career, which indeed it was as the movie had 4 sequels. Rains wants them all to focus on their music but they are of the age where all that's on their mind is boys. A few of them fall in love, that's the film. It's an okay romantic musical comedy, just not something I was into at all.
7. Test Pilot - This is a bit of a filler nominee. It's not a bad film but I would look at you sideways if this was your favorite film of the bunch. It's just okay is another way to put it. Clark Gable plays a reckless daredevil pilot who flies experimental airplanes. One day he crashes into Myrna Loy's backyard and they fall in love and get married. The rest of the movie is about how she and his friend Spencer Tracy are worried that he might die one day by being a reckless daredevil pilot. It's not a bad watch but it was one of those films where as I was watching it I kept saying to myself, "Why did they pick this to get nominated?".
6. The Citadel - I kept thinking this movie had to have been a biopic because of how many routine biopic tropes it included. A Scottish doctor moves to a small town to treat miners for tuberculosis. The miners resent big city doctors, he gets married to Rosalind Russel, he takes a job with a doctor who only treats hypochondriacs and wants money more than he wants to treat illnesses, he ends up doing the right things. Since it's not based on a real person I was confused as to what the point was and what the plot was. It's basically just a story about this doctor and his life. It's a fine film but it's one of those movies that left my mind almost immediately after I watched it.
5. Boys Town - Spencer Tracy plays Father Flanagan in this highly fictionalized biopic. The first scene is Tracy visiting a man on death row, the prisoner says that he turned to a life of crime because the only influences he had when he was younger were bad kids who got him into trouble. Flanagan makes it his mission to start a home for boys where they can be surrounded by good morals and grow up right. A convicted prisoner reaches out to Flanagan to take in his younger brother, played by Mickey Rooney, he's a trouble maker at first but then grows to like Boys Town. I've seen a lot of hate out there for this film (probably because Spencer Tracy didn't deserve the 2nd Oscar he won for it) but I really like this movie. Tracy is good, Rooney is extremely charismatic and the story is nice. I was expecting this movie to be overtly religious but it's not, it has its moments but when they get to Boys Town people are allowed to pray however they want to pray and in Rooney's case he is not required to pray at all. It's a small detail but I really liked that separation between church and, I guess, Boys Town.
4. Pygmalion - I'm sure you know the story of Pygmalion. You ever seen My Fair Lady? Or Educating Rita? Or She's All That? How about the Three Stooges's Hoi Polloi? This is the original, well the first film, it was a play first. Leslie Howard plays Henry Higgins a professor who is so sure that he is great that he takes a bet that he can take the most unrefined person and transform them into a member of high society. In walks the very cockney and ill-mannered Eliza Dolittle played wonderfully here by Wendy Hiller. It's a very good movie that succeeds mainly on the charisma and chemistry of its two stars.
3. You Can't Take It With You - Jimmy Stewart comes from a wealthy family and he falls in love with Jean Arthur who comes from a poor family. Lionel Barrymore is her father who owns a house and lets anyone in need live there for free, due to this the house is full of eccentric people. Edward Arnold plays Stewart's father and he is a greedy capitalist. Their families are set to meet but Stewart brings his family a day early so they can see the real girl he fell for, not her putting on a show for them. So when the rich family shows up they are met with a bunch of crazy poor people. Something happens and they all wind up in jail and then you get the patented Frank Capra happy ending where people come together to support each other. It's a very good movie, the only problem I have with it winning really is that Capra already had 2 Oscars at this point, this got him his 3rd and that knocked him out of consideration for movies like Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and It's A Wonderful Life, two of my favorite films of all time.
2. Grand Illusion - This movie has made it on numerous lists as being one of the best films of all time. While I enjoyed it, I feel that it is over-hyped. Much like Citizen Kane, if you keep hearing that a movie is the best ever made and then you watch it and think it's good, you're still going to be left with a sense that you're missing something. I was expecting the best meal I've ever eaten and I got a really good steak. That being said, this movie is very good. It's wonderfully directed and shot, you could print out certain screen captures and frame them as works of art. It's World War I and the movie takes place in a German POW camp. The film starts like Stalag 17 where the prisoners are plotting an escape and the commandant is friendly, then the prisoners get transferred to a different prison and the same commandant is there but he has since been injured and is disillusioned with his duties and the war. It's a great film. I usually don't vote for foreign films but this is a weak year.
1. The Adventures Of Robin Hood - I'm sure you know the story of Robin Hood, he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Claude Rains plays Prince John who is a tyrannical leader who only thinks about himself. Basil Rathbone is his right hand man who strives to keep order. Olivia de Havilland is the beautiful Maid Marian and Errol Flynn is Robin Hood. This is a beautifully colorful action adventure story. It's insane how good this movie looks. I've been watching movies like Jezebel and Four Daughters and then I turn this on and I feel like I'm in a completely different time period. The colors jump off the screen. Not only is the movie colorful and beautiful but the score is incredible and watching it made me feel like a kid again. I found myself sitting in front of the TV hoping that Robin gets away from the bad guys.
This is an odd year as none of these movies strike me as something I have to vote for. Best Picture lineups usually come in two forms, either there is a movie that is too good to be ignored (like Schindler's List) or a movie that feels like an Oscar winner but was the wrong choice (Gandhi, Out Of Africa, pretty much every winner in the 80s). This year had neither. None of these movies are so good that they need to win and the movie that did win is just a good film. I can't argue with You Can't Take It With You, it's a good movie, it's fun, it has a good message and it makes you feel good. My only problem with it is that it feels like a filmed play less than a movie. Most of the action takes place in one room and there's only like 4 sets in total. This is obviously a play that they turned into a movie, I want to give it a Tony rather than an Oscar. The movies that feel like movies are Grand Illusion and The Adventures Of Robin Hood. Both of them have beautiful sets and cinematography and they just feel like they were designed for a film medium rather than being adapted from the stage. Given the choice between them I am compelled to vote for Robin Hood simply because it's an American film. I'm not trying to be xenophobic but I feel that the Oscars are an American award (that's why they have a Best Foreign Film category) so given the choice I will always vote for an English language film and this year that's The Adventures Of Robin Hood. I also like the movie better, so there's that.
Oscar Winner: You Can't Take It With You
My Vote: The Adventures Of Robin Hood
GABBY Winner: Angels With Dirty Faces
BEST ACTOR
4. Spencer Tracy - Boys Town - Much like Boyer, I find that Spencer Tracy was a fairly dull performer in his early years. Later in life he delivered performances that were terrific and inspiring like in Inherit The Wind, Judgment At Nuremberg and Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. In this period of his life he was either pretty bad like in Fury and Captains Courageous or just bland, like here. He just kind of stands there and lets the movie exist around him. He's perfectly fine in the movie but he just won last year for a performance he shouldn't have. My rule is if you win an undeserved Oscar you need to really knock a performance out of the park to win a second or have absolutely no competition. Tracy fits neither criteria so I can't vote for him.
3. Robert Donat - The Citadel - Donat plays a Scottish doctor who moves to a small mining town and treats the people who live there. They don't cotton to any big city medical doctors and also insist that he gets married (because a married man can treat illnesses better, I don't know, people back in these days must have been really stupid). He gets married to Rosalind Russell and then gets another job that values money over healthcare. The movie is a standard good little guy against the bad big guy story. Donat is perfectly fine, his accent is convincing, but there's nothing here that made me think I had to vote for him. Plus, he's gonna win next year so there's really no need to vote for him.
2. Leslie Howard - Pygmalion - Howard plays Professor Henry Higgins an English professor who teaches the cockney and uncouth Eliza Dolittle how to fit in to polite society. Howard is really good at playing an upper class snob while still being relatable. I always thought that Rex Harrison's portrayal of the character lacked a certain likability and charm. Howard creates a character that we root for but also wouldn't mind seeing fail.
1. James Cagney - Angels With Dirty Faces - Cagney plays Rocky Sullivan a guy fresh out of prison. He took the rap for his buddy and kept his mouth shut and now he's free after 3 years. He goes back to his buddy, played by Humphrey Bogart, trying to get a job but is met with a brush off. He also befriends a bunch of hoodlum kids that idolize him. It's an interesting character because he's not quite the heavy and not quite the hero. He plays both sides, his best friend is a priest who sees the good in him and Rocky tries to steer the kids on a good path by making them play basketball in the church rather than steal things on the streets. He's also a criminal though and Cagney can play the touch guy act in his sleep by this point. The reason he gets my vote is for his final scene when he breaks down to make himself a martyr for the young kids. That scene not only makes me mad that he lost this year but mad that they gave him the Oscar for Yankee Doodle Dandy. If I were to suggest you watch one Cagney performance it would be this film.
I like the film Boys Town and I generally like Spencer Tracy as an actor. I would have no issue with him winning this year if it weren't for the fact that he just won the year before this for an almost comically bad performance. In 1937 he wins for Captains Courageous and then in 1938 he wins again for Boys Town. That's like if you get a really bad performance review at work and then they give you a promotion anyway, then the next year you only do marginally better and you get another raise. Tracy winning here also stinks for Leslie Howard and Charles Boyer who never won Oscars. My vote is Cagney just because it's my favorite performance but if I were to really rewrite history I would have Robert Donat win here that way Jimmy Stewart can win for Mr. Smith Goes To Washington in 1939, then Henry Fonda can win for The Grapes Of Wrath in 1940, then you have Gary Cooper in 1941 and James Cagney in 1942. See, that way everybody gets their Oscars but they all get them for better performances. Who this win really stinks for is Tracy himself, he wins 2 Oscars and then in his old age delivers some truly great performances that went unrecognized. It's just like how Tom Hanks should have won for Cast Away but you don't feel the need to give a guy a 3rd Oscar, unless you're Daniel Day-Lewis for some reason.
Oscar Winner: Spencer Tracy
BEST ACTOR
5. Charles Boyer - Algiers - Boyer plays Pepe Le Moko who was the inspiration for Pepe Le Pew which is probably the most interesting thing about this film. I never found Boyer that charming, he has a heavy accent which makes him sound delightful but other than that I find his performances kind of bland. Pepe is a thief who is hiding out in Algeria and the authorities spend the whole movie trying to track him down. He falls in love and gets caught.
4. Spencer Tracy - Boys Town - Much like Boyer, I find that Spencer Tracy was a fairly dull performer in his early years. Later in life he delivered performances that were terrific and inspiring like in Inherit The Wind, Judgment At Nuremberg and Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. In this period of his life he was either pretty bad like in Fury and Captains Courageous or just bland, like here. He just kind of stands there and lets the movie exist around him. He's perfectly fine in the movie but he just won last year for a performance he shouldn't have. My rule is if you win an undeserved Oscar you need to really knock a performance out of the park to win a second or have absolutely no competition. Tracy fits neither criteria so I can't vote for him.
3. Robert Donat - The Citadel - Donat plays a Scottish doctor who moves to a small mining town and treats the people who live there. They don't cotton to any big city medical doctors and also insist that he gets married (because a married man can treat illnesses better, I don't know, people back in these days must have been really stupid). He gets married to Rosalind Russell and then gets another job that values money over healthcare. The movie is a standard good little guy against the bad big guy story. Donat is perfectly fine, his accent is convincing, but there's nothing here that made me think I had to vote for him. Plus, he's gonna win next year so there's really no need to vote for him.
2. Leslie Howard - Pygmalion - Howard plays Professor Henry Higgins an English professor who teaches the cockney and uncouth Eliza Dolittle how to fit in to polite society. Howard is really good at playing an upper class snob while still being relatable. I always thought that Rex Harrison's portrayal of the character lacked a certain likability and charm. Howard creates a character that we root for but also wouldn't mind seeing fail.
1. James Cagney - Angels With Dirty Faces - Cagney plays Rocky Sullivan a guy fresh out of prison. He took the rap for his buddy and kept his mouth shut and now he's free after 3 years. He goes back to his buddy, played by Humphrey Bogart, trying to get a job but is met with a brush off. He also befriends a bunch of hoodlum kids that idolize him. It's an interesting character because he's not quite the heavy and not quite the hero. He plays both sides, his best friend is a priest who sees the good in him and Rocky tries to steer the kids on a good path by making them play basketball in the church rather than steal things on the streets. He's also a criminal though and Cagney can play the touch guy act in his sleep by this point. The reason he gets my vote is for his final scene when he breaks down to make himself a martyr for the young kids. That scene not only makes me mad that he lost this year but mad that they gave him the Oscar for Yankee Doodle Dandy. If I were to suggest you watch one Cagney performance it would be this film.
I like the film Boys Town and I generally like Spencer Tracy as an actor. I would have no issue with him winning this year if it weren't for the fact that he just won the year before this for an almost comically bad performance. In 1937 he wins for Captains Courageous and then in 1938 he wins again for Boys Town. That's like if you get a really bad performance review at work and then they give you a promotion anyway, then the next year you only do marginally better and you get another raise. Tracy winning here also stinks for Leslie Howard and Charles Boyer who never won Oscars. My vote is Cagney just because it's my favorite performance but if I were to really rewrite history I would have Robert Donat win here that way Jimmy Stewart can win for Mr. Smith Goes To Washington in 1939, then Henry Fonda can win for The Grapes Of Wrath in 1940, then you have Gary Cooper in 1941 and James Cagney in 1942. See, that way everybody gets their Oscars but they all get them for better performances. Who this win really stinks for is Tracy himself, he wins 2 Oscars and then in his old age delivers some truly great performances that went unrecognized. It's just like how Tom Hanks should have won for Cast Away but you don't feel the need to give a guy a 3rd Oscar, unless you're Daniel Day-Lewis for some reason.
Oscar Winner: Spencer Tracy
My Vote: James Cagney
GABBY Winner: James Cagney
BEST ACTRESS
5. Fay Bainter - White Banners - This is the only nominated film this year that I couldn't track down. I will update this blog when I get a chance to see it but for now I'll put Bainter in 5th place. It doesn't matter a whole lot as she is going to win Best Supporting Actress this year so she definitely didn't need to win here. From the plot summary I found she plays a woman who shows up at the door of a couple selling apples and agrees to be their maid since they need help. Seems like a Mr. Belvedere situation to me.
4. Bette Davis - Jezebel - Just like Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis was an Oscar darling in her early career but didn't start giving performances that I liked until much later in life. She won 2 Oscars before she was 30 which knocked her out of contention for really great performances in films like All About Eve and What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?. In Jezebel Davis plays a southern belle whose stubbornness loses her the man she loves. If that sounds like Scarlett O'Hara then you would be right. Davis wanted to star in Gone With The Wind and when she didn't get the role she was offered this as a consolation prize. The movie is basically the dress scene in Gone With The Wind stretched to feature length. I love Bette Davis and she is good in the role but she just won 3 years ago and there are more deserving actresses in this category.
3. Margaret Sullavan - Three Comrades - Three soldiers fall in love with the same woman and she's dying of tuberculosis. Sullavan plays the dying woman, she's very charming and makes you fall in love with her and then she dies. Typical fated heroine role but she plays it well.
2. Norma Shearer - Marie Antoinette - This is a 2 1/2 hour biopic of Marie Antoinette. I was completely prepared to hate this. I was very surprised when I ended up liking it. The movie works pretty much solely because of the charisma of Norma Shearer and Robert Morley and their chemistry together. This was also the last movie developed by MGM studio head Irving Thalberg who was married to Shearer at the time of his death. You know the story I'm sure. Marie Antoinette gets married to Louis XVI at age 15. He is a shy and reserved man who is not that interested in being king. He also confesses that he can't have children so their relationship becomes a platonic one. She falls in love with another man and right when she's about to tell her husband, his father dies and she becomes queen. The French revolution happens and they are both put to death. Shearer is good, imagine how you would think Marie Antoinette would be played and that's what Shearer does.
1. Wendy Hiller - Pygmalion - Hiller plays Eliza Dolittle a cockney flower girl who gets turned into a proper lady by Professor Higgins and then falls in love with him. Hiller is perfect in the role and I want to say that the only reason she didn't win this is because she was new to film and Bette Davis was the biggest star in the category because based on performances alone I don't see why Hiller didn't win this year.
Bette Davis winning here isn't the worst decision in the world. It really only stinks because she gave better performances than this. I've never seen Dangerous (what she won her first Oscar for) but I would rather have Davis win for Baby Jane and Margo Channing, that's the Bette Davis I love. Wendy Hiller won an Oscar eventually so this isn't a historical Oscar travesty. Shearer and Sullavan were good but not anything I felt needed to win so I suppose if Hiller doesn't win here then Davis is the next best choice.
Oscar Winner: Bette Davis
BEST ACTRESS
5. Fay Bainter - White Banners - This is the only nominated film this year that I couldn't track down. I will update this blog when I get a chance to see it but for now I'll put Bainter in 5th place. It doesn't matter a whole lot as she is going to win Best Supporting Actress this year so she definitely didn't need to win here. From the plot summary I found she plays a woman who shows up at the door of a couple selling apples and agrees to be their maid since they need help. Seems like a Mr. Belvedere situation to me.
4. Bette Davis - Jezebel - Just like Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis was an Oscar darling in her early career but didn't start giving performances that I liked until much later in life. She won 2 Oscars before she was 30 which knocked her out of contention for really great performances in films like All About Eve and What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?. In Jezebel Davis plays a southern belle whose stubbornness loses her the man she loves. If that sounds like Scarlett O'Hara then you would be right. Davis wanted to star in Gone With The Wind and when she didn't get the role she was offered this as a consolation prize. The movie is basically the dress scene in Gone With The Wind stretched to feature length. I love Bette Davis and she is good in the role but she just won 3 years ago and there are more deserving actresses in this category.
3. Margaret Sullavan - Three Comrades - Three soldiers fall in love with the same woman and she's dying of tuberculosis. Sullavan plays the dying woman, she's very charming and makes you fall in love with her and then she dies. Typical fated heroine role but she plays it well.
2. Norma Shearer - Marie Antoinette - This is a 2 1/2 hour biopic of Marie Antoinette. I was completely prepared to hate this. I was very surprised when I ended up liking it. The movie works pretty much solely because of the charisma of Norma Shearer and Robert Morley and their chemistry together. This was also the last movie developed by MGM studio head Irving Thalberg who was married to Shearer at the time of his death. You know the story I'm sure. Marie Antoinette gets married to Louis XVI at age 15. He is a shy and reserved man who is not that interested in being king. He also confesses that he can't have children so their relationship becomes a platonic one. She falls in love with another man and right when she's about to tell her husband, his father dies and she becomes queen. The French revolution happens and they are both put to death. Shearer is good, imagine how you would think Marie Antoinette would be played and that's what Shearer does.
1. Wendy Hiller - Pygmalion - Hiller plays Eliza Dolittle a cockney flower girl who gets turned into a proper lady by Professor Higgins and then falls in love with him. Hiller is perfect in the role and I want to say that the only reason she didn't win this is because she was new to film and Bette Davis was the biggest star in the category because based on performances alone I don't see why Hiller didn't win this year.
Bette Davis winning here isn't the worst decision in the world. It really only stinks because she gave better performances than this. I've never seen Dangerous (what she won her first Oscar for) but I would rather have Davis win for Baby Jane and Margo Channing, that's the Bette Davis I love. Wendy Hiller won an Oscar eventually so this isn't a historical Oscar travesty. Shearer and Sullavan were good but not anything I felt needed to win so I suppose if Hiller doesn't win here then Davis is the next best choice.
Oscar Winner: Bette Davis
My Vote: Wendy Hiller
GABBY Winner: Wendy Hiller
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
5. Gene Lockhart - Algiers - Ok, have you seen Miracle On 34th Street? Remember the befuddled old judge? That's Gene Lockhart. Can you imagine him as a Peter Lorre-esque weasel informant in France? No? Yeah, he can't really pull it off. The character is pretty fun, Lockhart is just miscast. If Peter Lorre had played this part he would no doubt be nominated, probably win in this category.
4. Basil Rathbone - If I Were King - Rathbone plays King Louis XI. He is a doddering old man who overhears a man in a tavern tell everyone how he would do things differently if he were king. He takes the man on as a consultant and conflicts arise that result in the man being banned from France. Rathbone plays the king as an eccentric old man with a weak voice and facial ticks that distract more than they engage. It's definitely an interesting performance but it took me out of the movie, kind of the opposite effect you want from a supporting actor.
3. John Garfield - Four Daughters - So this movie is about four daughters who are all falling in love with different men. They live with their father who only likes classical music but the girls are starting to like jazz and modern music. Garfield plays a songwriter who is a big old grumpy Gus. He's depressed and feels unappreciated and softens when one of the daughters starts falling for him. This is weird to say but Garfield is almost too good for this movie. He's method acting in a movie that doesn't require it. It's like if Marlon Brando played Stanley Kowalski in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. He's good, but he's almost too good. His acting style is completely different from everyone else.
2. Walter Brennan - Kentucky - This is Brennan's 2nd win in this category in the 3 years it's been awarded. Brennan started as an extra and worked his way up to supporting parts and since he had a good relationship with the extras guild it is speculated that he won because they voted for one of their own. After his 3rd win they banned extras from voting. Brennan was a terrific character actor, a horrible human being (he reportedly danced a jig when Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot) but a fantastic actor. Kentucky is like Romeo And Juliet meets the Hatfield and the McCoys. Two horse breeding families have a long standing feud and the two youngest members of the families start a romance. Brennan is an old man who really holds a grudge. He's probably the best in the category but seeing as how he just won and is going to win again, for a better performance in a better movie, I'm voting differently.
1. Robert Morley - Marie Antoinette - Morley plays King Louis XVI and he is perfectly cast. He's a character actor playing a character part. I feel like any other actor of the time would have played this part the way you would expect it. He's a French prince of noble blood so he should be played like an aristocrat. Morley plays it completely different. His Louis is a shy and reserved and borderline incompetent man. When he meets Marie Antoinette he is more interested in talking about his passion for being a locksmith than the fact that they are getting arranged to be married. As his character gets older Morley does a great job of aging with the character, not just physically but also mentally too. As he gets older he gets more responsibility and gone is that immature young man we met at the beginning and he transforms into the king.
Another reason why this year is probably not remembered in Oscar history is because it feels like been there done that. Frank Capra wins his 3rd Oscar, Spencer Tracy wins his 2nd, Bette Davis wins her 2nd, Walter Brennan wins his 2nd and Fay Bainter wins basically because she was nominated twice in the same year. I don't have a huge problem with Brennan winning because he was so great in supporting roles (if they were giving an award to the "Best Supporting Actor" he would be the person I would usually vote for) but seeing as how he won already and would go on to win again in 1940 for The Westerner I'm voting for Robert Morley here. This is probably the weakest of Brennan's 3 wins. Actually Come And Get It (his first win) is the worst movie but that was his first win and the first win for any supporting actor so that takes priority. Still, I vote Morley because I liked him best.
Oscar Winner: Walter Brennan
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
5. Gene Lockhart - Algiers - Ok, have you seen Miracle On 34th Street? Remember the befuddled old judge? That's Gene Lockhart. Can you imagine him as a Peter Lorre-esque weasel informant in France? No? Yeah, he can't really pull it off. The character is pretty fun, Lockhart is just miscast. If Peter Lorre had played this part he would no doubt be nominated, probably win in this category.
4. Basil Rathbone - If I Were King - Rathbone plays King Louis XI. He is a doddering old man who overhears a man in a tavern tell everyone how he would do things differently if he were king. He takes the man on as a consultant and conflicts arise that result in the man being banned from France. Rathbone plays the king as an eccentric old man with a weak voice and facial ticks that distract more than they engage. It's definitely an interesting performance but it took me out of the movie, kind of the opposite effect you want from a supporting actor.
3. John Garfield - Four Daughters - So this movie is about four daughters who are all falling in love with different men. They live with their father who only likes classical music but the girls are starting to like jazz and modern music. Garfield plays a songwriter who is a big old grumpy Gus. He's depressed and feels unappreciated and softens when one of the daughters starts falling for him. This is weird to say but Garfield is almost too good for this movie. He's method acting in a movie that doesn't require it. It's like if Marlon Brando played Stanley Kowalski in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. He's good, but he's almost too good. His acting style is completely different from everyone else.
2. Walter Brennan - Kentucky - This is Brennan's 2nd win in this category in the 3 years it's been awarded. Brennan started as an extra and worked his way up to supporting parts and since he had a good relationship with the extras guild it is speculated that he won because they voted for one of their own. After his 3rd win they banned extras from voting. Brennan was a terrific character actor, a horrible human being (he reportedly danced a jig when Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot) but a fantastic actor. Kentucky is like Romeo And Juliet meets the Hatfield and the McCoys. Two horse breeding families have a long standing feud and the two youngest members of the families start a romance. Brennan is an old man who really holds a grudge. He's probably the best in the category but seeing as how he just won and is going to win again, for a better performance in a better movie, I'm voting differently.
1. Robert Morley - Marie Antoinette - Morley plays King Louis XVI and he is perfectly cast. He's a character actor playing a character part. I feel like any other actor of the time would have played this part the way you would expect it. He's a French prince of noble blood so he should be played like an aristocrat. Morley plays it completely different. His Louis is a shy and reserved and borderline incompetent man. When he meets Marie Antoinette he is more interested in talking about his passion for being a locksmith than the fact that they are getting arranged to be married. As his character gets older Morley does a great job of aging with the character, not just physically but also mentally too. As he gets older he gets more responsibility and gone is that immature young man we met at the beginning and he transforms into the king.
Another reason why this year is probably not remembered in Oscar history is because it feels like been there done that. Frank Capra wins his 3rd Oscar, Spencer Tracy wins his 2nd, Bette Davis wins her 2nd, Walter Brennan wins his 2nd and Fay Bainter wins basically because she was nominated twice in the same year. I don't have a huge problem with Brennan winning because he was so great in supporting roles (if they were giving an award to the "Best Supporting Actor" he would be the person I would usually vote for) but seeing as how he won already and would go on to win again in 1940 for The Westerner I'm voting for Robert Morley here. This is probably the weakest of Brennan's 3 wins. Actually Come And Get It (his first win) is the worst movie but that was his first win and the first win for any supporting actor so that takes priority. Still, I vote Morley because I liked him best.
Oscar Winner: Walter Brennan
My Vote: Robert Morley
GABBY Winner: Erich Von Stroheim for Grand Illusion
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
4. Spring Byington - You Can't Take It With You - This film has a great ensemble cast. It takes place mostly in a house full of eccentric poor people. Byington plays Jean Arthur's mother and her wacky thing is that she writes plays all day because someone dropped off a typewriter at their house. She spends the majority of the film typing away while chaos is going on. She gets some good laughs but she's really just part of the ensemble.
3. Fay Bainter - Jezebel - We've already discussed Jezebel, a headstrong southern belle wants to wear a red dress which causes a bunch of stuffy old white people to gasp at the impudence. Bainter plays Bette Davis's aunt and her part of the film is to basically act as a maternal support figure. She tries to talk Davis out of wearing the dress then comforts her after the scandal. She is perfectly fine in the role but I think it's obvious that the main reason she won here is because she was also nominated in the Best Actress category and they didn't want her to go home empty handed. There's not much to the part that demands attention.
2. Billie Burke - Merrily We Live - Billie Burke was Glinda, The Good Witch in The Wizard Of Oz just so you can get a visualization, because you probably won't see this movie. She has the same voice in this movie which was weird at first only because she was playing a different character. She plays a rich lady who keeps hiring convicts to work at her house because she believes in the good of all people. The movie opens with the butler making her promise to never hire another convict because the last one stole the silverware. Burke is very fun in the role, the movie is kind of a poor man's version of My Man Godfrey but it's all right.
1. Beulah Bondi - Of Human Hearts - Walter Huston plays a preacher who moves to a new town with his family. His son grows up to be James Stewart who resents him for beating him all the time for his insolence. Bondi plays the matriarch of the family. She's a supportive mother who loves both her husband and her son. Huston will whip the son and then Bondi will pick him up and apologize for him. Sometimes when I watch these Oscar nominated films I wonder if I focus on the actual nominee because they were nominated or because their performances were captivating. It's probably a little bit of both but I loved every scene of this movie that had Beulah Bondi in it. She's just so sweet and caring. Early on in the film her son wants to get a magazine (because dad only wants him to read the bible). They are a poor family so Bondi sells her silverware to buy a subscription. She hopes to get $4 but can only get $2 so she sadly crosses out "one year" in her letter to the publisher and changes it to 6 months. When the magazines come she gives them to her son but he is now more interested in reading a medical journal he found. She makes no mention of her sacrifice just enjoys her child's happiness. That scene really touched me and Bondi plays every scene in the film perfectly.
Nobody in this category really deserved to win, Bondi was my favorite but I'm not upset that she didn't win. Giving the win to Bainter actually makes the most sense since it's a weak category and she was also nominated for Best Actress. This is one of those categories where I'm basically picking a name out of a hat. The only one who really shouldn't win is Miliza Korjus just because she wasn't a real actress.
Oscar Winner: Fay Bainter
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
5. Miliza Korjus - The Great Waltz - This is a movie that is only worth watching if you were gonna watch every Oscar nominated movie. So many times when I'm doing these blogs I'll be halfway through a film and think to myself, "I don't like this, why the hell am I watching it?". Then I remember the reason and question why I started this in the first place. This is a biopic about Johann Strauss and Korjus plays an opera singer who sings some songs. She was in real life a famous opera singer and this was her only starring role, so this is like a Jennifer Hudson nomination. She sings pretty, her acting is just okay.
4. Spring Byington - You Can't Take It With You - This film has a great ensemble cast. It takes place mostly in a house full of eccentric poor people. Byington plays Jean Arthur's mother and her wacky thing is that she writes plays all day because someone dropped off a typewriter at their house. She spends the majority of the film typing away while chaos is going on. She gets some good laughs but she's really just part of the ensemble.
3. Fay Bainter - Jezebel - We've already discussed Jezebel, a headstrong southern belle wants to wear a red dress which causes a bunch of stuffy old white people to gasp at the impudence. Bainter plays Bette Davis's aunt and her part of the film is to basically act as a maternal support figure. She tries to talk Davis out of wearing the dress then comforts her after the scandal. She is perfectly fine in the role but I think it's obvious that the main reason she won here is because she was also nominated in the Best Actress category and they didn't want her to go home empty handed. There's not much to the part that demands attention.
2. Billie Burke - Merrily We Live - Billie Burke was Glinda, The Good Witch in The Wizard Of Oz just so you can get a visualization, because you probably won't see this movie. She has the same voice in this movie which was weird at first only because she was playing a different character. She plays a rich lady who keeps hiring convicts to work at her house because she believes in the good of all people. The movie opens with the butler making her promise to never hire another convict because the last one stole the silverware. Burke is very fun in the role, the movie is kind of a poor man's version of My Man Godfrey but it's all right.
1. Beulah Bondi - Of Human Hearts - Walter Huston plays a preacher who moves to a new town with his family. His son grows up to be James Stewart who resents him for beating him all the time for his insolence. Bondi plays the matriarch of the family. She's a supportive mother who loves both her husband and her son. Huston will whip the son and then Bondi will pick him up and apologize for him. Sometimes when I watch these Oscar nominated films I wonder if I focus on the actual nominee because they were nominated or because their performances were captivating. It's probably a little bit of both but I loved every scene of this movie that had Beulah Bondi in it. She's just so sweet and caring. Early on in the film her son wants to get a magazine (because dad only wants him to read the bible). They are a poor family so Bondi sells her silverware to buy a subscription. She hopes to get $4 but can only get $2 so she sadly crosses out "one year" in her letter to the publisher and changes it to 6 months. When the magazines come she gives them to her son but he is now more interested in reading a medical journal he found. She makes no mention of her sacrifice just enjoys her child's happiness. That scene really touched me and Bondi plays every scene in the film perfectly.
Nobody in this category really deserved to win, Bondi was my favorite but I'm not upset that she didn't win. Giving the win to Bainter actually makes the most sense since it's a weak category and she was also nominated for Best Actress. This is one of those categories where I'm basically picking a name out of a hat. The only one who really shouldn't win is Miliza Korjus just because she wasn't a real actress.
Oscar Winner: Fay Bainter
My Vote: Beulah Bondi
GABBY Winner: Jean Arthur for You Can't Take It With You
Best Director
Frank Capra wins his 3rd Oscar for You Can't Take It With You. Jean Renoir should have probably won this for Grand Illusion (he wasn't nominated) but let's also look at the fact that Michael Curitz was nominated twice this year for Four Daughters and Angels With Dirty Faces. I would give it to him for Angels, even though that movie didn't get a Best Picture nomination, despite 10 nominees in the field. I wouldn't argue he deserved it for Four Daughters but take into account that the guy also did The Adventures Of Robin Hood and you can't argue that he was the director of the year. Capra's already won twice so I say give it to Curitz, he's gonna win for Casablanca in a couple of years so it's not a complete injustice but based on the competition, Angels With Dirty Faces is the best directorial achievement.
Best Story/Screenplay
Boys Town wins Best Story and Pygmalion wins Best Screenplay. I've said this many times before but I really don't understand the screenplay categories before they went solely with Best Original and Best Adapted. Here's the story to Boys Town, "Hey, what if we made a movie about that dude who started that town full of boys?" and the screenplay to Pygmalion is basically just the play.
Best Score/Original Score/Song
Back in the day every studio was guaranteed a nomination for Best Score. They would submit what they thought was the best from their studio and that was given a nomination. It makes sense because back then you would have to go see a movie in the theater and I doubt anyone was paying too close attention to every movie score from every movie they saw. Kind of how we still have the Electoral College because back in the day the Pony Express had to hand deliver votes. Anyway, Alexander's Ragtime Band wins Best Score, which is fine, and The Adventures Of Robin Hood wins Best Original Score, which is great. I have no idea what the difference between the two categories is. The Bob Hope standard Thanks For The Memory from The Big Broadcast Of 1938 wins Best Song which is a pretty solid choice. I would have picked Jeepers Creepers from Going Places. I like how when you look back on the Best Song category you find songs you've heard your whole life that you had no idea were from movies.
Best Art Direction
Best Director
Frank Capra wins his 3rd Oscar for You Can't Take It With You. Jean Renoir should have probably won this for Grand Illusion (he wasn't nominated) but let's also look at the fact that Michael Curitz was nominated twice this year for Four Daughters and Angels With Dirty Faces. I would give it to him for Angels, even though that movie didn't get a Best Picture nomination, despite 10 nominees in the field. I wouldn't argue he deserved it for Four Daughters but take into account that the guy also did The Adventures Of Robin Hood and you can't argue that he was the director of the year. Capra's already won twice so I say give it to Curitz, he's gonna win for Casablanca in a couple of years so it's not a complete injustice but based on the competition, Angels With Dirty Faces is the best directorial achievement.
Best Story/Screenplay
Boys Town wins Best Story and Pygmalion wins Best Screenplay. I've said this many times before but I really don't understand the screenplay categories before they went solely with Best Original and Best Adapted. Here's the story to Boys Town, "Hey, what if we made a movie about that dude who started that town full of boys?" and the screenplay to Pygmalion is basically just the play.
Best Score/Original Score/Song
Back in the day every studio was guaranteed a nomination for Best Score. They would submit what they thought was the best from their studio and that was given a nomination. It makes sense because back then you would have to go see a movie in the theater and I doubt anyone was paying too close attention to every movie score from every movie they saw. Kind of how we still have the Electoral College because back in the day the Pony Express had to hand deliver votes. Anyway, Alexander's Ragtime Band wins Best Score, which is fine, and The Adventures Of Robin Hood wins Best Original Score, which is great. I have no idea what the difference between the two categories is. The Bob Hope standard Thanks For The Memory from The Big Broadcast Of 1938 wins Best Song which is a pretty solid choice. I would have picked Jeepers Creepers from Going Places. I like how when you look back on the Best Song category you find songs you've heard your whole life that you had no idea were from movies.
Best Art Direction
The Adventures Of Robin Hood wins. Like I said the colors of this movie just jump off the screen.
Best Cinematography
I don't like any of the nominees in this category. The Adventures Of Robin Hood was not nominated and the movies that were nominated were standard movies of the time which don't have anything special about their cinematography. Movies like You Can't Take It With You and Jezebel and Merrily We Live take place mostly in one room and are just long takes. The Great Waltz wins which is just an extremely questionable decision.
Best Sound Recording
Best Sound Recording
The Cowboy And The Lady wins. I have not seen this movie nor will I probably ever see it.
Best Film-Editing
Best Film-Editing
The Adventures Of Robin Hood wins and is the best choice in the category. Test Pilot is a close second choice. I didn't think the story was anything special but all the flying sequences in the film were put together incredibly well.
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