tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post5854043198273734023..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Actor 1955SJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-64964012736895694002016-02-27T09:41:21.082-06:002016-02-27T09:41:21.082-06:00Yeah, there's a lot to like in Bad Day at Blac...Yeah, there's a lot to like in <i>Bad Day at Black Rock</i>, but this is specifically about the performances, and I like Sinatra's and Borgnine's better than Tracy's. <i>Black Rock</i> is kind of bas-ass, though, and Spencer Tracy pulls off the "quiet man on a mission" role really convincingly, convincingly playing something akin to an action hero at 55 years old. But, as you say, I like the film as a whole more than I like his part of it. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-13951428637217125642016-02-27T06:13:44.994-06:002016-02-27T06:13:44.994-06:00I agree with you almost all the way. I like Bad Da...I agree with you almost all the way. I like Bad Day better than the two top nominees, but that is no reason to prefer Tracy over Sinatra or Borgnine. Tracy was good in an excellent film, Borgnine and and Sinatra were excellent, period.<br />Now I have watched all of Dean's movies I sort of see what the hype was, but his mannerism is grating on me. Both East of Eden and Rebel suffer from that, but of the two at least in East of Eden he develops away from that. Giant is his best performance in my opinion, but that is 56.<br />TSorensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12208153011927807857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-30898593617274943272016-02-26T23:26:59.664-06:002016-02-26T23:26:59.664-06:00I thought about Kiss Me Deadly. It's not a fil...I thought about <i>Kiss Me Deadly</i>. It's not a film that I love, though because I think it's too goofy, and that reflects on Meeker, fair or not.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-53735558318885865142016-02-26T23:14:38.975-06:002016-02-26T23:14:38.975-06:00Here's an odd choice worth a mention from 1955...Here's an odd choice worth a mention from 1955: Ralph Meeker in Kiss Me Deadly. aceblackblog.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08404695143187261837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-77134331627531354122016-02-26T22:09:41.549-06:002016-02-26T22:09:41.549-06:00I like Rebel Without a Cause for what it is. I par...I like <i>Rebel Without a Cause</i> for what it is. I particularly like Dean in it.<br /><br />Mitchum was a longshot for a nomination in 1955 because he played such an obvious and heinous villain and, while I have no proof of this, because his villain was, in a sense, a religious villain. It's a great performance from him, and I consider myself a Mitchum fan, and he's a name I'll mention in the future on other Best Actor recaps. <br /><br />I don't object to a vote for Borgnine. I like <i>Marty</i> a lot.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-16282656620414923702016-02-26T21:35:12.123-06:002016-02-26T21:35:12.123-06:00Mitchum played a villain, and a pretty heinous one...Mitchum played a villain, and a pretty heinous one at that, so although it's a helluva performance, I'm not surprised it didn't get a nomination. I remember back in the early 80s when both Abraham and Hulce were nominated for Best Actor and when Abraham won it there was some surprise because he had played the villain in Amadeus.<br /><br />I haven't seen Cagney's performance, so I can't comment on that. Of the other four, I'd pick Borgnine for the win, but here's where I separate from you. I'd have Dean second, AND for the nominated role. I wasn't that impressed by Rebel Without a Cause when I saw it (and I freely admit that was likely because it had been hyped so much as THE teen angst movie). In East of Eden he starts out unlikable, but by the end of the film he's gone through character growth to the point where he's about the only sympathetic one left. And yes, that's the screenplay, but he's got to make the audience buy into it with his performance.<br /><br />And I have nothing against either Tracy or Sinatra - I liked their performances. I'd just go with Borgnine over them.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-5953680713704657562016-02-26T20:42:34.751-06:002016-02-26T20:42:34.751-06:00He is quite good in Von Ryan's Express, which ...He is quite good in Von Ryan's Express, which has fallen by the wayside in terms of discussion. I also thought he was very impressive in '57's The Joker is Wild (now there's a year packed with outstanding leading men performances!) Before he started phoning it in in the mid-60's he really was very versatile capable of deep work in drama and smooth work in lighter fare. <br /><br />I agree about Frankie Machine.joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-52914509034718329212016-02-26T19:53:40.904-06:002016-02-26T19:53:40.904-06:00Funny that the two I like the best are the two you...Funny that the two I like the best are the two you'd remove.<br /><br />I've long thought that Sinatra was better in dramatic roles (<i>Golden Arm, The Manchurian Candidate, From Here to Eternity</i> and the seemingly forgotten <i>Von Ryan's Express</i>) than he was in light-hearted musicals. There was a depth of pain the man could reach into, and for as bright an sunny as he could be in something like <i>High Society</i>, he could be dark so well. <br /><br />And I stand by the fact that Frankie Machine is one of the greatest names in film history. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-24431726285561187092016-02-26T19:50:39.492-06:002016-02-26T19:50:39.492-06:00The only real problem with Mitchum is that it wasn...The only real problem with Mitchum is that it wasn't the sort of performance awarded by the Academy back in the day. He'd be a hard sell, but I'd definitely want him on the ballot.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-47463831176958748682016-02-26T19:40:30.032-06:002016-02-26T19:40:30.032-06:00Robert Mitchum is the most glaring absence here an...Robert Mitchum is the most glaring absence here and one of the worst oversights of the award's history. Ironic that this year included another huge miss with Doris Day's best ever work in Love Me or Leave Me also being overlooked.<br /><br />I can't agree about East of Eden being the wrong performance for a nomination for Dean, it's the one I prefer over Rebel (a good film but one I think is overly venerated), and it would be he and Mitchum I would be torn between for the win if Mitchum had been in the running. Ultimately though my choice would be Dean since Mitchum would be my pick for the win in '52 for his work in another Nick Ray film "The Lusty Men". <br /><br />This is a year where all five of the performances, despite whomever was left out, are worthy of their nods. I'm glad that Borgnine, an actor often more remembered for his blustery over-emphasis, was awarded for showing how deep his talents ran and Sinatra is excellent in Golden Arm but they would be the two performers I'd pluck out to make room for Mitchum and Henry Fonda in Mr. Roberts. joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-47179904642868095612016-02-26T18:39:11.167-06:002016-02-26T18:39:11.167-06:00Mitchum all the way. I think I would go for Borgn...Mitchum all the way. I think I would go for Borgnine over Sinatra as a very close call. Love Me or Leave Me is coming up soon in the rotation! I like Cagney for Supporting in Mr. Roberts as well.marie_dresslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06334550550983418668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-91903156551023778472016-02-26T17:36:50.766-06:002016-02-26T17:36:50.766-06:00Gun to my head, my five nominees are:
Sinatra for ...Gun to my head, my five nominees are:<br />Sinatra for The Man with the Golden Arm<br />Borgnine for Marty<br />Fonda for Mister Roberts<br />Mitchum for Night of the Hunter<br />Dean for Rebel Without a CauseSJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-40274880012514255172016-02-26T17:02:56.339-06:002016-02-26T17:02:56.339-06:00Borgnine's performance is quite moving. I hat...Borgnine's performance is quite moving. I hate all the hate he gets for this. It's a beautifully composed performance that still holds up (as does the film). Can't argue with Sinatra though, as he was right there with Borgnine (in a very different role) so either one winning would have been deserving.<br /><br />That being said, Mitchum should have been nominated and taken this in a walk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com