tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post853821059595206530..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Actress 1934SJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-14808719254611115922017-09-29T20:53:03.817-05:002017-09-29T20:53:03.817-05:00I don't at all have a problem with that assess...I don't at all have a problem with that assessment. I think Colbert was grand in <i>It Happened One Night</i>, and that comes from someone who has never been much more than lukewarm about her in general. I get completely why she won.<br /><br />But yes, Myrna Loy should have clearly been nominated. At the very least, she was better than Moore and Shearer and better than Davis's write-in. I'd happily go either way on this one, but ties always go to the Academy. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-89039599992879068512017-09-29T20:48:35.758-05:002017-09-29T20:48:35.758-05:00It really wasn't the strongest year for women&...It really wasn't the strongest year for women's roles despite the number of films churned out but there were certainly enough to have a full complement of nominees.<br /><br />I just finally saw One Night of Love and I sat there thinking "Why did this woman rate a nomination?" The answer would seem to be because she was so celebrated at the time as an opera singer (a MUCH bigger deal then than now) and the Hollywood studios were dazzled. As you said she could sing and she wasn't painful to watch but she did nothing that would rate her inclusion in this very short list.<br /><br />Barretts of Wimpole Street was tedious outside of Laughton's fearsome portrayal of the horrid father. It was sort of funny to see Fredric March treated almost like a himbo emphasising his handsomeness (though those mutton chop sideburns did him no favors) while making Robert Browning seem like a drip. Norma didn't go down with the ship but she's been much better elsewhere-I think she improved as time went on retiring just when she was freeing herself of some of her silent affectations. Again there were better options than her for this year. <br /><br />Looking at her now Bette Davis goes over the top now and then as Mildred but regardless her intensity is undeniable as is her star power. So you can see how this was a revelation in '34 after her previous string of wishy washy roles and established her as an actress of merit. I would have rather seen her win for this truly memorable performance than the next year's makeup award for the messy Dangerous. <br /><br />But out of this bunch I can't fault Colbert's win for her charming and resourceful work in In Happened One Night but if I could I'd snatch that sucker right out of her hand and give it to the rightful winner, Myrna Loy. She is sheer magic as Nora Charles as is Powell as Nick. <br /><br />Beside her and the others already mentioned, and I second Marlene Dietrich in The Scarlet Empress, I'd add Carole Lombard for her breakthrough role as Lily Garland in Twentieth Century. Margaret Sullavan gives a lovely performance, when did she not?, in Little Man, What Now? but the character and film don't make a lot of sense so I can see how she was bypassed. I've heard that Aline MacMahon is fantastic in Heat Lightning but it's one I've never been able to track down...at least not yet! However nobody would beat Myrna in my book.joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-22428798404483723262017-09-29T13:31:23.347-05:002017-09-29T13:31:23.347-05:00I can kind of take or leave L'Atalante. The ot...I can kind of take or leave <i>L'Atalante</i>. The others I haven't seen, but they'd have to be exceptional to bump either Colbert or Loy off that top position. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-60965935766500216492017-09-29T13:30:22.386-05:002017-09-29T13:30:22.386-05:00Loy is so good in The Thin Man. In terms of classi...Loy is so good in <i>The Thin Man</i>. In terms of classic actresses, I only love Stanwyck more than I love Loy. Had she been nominated, I might be tempted to put her at the top, but I'd have both Loy and Colbert as appropriate winners.<br /><br />Loy and Powell were such a good team together, although I can't pretend I was a fan of <i>The Great Ziegfeld</i>. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-46767416659855584502017-09-29T12:01:12.873-05:002017-09-29T12:01:12.873-05:00I can't disagree. But I wouldn't be me if...I can't disagree. But I wouldn't be me if I didn't pipe in with more suggestions. The big omission for me is Dita Parlo in L'Atalante, which I know is not a universal favorite. Jeanette MacDonald is fantastic in one of her sexy comedienne roles in The Merry Widow. Finally, I have a giant soft spot for Marlene Dietrich in The Scarlet Empress. In the end, I would have voted for Colbert.marie_dresslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06334550550983418668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-80523826912925428072017-09-29T11:59:02.643-05:002017-09-29T11:59:02.643-05:00Myrna was also overlooked for "Manhattan Melo...Myrna was also overlooked for "Manhattan Melodrama," but I'd give it to her for "The Thin Man" as this was an off year for Barbara Stanwyck. However, having William Powell as a co-star always seemed to bring out the best in both of them.John from Daejeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08431973044799010218noreply@blogger.com