Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Picture 1935

The Contenders:

Alice Adams
The Broadway Melody of 1936
Captain Blood
David Copperfield
The Informer
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Les Miserables
Mutiny on the Bounty (winner)
Naughty Marietta
Ruggles of Red Gap
Top Hat

Westward, Ho!

Film: Ruggles of Red Gap
Format: Video from The Magic Flashdrive on laptop.

When you talk about good years for actors, you need to bring up 1935 and Charles Laughton. In that year, Laughton had a major role in 25% of the Best Picture nominees. Not impressed? After all, in a year with five nominees, anyone with a prominent role in one of those movies is in 20%. Yes, but in 1935, Laughton had major roles in three out of 12 nominees. And “major roles” undersells it. He was top billed in two of the films and second in the third. I’ve now seen two of those films, and for my money, Ruggles of Red Gap is the one you want to see.

The premise is simple. The awesomely named Marmaduke Ruggles (Laughton) is the manservant of the Earl of Burnstead (Roland Young). One evening, the Earl is instructed in the fine art of poker by some visiting Americans. Long story short, he bet Ruggles and lost, which means that Ruggles is now in the employ of the loud, uncouth, and garish Egbert Floud (Charles Ruggles). This is important news for Effie Floud (Mary Boland), who wishes to become the queen of the social register in their little town of Red Gap, Washington.