Smackdown '81: Elizabeth, Joan, Melinda, Maureen, and Jane Fonda
Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 12:01AM 
Welcome back to the Supporting Actress Smackdown, a summer festival in which we investigate Oscar vintages from years past. This time around it's 1981 in which an estranged daughter, an unhappy socialite, a guilt-ridden Catholic, a political radical, and a scandalous young beauty gather for our viewing pleasure.
1981's Supporting Actress nominations made room for a two-time winner (Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond) with a very personal project, an actor's actor in a star-driven historical epic (Maureen Stapleton, Reds), two sturdy characters in 'issues' pictures of very different kinds (Melinda Dillon, Absence of Malice and Joan Hackett in Only When I Laugh) and a rapidly rising starlet (Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime) who had made a big film debut the year prior in 1980's Best Picture winner Ordinary People.
Here to talk about these five nominated turns and the movies and Oscars of 1981 are, in alphabetical order: writer/director Eric Blume, actor Donna Lynne Champlin (Crazy Ex Girlfriend), actor Sean Maguire (Once Upon a Time, The Magicians), festival programmer Amir Soltani, and critic Boyd Van Hoeij (The Hollywood Reporter). And, as ever, your host at The Film Experience, Nathaniel R.
Let's begin...
1981
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN + PODCAST
The companion podcast can be downloaded at the bottom of this article or by visiting the iTunes page.
Melinda Dillon as "Teresa" in Absence of Malice
Synopsis: The troubled best friend of a murder suspect considers providing his alibi. She'll expose her own secrets if she does.
Stats: Then 42 yrs old, 7th film, 4th billed. Second and last nomination. 10 minutes of screen time (or 8% of the running time)
Eric Blume: Dillon has only four scenes in the film, but she makes strong choices everywhere she can. Some of those choices inform her overall characterization: it’s rare to see a painfully (perhaps pathologically?) shy person ever in a movie, and you glean this woman has a deeply scarred emotional background. She even avoids cliché choices (she never alludes to wanting anything more than a friendship with Paul Newman’s character). Dillon creates a specific portrait of a boxed-in, cripplingly withdrawn, deeply guilty Catholic woman who is barely hanging on day by day. We just don’t get enough of her. ♥♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: Melinda Dillon is great in this but really hard to see sometimes. Like, literally. Yes, her character is shy but the lack of lighting, her baggy clothes, her hair, even the wind is Cousin It-ing her in every scene. Ms. Dillon’s performance has a nice centered stillness and some beautiful, honest moments in a sea of very “busy” actors doing lots of “business”. She stands out, not so much by grabbing your attention- but as an oasis in the midst of attention grabbers. She gives a very humble, layered performance. I believed her. ♥♥♥♥
Sean Maguire: Melinda Dillon is a fine actress and I consider myself a fan. She and the great Paul Newman have a lovely natural chemistry together. But my biggest problem with this performance is her constant smoking to show how distressed and frazzled Teresa is. Unfortunately I suspect Melinda Dillon did not smoke in real life -- it’s obvious and completely took me out of the movie. i’m afraid that should’ve disqualified her from being nominated. ♥
Amir Soltani: Dillon is only present in a few scenes, but one of them is the crucial turning point in the narrative. So while she barely has the chance to give her character depth or complexity, for the film to work on an emotional level, it is key for the audience to respond to Dillon’s heartbreaking confession. She knocks it out of the park. Small gestures are enough to suggest the world of pain she’s been carrying. ♥♥♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: A small role that looks great — and reveals itself as technically very tricky — only after you learn about her fate. It's subtle work that nonetheless makes her final action credible. ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: Absence of Malice doesn't require more from her than a) heavy-headed guilt and b) the suggestion of enduring mental wounds. She certainly sells those two things. In fact, her ability to suggest this level of mental fragility makes us feel guilty for even wishing the following BUT it sure would have taken this performance (and film) up a notch if we had a couple of ghost images in her performance of what Teresa was like before it was alltoomuch for her. Still, that pitiable final scene, played in long shot with her back to the camera, is hard to shake. ♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "The most memorable. You root for her to be avenged after she is gone. She creates a real person that I feel like I have met." - Greydog (Reader average: ♥♥♥⅓)
Actress earns 20⅓ ❤s
Jane Fonda as "Chelsea Thayer Wayne" in On Golden Pond
Synopsis: The estranged daughter of a crotchety old man, visits for his 80th birthday. The chip on her shoulder comes along for the trip.
Stats: Then 44 yrs old, film, 3rd billed. Her sixth of seven career nominations after two wins (but this is the only "supporting" nomination). 23 minutes of screentime (or 21% of the running time)
Eric Blume: Half of Fonda’s challenge is the role: it’s a terribly-written part, and the script treats her character as stunted when her anger is the most glorious thing about her. And the other half is the context of the main acting trio: the Fonda/Hepburn relationship feels less truly mother/daughter and more younger-great-actress/older-great-actress; and her scenes with daddy Henry have all the real-life double meanings that sometimes take you out of the scene. But she finds wonderful notes. As the family quartet plays Parcheesi, Fonda sits out, clearly fake-reading a magazine as she’s deep in thought and anger at the many years where her father beat her playing game after game, and berated her over something so unimportant. Forty years of shit is in this tiny scene, and Fonda makes you feel the long burn of it all. ♥♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: I just…can’t get on the Jane Train here. I’m sorry. I’m such a fan of her other work, but I was a little 🙄 watching this performance. Was it cool that they were actually father and daughter playing father and daughter? Totally. For like, 15 minutes. But then I just felt really bad for her because she was so clearly out-gunned and Katherine Hepburn was SO handsy. Damn, Ethel. Back off. I know Chelsea is supposed to be somewhat unlikable, but her performance felt one-dimensional to me, and I couldn’t get on board. ♥♥
Sean Maguire: Fonda doesn’t really do much wrong in this picture but she also isn't giving the kind of performance one would naturally associate with an Oscar nomination. She’s charming and gorgeous in it but I didn’t really enjoy the movie or love her acting. But for her activism, I adore her. ♥
Amir Soltani: A textbook example of a coattail nomination. A charismatic superstar with a hand in the film’s production, playing the daughter of her real-life father in his coronation film? She was always going to end up with a nomination for a film that garnered ten of them. But as for the quality …well, there’s a scene where she cries and it smells less like cheese than the rest of fromagerie de golden pond around her, so I guess that’s good enough for the Academy? ♥♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: It is her absence in the whole midsection that make her scenes in the final act affecting. Of course she has natural chemistry with Henry Fonda but she's equally believable as the perpetually worrying offspring of Hepburn. Best hair of the five nominees. ♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: "I want to be your friend," sure is a naked line reading. I so admire the meta-vulnerability of this performance opposite her own father. Hell, I even like the stiffness of her performance -- that wouldn't usually be a compliment but I'd argue it's good for this. Now, you can argue that Chelsea isn't much of a character and that the arc Fonda is tasked with is beyond simple but what On Golden Pond lacks in three dimensionality it mostly makes up for in direct arrows to the heart. ♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "The reality of the father/daughter relationship got me over the humps of the script" - Walter M (Reader average: ♥♥♥)
Actress earns 17 ❤s
Joan Hackett as "Toby Landau" in Only When I Laugh
Synopsis: A Manhattan socialite tries to support her alcoholic best friend but she's got her own problems as her 40th birthday looms.
Stats: Then 47 yrs old, 11th film, 4th billed. First and only nomination. 22 minutes of screen time (or 18% of the running time).
Eric Blume: Physically, she fills out a variety of mink-accented outfits with aplomb, complete with overly-chic hairstyles and jewelry, all a (yes, clichéd) front for a beating heart underneath. In a long sequence during her fortieth birthday party she shows new layers and scales some substantive heights, though. In her final scenes her voice cracks into gossamer heartbreak as she reveals something deeper and wounded. Hackett commits to the heightened form the writing and role requires (elevated sitcom), but she makes Toby human, and complex, too. And there’s joy in her acting: she has a fizz, and her fizz has a linger. ♥♥♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: I liked this performance. It didn’t knock me out, but I liked it. She had a nice arc. She starts out very affected, hiding behind a literal mask of makeup and by the end of the movie she’s bare faced, honest and exposed. It’s a really smart, by-the-numbers performance that makes total sense and is handled with craft and intelligence. Had I not been paying specific attention to it I probably wouldn’t have registered it at all; which is neither good nor bad? Honestly, my biggest take away from this movie was that 1981 orchestrators absolutely loved a good, beat-keeping triangle in their scores. So. That’s where my head was at watching this movie. ♥♥♥
Sean Maguire: This is a pretty skilled performance in both the comedy and drama departments even if the movie is a lackluster early 80s comedy that feels like a PSA crossed with a two hour sitcom. It's a decent performance but for an Oscar nomination? Let's put it this way -- it ain’t Brenda Fricker in My Left Foot. ♥♥
Amir Soltani: The whole film has a really stage-y quality to it (if I was feeling less generous, I’d call it a TV soap). Everything feels incredibly stiff and faked, and Hackett’s performance, though not quite as embarrassing as Mason’s comical drunken slur, is no exception. Nearly everything about the film feels like a first take that should have been discarded in the cutting room. And it’s quite shocking that the only performer with an ounce of emotion in her performance—Kristy McNichol—was the only one of the quartet not nominated by the Academy. ♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: She's the boozy, self-obsessed friend who still cares about you that we all want to have. A 21st century Instagay disguised as an early 1980s woman. Perfection. ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: What a three-dimensional surprise she was within this sitcom. Hackett cuts through the inauthentic quipping with such palpable force that she almost retroactively transforms all the constant "dialogue" from her co-stars and reveals it to as the forced witty posturing of people who are wary of 'getting real'. True, she's as broad as the rest of the cast in a couple of bits early on but by the climax on her Manhattan terrace, she's so full of love, rage, and exhaustion for/with her leading lady that she practically saves the film. ♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Performance within performance; a character designed to put our heroine into clearer focus. Brings a dry wit to her scenes but registers most effectively when given a moment of tenderness. - David U (Reader average: ♥♥♥)
Actress earns 21 ❤s
Elizabeth McGovern as "Evelyn Nesbit" in Ragtime
Synopsis: A mercurial beauty who loves to cause a stir is involved in a sexual scandal and a murder trial before joining the nascent film industry.
Stats: Then 20 yrs old, 2nd film, 5th billed (but the principals are in alphabetical order). First and only nomination. 24 minutes of screentime (or 15% of the running time.)
Eric Blume: It’s frustrating watching McGovern trying to make sense of Evelyn Nesbitt as she’s written on the page (the screenplay is no friend to her). She looks like a little girl playing dress-up rather than having any true erotic quality, and you’re never sure why Evelyn is doing or saying anything. She’s best in the beats where she doubles down on Nesbitt’s petulance, but McGovern’s lack of technique prohibits her from having it crystallize into something larger. Much will probably be made about her long topless scene, but it’s truly the moment where she’s most powerful. There are multiple scenes where Evelyn seems alternately dumb, vacant, naïve, or uncaring, but it's here that you realize that Evelyn is always going to be just fine. ♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: McGovern has an incredible gift for making unexpected, yet perfect choices. Her Evelyn Nesbit is a woman-child to whom almost everything is a new discovery. Some of her line deliveries seem stilted and odd which could be interpreted as the actress being amateurish... but I disagree. If you imagine Evelyn's actually a 5 year old girl, every choice makes 100% sense. And this is why her topless scene is never gratuitous. She has not one ounce of self-consciousness in that scene (no easy feat). Not because she’s a show girl who shows her tits on the regular, but because 5 year olds just don’t give a shit whether they’re wearing clothes, especially when they’re having a tantrum and trying to get something they want. She strikes an amazing balance between innocent wonder and an hilarious, “over it” adolescence. She blindly marches towards the loudest voice without ever thinking anything through. An exquisite performance. ♥♥♥♥♥
Sean Maguire: She's just fantastic. McGovern seems to have reached the top of her game in Ragtime. It's a beautifully spirited and passionate performance. In my opinion she was very unlucky to not take home the Oscar. ♥♥♥♥
Amir Soltani: Ragtime is sprawling to a fault and undermines moments of powerful drama by stretching the story out and padding it with unnecessary subplots. McGovern is one of the strong suits that one wishes the film would come back to. As Evelyn Nesbit, she’s both a victim of the insanity and greed of the men around her, and a fiery rebel who forges a path for herself, away from the vindictive men who want to take her career away. She’s great at conveying this dichotomy. Unfortunately the film leaves her on the periphery of the story. ♥♥♥♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: She's naive and yet there's something sly and interesting and maybe even intelligent about her, even if you're rarely sure that she's quite aware of it herself. A complex character and a performance that's exciting to watch. ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: It's hard to get a bead on Evelyn who is a bit like the Forrest Gump of this particular historical drama; a good chunk of the events in Ragtime are egged on by or yoked to her very existence. But I'll admit I also thought it was a bit hard to get a bead on McGovern's take on her at first. Is this chorus girl turned society wife turned adulterous floozy turned actress insipid or merely bored; Eventually I decided on the latter since McGovern has Evelyn perk right up whenever scenes devolve into chaos (which is surprisingly often). She really grew on me as the movie went on and she's quite funny despite a lack of 'jokes'. Perhaps I'm undervaluing her? ♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Deliciously oblivious to the gravity of her actions and the seriousness of her exploitation. The best scene in Ragtime belongs to McGovern who utilizes nudity, and a daft sensibility, to hilarious effect." -John V (Reader average: ♥♥ ⅔)
Actress earns 24⅔ ❤s
Maureen Stapleton as "Emma Goldman" in Reds
Synopsis: A radical thinker so unnerves the US establishment that she's deported to Russia. In Russia she loses faith in "the revolution."
Stats: Then 56 yrs old, 13th film, seventh billed (but it's alpha order for the principals). Fourth and final nomination. 10 minutes of screentime (or 5% of the running time).
Eric Blume: Stapleton cuts right to the center of the essence of the woman: her anarchy and politics didn’t inform her, they WERE her. You believe that this woman got things done based on Stapleton’s focus and intimidating intelligence. She gives Emma a seen-it-all-before quality where prison is part of the lifestyle, and strategy and duty are centered. She has a remarkable scene with Diane Keaton early in the picture where she stops being the activist and takes a moment to try to know her comrade Reed’s new girlfriend. When Emma asks Louise what she writes, and the reply is a disconnected “everything…and nothing”, the judgment and disapproval burn hard. This is why Emma makes so little time for people, because they disappoint; Stapleton’s Emma will give you a window, but you have to climb into it, not jump out of it. The actress gives Reds intellectual credibility and effortless dignity… it’s a big contribution in a very small package. ♥♥♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: There are certain actresses when they appear onscreen or onstage everyone just relaxes because they know everything’s going to be alright. Ms. Stapleton is one of those actresses. This performance is honest and strong and her work is gorgeously clean. There’s not one iota of fat. Her pace is super-fast in general because Goldman was such a quick thinker, but it also pays off when Ms. Stapleton really wants us to pay attention. All she has to do is slow down slightly or simply take a breath and we’re at “pin drop” level. She’s an amazing actress at the top of her game. I’m certainly not mad that she won the Oscar. ♥♥♥♥
Sean Maguire: Maureen Stapleton is always great in anything. Her performance in Reds is no exception but I feel that this was an Oscar given for the three times she didn’t win previously. She’s strong and commanding (as always) and it’s a solid performance but I think the Academy just felt it was time to give her her statue. ♥♥♥
Amir Soltani: Stapleton’s cameo performance isn’t a work of many intricacies, but the Academy often responds to single moments better than complex characterizations; and as far as single moments go, few are as memorable as her final scene with Beatty. In a rare instance of calm amidst revolutionary fervor, she delivers a sobering, bitter reminder of the failures of the communist movement’s ideals to one of its most ardent activists. In a film that uses politics mostly as a background for the central love story, the bluntness of this sequence, and Stapleton’s pivotal role in it, is hard to shake off. ♥♥♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: An earthy presence in a movie full of turmoil yet fiery when necessary. But is she really the best of the bunch? ♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: Her first big scene at a party at a table with her acolytes plus Louise (Diane Keaton) is a mini-masterpiece of acting that's impossible to overpraise. Everything is inspired from the way she projects complete dominion of the conversation (without actually dominating it) to the single-mindedness of her fervor and the laser clarity of her reactions to Louise (who she's just met and wants to listen to -- another woman at the table!) which sadly turns from generous full attention to abrupt dismissal when she decides the younger woman has nothing of interest to say. Later though I was surprised to realize she's barely in the movie (as she'd dominated my memories of it) and her late-film scenes in Russia, though still strong, have less seismic impact. ♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Stapleton finds a huge amount of variation in this small role. She's alive in every scene, and for never a moment was I unsure about her motivation or thoughts about other characters. It's a wonderful departure from the work Stapleton was rewarded for in the past and therefore a rightful winner." - BJT (Reader average: ♥♥♥⅔)
Actress earns 24⅔ ❤s
Maureen Stapleton won the Oscar. But at the Smackdown, Stapleton has to share the honor of that career win with a (then) newbie. Elizabeth McGovern puts up such an unexpectedly feisty fight from the panelists that she manages an exact tie, despite the lowest score among participating readers (you, the final panelist!) Isn't that just like her character Evelyn to disrupt events from proceeding as they were expected to!?!
Neither Maureen nor Elizabeth saw this coming!
THE PODCAST CONVERSATION
Download and listen to the companion podcast right here at the bottom of the post, or on iTunes for a more in-depth discussion with our panelists about these five movies and the women who co-starred in them.
NEXT UP: The 1947 Oscar race will be discussed on May 28th. Watch the Best Picture winner Gentleman's Agreement, Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, acclaimed noir Crossfire, and the comedy The Egg and I before then to maximize your reading and listening pleasure. [All Previous Smackdowns]
Reader Comments (72)
Melinda Dillon’s real acting achievement is in A CHRISTMAS STORY
Melinda Dillon got one star because apparently she didn’t smoke convincingly. Somehow this cancelled out literally everything else in her performance including her chemistry with Newman.
I loved Melinda Dillon popping up in Magnolia. Love that movie!!
I'm quite surprised at the tie, though it's always nice to find such unexpected results in the smackdown. As always, this was a great read. Thank you all for your great work and insightful analysis.
My votes were like this:
1) Maureen Stapleton in REDS, **** (four hearts)
With little screen time, Stapleton makes the best of what she's given. At first, she defines this hagiographic take on Emma Goldman by her inflexibility, political and personal. However, her last two scenes offer the actress a chance to change up her approach, adding gradations to her portrayal. First, there's a burst of righteous anger, and, later, she elegantly conveys Goldman's reassessment of an acquaintance. At that moment, someone has made Emma reconsider her certainties, surprised her, and Stapleton lets us see the impact of it. This performance might be short, but it's a fully-rounded characterization able to breathe under the weight of an epic narrative. Just for that, she earns my admiration.
2) Joan Hackett in ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, **** (four hearts)
As if spinning straw into gold, Hackett finds genuine humanity hiding amid the cheap witticisms of Neil Simon's screenplay. From her first scenes, she contradicts the broad strokes with which the dialogue and costuming paint her character. While giving off airs of performative vanity, she reveals layers of insecurity underneath, a resigned fondness for her friends' strident antics, and suggests years of amicable codependence without overstating it. My favorite moment comes during a meal scene, in which Mason and Coco suck up all the oxygen in the room with their mugging while Hackett fidgets impatiently with her watch and says nothing. She expresses the same frustration of a friendly eye-roll without ever doing anything as gauche as roll her eyes.
3) Elizabeth McGovern in RAGTIME, *** (three hearts)
Feeling like a petulant 1980s teenager misplaced in the early 20th century, McGovern's Evelyn Nesbitt adds a necessary levity to her film's historical portentousness. There's a fuzzy uncertainty to her presence that makes her fascinating to watch, an overt naivety that coexists with the sexual confidence of a showgirl, bored obstinance married to childlike glee. It's not a complex role nor an intricate performance, but I found McGovern's work to be oddly beguiling.
4) Jane Fonda in ON GOLDEN POND, ** (two hearts)
Against the screenplay's explicit exposition, Fonda's Chelsea seems more at ease with her father than her mother. I often sense something off about her chemistry with Hepburn, they feel like longtime pals more than they do close family. Still, throughout her metatextual character arc, Jane Fonda finds some moments of inspiration. There's the sudden hostility that sours her expression upon hearing of her stepson's good relationship with Papa Fonda or the raw vulnerability when she confesses to being afraid of talking to her dad. Overall, though, she seems like an actress going through the motions, perhaps more focused on the offscreen mending of family bonds than what goes on in front of the camera.
5) Melinda Dillon in ABSENCE OF MALICE, * (one heart)
Saddled with a role in perpetual distress, Melinda Dillon plays her character's unidimensional emotions with weepy commitment. However, this role is more of a plot device than anything else and the actress does nothing to elevate it above such mechanical purposes. I can't imagine Dillon's Teresa Perrone having a life outside the narrative's confines, so limiting is her portrayal. When the camera is off of her, one contemplates she might just vanish into thin air in a flurry of muffled sobs.
I don't think I'd nominate any of them, if I'm completely honest. 1981 had great supporting actress turns and this field feels a bit lackluster in comparison to what could have been. Still, I'm glad Stapleton won, both the Oscar and the Smackdown, even if she had to share the later honor.
Oh, no, I was so pulling for my girl Joan. Her unraveling towards the end adds an emotional resonance that I think the film doesn't quite pull off in its too-neat ending for the real Marsha, even though the first three-quarters are a very involving portrayal of someone trying to get their life back together. Of course, there's the extra poignancy in her character's regret at getting older given that Joan would die so young, a couple of years after this film was released.
Maureen Stapleton- Reds- Stapleton is Emma Goldman in Beaty's epic. Being an epic, it's long and Stapleton only appears sporadically. However, in her scenes her costar draws the attention or does a better job. Her impact is minimal. Jack Nicholson also has a smaller part but I remember every scene of his. There are no small parts but Stapleton didn't make it bigger. 2 hearts
Joan Hackett- Only When I Laugh- Honestly, I was more intrigued by her at least 20 year old wardrobe (does this take place in the 80's) Hackett dresses in furs and floor length shiny gowns like Norma Shearer. As to the performance, Hackett is serviceable, at times better then good, but never ventures into great territory. This performance is one any competent actress could have given. 2.5 hearts
Jane Fonda- On Golden Pond- I confess that I never thought much of Fonda as an actress. I think her skill is relatively limited. However, this is her best performance. It is her most naturalistic. Gone are attempts to cash in on her beauty, or trying to make some political point. Fonda just wanted to make a movie with her dad. As Chelsea, a woman with a distant relationship with her parents, one could argue that Fonda is just playing herself. But she infuses Chelsea with hesitation, resentment, and ultimately love. Chelsea comes off far more complex a woman than written. That credit goes to Fonda. 3 hearts
Melinda Dillon- Absence of Malice- Dillon is Teresa, an innocent woman who gets caught up in a story and is forced to be an unwilling alibi. SPOILERS: we discover that Teresa got pregnant and had to get an abortion and since Paul Newman drive her, she is his alibi. END SPOILERS. Dillon plays a character who developmentally arrested. You can tell the church she has been a part of and has given her a job has caused her to repress her feelings and sexuality causing her to regress to an adolescent helplessness. She needs to be taken care of, but still has adult wants and needs and has small rebellions but is not prepared for the outcome of those rebellions. Dillon convincingly lets us see the adult who wants to come out as well as the child who never grew up. Teresa is the only truly innocent character in this movie but Dillon also shades of grey. Best performance in the category in my opinion. 4 hearts
Didn't see Ragtime so can't comment on McGovern
Based on total hearts Stapleton and McGovern tie. Based on the audience vote Stapleton wins alone. Based on mode (most common score) Hackett and McGovern both tie at 4 (everyone else had 3) Only McGovern had a perfect 5 score.
Maureen Stapleton also becomes the second person to win the smackdown twice- she previously won for Interiors on Stinkylulu site, the originator of the smackdown. Angela Lansbury has also won twice, curiously one of her wins was also a tie.
Sorry guys I just like trivia stuff like this.
My biggest takeaway from this smackdown? Bob Balaban in Absence of Malice. I’d never seen him play anything other than a nebbish rabbit before, and his scenery-chewing fed was a delightful diversion.
Thanks, all!
Interestingly, I've read in several interviews with Jane Fonda about her phone conversation with Katharine Hepburn following the Oscar ceremony. Apparently, the latter told her something like 'haha you can never catch up with me'. Jane had two Oscars and Katharine three before the ceremony. If Jane Fonda had won and Katharine had not, they would have been on equal footing.
Smackdown time!
I hope you’re getting a government grant for this Nathaniel! You’re an essential worker for us during this crisis.
Great work as always!
Thank you, Donna Lynne Champlin, for giving me that perspective to reconsider McGovern's performance within. My initial reaction was that it is disappointing her big scene was played naked, but your take is something for which I want to watch it again (sadly, my rental time has elapsed).
MY BALLOT:
Melinda Dillon, Absence of Malice:
It can be difficult to make a lasting impression when you are only afforded such a small opportunity. Dillon for her second nominated performance for me made a lasting impression even with a few short scenes early on in the picture. Always with a cigarette in lit she plays the emotionally wrecked Teresa the unfortunate victim of the entire investigation of this film. Dillon while only having two spotlight scenes I would say is great, her physical work is quite impressive as she spends the majority of her screen time folding in on top of herself so when the character finally has a release by admitting her dark secret your sold on this characterisation. I do prefer Dillon’s earlier nomination 4 years earlier but now having watched the film again I do believe she’s quite great here.
Rating: 3 stars
Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond:
The stories of this being a deeply personal performance for Fonda have been talked about for decades and I have to admit the first time I saw the film I believe this knowledge influenced my opinion of her work. This second viewing however left me a bit colder to her performance. Playing the conflicted daughter Christie in this film Fonda imbued her performance with so many personal details. From the physical reach out towards her father at the lake to the earlier awkward interactions with Norman. I do admit there were some good moments to her performance but a lot of it felt quite wooden and whether that was a choice by Fonda to fully display the pain it just didn’t fully work for me.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Joan Hackett, Only When I Laugh:
I’m again (self) forced into watching a NeilSimon written film and as always he’s ‘comedy’ just doesn’t connect with me. While Only When I Laugh is a more dramatic film still some of his writing cliques exist. While I yet again found this film rather boring I have to admit I enjoyed whenever Joan the nominee appeared on screen. Hackett like all actors had to really sell some poor material she didn’t happen to fall victim. Playing a character obsessed with her looks and loneliness Hackett manages to make me feel sympathetic towards her what be small humane struggles. I used to think like her co-stars that she was horrible but on a second viewing she does some quite good character work.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime:
I am a massive fan of the musical version of this story and it of course was the first adaptation I was introduced to. This might have affected my opinions of the film the first time I watched it. I will say after a second viewing my opinion of its quality still remains that it’s a rather bland adaptation of the novel. Focusing on McGovern the nominee the film is obsessed with her throughout the film and I have to say the entirety of her work is a mixed bag. She’s quite great in her drunken late night scene where she may be at her most vulnerable topless while accepting money for a divorce. Other times throughout she’s trying something that is not fully successful. I believe an actress more in control of her performance might’ve made this odd work more consistent which is why I’m not a full fan of this nom.
Rating: 2 stars
Maureen Stapleton, Reds:
As with all the performances nominated this was my second watch of them. Reds was the one I was slightly resistent to due to its long running time. However I must say it was again brilliant and flew by it’s pace. Maureen the winner of these nominees is a worthy choice because even with being a small part of this epic she’s marvelous. Playing the real person Emma Goldman, Stapleton whenever on screen provides a quiet strength that instantly pulls your attention to her actions. Her best work comes towards the end of the film when the film is hitting its devastating climax. These final scenes of Maureen provide greater textures to the performance as you see her play Emma as a passionate, defeated, and caring women for all she comes in contact with. It’s a powerful performance by Maureen that deservingly won her a prize after so many previous nominations.
Rating: 4 stars
Ranking:
Maureen Stapleton, Reds
Melinda Dillon, Absence of Malice
Joan Hackett, Only When I Laugh
Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond
Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime
Not a terrible list of nominees and a winner I can agree with in the nominated field.
My Personal Lineup:
Lisa Eichhorn, Cutter’s Way
Jessica Harper, Pennies from Heaven
Anne-Laure Meury, The Aviator’s Wife
*Marília Pêra, Pixote
Kate Reid, Atlantic City
Very happy for McGovern. Now, thanks to Ryan Murphy, 1947 will be the year of Anna May Wong’s long overdue Oscar, even if it’s just a fantasy
While Maureen Stapleton's Oscar acceptance speech was giddy with delight, you can't help but believe that the outspoken actress felt some righteous indignation at the same time.
In 1970 Neil Simon wrote The Gingerbread Lady, a play about a good actress who struggles with alcoholism. It was an open secret that Simon based the lead character on Broadway star Maureen Stapleton. Director Mike Nichols cast Stapleton in the role and she won the Tony for Best Actress in a Play.
A decade later, Simon adapted the comedic drama into a vehicle for his wife Marsha Mason and renamed the project, Only When I Laugh. Stapleton was renowned as unfettered in public situations. The moment she passed Simon and Mason at the ceremony must have been rich. And winning the Oscar while Mason lost certainly may well have felt like a form of justice to the actress.
Sean honey. No, what is you doing?
Fonda
The one thing i'd forgotten about OGP is how great Jane looks in it,the last scene with her Dad was the Oscar scene,always going to be nominated never going to win.
McGovern
Spirited and also a little lost,Ragtime is too sprawling and unfocused to work.
Dillon
In 10 minutes tells us all about this woman,has she always been a fragile sole or was the thing that happened to her too much and changed her.
Stapleton
Makes a massive impression in such little screen time,it was time though and she was wonderful in Lauren Bacall's slasher film The Fan that year too.
Hackett
Absolutely love her in this as the fading Diva.Good chemistry with her co stars although sometimes it feels the hair and make up are wearing her and she's so tired of it.
What does “out-gunned” means?
Maureen Stapleton is good in Reds but had so little screen time (really 10mins out of nearly 3.5 hrs?!) it makes me wish she won for Interiors instead as she gave a more richer and well-rounded performance helped by extended screen time.
Abit sad that Jane got the least stars, got to rewatch On Golden Pond again.
Now I wish I'd watched Ragtime - I could have broken the tie!
Of the other 4, I only really loved Dillon, although disdain for Neil Simon might have colored my opinion of Hackett's work (although I loved McNichol). Here's what I wrote:
Melinda Dillon ****
“Didn’t you like her?” With minimal screentime, Dillon has to work fast to establish personality, build relationships and break your heart – so she allows herself to go over the top and shrink all the way into her tall frame, building her oddball from the inside out. She even sells the idea of a heterosexual woman who has love but no desire for Paul Newman.
Jane Fonda **
At times she feels like the only real person in the movie, but something is wrong. When she’s onscreen, she brings out everyone else’s worst tendencies. The movie improves greatly once she exits it, maybe partly because it stops working so actively against her. Her arc is given the bare minimum of attention, and no one cares what she thinks.
Joan Hackett *
What is this movie? Who is this woman? Hackett tries to play a cartoon straight. Imagine how much fun a Madeline or a Lesley Ann would be – someone who understands cartoons? A funnier actress could fight for the space the movie actively takes from her.
Maureen Stapleton ***
Fantastic at first, acutely present at the center of it all in Greenwich Village. In these scenes she’s perfect – Emma loves the work of political activism, and Stapleton handily performs the necessary task of making it exciting to the viewer. You want to be there at the table with her all night. But she disappears for five or six hours before returning as a mere plot driver, and is much less interesting when trying to bring the leads back together.
@Tom G. “I think her skill is relatively limited”.
Have you seen They Shoot Horses, Don’t They, Klute, Barefoot In The Park, The China Syndrome or even Grace and Frankie???????????????????
This is my absolute favorite series on this site. Thank you thank you to all the participants and commenters! I, personally, think all 5 are pretty meh performances. But Stapleton was so deserving before ... so, why not her?
Can we do more? Gimme more Smackdown!
Could not for the life of me make it through "Reds". Too bad, maybe I could have tipped the average just slightly towards McGovern?
Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond
Asked to unload a lifetime of resentment without the screen time to match. Under those circumstances, it's a little choppy and abrupt, but Fonda makes it work. I blame the writing more than her; she's handed a lot of "tell, don't show" exposition, but she's compelling and expressive throughout. It helps that her co-stars are really broad; she both seems more everyday by comparison, and her dramatic tendencies make sense when you see how her parents are. Bonus points if she actually did that backflip, but I couldn't tell whether that was a double or not. Three Hearts
Joan Hackett, Only When I Laugh
This movie simply doesn't make time for Hackett. I guess I'm glad that the Academy liked her because it seems like the makeup department on this movie hated her. But the character doesn't add up. Her first scene picking up Mason from rehab is so warm and sincere, then by the end of that same afternoon she's suddenly bored with her friend and all vanity instead? She bounces between these disparate points - self-absorbed and nurturing - without ever finding the connection between the two modes. One and a half hearts
McGovern, Ragtime
Somehow a very open and cloudy performance all at once. I loved McGovern as a character who might appear dim in her affect, but her problems are more about taste than intelligence. Her morals, interests, and motives don’t match the society around her – but don’t mistake her for dumb. McGovern plays Evelyn as very sure of herself, but with wide-eyes and a blunt tone that all but assures others won’t take her seriously. Still, her motives and actions are very consistent and logical, and that’s the secret to McGovern’s success – conviction and presence. She’s totally delightful. Four Hearts
Dillon, Absence of Malice
Like McGovern in “Ragtime”, Dillon’s role may appear at first to be a little less bright and articulate than those around her, but that’s not exactly accurate. Teresa’s big interview scene makes it all brutally clear: she’s an introvert forced into a public situation, pushed to the limits of her emotional comfort zone, already working through past trauma, and then asked to reckon with a misguided journalistic code. Teresa struggles to keep up not because of intelligence, but because she and Field’s character thoroughly misunderstand each other, are practically speaking different languages; Teresa is actually correct that something isn’t adding up. Dillon conveys all of this. She’s not exactly naturalistic, but does feel different than a Hollywood, movie star performance – less playing out for the cameras, quiet and uneasy. Three and a half Hearts
Kristy McNichol should have been nominated. The Golden Globes did.
@ Patrick-- that was harsh but I like when the panelists really have strong feelings! I was actually surprised how little consensus there was (both among readers and panelists). literally every one of these performances ran the gamut in ratings from readers. That Stapleton didn't manage 4 hearts from readers once their scores were averaged together really surprised me. I thought she was going to be an easy winner. But of all of these performances I think Dillon's was the most polarizing.
@ Marsha -- Hackett was my second favourite! I wish more people had seen this movie because it's so discussable.
@ Tom G- that "tie" trivia is so cool. I always thought ties would b impossible once we started polling readers because we get down to fractions but we've had at least two of them!
@ James-- i highly recommend seeking out Balaban's early stuff. It is such a different actor than who emerged (partially due to getting typecast obviously)
@Adam -- I WISH. we do accept paypal donations :)
This is the first time in eons I haven't participated in the Smackdown, and it's because I think the four films and performances I've seen (I'm missing Only When I Laugh) are quite blah. Jane is the most memorable to me, but that may be because of all the offscreen melodrama surrounding that film.
1981 feels like a year when the movies were in flux... the auteur-driven films of the '70s weren't really being made anymore, but, Raiders aside, there didn't seem to be a lot of crowd-pleasing studio hits that would come to characterize the '80s either. As you noted on the podcast, On Golden Pond feels like an anomaly.
@jules / @bluemoon2 I love Fonda in On Golden Pond (almost gave her four hearts) so i thought the panel was harsh! and I do think the offscreen stuffs works IN THE MOVIE'S FAVOUR but that was apparently an off-consensus feeling.
Oh and Jules Agreed that '81 was in flux but th 80s were in general i think. It was Hollywood feeling its way from the 1970s to today's franchise culture. As such i think it's a really interesting decade of film because we had some of everything (except musicals, really) and I'm all about variety at the movies. Wish the public was too so it was easier to get!
@travis agreed. also loved Donna's perspective on McGovern.
@MikeinCanada I loved Hackett in this movie but my god you have a point. Just picturing it with Lesley Ann Warren and i'm like Ooooooooh.
@CharlieG More smackdowns are coming. It'll be out biggest season ever (by a huge margin. 1947, 2002, 1997, 1957, 1987 are on the way. Panels almost all formed now.
@Marcos It's a bit surprising that Kristy wasn't nominated because awards bodies really liked her at the time after the Emmy atttention and the Globe notice and her transition to the big screen.
NATHANIEL R -- That's an amazing selection of years, even though some of those films are a bit lacking in quality (I'm looking at you Gentleman's Agreement). The McGovern love was so surprising this time around, it's exciting to ponder what out of left field choices will surprise us in future smackdowns.
I'm especially curious to see how the 1987 one goes since I haven't seen 3 of those nominated films and often think it's one of the most bizarre line-ups the category has ever seen. Can't wait!
Alternate nominees
Nancy Allen Blow Out
Kristy McNicol Only when I laugh
Kate Reid Atlantic City
Karen Allen Raiders of the Lost Ark
Lisa Eichorn Cutter's Way
Jenny Agutter American Werewolf In London
Sandy Dennis The 4 Seasons
Jessica Harper Pennies from Heaven
Ann Dusenbery Cutter's Way
Mara Hobel Mommie Dearest
Christine Lahti Whose life is it Anyway
1981 Supporting Actress Smackdown
Maureen Stapleton—Reds
Five Hearts
A deserved Oscar. In a long, serious, complicated movie, Stapleton leaves a lasting impression with relatively little screen time. She manages to provide a wonderfully thoughtful counterbalance to all the political blustering and emotional histrionics swirling through this high-minded epic. Through her delicate work, you can see why a calm, steady individual could be drawn to the life mission of a revolutionary. And why it’s important that this type of person be a part of a movement for it to be a success. But mostly, her serene intelligence gives Reds a welcome credibility it might not otherwise have.
Joan Hackett—Only When I Laugh
Five Hearts
Objectivity is a bitch, but I’ll do my damndest. Hackett’s nomination is one of my personal favorites ever in this category--and it doesn’t hurt at all that it’s also in one of my favorite films. Her characterization of an aging beauty queen quietly desperate not to show her desperation shows Hackett’s uncanny understanding of what’s beneath the surface without breaking that exquisite control she has in every scene. Her fantastic chemistry with Marsha Mason makes me wish they had made another movie together. Pure brilliance.
Jane Fonda—On Golden Pond
Four Hearts
This is Fonda’s only supporting nomination, because of course—when has this white-hot star ever been supporting, even in a small part like Youth. Actually, this could be the greatest accomplishment of her performance here—she is mostly able to calibrate her star power to the demands of the screenplay, allowing the two leads to run the movie. Her glamour, poise and charisma, at times, threaten to overpower and muddy a character who is riddled with childlike insecurity. But Fonda brings it home, as only she can.
Melinda Dillon—Absence of Malice
Four Hearts
Dillon’s tragic character is victimized in and by a strange movie. Her terrible fate brings the story to a dramatic crossroads, but then the movie inexplicably and fatally forgets her. Yet Dillon’s heartbreaking performance makes certain that we won’t. In her big scene, she shows us what this movie should have been about—and sadly wasn’t. It’s ironic that the strength of her performance points out the failing of the film.
Elizabeth McGovern—Ragtime
Three Hearts
McGovern followed up her brilliant debut in Ordinary People with this flashy, charming turn in a busy tapestry of colorful characters where she never gets lost and always lingers in the mind. Her nomination is probably credited to her topless drunken scene, and in this, her place is secure in Oscar history. She exudes a warm screen presence—it’s unfortunate th
I totally understand Sean's story about being taken out of the movie by Dillon's amateur smoking. Things like that happen to me, too. There's a movie I have trouble watching because the main character's wig is so bad. It's surprisingly difficult to ignore, and it lingers throughout the whole film, asserting itself in scenes where I should be focused on completely different things.
As always the Smackdown didn't disappoint, though I didn't expect McGovern to tie. Perhaps not getting a read on her or the movie early on doomed my enjoyment of Ragtime (though I agree that the topless scene is pitch perfect). It was fascinating to read everyone's takes.
Surprisingly, my favorites were Dillon, Fonda and Stapleton. I think Dillon becomes the heart of the movie in an interesting way and makes choices that feel far from cliche. Fonda, while saddled with a broad, pouty character, uses her offscreen persona to enhance the performance and take it from ok to really really good! I do find myself getting emotional towards the end because of her.
I really wish I could see what everyone else saw in Joan Hackett. Marsha Mason was great in the film, but I thought Kristy McNichol was the heart and soul of it to me. She would be my nominee from the film.
Can't wait to listen to the podcast. Loved seeing so many different opinions that made me rethink these different performances.
Totally superficial, but... Jane Fonda has the most beautiful body, doesn't she?
I think my favorite thing anyone said was Donna Lynn Champlin calling out all the unnecessary business going on in Absence of Malice. Love what all the panelists had to say about these films, and even if Maureen Stapleton tied for it, I’m glad she copped the win from the Smackdown.
Along with the three profiles I wrote, I covered the five nominees and some interesting folks who didn’t make the cut on my own site. For more 1981 thoughts, click here.
@Bluemoin02- I've seen each one except They Shoot Horses Don't They. Can't find a copy of it. To be clear Fonda isn't bad but to paraphrase an acting teacher I had "She likes to show off. She is showing her homework." To me this sums up a lot of her performances. I can see Fonda acting or worse, trying to act instead of a character.
Now these qualities are not present in Golden Pond. Maybe it was the personal aspect or that she had to change her approach working with two giant legends or maybe she was directed differently but to me this is her best performance. I also enjoyed China Syndrome (her second best performance) maybe when I see They Shoot Horses I'll change my mind but based on what I've seen so far that's my opinion.
Tyler -- yes... that's how she made gazillions off of it with those bestselling workout tapes (and donated gazillions of those profits to worthy causes.)
nick -- it's funny because I didn't really notice the "business" but once donna pointed it out i'm like yeah. that movie is really fussily acted (outside of Newman)
I can't say that any of the 5 truly wow-ed me, though I did like Stapleton a bit more than the others.. and Reds more than the other 4 pix here too.
Only When I Laugh-- was such a "filmed play" that it wore on me after a while. Its saving grace was as a small time capsule of early 80s NYC. I found myself wondering what it would have been to live there in that era-- i would live in that "trashy neighborhood" for $300 rent. I didn't know that baby Kevin Bacon was going to make a small appearance, so that was nice too. Glad these filmed plays never get made any more :-)
Ragtime-- I agree w/ those who felt it really dragged. That was the longest stand-off in cinema history i think. It was fun to see the large cast (especially the surprise appearances of actors before their prime) I suppose. Or at least it kept things a bit interesting. I'm glad for this Smackdown series though, bc it forces me to see things I likely would never see otherwise. Or never get around to.
OK OK.. i did enjoy Robert Joy's zaniness.
FWIW, other 1981 faves of mine:
Raiders (of course)
Lola (Fassbinder's)
Possession
Chariots of Fire
Polyester
Mad Max 2
The Great Muppet Caper
Blow Out
Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (aka Le Notti del Terrore) -- "An archaeology professor discovers an ancient crypt which contains living dead corpses. The zombies go on a rampage and attack a group of people which the professor had invited to celebrate his discovery. "
Yes, Jane Fonda did do the back flip into the water herself. She wanted to impress Hepburn.
SFOTroy --- OWIL was the only film I had not seen first run back in 1981. OWIL was stagey and very Neil Simon but -- oh boy -- it totally evoked what 1981 New York was like. I felt it (and missed it).
I LOVE what Donna said about McGovern's performance. She really nails what I think is so special about that performance. I'm looking forward to catching up with the rest of the nominated performances since I haven't seen any of them. I'm a little afraid of On Golden Pond, based on the podcast it sounds like the drag I've always feared it was.
thefilmjunkie -- ON GOLDEN POND is a huge cultural thing though. It was a massive hit and for awhile there were remakes. I thoroughly enjoyd it. the panel, alas, did not.
GreyDog - as i said in the discussion that "you were there" element of contemporary films i just love even if i wasn't in fact there. I have no idea what it would have been like to be in 1981 nyc but now i have a slightly better idea ;)
None of the nominees blew me away as to award them five hearts, though Melinda Dillon was my favorite. As Ragtime is in my top five musicals of all time, McGovern and Stapleton were out as I both preferred the cast recording's Emma Goldman and vibrancy of the show made the movie seem dull. Fonda is always worship worthy, but this seemed like Fonda-lite.
My hands down best supporting performance of the this year was Julie Andrews in S.O.B., particularly in the moments before and after going topless.
I came into 1981 having only seen two 1981 films, and now have a respectable top ten having done a retrospective broader than supporting actress in the lead-up:
Diva
Body Heat
Atlantic City
Pixote
Arthur
The Great Muppet Caper
Escape From New York
On Golden Pond
My Dinner with Andre
Mommie Dearest
Thanks Nathaniel and team Film Experience. Onto 1947, a year in which I am starting from scratch!
@Patrick If you clearly don't know how to smoke, but smoke (unconvincingly) in virtually every scene you're in, that's a performance killer, at least to people who know how to smoke. It would be like doing a terrible Hungarian accent. You may slide by with a lot of people, but not the Hungarians, and if they've got a vote, they've got a vote.
A fascinating read as usual!
I expected this to be a clear win for Maureen so I was surprised to see Elizabeth McGovern swoop in and tie it up. I didn't hate her in Ragtime but she was my least favorite of the five.
My ranking went this way:
Melinda Dillon: Absence of Malice-3 ½ hearts.
Jane Fonda: On Golden Pond-3 hearts.
Maureen Stapleton: Reds-3 hearts.
Joan Hackett: Only When I Laugh-2 ½ hearts.
Elizabeth McGovern: Ragtime-2 hearts.
I adore Joan Hackett, she was a fantastically idiosyncratic performer and often compelling. That said while she’s fine in Laugh neither she nor the film blew me away. I am glad she received a nomination, though I would have rather seen her snag one for The Group or The Last of Sheila, since she didn't live too long after the film's completion.
However if it were up to me none of these ladies would have been nominated. My ballot would have run this way.
Karen Allen-Raiders of the Lost Ark-Winner
Christine Lahti-Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Helen Mirren-Excalibur
Maggie Smith-Quartet
Frances Sternhagen-Outland
"Crossfire" is airing at 835 PM Pacific Time on Movies! Network. on Thursday, May 14.
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I really don't get the love for McGovern; afterglow over her debut in Ordinary People? It's miles ahead of her work in Ragtime. I enjoyed her in Downton Abbey, so I'm glad she has "Oscar nominee" in her bio.
Amir's dismissive take on Hackett aside (Brenda Fricker? Really?), I agree that McNichol should have been recognized by Oscar, too. But Hackett still would've gotten my vote.
As for 1981, I found the love showered on Arthur disturbing; there is nothing funny about a drunk and Gielgud's pomposity is more annoying than hilarious. Only Liza Minnelli brings a little charm and fun to the proceedings. And the theme song is cute but can not touch "For Your Eyes Only" or "'Endless Love' from that endless movie" (thank you, Bette Midler!).
And I discovered The Four Seasons starring Alan Alda and Carol Burnett as a married couple who go on seasonal vacations with their married best friends, Len Cariou & Sandy Dennis and Jack Weston & Rita Moreno, who in a bit of nontraditional casting portrays an Italian and very well, too ("I can't help it, I'm Italian!"). How awesome it would've been if she had returned to the supporting actress category. As a married midlife gent, many of the issues explored really hit home.
Nathan Rabin's dismissal of The Four Seasons works for On Golden Pond</I> and especially the pokey comedy of Only When I Laugh
https://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/544-the-agonizing-dullness-of-alan-aldas-the-four-seas/
Sean Maguire is the weak link of the bunch.
I love Maureen Stapleton. She's terrific in just about everything.
That Sean individual wrote some of the most vapid comments I've ever read from a Smackdown panelist. Melinda Dillon deserved far better than his nonsense about her character's believability as a smoker is apparently more important than every other aspect of her fine performance. Gurl, bye.
Must say I'm disappointed by the tie. NO TIES EVER! I would have been gagged for McGovern upsetting, but Stapleton feels like the true winner here. Her spread of votes were more consistent and less divisive than McGovern's, which would have broken the tie in my book.
What a terrific smackdown!
I was pulling for Joan Hackett to win, but knew it was a long shot given how Neil Simon films tend to be received by cinephiles these days. I love 'Only When I Laugh' and think both Hackett and Marsha Mason, with whom she has wonderful chemistry, were Oscar-worthy. Happy that she won the Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar before her untimely death.
Also, I disagree that any competent actress could have played Toby as well as Hackett did; she adds complexity, humanity, and intelligence to a character a lesser performer would have reduced to cliche. And, oh my goodness, what a beautiful speaking voice. RIP, Joan.
Mike M -- I wasn't all that familiar with Hackett but after this movie, I definitely want to see more of her work.