Wednesday
Apr132022
And the runner up is... Rosalind Russell? Joan Crawford? Susan Hayward?
Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at 9:20PM 
I had the pleasure of joining Kevin Jacobsen on his great podcast series "And the Runner Up Is..." for a fourth time. Kevin opted to assign me 1947 when I asked for this decade. So listen in to hear us talk about the following lineup which has two great performances, one coaster nomination, a bullet dodged, and one of my mother's favourites from her childhood.
- Joan Crawford, Possessed
- Susan Hayward, Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
- Dorothy McGuire, Gentleman's Agreement
- Rosalind Russell, Mourning Becomes Electra
- ★ Loretta Young, The Farmer's Daughter
Which of those performances do you love?
Reader Comments (11)
Rosalind Russell deserved the Oscar, she's great in a film that is not so good, then Hayward gives one of her best perfomances. The other three are just ok, nothing special.
A mediocre line-up. Historical perspective makes it easy to see that some great enduring performances were overlooked like Jane Greer in Out of the Past, Deborah Kerr in Black Narcissus, and Gene Tierney in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I'd have added in Ida Lupino in the under-valued Deep Valley.
Of the actual nominees, Crawford was probably the best, but in a forgettable and unpleasant film. I have to admit that I like Young's performance. She plays it with charm and star power. In no way does it merit an Oscar, but maybe the Academy found the rest of the nominees and their films pretty heavy going and went for the feel good performance and film?
Rosalind Russell should have won. I think she lost for two reasons. First, the film is excruciating to the point of being unwatchable. Was this Dudley Nichols' idea of "Art"? She (and Michael Redgrave, who should have won Best Actor) triumph over the production, but my God, at what price? And second, which ties into the first, Russell is not really in the first half much. By the time the film lumbers into the second half, I think a great deal of the audience had either left, were asleep/comatose or had given up on the thing, and in no mood to give it an award.
Loretta Young is fun in a light movie, silly Swedish accent and all. Joan is Joan. Too bad Dorothy McGuire's only nomination came for Gentlemen's Agreement. She should already have been nominated for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and gave several other fine performances. Here she's totally forgettable. Susan Hayward always seems miscast to me, for some reason.
The most serous omission was NYFC winner Deborah Kerr for Black Narcissus. Or co-star Kathleen Byron.
This was a fine discussion. I would differ in the assessment of Rosalind Russell’s Oscar chances. I adore Russell in His Girl Friday, the hosts’ choice for the film for which Russell should have been recognized. However, I think the contrast with Katharine Hepburn’s triumph that year in The Philadelphia Story left Russell in the dust.
Rather, Russell was her own worst enemy in her opportunity to win an Oscar. She was magnificent as the old maid schoolteacher Rosemary Sidney in Picnic. The studio identified her as their choice to promote for Best Supporting Actress. Her status as overdue was beneficial. In addition, she had memorable moments with William Holden and scene partner Arthur O’Connell.
Unfortunately Russell’s ego got in the way. While O’Connell was justly nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Russell declined to compete for a supporting citation. The Best Supporting Actress award went to Jo Van Fleet in East of Eden. I think it was obvious to all that Russell could have triumphed, and that was her best chance to be an Oscar winner.
I don't love any of this performances. I would probably vote for McGuire because she's the only one that plays a human being.
I'm very much partial to Roz, though love Joan here too.
Rosalind Russell very much thought she was going to win. According to legend right before the name was announced, she already began rising from her seat. When Young's name was called, Russell continued to rise and gave Young a standing ovation.
In addition, her husband, Frederick Brisson wasn't that popular in Hollywood. His nickname was "The Lizard of Roz"
I'm a Susan voter with Joan and Loretta in 2nd and 3rd,Russell is for me a Gena Rowlands Woman under The Influence type of performance,one that everyone loves but I don't get.
Joan all the way. Dorothy McGuire should not have been nominated tor this role. She was so much better in The Spiral Staircase and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Hayward is probably my favourite, but without Deborah Kerr, I don't have a strong opinion. Wish Russell had won in 1940.
Joan!