Thankful for... Nick Taylor!

This year for our "thankful for" column we're mixing it up a bit. Instead of asking our contributors to share a brief list of favourite things, I wanted to share with you, dear readers, why I love the team so and then ask them a few key questions so you can get to know them better.  NICK TAYLOR. 

Nick has been with us for about two years, and we first got to know him because he regularly voted and wrote up beautiful emails for the Smackdown. Since joining us he's looked at supporting actresses that weren't nominated. Some of our favourites include the Evil Witch in Snow White, Taraji P Henson in Hustle & Flow, and Sister Ruth in Black Narcissus. But he also pops in for contemporary festivals.

Our mini interview follows...

When did you first fall in love with the movies?

I've been into movies my whole life. Lotta Animal Planet docs and Disney movies growing up, but that feels different from the way I love and think about film as an adult...

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Smackdown '37 - The Podcast Companion

by Nathaniel R

150 years ago on this very day the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 began. It raged for three days (October 8th-10th), ravaging most of the city and killing hundreds. In the blockbuster movie In Old Chicago (1937), which we discuss on this Podcast, the cause of the fire is pinned firmly on careless Mrs O'Leary (Alice Brady) and her cow. A new report from the AP for the fire's anniversary says  that there's no evidence to suggest they were the culprits; the widely believed and Hollywood-endorsed story may have sprung from the virulent anti-Irish prejudice of the time. That's just a little anecdote to share since we're finally publishing the podcast portion of the 1937 Smackdown which is now officially the season finale (the other years we had planned to do will have to wait a few months)

Thanks to our guests Chelsea whose letterbox review of Stage Door is "hot girls unite", Pamela who has a hot take on the sexworker trope in Dead End, Tim who makes his case as the world's biggest Stella Dallas fan, and Boyd who shares a possibly apocryphal but amazing stunt double story from In Old Chicago. Hope you enjoy the conversation! 

SMACKDOWN 1937

Smackdown '37: Bossy Women and Fragile Wrecks

Welcome back to the Supporting Actress Smackdown. Each month we pick an Oscar vintage to explore through the lens of actressing at the edges. This episode takes us back to 1937, which was only the second year of the category. 

THE NOMINEES  It was only the second year of the Supporting Actress category yet the tropes and shortlist makeup were already falling into place. Oscar voters went with a mix of industry veterans (Alice Brady the first consecutive nominee in this category), stage stars transferring to film (Dame May Whitty), fresh faces (Anne Shirley), and rising talent (Andrea Leeds, Claire Trevor) to play an array of familiar types: the martyr mom, the tetchy elder, the sad / confused daughter, the insecure actress, and the complicated hooker...

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Introducing the Smackdown Panel for '37

On Sunday the next Supporting Actress Smackdown and its companion podcast arrive, with a discussion of the 1937 Oscars and the Supporting Actress nominees. You know what that means. For maximum enjoyment (re)watch Best Picture nominees the Bogart noir Dead End, the actress-stuffed dramedy Stage Door and the epic In Old Chicago as well as two films that were both nominated for two acting Oscars, the thriller Night Must Fall and weepie classic Stella Dallas (all of which are readily available online) and send in your votes by Friday October 1st. Let's meet your fellow panelists, shall we? 

PLEASE WELCOME...

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Queue up the next Smackdown movies

All five of the upcoming movies for the next Supporting Actress Smackdowns are rentable or free to stream (if so we've indicated where) so play along at home, won'cha? The Smackdowns are popular but they're more fun if YOU participate and watch and vote.

Tyrone Power and Alice Brady in "In Old Chicago"

Smackdown 1937  -Sunday, October 3rd, 2021 

• ★ Alice Brady in In Old Chicago -a family drama, disaster epic, and sort-of musical
• Andrea Leeds in Stage Door - a boarding house dramedy which is an absolute must-see for actressexuals since everyone is in it!
• Anne Shirley in Stella Dallas (Amazon Prime) - a Stanwyck weepie
• Claire Trevor in Dead End (Amazon Prime) - a Bogart noir
• May Whitty in Night Must Fall - a mystery starring Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell

Between them these movies scored 18 nominations and 2 Oscar wins with In Old Chicago, Stage Door, and Dead End also vying for Best Picture. Voting is open until September 30th so send your ballots then with "1937" in the subject line and a rating of 1 (terrible) to 5 (perfection) hearts for each performance. 

Up Next
2004, 1997, 1951 -- dates TBA. We're having to shift things around a bit as festival season got crazy!