Thursday Movie Picks-Best Supporting Actor and Actress

 

I am choosing 3 from each again(girl and boy) because I must. Wandering Through The Shelves has a weekly theme challenge where one must pick 3-5 films that correspond to the theme. This week it is all about Best Supporting Actors & Actresses and there are a ton. Here are my choices...

1. HATTIE MCDANIEL IN GONE WITH THE WIND-1939

Yeah, I'm going there....This is a hot topic because of the blatant bigotry shown in the film especially as it makes the claim that the 2 wise African Americans felt loyalty and were treated so well by their owners that they felt great to stay behind....we won't go there(bad taste in my mouth). I would never ever want to censor a film because censoring is not right and my mom taught me this. Hattie McDaniel plays Mammy, the main house servant who knows Scarlet better than her own parents and is the one person Scarlet can't swindle. Hattie plays her part so well and with equal footing meaning that, in every scene she is in, you watch her more than the stars. You want to see more of this woman and you believe Rhett when he says he wanted her respect more than any other. She does give a brilliant performance despite the subject and, I feel, rises above it. She was ridiculed by the whites because of the colour of her skin and the African Americans because of the roles she took. From what little I have read about this lady, her parents were former slaves and she grew up knowing all too well about prejudice so judging this fine lady is wrong because we have not walked in her shoes. She seems very sweet and I wish I could have known her.

2. SHIRLEY JONES IN ELMER GANTRY-1960

Yes, The Partridge Family matriarch and the virginal singer in Rogers and Hammerstein films plays a hooker! You know it is Oscar gold when you play against type but Shirley plays it very well. This film stars Jean Simmons(I almost wrote Gene) as an Evangelist who meets up with a shark, played by toothy Burt Lancaster who knows how to bring in the sheep..er...flock. Shirley is the gal that can blow his cover and he is unsure how to deal with this problem. It is an excellent film somewhat based on the real Aimee Semple McPherson who could draw in the crowds with her preaching.

3. WHOOPI GOLDBERG IN GHOST-1990

My mom loved Whoopi and thought she was the best thing in Ghost and she is right! I really love Patrick Swayze but couldn't give two hoots for Demi Moore and those awful clothes she wears but you can't have everything. Whoopi made this part her own and I was really hoping for a sequel starring Whoopi as Oda Mae Brown but it has not come yet. Hey, maybe she will try to locate Demi's original face...accchhhh. OK, bad joke. Patrick and Demi are in love so much so they don't mind having mud splattered all over them when they start to make out. He gets killed(not by the mud) and wanders around the city ending up at Oda Mae's business. Oda, with her sisters, are bilking many sad people out of their money saying she can talk to the dead. In walks sexy ghost who disrupts Oda's happy, thieving ways. She ends up helping him find out who the killer is and get into contact with Gimme...um...Demi Moore. It is such a fun movie highlighted by her comedic performance.

Now the boys...

1. BARRY FITZGERALD IN GOING MY WAY-1944

I watch this almost every Christmas even though you could watch it almost any time of the year since most of it does not take place at Christmas time. Bing Crosby won the Oscar for Best Actor and Barry Best Supporting even though he was also nominated in Best Actor as well.... for the same role! Barry is superb as the old fashioned priest who built St. Dominics 45 years ago when he came over from Ireland but now the church is ready to be taken over by the bank. Father Chuck is sent by the Bishop to take over without the old Father knowing. Barry plays the priest as someone who is very traditional, does not see what is going on under his nose(the turkey incident), loves to eat and runs away from home before learning that Father Chuck is one of the best friends he ever had. Poor Barry knocked the head off of his Oscar when he was taking golf shots inside his home. It was the war years so they had to make the Oscars out of plaster. 

2. GEORGE SANDERS IN ALL ABOUT EVE-1950

This is one interesting man who had his share of demons, was very sensitive and married Zsa Zsa Gabor plus her sister Magda! In this film, he plays Addison DeWitt, a very acerbic but witty theatre critic who knows all the goings on of the main characters in this film. He knows all about Eve and lets her think she has duped him but he has the last laugh. He gave an acting tour de force in this film and rightfully won the Oscar. 

3. MARTIN LANDAU IN ED WOOD-1994

Martin Landau nails it as washed-up, drugged-up, alcoholic Bela Lugosi in this classic film starring Johnny Depp as the worst director ever-Ed Wood. This is another engaging performance which rejuvenated Martin Landau's career(he was in Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island which I, of course, love) playing this once big actor now reduced to making Plan 9 From Outer Space (another classic). Ed Wood is so happy having Mr. Lugosi in his films and will do what he can to make Lugosi happy. Ed feels he is making great films but he is not and you see his directing and how bad he truly is. This is another gem!

Which supporting actor/actress did you think of?