This is a truly supporting category. It seems like there are very few of these in this project. There is always some sort of category fraud or an up and coming actor gets his first nomination in Supporting before a big career. But go through this list and you see 4 one and done nominees, and then Gardenia who was a supporting character mostly. I'm sure most casual fans who look at the names don't know anyone but maybe Quaid from his crazy performances and maybe Gardenia if they remember him from Moonstruck. It's kinda nice to not have a big name to review. Opens me up to new faces and names and lets me see some different actors. Let's get this going!
1973 Best Supporting Actor
John Houseman - The Paper Chase
Weird aside, when I started this project many years ago, there was a site called Strike Gently, that was mostly a place to download the latest hardcore/metalcore/indie album and see music videos and random current movies and memes before it was a thing. But the dude that ran it randomly had this film to stream and download and I remember watching part of it because I recognized it from my Oscar spreadsheet I was making at the time. I started watching but then stopped because of buffering and never finished. That's what comes to mind every time I see John Houseman's name. What a strange way to be remembered! What's neat about his nomination is that was his first real role (he had one minor thing a few years prior) and he wins an Oscar that you might mistake for being a veteran gift. But he was mostly a producer and a teacher (I think I read at Julliard) before this. Here, he plays an old Harvard law professor who commands his lecture hall with an overbearing, magisterial presence. He never smiles or laughs, just trudges on in a matter of fact way. His humor is sharp and droll and cuts like a surgeon's knife, though it can be hard to discern between the dry case explanations and law speak. It's partly why I enjoy Houseman in this mostly one not performance. He just does that one note to perfection. Once you've seen a few minutes of him at the lectern looking like Alfred Hitchcock and almost sounding the same, that's all you need to see. Though it might not appear to be much, the role is rather showy and lets Houseman find the character within the confines of a restrictive role. We don't learn all that much about the professor even when a student is involved with his daughter. I would have liked to know more, but sometimes knowing less makes the performance work. I'd rather know him as the professor with the distinct proper sounding voice who wryly belittles his students so as to harden them for life as a Harvard law student and does so without ever cracking a smile. It's an interesting win and I'll have to see how Houseman plays against the rest of the field.
Vincent Gardenia - Bang the Drum Slowly
I feel like if you are into baseball or sports movies, you've probably at least heard about this film. I know I recognized it from lots of best sports movie lists and being talked about a little bit in the sports blogosphere when it came time for some random ranking of sports movies. Anyway, this is a baseball movie and it stars Robert De Niro as a slow witted catcher, Michael Moriarty (one of my favorite actors from the Law & Order franchise) as a hotshot pitcher, and Gardenia as their crusty old manager. The film is about the bond between pitcher and catcher because De Niro's character has been diagnosed with a fatal cancer before a new season starts. Moriarty won't sign unless he is on the team and the two share a close bond as teammates and friends. Gardenia thinks something is up and tries to figure out why Moriarty wants De Niro around and sort of plays detective and lawyer at various times to do so. Gardenia is a perfectly supporting character and his performance is what you'd want out of this category. It doesn't overwhelm, it's not category fraud, it's not a veteran or up and coming nomination. No, Gardenia brings an obvious acting talent to his manager role and elevates a character that probably wouldn't be much of an afterthought. He's funny and serious and compelling and the focal point in a scene where he holds court in a bathtub while he smokes and lets the ash fall on his chest while trying to trip up the two and where they were in the offseason. He thinks Moriarty is trying to get one over on him and the team by not wanting to sign a subpar contract and champions De Niro's catcher. It's a good performance and it helps that Gardenia here looks like a smaller John Goodman. Gardenia's character just wants control of his team and really takes control of the film. It's a very good supporting performance and I definitely like this a lot more than his turn in Moonstruck.
Jack Gilford - Save the Tiger
Going in to these supporting nominations where I don't recognize the name, I always wonder what type of nominee it's going to be. There's the nominee who gets swept in along with a film or another actor who might win in Lead. There's the veteran nominee who is being recognized for a solid career. And then there's a legitimately good performance that the Academy decided to reward with a nomination. I think Guilford fits all three for me. I do think he kinda gets swept along with Jack Lemmon's Best Actor win and that he was being rewarded for his hard work in his career as an actor and activist. But Gilford does a really solid job with the character and the role. Gilford plays the business partner of Lemmon and is the reluctant and hesitant foil. It's one of those perfectly supporting roles that just enhances the other leading actor and the story as a whole. You can see he is used to dealing with a Lemmon that makes all kinds of rash decisions and puts the company in precarious positions often in order to stay afloat. Lemmon and the company are in decline and Gilford tentatively goes along with a plan to burn down their garment business to collect the insurance. What I like about the performance is just how honest Gilford keeps his character. He tells Lemmon exactly what he thinks at every moment and comes off as someone deeply tormented inside about what's going on with Lemmon and the company. There's no extra floruishes from Gilford, he plays it exactly as he should and is more restrained in comparison to Lemmon's jittery, mile a minute talking style. The two play off each other so well that you can feel Gilford's frustration at having to go along with Lemmon's ideas. I think that Gilford is exactly what you need in a supporting character, especially when the film is essentially made to get Lemmon another Oscar. Gilford helps elevate Lemmon's performance and definitely deserves this nomination.
Jason Miller - The Exorcist
It's interesting when you start to research the years and they all say well this one performance was better than all the rest and it should have won and was so good. So you get to that nominee and look at it with a different eye, a more discerning eye. Maybe, like Miller here, it's something I've already seen before. I hold judgment until I see all of them but file away that everyone seemed to like this particular one. Often times they are right and Jason Miller is no exception. I always knew him as the other priest who doubts his faith and calls in Max von Sydow to do the exorcism. But after revisiting the film, I see that Miller is really the only character that gets an actual character arc in the whole thing. Watching now, I love that his character is this super serious, self doubting guy who falls out of faith because his mother dies. He is a psychologist in the Catholic faith but loses his way and we see that transition of guy who is stressed because his ma is not doing well and he has to take care of her and then she has an issue and goes to the hospital and it's not good enough and she's in pain and he can't do anything - and Miller just loses more and more of his faith as this goes on. We see that gradual loss. But we also see that he is helpful and caring and he talks to Ellen Burstyn about her issues with her daughter and tries to tackle it but has to call in the big guns. The exorcism itself is interesting because he starts it himself with no experience really doubting that Linda Blair is possessed. But he soon realizes he is dealing with forces beyond his comprehension. He is the horror of the film. He is the one that gets broken down and succumbs to the demon that possesses the girl. And we are lead to believe it is because of his lack of faith but that ultimately tells a very interesting story of a guy trying his best. The fascinating thing about this nomination is that it was Miller's first film credit and was plucked from obscurity in a play by the director. Crazy how many first time movie nominations there are. Miller is great and probably one of the best performances ever in a horror film.
Randy Quaid - The Last Detail
Who would have thought that crazy Randy Quaid is an Oscar nominated actor? I bet most people forget this or don't even realize that he was an Oscar nominee once a long time ago. It's also interesting seeing a very, very young Quaid play a shy, reserved, quiet sailor. That's in stark contrast to the characters he would be known for later and his life currently which is plenty crazy. Quaid's sailor is a kleptomaniac who stole from some charity that some Admiral's wife loved so he got sentenced to 8 years in military prison. The film is about Jack Nicholson and Otis Young having to bring him to Portsmouth. Along the way, those two show Quaid the time of his young life. Through a lot of the film, Quaid just plays his character as this quiet, hulking, oafish boy. He hasn't really experienced anything in the world and Quaid portrays that naivete and simpleness perfectly. It's why Nicholson and Young take pity on the man and promise to get him laid and get him drunk and see different cities along the way. Quaid makes all of that seem believable. The character doesn't really have much of an arc, though, and that's okay. He gets to finally experience all these adult things in life and he meets each one with an innocent mindset. That's what Quaid brings to the role and the film is better off for it. There are moments where reality sets in for Quaid and he tries to escape or panics and it all feels real considering what his future holds. It's an interesting performance that shows that Quaid could have been a really good serious actor instead of the goofy, crazy roles that has defined his career.
A very good supporting group! It's very supporting and I like that. This doesn't have any can't miss performances but they are all serving their films which is nice to see. Honestly, not one in the bunch I dislike. Gardenia is last for me just because he is decent but forgettable. And really only has like two good scenes. He is not used to his full potential but still does a good job. Gilford is good. He's very serious in the role and it contrasts Jack Lemmon which is very necessary for the film. Some say he came along for the ride but I think Gilford earns it on his own. Quaid is interesting. Who knew he had this in him? He's very good as the shy, quiet prisoner getting shown the time of his life. I love his big oafish performance and it really fits the film. I really love Houseman in his role. It's memorable and fun to watch and I think sets the tone for similar characters in the future. A great performance but he was going up against a strong contender in Miller. Miller gets the win because he has a fully realized character in a horror film and makes him relatable. It's really good stuff and I wish both could win but here we are. A decent year! I enjoy years like this even if I'd love iconic performance after iconic performance. On to the next one!
Oscar Winner: John Houseman - The Paper Chase
My Winner: Jason Miller - The Exorcist
John Houseman
Randy Quaid
Jack Gilford
Vincent Gardenia
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