Here we are finally at the last of the 70s. Can you believe as I write this that 1970 was 50 flipping years ago?! That's insane to think about because the 70s was just the generation before me and watching movies from that decade now for kids growing up would be like watching something from the 30s for me. It doesn't seem that dramatic of a time difference but here we are. I am so glad to be finally finishing this year and I'm ready for a new decade, in more ways than one! I haven't see any of these performances, though they are some pretty accessible films if I might say so. I'm ready to see if Hayes is a bad winner like I've heard for so long. Here we go!
1970 Best Supporting Actress
Helen Hayes - Airport
Okay, I get why this won and was nominated, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Hayes is this old lady who scams her way on to planes to get places supposedly to see her family. She comes off as this sweet, little old lady but once we really get to know her she is nothing but a grifter who is a pretty awful person. This is supposed to be an endearing role where the little old lady provides some comedic relief in being a criminal by sneaking onto planes and playing her old lady part to a T. But her character is just an awful person who uses her age and gender to take advantage of everyone she meets so she can get her way. I know that sounds like some liberal PC bullshit but her character just comes off as such a terrible person, no matter how endearing it's supposed to be. Hayes does exactly what the role needs and is honestly perfect as the old lady grifter. I would say she owns the role and knocks it out of the park. I just don't like the role. It's designed to be taken one way, but I take it another. Maybe this will be the only choice for the win but I don't know yet. I know it has that sheen of a veteran nomination for an older woman the Academy likes for whatever reason and I'm sure that's part of the reason she won/was nominated. If this is the best the year has to offer, it's going to be one very bad category and I hope that isn't the case.
Karen Black - Five Easy Pieces
It's funny how going backwards can line up some interesting familiarities or similarities between the years. Sometimes it's the same actor being in the same spot where all I have to do is change the film name. And sometimes it's like it is here where Black is in a film with Jack Nicholson and the previous review (which is actually the next year, 1971) has Ann-Margret in this spot in a film with Nicholson. It's weird how that can work out and maybe I'm the only one that cares about it, but it's neat. Anyway, Black plays Nicholson's waitress girlfriend, Rayette. She's a meek woman who is scared of Nicholson but devoted to him even though he mistreats and manipulates her into staying with him. She's kind of pathetic in that she can be with anyone else since she is a beautiful woman, but continues to put up with Nicholson's antics like being a drunk douchebag and sleeping with other women. It's the dumb, ditzy blonde character (I think she's a blonde and not strawberry blonde anyway) to a T and she does a good enough job in the role. She's just a loving person who loves the wrong man who doesn't love her back and we see that at the end of the film. It's a heartbreaking portrayal but Black doesn't get to do much other than be pathetic and needy and make us scream at her to leave that asshole. There are some other women in the film who get to have an arc even in their brief scenes but I guess Black is representative of the film as a whole. It was okay, but I was really hoping for an Oscar moment that never came.
Lee Grant - The Landlord
Grant was a highly respected actress who was nominated for an Academy Award 4 times and won in 1975 for Shampoo. She also was nominated a bunch of times for the Emmys and won a couple of those, too. But after her first Oscar nomination in 1952, she was blacklisted in the McCarthy era bullshit and relegated to mostly TV for a while. And then came the redemption arc as she started to work more in film and started getting nominated again. This was her second nomination and she played Beau Bridges' boozy, bougie, racist old mother. She's from a rich family and her son, Bridges, buys an apartment building in a rundown black neighborhood in order to fix it up and gentrify the place. But then Bridges is swayed by the tenants and becomes sympathetic to their plight and even sleeps with a couple black women and fathers a child. The racist, old fashioned Grant doesn't approve at first and stops by the apartment building and talks with one of the black women who lives there and gets drunk with her and enjoys some ham hocks and can't remember who her husband is. It's a funny moment that shows Grant's character was just never exposed to anything other than her own way of life. It's a scene where other actors might ham it up too much or not bring the authenticity that Grant does. It's a film that is part social satire and part political statement and Grant plays her part wonderfully. She shows you exactly why she was such a beloved actress and highly awarded throughout her career.
Sally Kellerman - MASH
MASH is a great film and everyone knows the TV series, so I was expecting a lot more out of this performance. Kellerman does a fine enough job with the role but it feels like this nomination just comes along for the ride as she is the only real female performance in the film. Meaning she is the only woman that really gets to do much in the story, which is one of those things that we see over and over in this category. Her arc is that she is a straight laced Army Major who plays by the rules that the other personnel call Hot Lips, which she hates. She has a tryst with Robert Duvall's straight laced Army officer who no one else really likes. She gets pranked into everyone seeing her naked and has a scene where she erupts and screams to the commanding officer about court-martialing but he doesn't really care. That's about it for her arc other than her being a dumb cheerleader at the football game at the end. Not exactly amazing Oscar quality stuff. Entertaining, absolutely, but not anything that should be up for a win. I would say the TV actress of the same character does a better job with the role, but in fairness, she did get 11 seasons of growth to work with. The film is well worth the watch just not necessarily for this specific performance. It also hurts Kellerman that the film is so misogynistic to the women in the story. Kellerman is seen more as a sex object and doesn't get the chance to bring a lot of depth to the role because the film just won't allow for it. Tone that down and maybe Kellerman can pop through all of that, but instead this is what we are left with.
Maureen Stapleton - Airport
I have not been all that enthused with Stapleton's other nominations/her win. I guess they are decent enough but not anything to make me say wow, she's such a great actress. But she was a very gifted actress who made a lot of films, did a lot of TV, and was a force on Broadway if Wikipedia is correct. So that makes her nominations make more sense to me and that's how this game gets played. This was Stapleton's second nomination and she plays the wife of the airline bomber in this film. When we first see her, she's a supportive wife and worried about her husband going off to some Midwest city for a job. But then she gets some mail about a ticket to Rome and heads to the airport to find him but he has already taken off. She is obviously concerned and wants to talk with whoever in charge to find him. It's then made obvious that he's mentally ill or at least been acting strange and is about to do something drastic. Up until this point, the performance is nothing special. Just a concerned wife but nothing that you'd point to as something to single out. There is a slight Oscar moment at the end where she runs up to the departing passengers of the plane after it's landed and is hysterical and apologizing for her husband who blew up a bomb on the plane. That's the reason she got nominated. But I don't think it's anything to truly gush over and reward. It could be done by any capable actress and doesn't stand out. It's overwrought and just some tethered, obvious acting that I wished for something different from her. I feel like this one came along for the ride with the rest of the film and is easily forgettable, especially for an actress who has done a lot of good work. The positive is that she is easily better than Helen Hayes, who hams it up. I'd choose Stapleton over Hayes every time but neither truly wow me and make me want to champion them for the win.
I definitely feel like Hayes is one of the worst Oscar winners of all time. I don't care at all that she was a very respected stage actress since this isn't the Tony Awards. I can only go by her only nomination and it's just not a good performance. I get why people liked it and voted for it, but it struck the wrong tone with me and that's on Hayes. Plus, it's just not very good acting. Easy 5th place for me. Kellerman unfortunately is treated as a piece of meat in her role and doesn't really get to do a whole lot. Plus, she has the specter of her TV counterpart that had like 12 years with the character hanging over her unfairly as that may be. I would have liked to see more but it is what it is. Stapleton is better than Hayes by a ton. But her role is small and a bit overwrought and while she does a fine enough job, it's not something that should win. Black is pretty good in her pathetic, needy girlfriend role and that's all you can ask from an actress. She's the clear 2nd place for me. Grant just does a great job with her racist, boozy old white woman role which sounds awful lol. But she stands out head and shoulders over everyone else on this list, which is pretty weak overall. I feel like there could be some better nominees from The Landlord like Pearl Bailey or Diana Sands but this is what we got. Let's close out the 70s and move on!
Oscar Winner: Helen Hayes - Airport
My Winner: Lee Grant - The Landlord
Karen Black
Maureen Stapleton
Sally Kellerman
Helen Hayes
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