Supporting Actor 1966

I was thinking recently about how good of a copy of a film might play into how I or we view a performance or film overall. Meaning, me watching a crappy quality version of some film that's hard to find might detract from my review of it unlike say finding an amazing blu-ray quality film for another performance. I don't think I let that affect what I feel and write about but maybe deep down I do? I'm writing this as I start watching the winner here and it's an exceptional quality version for a 1966 film. And I was thinking about how the version I saw of Edith Evans' performance last year in 1967 was a poor, grainy quality. Would I have been more into it if it were better? I dunno. Something to ponder as I ramble on here. I have seen none of these but there are some recognizable names and films so I'm hoping my favorite category hits the spot for me.

1966 Best Supporting Actor

Walter Matthau - The Fortune Cookie

Believe it or not, this was the first Matthau and Lemmon film ever. It's only 1966 but it feels like they made hundreds of films together over a century. In this one, Matthau pretty much plays what you expect from him as his character is essentially the same as many of the other's he's played in his career. He plays an unscrupulous lawyer who is the brother-in-law of Lemmon who gets hurt on the sideline of an NFL game as a camera operator. Matthau sees money in pretending Lemmon is hurt and suing the Clevelands Browns, CBS, and the stadium. So that's the setup of the film. This is the same Matthau that you will find in almost all of his films. Quick witted, dry humor, same sad sack look to him. Having seen a ton of Matthau films and a few for this Oscar project that I haven't exactly been a fan of, I struggle to see what set this apart other than it was his first nomination and maybe this comedy style was new to everyone and they loved it. I think Matthau is great and actually better than Lemmon who plays the straight man. But I feel like we've seen better Matthau performances, at least we have seen funnier Matthau performances, anyway. I enjoy this one but it doesn't feel ground breaking but how much of that is because I have seen his whole career before this film? If I saw this in 1966 without ever hearing of Matthau, would I think it was amazing? Probably because he's awesome. Also, dude is a leading performance. He has the most screen time and is involved in the side scenes with the insurance company or whatever, so he's the focus of the film. How is this supporting? I enjoy it, don't think it's supporting or ground breaking, and feel like it's basic Matthau but am okay with him having an Oscar because comedy isn't really that rewarded with the Academy. I feel like this win and what you think of it depends on how you watch it and what you think of Matthau.

Mako - The Sand Pebbles

I have always been interested in this nomination because of the name. I was figuring an old Japanese guy or something like that. I was close, as Mako's actual, non stage name was Makoto Iwamatsu. He was a younger Japanese guy who was playing the Chinese Po-han, a worker in the engine room who hits it off with Steve McQueen's character. It's pretty cool that he gets nominated here as the second Asian in this category. As I go through this decade, it's actually starting to have a lot of diverse nominees and I love that. Mako's role in this film is very small. He is just a guy who works in the engine room but the Chinese engineer dies in an accident and McQueen picks Mako to take over and the two bond over teaching how to run the engine room. Not much to it so far and lots of broken English, but then one of the bigger Navy guys bullies Po-han and challenges him to a fight. The two have a boxing match where McQueen is in Po-han's corner and after a while they prevail. Mako plays the character as scared and timid but who opens up with the help of McQueen and Mako realizes he's got his back. After that, the chief Chinese worker on the boat sends Po-han ashore to get something amidst rising tensions between the locals and the foreigners. Predictably, Po-han is captured coming back to the boat and his end is heartrendingly tragic. I imagine that this is where Mako earns his nomination, as the rest of the performance is very short and doesn't really do much more than bridge the gap between East and West for us and McQueen. It's unfortunate too that Mako's end is just where we start to see his importance and how good of an actor he is. I guess in the book, Po-han lasts longer but it's understandable when we see what happens to him and what it causes for McQueen. Fun fact is that Mako was also a Tony nominated actor, so you know he had the acting chops to really go off and deliver something great. I just wish we had more of Mako to fully take in what he could have given us performance wise.

James Mason - Georgy Girl

I really dig James Mason. He's got a very soothing voice and accent. He always seems so cool and calm and collected and classy. Even when he's a villain, you can't help but like him. This may be where I draw the line. Now this isn't some huge, uncrossable line but Mason comes off like such a creep in this film and I didn't much care for it. Mason is the boss of Georgy's (played by Lynn Redgrave) dad and he hits on and harasses and just can't leave alone Georgy. All of this while he has a sick or dying wife and he's writing up a contract for him to sleep with Georgy. It's odd and I don't know if it's meant to be endearing or what but it comes off so bad to me. Why is this being tolerated at all? Because her dad is like the butler of Mason? I don't understand. Mason himself is his naturally charming and harmless seeming self. He just seems thrilled to be acting which is what I get from a lot of his performances that he just loves playing a character, whoever that character shall be. But also doesn't mean I have to like this character or performance just because it is James Mason doing it. Other than that, the performance is mostly him chasing after Georgy and trying to get her alone and talk to her while she evades him. It's mostly that until the very end when they end up married and it feels weird to me, again. There is one serious moment that Mason does well when after his wife has died he has a moment of introspection about her and them and the sadness of it all. It's decent but also not really indicative of the performance and doesn't do much to humanize or explain his behavior to me. Myabe some people will enjoy it, but I certainly didn't and that sucks because I like Mason.

George Segal - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Segal's main role in this film seems to be to play the straight man of sorts. While Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton duke it out for twelve rounds, Segal seems to play the ref or a cornerman. That's not to put down his work at all, merely to frame that he has the least flashy of the roles and I feel like has to work a bit harder to get his performance to land. I'd say he stays the most sober of the group and he has all these moments where he's laughing and having a good time only to then immediately start arguing with Burton because of something that was said. Then to try to placate the others or babysit them or flirt with Taylor or snap at his wife. There are lots of layers to this performance that Segal has to maneuver, like getting drunk and looking after his wife and dealing with Taylor and Burton who needle him at every turn. Segal seems like a fly trapped in a spider's web who desperately tries to get away at first and then tries to fight back to no avail. I like that Segal plays it all mostly reserved. He let's the other three have their space and eat up the scenes in a good way. The best thing about Segal's performance is that he knows what his role is and doesn't try to do too much with the character. This wasn't going to be a winner, but it does contribute greatly to the film overall and allows the other three actors to shine in their own way. And that's really a perfect supporting role, even if it doesn't wow.

Robert Shaw - A Man for All Seasons

I am very glad that Shaw has an Oscar nomination. We all know him as the captain of the ship from Jaws and his telling of the story of the sharks eating sailors. It's a thing of beauty. But his performance as Henry VIII in this film is pretty good as well! One of those characters in film that has the most Oscar nominees for having played them. Shaw's Henry is one that is pretty bombastic. He's loud and demonstrative and has quite the presence in the film. He plays a king as he should. People follow his lead while jumping into muck on a riverbed and laughing when he laughs. It's his big scene with Sir Thomas More that I think gives him a nomination. It's very animated and has highs and lows and a king who very much acts like someone who is coddled at every word and step. He plays the scene as someone who is testing someone and how they react to certain situations. Shaw is up to the task of feeling someone out and he is so secure as Henry that you just see him as the King. Shaw has a moment when he is enjoying his marriage to Anne Boleyn that when he thinks he sees More, he stops everything and rushes over. The look on Shaw's face when he realizes it is not him is a realization that he let a good man go. I think Shaw does well in his few scenes but really makes his Henry into a volatile man and we all see it from More's perspective. It's an enjoyable short performance.


Hey, a pretty good group! All of them are pretty much on the same footing so that made for a better category overall. Mako was pretty interesting to see but the film underutilized him. I wanted to see what else he could do and didn't get the opportunity, sadly. Mason is his normal charming self except it's in the role of a creepy weirdo. I didn't like that even if Mason seemed up to the task. In fact, I'd rather switch the two of Mason and Mako for that reason. Shaw is a bombastic King Henry VIII. But he never overdoes it and brings a bit of humanity to the king. He pokes and prods Scofield and so this is more than good actor plays famous character/person. I'm glad he has a nomination. Segal hs the toughest job out of everyone in this category. He is the straight man in a brutally intense film and doesn't get to be as dominant as everyone else. He still succeeds and does a great job. Matthau wins because his shtick was new, if you ask me. It's more a lead performance and even if I enjoy the performance and Matthau as an actor, it still feels like a weird win. I'm happy he has a win but if Segal or Shaw won, I'd be all for that. I jst feel like sticking with the Academy on this one. A pretty solid, evenly matched group for once. Looking forward to the next one.

Oscar Winner: Walter Matthau - The Fortune Cookie
My Winner:  Walter Matthau - The Fortune Cookie
George Segal
Robert Shaw
Mako
James Mason