Supporting Actor 1961

A stacked flipping category with a winner most folks think came along for the ride. Is this true? Let's find out!

1961 Best Supporting Actor

 

George Chakiris - West Side Story

 

In a stacked category, I feel like Chakiris, who was Greek by the way, came along for the ride. That doesn't mean I don't like his performance, though. I like his brooding, sarcastic demeanor as it fits the leader of the Sharks. He dances well and sings fine (and at least didn't get dubbed over like everyone else in the film) and is properly good looking for a leadership part. Spoilers, but I have watched the film a couple times before but always forget that he gets stabbed to death by Tony. It's always a shock and I think speaks to how important Bernardo is. Like I thought he was gonna win and then we were going to get him  taking on Tony. And yet I've seen this damn film like five times. Chakiris might not be all that great but the character looms across the picture and we expect him to show up or do things he doesn't. I enjoyed what Chakiris gave us, though. It's good, not great, and probably just came along with the film. Crazy to think that he had to undergo extensive makeup sessions to look dark, along with Rita Moreno is actually is Puerto Rican! That just tells you how racist Hollywood was back then, but also they both won and had the last fuck you to them. Good performance, just nothing amazing. It happened to be in an all time great film and he got carried along.

Montgomery Clift - Judgment at Nuremberg

So I have liked the couple Clift performances I have seen and appreciated his whole method acting style in those films. I did not know that this guy was a huge alcoholic who made it his personality and worked it into his contracts. Clift plays Rudolf Peterson, a nervous, scared, maybe simple man whose family were communists and probably killed by the Nazis. Clift was sterilized by the Nazis and is a witness to their atrocities. This is an interesting nomination. It is said that Clift wanted to be in this film and worked for free with expenses paid only which amounted to a ton of alcohol and hotel fees. He was deep into the throes of alcoholism and would die in 5 years, yet the director felt he was perfect for the role of the aggrieved citizen and it's kinda hard to argue. I'd hate if they did that for real, but apparently Clift just couldn't remember his lines and had trouble concentrating and focusing on getting the job done. So the director and Spencer Tracy just encouraged him to ad lib whatever he could and worked with shooting that way for hours and hours over like four days for maybe fifteen minutes of screen time. Absolutely crazy because he is kinda perfect for the role. He is playing a simpleton who got sterilized and lost his family and is super nervous and scared and it all comes across as someone who doesn't want to be there and who is trying to fight for his wrongdoing in an undefined way. It's like it works on accident and creates a fitting portrait of post war Germany. This actor who can't remember his lines is fumbling and bumbling as the character to remember details of the atrocities and it works. Now if the director had this in mind from the start, I dunno, but would be some brilliant casting and directing. It also feels a lot like a cameo than some supporting bit that seamlessly integrates into the story, kinda like Judy Garland in her role. I think it still works really well but it kinda sticks out in a weird way, too. Really wish Clift hadn't given in to alcohol so we could have gotten a lot more great work from him. It may have helped this performance but obviously didn't help him in the long run, such a shame.

Peter Falk - Pocketful of Miracles

Before this project started, I would not have thought that Peter Falk would have one Oscar nomination to his name, let alone two. I just knew him as Columbo, yet this was his second straight nomination in this category and part of why I undertook this whole thing. Pretty much everything I read on this film said that Falk was one of the few, or the lone, bright spot and I'd have to agree. This was Frank Capra's last film and it was an underwhelming flop that even Capra wasn't proud of at all. The only thing he said that kept him going and the he enjoyed in the film was Falk's performance. Falk is exactly as you will remember him: big suit, gruff voice, his false eye making him look unique. Falk is the right hand man to a mobster and is the one who gets things done. He adds some great comedy to the role and kinda says what the audience is thinking in certain situations, honestly some hilarious lines. The rest of the film is mostly tepid and boring with some moments of funny. Capra was remaking one of his earlier films, Lady for a Day, and apparently this one was a huge mess with Bette Davis and Glenn Ford butting heads at every turn and just being obnoxious. It shows through in the film a bit as this is bloated and pointless. Falk is mostly the only reason to check this film out, it's a fun little performance in a wasted film.

Jackie Gleason - The Hustler

 

Gleason has a rather simple role to play as Minnesota Fats, one of the best pool players in the world that Paul Newman's character is gunning for. It's a pretty straightforward performance where Gleason mostly stays calm and collected in stark contrast to Newman's loud, arrogant, increasingly intoxicated challenger. It's like Gleason is used to these younger guys trying to take him down and prove themselves to be better all the while he just casually plays pool and let's them talk their talk. Which, if you know Gleason, is also very different from how he was in the entertainment world. He was a huge comedian known for a very brash style and here he is playing a dominant pool hustler with a cool demeanor. He gives off a certain presence in the film and you instantly know he's the man to beat. Towards the end of the film when Newman is beating him at pool over and over we start to cracks in the facade as Gleason looks exasperated and see the raw competitiveness come out. It's a short performance but one that is powerful to the film in establishing the story and just how far Newman will go to beat the best. Really enjoyable to watch especially with all the great acting swirling around in that film.

George C. Scott - The Hustler

 

Funny thing about this nomination is that it garnered Scott a Best New Male Actor nomination at the Golden Globes, except he had been nominated for another Oscar two years prior. Golden Globes may be the reason Scott hated awards shows. Yes, he denounced this nomination just like his win for Patton, so at least he was a man who stuck to his convictions. I love his introduction in this film where Paul Newman asks him to move where he's sitting because it's been bothering him for hours and he gets up and moves his chair about an inch to the left. It just perfectly showcases who his character is and how Scott is going to play him. His character is a professional gambler who just likes to be where the action is, whether that's cards, horses, or billiards. He also seems to be a bank roller for other guys to play and comes off a bit like a villain at first. Eventually we see he is a cold, calculating, observant man who will use people to get what he wants. Scott plays the role perfectly as he comes off brooding and measured. He does what he can to manipulate those around him and Scott never comes off too hokey or dastardly. He is a genuine person and the performance has a lot of realism to it. The performance just adds to the overall feel of this film in a good way as we get all these strong characters coming to a head and giving us an excellent film as a result. Glad the Globes were able to honor this newcomer for his fine work.

It's a stacked group, but who the hell deserves the win?? Clift chews the scenery in his alcoholic state. Falk is his usually charming self, yet this time he is a gruff gangster. Gleason plays a serious role that is against type and nails it, but Scott kinda acts circles around him. Chakiris came along for the ride but should I swap him with Scott? I think so. Scott is just better and I feel Gleason is better, too. Feels controversial, but it's not really. Just giving Scott multiple wins now. Intriguing group of actors and tough decision to make. I want every year to be a tough one. On to 1960.

Oscar Winner: George Chakiris - West Side Story

My Winner: George C. Scott - The Hustler

Jackie Gleason

George Chakiris

Peter Falk

Montgomery Clift