A few films on this list I have been waiting a long time to finally watch. Also, some pretty recognizable names on here so hopefully this will be a pretty good group.
1960 Best Supporting Actress
Shirley Jones - Elmer Gantry
This performance was very much against type for Jones and is probably a contributing factor in her win. It also is one of those hooker with a heart of gold type of roles, albeit the heart of gold could be up for debate. But I actually really enjoyed this performance! When you look up the reviews on this performance, a lot of it is centered on Jones being a good girl in previous work going against type and mostly succeeding. I think she did a great job because she is just as morally ambiguous as Elmer Gantry (Burt Lancaster) is and it adds a bit to the theme of the film. Which the film is about Lancaster who is a grifter of sorts that latches onto preaching as a way to get what he wants. Jones is one of his old flames and she's a prostitute and recognizes him, so he has her cat house raided. She is convinced to blackmail him for lots of money by taking indecent pictures and does, but then reneges on accepting the payment because she still has feels. So here is this woman who is doing something maybe not morally great with selling herself and sees her ex-something swindling a community with religion and tries to expose him after he gets her house overrun with police. But she seems to feel a little guilty and doesn't take the money and it's just a great performance from Jones to go from cackling at his absurd scamming to wanting him to pay to oh, maybe I made a mistake. And I think that good girl persona served her well because she has this innocence to her but also this biting spitefulness, too. She also shows the past of Gantry and is important to establishing that he is a terrible fraud. Honestly really enjoyed this performance more than I thought I would and I think you will, too.
Glynis Johns - The Sundowners
Most people probably know Johns from her role as Winifred in Mary Poppins. A lot of that same energy is in this performance which was her only Oscar nomination of her career. Fun fact is that as of October 2022, she is the oldest living acting nominee still alive at 99 years young. Johns was a Tony award winner, a singer, and found most of her work as a character actress. In this film, Johns is a bartender down under and becomes friendly with a family of homesteaders and dates their helper, Peter Ustinov. I liked the film a lot because all of the characters are entertaining on different levels. Johns brings some comedic relief and a bit of a vivacious personality that livens up the film. She has these wide, bug eyes and a mouth that doesn't see to close because she either smiling ear to ear or constantly talking. She has fun interactions with Ustinov's character as he doesn't want to be tied down and is warm with the family she befriends. The role doesn't ask too much of her, but Johns does a good job with the performance that is as supporting as you can get without just being a cameo. A feisty little performance that fits the film and the role and gives you a good idea of who Johns is as an actress.
Shirley Knight - The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
There are times when I start a film and just can't get into it because it's been a long work day and I'm tired, got back from whatever and I'm tired, got drunk and decided to watch it and I'm tired, or started it and just couldn't give a fuck. The latter is this film, but also the former(s). Started this film so much to where I just want to finish it. It doesn't help that Knight doesn't show up until like 40 mins into this one. It's a film about, well, this young woman falls in love with a young Jewish boy from a neighboring boarding school while her parents go through marriage hell. It feels like Knight is lost in her feelings about her life and her new boyfriend and his issues with antisemitism. But she's playing a teenager in a melodrama and her role is more of an anxious, wispy girl who is overwhelmed not just by the subject, but by everyone else acting around her. It's the least interesting role in the film with Eve Arden as her caustic, bigoted aunt, Robert Preston chewing the scenery, Angela Lansbury giving a dignified performance. Even her boyfriend, little brother, and mother seem more interesting. This feels like the Academy trying to anoint a new starlet for whatever reason (young, pretty, blonde, member of the Actor Studio) since they also nominated her two years later for Sweet Bird of Youth. I think most people might say the wrong performance was nominated and not really the fault of Knight who does what she can with a flimsy role.
Janet Leigh - Psycho
How many people realize that this performance and this film was actually nominated for an Oscar? We have all seen the shower scene. We know the score. We probably all know the still of mother sitting in the window. I think it's easy to forget this is an Oscar nominated film and was really groundbreaking in what it brought to film. It's weird that both main actors, Leigh and Anthony Perkins, failed to be remembered for other instances in their career because both are so talented (how many know Perkins was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar before this?). I also think that people fail to remember that this film starts with Leigh stealing some money from her employer and then going on the run. She wasn't some weary, lost, innocent traveler needing a room. She had her own demons which adds to the overwhelming tension in the film. It's interesting what the collective public's mind will recall about actors or films. As for the performance, Leigh is anxious and that makes us anxious. Part of that building tension Hitchcock does so well. We are looking over our shoulder just like Leigh is and our faces are mirroring hers as she settles in at the Bates Hotel. She is great in closeup and she does a ton without actually saying much, which is a gift. The shower scene is iconic, but the rest of the performance is sort of a how to be a scared, paranoid woman on the run for every role that touched on those same themes. Leigh set the tone in iconic fashion so tons of other women could follow. Hell of a performance that we all kinda sorta remember.
Mary Ure - Sons and Lovers
This is a pretty interesting D. H. Lawrence film adaptation that deals with many different characters and their relationships and outlooks on life. Ure is like a factory supervisor who is also a very independent woman. She's an outspoken suffragette who believes in free love and is very self assured. She is the one character who knows who she is and what she wants. She helps guide the lead of the film Paul, played by Dean Stockwell, into trying to find who he is. They have a bit of a relationship, though he's not good in bed but does offer more than her husband does overall. She is the sensual, mature aspect of this film and almost a voice of reason. But we realize that she, too, has her own issues she is working through, she just knows that they are there and is working on them. Honestly, it's a great little performance from Ure because it gets us asking so many questions about Stockwell and her beliefs. I think coming at this from 2022 is probably a lot different than in 1960, where I feel this performance is a bit more salacious and captivating of a woman in charge of not only her own sexuality, but her own life as well. No one is dictating to her what she has to do or needs to do. And Ure plays this all a bit close to the vest and never really exposes herself and it makes for a really intriguing characterization. This is a performance that feels like it should or could be nothing more than a mistress realization but instead offers up much more thought and execution, thus delivering something much more worthwhile.
Not a bad group at all with some really interesting films. Knight is the obvious one out first and I honestly would rather replace her with Jill Haworth from Exodus who was pretty great in that film. Knight just gets overwhelmed in her film to where you'd rather nominate her co-stars instead of her. Johns is next because she was more of a glorified cameo, though very entertaining in her role. Just too small to reward here. Ure surprised me by being so modern of a performance that this probably hit harder back in 1960. A real solid performance that got me thinking. A shame that Ure didn't go own to have bigger roles. Jones went against type and had me liking her performance way more than I thought I would. Equally as morally ambiguous as her title character, it was solid work from Jones. Everyone knows Leigh's performance and it is partly iconic for a reason. Great performance that really sets the tone of the film and is an easy winner for me. A pretty decent group with some really interesting films, which is just how I like it.
Oscar Winner: Shirley Jones - Elmer Gantry
My Winner: Janet Leigh - Psycho
Shirley Jones Mary Ure
Glynis Johns
Shirley Knight
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