1955 Supporting Actress Smackdown

Head over to Stinkylulu's place, where we're celebrating the 1955 Supporting Actress Smackdown. Join Brad of Criticlasm, Canadian Ken, Nathaniel of The Film Experience, Nick of the eponymous Flick Picks, Rburton of Adam Waldowski Doesn't Watch Non-Oscar Movies, and our gracious host, Stinkylulu, as we take a look at a youth movement of sorts.

But first, let's take a moment of silence to thank the Oscar gods for not nominating Betty Field, Susan Strasberg, or Rosalind Russell for their work in Picnic.

...

Because if they had, I would not be here today. Faced with the prospect of watching that meatball of a film again, I might have done myself harm, or declined to participate in this Smackdown. And readers, those are one and the same.

So, that youth movement. I'm stretching the term a little. The nominees are Betsy Blair in Marty, Peggy Lee in Pete Kelly's Blues, Marisa Pavan in The Rose Tattoo, Jo Van Fleet in East of Eden, and Natalie Wood in Rebel Without a Cause. Blair was 32, a veteran of several films, but also a victim of the blacklist—maybe the first instance of a blacklisted star receiving an Oscar nomination. (Someone else can do the research.) Lee was 35, a ten-year veteran of fame as a singer but appearing in her third and last film, and looking mighty relieved by the end of this one that she wouldn't have to do it again. (That's a lie—her expression never changes, even when she has to go crazy.) Pavan was 23, appearing in her fifth film but her first big role. Van Fleet was 41, a stage veteran winning an Oscar in her first film and helping herald the new world order of Method acting in Hollywood. And Wood was just 17, a former child actress. Their average age is 29. Does that count?

I loved Van Fleet's performance the most, but it wasn't the punched-in-the-gut love I felt for Maureen Stapleton in my last foray into Supporting Actressness. (Just had to work in a plug for that marvellous performance.) It was more of a clinical love, an admiration of her craft without the emotion. And yet I gave her the same rating. Rankings sure are capricious.