mrroberts Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Most definitely the finest actor to never even get an Academy Award nomination ,yet alone win one. He should have had at least a half dozen nominations and won a couple of times. Oh well, who needs a lousy Oscar, his performances speak for themselves. Yesterday TCM aired the film TWO SECONDS from 1932 and tonight TCM has FIVE STAR FINAL, both are from Eddie's early film career and both show him in top notch form. FIVE STAR FINAL may on the surface seem dated but the basic storyline is just as relevant today. Good performances by the whole cast (including a pre Frankenstein Boris Karloff) but Robinson is the centerpiece in this film. If you haven't seen it, its a "must see movie". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Most definitely the finest actor to never even get an Academy Award nomination ,yet alone win one. He should have had at least a half dozen nominations and won a couple of times. Oh well, who needs a lousy Oscar, his performances speak for themselves. Yesterday TCM aired the film TWO SECONDS from 1932 and tonight TCM has FIVE STAR FINAL, both are from Eddie's early film career and both show him in top notch form. FIVE STAR FINAL may on the surface seem dated but the basic storyline is just as relevant today. Good performances by the whole cast (including a pre Frankenstein Boris Karloff) but Robinson is the centerpiece in this film. If you haven't seen it, its a "must see movie". What is even more surprising is that Eddie was signed to Warners for a multiple year contract. So one has to question why the studio didn't do more to promote him. I can understand why actors that were independent, like Cary Grant after his early contract expired, not getting much support from a studio, but I don't understand why Eddie wasn't shown more love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Most definitely the finest actor to never even get an Academy Award nomination ,yet alone win one. He should have had at least a half dozen nominations and won a couple of times. I agree. One of the most overlooked actor by the Academy. I don't understand it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrroberts Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 I think that Dobbsy didn't want Eddie to get any of that gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovieMadness Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Most definitely the finest actor to never even get an Academy Award nomination ,yet alone win one. This is why the 31 days of Oscars would be better spent on 31 days left out of Oscars, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 He turned in many great performances-- but his dual role in THE WHOLE TOWN'S TALKING should have garnered him an Oscar nomination. He's brilliant in this film. We get one of his usual tough guy characters plus he does a 180 as a meek newspaper man. He runs the gamut and gives not one but two incredible performances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 The power and complexity of Robinson's performance as Wolf Larsen in The Sea Wolf makes it my favourite work by an actor who did so much wonderful work throughout his career. He plays a sadistic seal boat captain who enjoys belittling and degrading those helpless under his command, resorting to physical brutality at times. Yet he is also a man who possesses a superior intelligence and a voracious reader of literature and poetry. "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven," is his motto and philosophy. The Sea Wolf is a plush "A" production with superior performances by a great supporting cast yet Robinson still dominates the production. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Around here, and with me....you CAN'T praise Eddie too much. Even his last role in SOYLENT GREEN should have nabbed him an Oscar nod. Just shows to go ya----------------- The Academy has cornered the market on MYOPIA! Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Around here, and with me....you CAN'T praise Eddie too much. Even his last role in SOYLENT GREEN should have nabbed him an Oscar nod. Just shows to go ya----------------- The Academy has cornered the market on MYOPIA! Sepiatone I hate to beat a dead horse, but I'm still cringing every time I see "Eddie". I'm sure I read that virtually everyone called him "Manny". Maybe he was even the "Manny" of the Pep Boys---Manny, Moe, and Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 He turned in many great performances-- but his dual role in THE WHOLE TOWN'S TALKING should have garnered him an Oscar nomination. He's brilliant in this film. We get one of his usual tough guy characters plus he does a 180 as a meek newspaper man. He runs the gamut and gives not one but two incredible performances. I agree that Edward was great in The Whole Town's Talking. Since the movies also stars Jean Arthur, the movie is a favorite of mine. Her role isn't very big since the plot is all about those dual roles, but the two have good chemistry (or should I say the three!). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElCid Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Most definitely the finest actor to never even get an Academy Award nomination ,yet alone win one. He should have had at least a half dozen nominations and won a couple of times. Oh well, who needs a lousy Oscar, his performances speak for themselves. Yesterday TCM aired the film TWO SECONDS from 1932 and tonight TCM has FIVE STAR FINAL, both are from Eddie's early film career and both show him in top notch form. FIVE STAR FINAL may on the surface seem dated but the basic storyline is just as relevant today. Good performances by the whole cast (including a pre Frankenstein Boris Karloff) but Robinson is the centerpiece in this film. If you haven't seen it, its a "must see movie". One reason why I think the Oscars should be based on movies that were released at least two years before the voting. I think a lot of Best________ would not have won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 One reason why I think the Oscars should be based on movies that were released at least two years before the voting. I think a lot of Best________ would not have won. The Oscars were not designed to ensure the 'best' movie, actor, screenwriter, director, etc... wins an award. They were designed to promote movies and increase revenues for the studios or independent producers making movies. i.e. Marketing is their sole purpose. Since a delay would impact this purpose, it wouldn't be wise for the academy to make changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 The Oscars were not designed to ensure the 'best' movie, actor, screenwriter, director, etc... wins an award. They were designed to promote movies and increase revenues for the studios or independent producers making movies. i.e. Marketing is their sole purpose. Since a delay would impact this purpose, it wouldn't be wise for the academy to make changes. Suspicion of Red connections hurt the nomination chances of EGR and several other actors through much of the '40s and '50s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Suspicion of Red connections hurt the nomination chances of EGR and several other actors through much of the '40s and '50s. Ok that might explain the 40s and 50s but what around the 30s? Suspicion of EGR causing the depression? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I hate to beat a dead horse, but I'm still cringing every time I see "Eddie". I'm sure I read that virtually everyone called him "Manny". Maybe he was even the "Manny" of the Pep Boys---Manny, Moe, and Jack It may have been "Manny" in private with old friends, but his "public" nickname was "Eddie". EGR did a radio version of The Maltese Falcon with Laird Cregar as Gutman, and in a post-drama interview Cregar calls him "Eddie". And Orson Welles referred to "Eddie Robinson" in interviews about The Stranger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 It may have been "Manny" in private with old friends, but his "public" nickname was "Eddie". EGR did a radio version of The Maltese Falcon with Laird Cregar as Gutman, and in a post-drama interview Cregar calls him "Eddie". And Orson Welles referred to "Eddie Robinson" in interviews about The Stranger. I suppose I think of myself as a close friend of his.........I doubt if anyone referred to him as 'Manny Robinson", especially for the public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 It may have been "Manny" in private with old friends, but his "public" nickname was "Eddie". EGR did a radio version of The Maltese Falcon with Laird Cregar as Gutman, and in a post-drama interview Cregar calls him "Eddie". And Orson Welles referred to "Eddie Robinson" in interviews about The Stranger. You are right Eddie was the knickname used in the business,i read interviews with othe ractors calling him Eddie. To use a creakly old joke, you can call him Eddie, or you can call him Manny, but don't ever call him late for dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Most definitely the finest actor to never even get an Academy Award nomination ,yet alone win one. He should have had at least a half dozen nominations and won a couple of times. Oh well, who needs a lousy Oscar, his performances speak for themselves. Yesterday TCM aired the film TWO SECONDS from 1932 and tonight TCM has FIVE STAR FINAL, both are from Eddie's early film career and both show him in top notch form. FIVE STAR FINAL may on the surface seem dated but the basic storyline is just as relevant today. Good performances by the whole cast (including a pre Frankenstein Boris Karloff) but Robinson is the centerpiece in this film. If you haven't seen it, its a "must see movie". I caught Five Star Final over the wknd. I'd never seen it before or even heard of it. I didnt find much of it dated at all. It's nomination for Best Picture was deserved (of course, no nomination for EGR....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 I caught Five Star Final over the wknd. I'd never seen it before or even heard of it. I didnt find much of it dated at all. It's nomination for Best Picture was deserved (of course, no nomination for EGR....) What I found most interesting about this film is that it may have been the only time I've seen Boris Karloff in a non-horror role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 What I found most interesting about this film is that it may have been the only time I've seen Boris Karloff in a non-horror role. He was in another last night, The House of Rothschild...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrroberts Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 Actually previous to his break out performance as the Frankenstein monster Karloff wasn't known as a "horror" actor, he may have done a lot of villain type roles, but not a monster. Karloff was already in his early 40's when his Frankenstein monster made him a star. It also type cast him from that point on, most of his later roles were in horror type films. By the way "Karloff" never legally changed his name, he was always William Henry Pratt. I wonder how his family and personal friends addressed him? Unilke EGR who early on legally and professionally became Edward G Robinson. And except maybe only family and old friends called him by his birth name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Actually previous to his break out performance as the Frankenstein monster Karloff wasn't known as a "horror" actor, he may have done a lot of villain type roles, but not a monster. Karloff was already in his early 40's when his Frankenstein monster made him a star. It also type cast him from that point on, most of his later roles were in horror type films. By the way "Karloff" never legally changed his name, he was always William Henry Pratt. I wonder how his family and personal friends addressed him? Unilke EGR who early on legally and professionally became Edward G Robinson. And except maybe only family and old friends called him by his birth name. The studio was going to use Lugosi in FRANKENSTEIN, but he wanted to do another film (which was never made). Karloff happened to be on the lot at the time, they tested him, and the rest is history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 By the way "Karloff" never legally changed his name, he was always William Henry Pratt. A well-known English actor is still legally Maurice Micklewhite, conducts all his business as Maurice Micklewhite, and was knighted as Sir Maurice. I wonder how his family and personal friends addressed him? Unilke EGR who early on legally and professionally became Edward G Robinson. And except maybe only family and old friends called him by his birth name. Mr. Pratt was calling himself Boris Karloff well before Frankenstein and I believe even before Hollywood, as early as WWI when he was lumberjacking and occasionally acting in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 A well-known English actor is still legally Maurice Micklewhite, conducts all his business as Maurice Micklewhite, and was knighted as Sir Maurice. Mr. Pratt was calling himself Boris Karloff well before Frankenstein and I believe even before Hollywood, as early as WWI when he was lumberjacking and occasionally acting in Canada. Why would anyone be anxious to retain the name, "Maurice Micklewhite"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistervegan Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 and iirc, boris was a few inches shorter than bela. but i'm guessing that the studio also believed that karloff elicited more of a gruesome appearance. The studio was going to use Lugosi in FRANKENSTEIN, but he wanted to do another film (which was never made). Karloff happened to be on the lot at the time, they tested him, and the rest is history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts