kingrat Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 1950 has a bunch of tough guys scuffling for Best Actor, an easy winner for Best Actress, two great character actors in a coin toss for Best Supporting Actor, and two sizzling performances for Best Supporting Actress which are not nearly so well-known as they should be. Best Actor for 1950: William Holden, SUNSET BOULEVARD**** Humphrey Bogart, IN A LONELY PLACE John Garfield, THE BREAKING POINT Toshiro Mifune, RASHOMON Marlon Brando, THE MEN John Dall, GUN CRAZY Honorable mention: Dirk Bogarde, SO LONG AT THE FAIR; Sessue Hayakawa, THREE CAME HOME; Jean Marais, ORPHEUS; Edmond O'Brien, D.O.A.; Sidney Poitier, NO WAY OUT; Richard Widmark, NIGHT AND THE CITY; Richard Widmark, PANIC IN THE STREETS Best Actress for 1950: Bette Davis, ALL ABOUT EVE**** Gloria Swanson, SUNSET BOULEVARD Patricia Neal, THE BREAKING POINT Machiko Kyo, RASHOMON Gloria Grahame, IN A LONELY PLACE Peggy Cummins, GUN CRAZY Honorable mention: Claudette Colbert, THREE CAME HOME; Linda Darnell, NO WAY OUT; Judy Holliday, BORN YESTERDAY; Jean Simmons, SO LONG AT THE FAIR; Barbara Stanwyck, THE FURIES Best Supporting Actor for 1950: Sam Jaffe, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE**** George Sanders, ALL ABOUT EVE Lloyd Bridges, TRY AND GET ME Louis Calhern, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE Mel Ferrer, BORN TO BE BAD Honorable mention: Walter Huston, THE FURIES; Zero Mostel, PANIC IN THE STREETS; Jack Palance, PANIC IN THE STREETS; Gilbert Roland, THE FURIES; Jack Webb, THE MEN; James Whitmore, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE Best Supporting Actress for 1950: Judith Anderson, THE FURIES**** Ann Dvorak, A LIFE OF HER OWN Marilyn Monroe, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE Hope Emerson, CAGED Lee Patrick, CAGED Honorable mention: Celeste Holm, ALL ABOUT EVE; Thelma Ritter, ALL ABOUT EVE; Blanche Yurka, THE FURIES 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 kingrat, the Julius Caesar with Mason, Brando, et al, was from 1953. The one in 1950 was an amateur/indie film with Charlton Heston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingrat Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Thanks, Lawrence, I'll correct this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 My choice for the Juvenile Acting award for 1950 is… Alfonso Mejia (Pedro), Los Olvidados 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 My favourite 1950 performances, in approximate order of preference. A noteworthy year, with the top three best actor performances all ranking among my all time favourites: BEST ACTOR William Holden, SUNSET BOULEVARD Humphrey Bogart, IN A LONELY PLACE John Garfield, THE BREAKING POINT Gregory Peck, THE GUNFIGHTER Richard Widmark, NIGHT AND THE CITY Honourable Mention: Toshiro Mifune in Rashomon, Spencer Tracy in Father of the Bride, Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac, James Stewart in Harvey, Kirk Douglas in Young Man With A Horn, Edmond O'Brien in D.O.A.. BEST ACTRESS Bette Davis, ALL ABOUT EVE Judy Holliday, BORN YESTERDAY Gloria Swanson, SUNSET BOULEVARD Anne Baxter, ALL ABOUT EVE Gloria Grahame, IN A LONELY PLACE Honourable Mention: Patrica Neal in The Breaking Point, Barbara Stanwyck in The Furies. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR George Sanders, ALL ABOUT EVE Walter Huston, THE FURIES Dan Duryea, WINCHESTER 73 Juano Hernandez, THE BREAKING POINT Erich Von Stroheim, SUNSET BOULEVARD Honourable Mention: Wallace Ford in The Breaking Point, Juano Hernandez in Young Man With A Horn, Sam Jaffe in The Asphalt Jungle, Gilbert Roland in The Furies, Vincent Price in Champagne for Caesar, Jessie White in Harvey. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Celeste Holm, ALL ABOUT EVE Thelma Ritter, ALL ABOUT EVE Judith Anderson, THE FURIES Josephine Hull, HARVEY Nancy Olsen, SUNSET BOULEVARD Honourable Mention: Phyllis Thaxter in The Breaking Point. Romantic Fatalism Line of the Year (and Many A Year) Award In A Lonely Place I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks when she loved me. Least Known Great Film of the Year Award The Breaking Point What A Great Swan Song Award Walter Huston in The Furies 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingrat Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Romantic Fatalism Line of the Year (and Many A Year) Award In A Lonely Place I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks when she loved me. Tom, as memorable as the line from In a Lonely Place is, I believe it's close to what Glenn Ford says about George Macready in Gilda, who talks about being born the night Macready saved his life. There's a similar line in The Seventh Victim as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 I changed my Juvenile Award from Roberto Cobo to Alfonso Mejia, both from the same film, Los Olvidados. After Bogie listed Mejia, it made me wonder if I had the right person when i named Cobo. After researching it, I had picked the right person (Cobo was the mean**** I remembered). However, it turns out Cobo was 20 when the film was made, so he was not exactly a juvenile. Mejia, who was also terrific in the film, was only 15. So I switched. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 Here are some performances from 1950 that will be recognized in subsequent years … Bette Davis will win the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award in 1951 for All About Eve (1950). Pierre Fresnay will be nominated for the BAFTA (British Academy) Best Foreign Actor Award in 1952 for Dieu a Besoin des Hommes/God Needs Men (1950). Nicole Stephane will be nominated for the BAFTA Best Foreign Actress Award in 1952 for Les Enfants Terribles (1950). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Romantic Fatalism Line of the Year (and Many A Year) Award In A Lonely Place I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks when she loved me. Tom, as memorable as the line from In a Lonely Place is, I believe it's close to what Glenn Ford says about George Macready in Gilda, who talks about being born the night Macready saved his life. There's a similar line in The Seventh Victim as well. Thanks for that, kingrat. But I think there's a little poetry to the way Dixon Steele (Bogart's character) writes it in In A Lonely Place. The bittersweet impact of those three short sentences certainly stays with me. Besides, I don't exactly get chocked up about the way that Glenn Ford's Johnny may have felt about the bizarre Ballin Mundsen in Gilda (yeh, I know, there's been speculation about those two). I don't recall The Seventh Victim reference to which you allude. Hopefully I'll find out what it is one day. Maybe it's time for me to revisit that film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 The New York Film Critics Circle Awards for 1950 were: Best Actor Gregory Peck, Twelve O’clock High* (49) Jose Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac Alec Guinness, Kind Hearts and Coronets (49) Best Actress Bette Davis, All About Eve* Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd. ————————————————————————————————— The National Board of Review Awards for 1950 were… Best Actor Alec Guinness, Kind Hearts and Coronets* (49) Best Actress Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd.* 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 1950 ActorJames Stewart - Harvey***Toshiro Mifune - RashomonHumphrey Bogart - In a Lonely PlaceBroderick Crawford - Born Yesterday ["You know what she called me before? A Fatchist!"] Richard Widmark - No Way OutJames Whitmore - Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone [a minor film, but he's very funny in it]Dan Duryea - The Underworld Story Burt Lancaster - The Flame and the Arrow [an even greater loss to swashbucklers than Kelly] Roberto Cobo - Los Olvidados ActressGloria Swanson - Sunset Blvd.*** Judy Holliday - Born YesterdayGloria Graham - In a Lonely PlaceBetty Grable - Wabash Avenue [i was surprised how funny she was in this] Supporting Actor Neville Brand - D.O.A.*** [later typecast as a maniac, but there are worse things to specialize in] George Sanders - All About Eve Dan Duryea - Winchester '73 Francois Perier - Orpheus Supporting Actress Josephine Hull - Harvey*** Noriko Honma - Rashomon [some wild expressions from her as the psychic] Nina Koshetz - It's a Small World Renee Cosima - Les Enfants Terribles 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 (edited) Supporting Actor Francois Perier - Orpheus It's been a while since I've seen Orpheus. Who did Perier play? The only people I recall from the film were the main guy and his Eurydice. Edit: Nevermind. I looked it up, and now I recall him. Edited June 25, 2016 by LawrenceA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimpole Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 ActorGeorge Sanders, All About EveHumphrey Bogart, In a Lonely Place1949 movie nominated in 1950 Joseph Cotton, The Third ManWilliam Holden, Sunset Blvd.Gregory Peck, The GunfighterSubstitute for CottonSterling Hayden, The Asphalt Jungle Runner-ups: Jean Marais, (Orpheus) Richard Widmark (Night and the City), John Dall (Gun Crazy), Burt Lancaster (The Flame and the Arrow), James Stewart (Winchester 73), Dana Andrews (Where the Sidewalk Ends) ActressGloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd.Bette Davis, All About EveIngrid Bergman, StromboliAnne Baxter, All About EvePeggy Cummins, Gun CrazyRunner-Ups: Gloria Grahame (In a Lonely Place), Alida Valli (The Third Man), Maria Casares (Orpheus), Betty Hutton (Annie Get Your Gun), Machiko Kyo (Rashomon), Nicole Stephane (Les Enfants Terrible)Supporting ActorAnton Walbrook, La Ronde1949 movie nominated in 1950: Orson Welles, The Third ManTakashi Shimura, RashomonErich von Stroheim, Sunset Blvd.Severnlo Pisacane, The Flowers of Saint FrancisSubstitute for Welles: Sam Jaffe, The Asphalt Jungle Supporting ActressDanielle Darrieux, La RondeCeleste Holm, All About EveThelma Ritter, All About EveAlma Delia Fuentes, Los OlividadosEleanor Audley, CinderellaRunner-ups: Marie Dea, (Orpheus), Verna Felton (Cinderella)Not seen: The Magnificent Yankee, Caged, Broken Arrow, Mister 880 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
film lover 293 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 1950 Best Actor: John Dall in "Gun Crazy" Kirk Douglas in "Young Man With a Horn" James Stewart in "Winchester '73 William Holden in "Sunset Boulevard" Walter Huston in "The Furies"*** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Best Actress: Bette Davis in "All About Eve" Barbara Stanwyck in "The Furies"*** Peggy Cummins in "Gun Crazy" Jean Simmons in "So Long at the Fair" Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Best Supporting Actor: George Sanders in "All About Eve"*** Sidney Poitier in "No Way Out" Alastair Sim in "Stage Fright" Erich von Stroheim in "Sunset Boulevard" Vincent Price in "Champagne for Caesar" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Best Supporting Actress: Thelma Ritter in "All About Eve"*** Hope Emerson in "Caged" Joan Bennett in "Father of the Bride" Judith Anderson in "The Furies" Josephine Hull in "Harvey" 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess of Tap Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Favorite Acting Performances of 1950 Actress 1)* Gloria Swanson*-- Sunset Boulevard 2) Bette Davis - - All About Eve 3) Judy Holliday - - Born Yesterday 4) Anne Baxter-- All About Eve 5) Eleanor Parker - -Caged Actor 1)* James Stewart*-- Harvey 2) Spencer Tracy - - Father of the Bride 3) Sterling Hayden - - Asphalt Jungle 4) William Holden-- Sunset Boulevard 5) Broderick Crawford-- Born Yesterday 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess of Tap Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Favorite Supporting Acting Performances of 1950 Actress 1) * Hope Emerson* - - Caged 2) Celeste Holm-- All About Eve 3) Lee Patrick-- Caged 4) Billie Burke-- Father of the Bride 5) Jean Hagen - - Asphalt Jungle Actor 1)* Erich Von Stroheim*-- Sunset Boulevard 2) Sam Jaffe - - Asphalt Jungle 3) George Sanders - - All About Eve 4) Leo G Carroll - - Father of the Bride 5) Andy Devine - - Never a Dull Moment ( tie ) 5) Alastair Sim - - Stage Fright 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I want to mention the film Scandal for a moment. It's the other 1950 film, besides the widely known Rashomon, from Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. It's an early anti-paparazzi/anti-tabloid film. The story concerns an artist (Toshiro Mifune) who meets up by chance with a famous singer (Shirley Yamaguchi) at a resort. They innocently have a meal together, but some nearby paparazzi take pictures of them and publish them in a story that claims that they are engaged in a love affair. Yamaguchi's reputation is publicly tarnished, and an enraged Mifune hires a destitute lawyer (Takashi Shimura) to try and make the tabloid pay in court. It's a solid, small-scale film that is often overlooked when discussing Kurosawa's work. One of the reasons for the film's success is the performances by the terrific leads. Yoshiko "Shirley" Yamaguchi was an actress of talent and beauty who lived a colorful, eventful life. She was born in China to Japanese parents, and she originally parlayed her knowledge of Chinese custom and language to begin her acting career under the stage name Li Xianglan. After WWII, she reverted to her birth name, although she added the Westernized "Shirley" name for box-office appeal in the US-centric post-war Japanese film market. Ms. Yamaguchi was also a very successful singer, with several hit records all across Asia. In the 1970's she segued from acting into politics, and served in the Japanese parliament for nearly 2 decades. In Scandal, she brings a level of emotional depth and feminine vulnerability that made her a stand-out, and the viewer doesn't have trouble understanding why seeing this woman hurt would spur Mifune's character into his justice-seeking crusade. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoraSmith Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 ACTOR: 1. William Holden - Sunset Blvd. 2. Spencer Tracy - Father of the Bride 3. Toshiro Mifune - Rashomon 4. John Garfield - Under My Skin 5. James Stewart - Winchester '73 6. Humphrey Bogart - In a Lonely Place 7. Stewart Granger - King Solomon's Mines 8. Sterling Hayden - The Asphalt Jungle 9. Edouard Dermithe - Les Enfants terribles ACTRESS: 1. Gloria Swanson - Sunset Blvd.2. Bette Davis - All About Eve 3. Deborah Kerr - King Solomon's Mines 4. Anne Baxter - All About Eve 5. Elizabeth Taylor - Father of the Bride 6. Marlene Dietrich - Stage Fright 7. Betty Hutton - Annie Get Your Gun8. Jane Wyman - Stage Fright 9. Ingrid Bergman - Stromboli SUPPORTING ACTOR: 1. Erich von Stroheim - Sunset Blvd. 2. Robert Newton - Treasure Island 3. George Sanders - All About Eve 4. Sam Jaffe - The Asphalt Jungle 5. Dan Duryea - Winchester '736. Louis Calhern - Annie Get Your Gun 7. Leo G. Carroll - Father of the Bride SUPPORTING ACTRESS:1. Nancy Olson - Sunset Blvd. 2. Celeste Holm - All About Eve3. Marilyn Monroe - The Asphalt Jungle 4. Gloria Grahame - In a Lonely Place 5. Thelma Ritter - All About Eve6. Micheline Presle - Under My Skin 7. Joan Bennett - Father of the Bride BEST JUVENILE PERFORMANCE: 1. Bobby Driscoll - Treasure Island 2. Orley Lindgren - Under My Skin 3. Alfonso Mejía - Los Olvidados BEST EXTRA: 1. Bess Flowers - All About Eve 2. Buster Keaton - Sunset Blvd. 3. Alfred Hitchcock - Stage Fright BEST ANIMAL PERFORMANCE: Snake in King Solomon's Mines BEST CELEBRITY PLAYING HIMSELF: Cecil B. DeMille - Sunset Blvd. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Sunset Blvd. (Franz Waxman)BEST ORIGINAL SONG: Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole in Captain Carey, U.S.A.) BEST NON-ORIGINAL SONG: Anything You Can Do (Betty Hutton & Howard Keel in Annie Get Your Gun) BEST QUOTE: "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up!" (Sunset Blvd.) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 Here are my choices of the 86 films I've seen from 1950 for… Best Supporting Actress of 1950 1. GIULIETTA MASINA (Melina Amour), Variety Lights 2. NANCY OLSON (Betty Schaefer/”Miss Kramer”), Sunset Blvd. 3. CELESTE HOLM (Karen Richards), All About Eve 4. ELIZABETH TAYLOR (Katherine “Kay” Banks), Father of the Bride 5. KATHERINE WARREN (Mrs. Connors), Three Secrets 6. JOSEPHINE HULL (Veta Louise Simmons), Harvey 7. THELMA RITTER (Birdie Coonan), All About Eve 8. VICTORIA HORNE (Myrtle Mae Simmons), Harvey 9. FLORENCE DESMOND (Betty Sommers), Three Came Home 10. GOOGIE WITHERS (Helen Nosseross), Night and the City and... JUDITH ANDERSON (Mrs. Florence Burnett), The Furies PHYLLIS THAXTER (Lucy Morgan), The Breaking Point ODETTE JOYEAUX (Anna, “the Grisette”), La Ronde GINA MASCETTI (Valeria del Sole), Variety Lights MARILYN MONROE (Angela Phinlay), The Asphalt Jungle AGNES MOOREHEAD (Ruth Benton), Caged DANIELLE DARRIEUX (Emma Breitkopf), La Ronde JEAN HAGEN (Doll Conovan), The Asphalt Jungle MARILYN MONROE (Miss Casswell), All About Eve 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 1950 was the year in which James Stewart appeared in the first of his now celebrated series of five westerns with director Anthony Mann. But it's a pretty safe bet that if it had not been for the critical and box office success of this year's Winchester '73 there wouldn't have been any others. One of the most endearing aspects of Winchester '73 to me is the villainy portrayal by Dan Duryea as flamboyant Waco Johnny Dean. Waco Johnny, played by a forever smiling Duryea at his self satisfied best, is a dangerous fast gun, of course, with the usual western bad guy ethics (those of a rattlesnake). But he's also smart enough to lay low when he encounters someone (such as Dutch Henry Brown, played by Stephen McNally) who may be even a bit better with a gun in order to bid his time as to the right moment to strike (probably in the back). This is one of the great Duryea performances, in my opinion. Dan would appear in a lot of westerns afterward but never a better one than this. One of the reasons, too, that Duryea is allowed to flourish here is that he has some great dialogue. For example, there's this exchange between Waco Johnny and Lola Manners, played by Shelley Winters in her early "sexy" days on the screen: Waco Johnny: What was I saying? Lola: You were talking about yourself. Waco Johnny: Where did I stop? Lola: You didn't. But you can now. I know all about Waco Johnny Dean, the fastest gun in Texas. Waco Johnny: Texas? Lady, why limit me? That's right. Duryea was also allowed to bring some smart a s s humour to his smarminess, and it made for a memorable combination. In fact, is there any scene in the film that is better remembered than Duryea's encounter with hardened good guy Jimmy Stewart in a bar? Stewart's character is looking to find Dutch Henry, has reason to believe that Waco Johnny knows here he can be found but when he asks him about it gets plenty of attitude, as only Dan Duryea can provide. Then, in a genuinely shocking moment that most don't see coming, Stewart suddenly slams Duryea's head into the bar while threatening to break an arm in order to get the information. But what makes that sudden burst of physical violence all the more unexpected, I think, is a little bit of business Duryea brings to the scene just before Stewart attacks him. As Jimmy is questioning him and Dan says, words to the effect, "What if I don't tell you?" Duryea is pouring a drink for himself and the drink overflows the glass. Duryea briefly looks down at the spill, and waves his hand to get the excess alcohol off it, then repeats his "What if I don't tell you?" statement to Stewart. The audience is momentarily distracted, along with Dan, by the spilled booze business. At that moment Stewart attacks him, and we are all taken by surprise, along with Duryea. I don't know if that spilled alcohol business was someone's invention at the time of the shoot (possibly Duryea's) or it was part of the screenplay, but, inconsequential as it may initially seem, bringing a small touch of reality to the moment, it is also significant in adding to the impact of the scene when things unexpectedly then turn violent. I wish that Duryea had had the opportunity to appear in more of the Mann-Stewart westerns because they were superior, intelligent affairs and Duryea's polish (most likely as a villain) would have only enhanced them still further. Nevertheless, I'm grateful that we do have Duryea's Waco Johnny Dean performance in Winchester '73, one that I nominated as one of the best supporting actor characterizations of the year. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 For example, there's this exchange between Waco Johnny and Lola Manners, played by Shelley Winters in her early "sexy" days on the screen: Speaking of Shelley Winters, I forgot to include Shelley's performance in 1950's South Sea Sinner (with Liberace in his first film as her accompanist) in my list, although I'm not sure where I would put it. A model of its kind. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Speaking of Shelley Winters, I forgot to include Shelley's performance in 1950's South Sea Sinner (with Liberace in his first film as her accompanist) in my list, although I'm not sure where I would put it. A model of its kind. I recently saw South Sea Sinner, a Sadie Thompson like affair, and found it entertaining in a second tier sort of way. Winters, deliberately dressed way over top at times playing a tropical trollop, has fun in her role, particularly when belting out a song before a rough 'n ready waterfront dive crowd. It's the kind of film in which Liberace playing a concerto before a posh crowd suddenly has an invisible orchestra join in and accompany him on the soundtrack. And, yes, he does have a candlebra on his piano. There's a big bar fight scene towards the end during which Liberace is playing the piano. I found it a hoot that there are several cutaway shots of him throughout the fight sequence, still playing the piano, not a flicker of emotion on his face to reflect the mayhem taking place around him. For some reason I didn't think to nominate his performance as one of the best of the year. I think I'll keep it that way. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I recently saw South Sea Sinner, a Sadie Thompson like affair, and found it entertaining in a second tier sort of way. Winters, deliberately dressed way over top at times playing a tropical trollop, has fun in her role, particularly when belting out a song before a rough 'n ready waterfront dive crowd. It's the kind of film in which Liberace playing a concerto before a posh crowd suddenly has an invisible orchestra join in and accompany him on the soundtrack. And, yes, he does have a candlebra on his piano. There's a big bar fight scene towards the end during which Liberace is playing the piano. I found it a hoot that there are several cutaway shots of him throughout the fight sequence, still playing the piano, not a flicker of emotion on his face to reflect the mayhem taking place around him. For some reason I didn't think to nominate his performance as one of the best of the year. I think I'll keep it that way. I haven't see the film in years! I remember the distinguished theater actor Luther Adler as the villain. Adler (brother of Stella and related to all those other Adlers) was in the original productions of many Odets plays. He was the original Joe Bonaparte in Golden Boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I haven't see the film in years! I remember the distinguished theater actor Luther Adler as the villain. Adler (brother of Stella and related to all those other Adlers) was in the original productions of many Odets plays. He was the original Joe Bonaparte in Golden Boy. Much to John Garfield's chagrin. Yet it was in '51 that Garfield, blackballed in Hollywood, was finally able to play the role of Joe Bonaparte when Golden Boy was revived for him, touring New England, to further play the role in early '52 in NYC, just two months prior to his death. Interestingly, there has also been some talk of Garfield being involved in an independent film production of On the Waterfront in 1951. Producers hoped to get Garfield at a cheaper price because employment was so difficult for him at this time in Hollywood. This was before Kazan and Budd Schulberg got involved in the project. Somewhere along the way talk of the independent production died away, and it became a Columbia property. Brilliant as Brando would eventually be in the film, the thought of Garfield as Terry Malloy makes the mouth water. There's an irony here, of course. In the eventual film version Malloy would talk before the cameras and give names while Garfield, in real life, never did, helping to seal his fate in those right wing political times. I wouldn't know if Malloy talked in any version of the story that Garfield may have read or had outlined for him (before Schulberg worked on it). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 My pick for Best Supporting actress of 1950 - Giulietta Masina pictured above with Peppino De Filippo from Variety Lights (1950). Masina and co-director Federico Fellini had been married since 1943. A few more of their films together will show up in my picks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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