Your Favourite Performances from 1929 to present are...

[Bogie56]

I find the number of outstanding performances (I've seen, at least) for best actress in 1961 to be severely limited, certainly compared to 1960, which wasn't a particularly impressive year either, for that matter. To transfer Loren's performance out of an already limited year for actresses makes 1961 seem even more barren.

 

I saw that Two Women was released in the last week of 1960 in Italy, before getting a U.S. release the following year. Because 1961 was, in my opinion, such a relatively weak year for best actresses, I'm going to keep Loren's strong performance there.

 

I would normally want to work in unison with other posters here (assuming others will be going for 1960, too, for Loren) but this time is going to be an exception for me.

 

Suit yourself but we have been doing foreign films the year of their release and not when sometimes they were released in the States many years later.  If it was released on December 31st, 1960 it would still be a 1960 film.

[Bogie56]

Here are the best of the decade choices for the 1950’s.

All had one vote unless indicated with ().

 

Best Actor

1954 Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront (2)

1958 James Stewart, Vertigo (2)

1954 Desi Arnaz, The Long, Long Trailer

1955 Laurence Olivier, Richard III

1955 James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause

1955 Robert Mitchum, The Night of the Hunter

1958 Zbigniew Cybulski, Ashes and Diamonds

 

Best Actress

1950 Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd. (3)

1950 Bette Davis, All About Eve

1953 Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday

1954 Lucille Ball, The Long, Long Trailer

1954 Ingrid Bergman, Journey to Italy

1957 Giulietta Masina, Nights of Cabiria

1959 Audrey Hepburn, The Nun’s Story

 

Best Supporting Actor

1950 George Sanders, All About Eve (2)

1955 Sal Mineo, Rebel Without a Cause

1956 Gunnar Bjornstrand, The Seventh Seal

1956 Timothy Carey, The Killing

1956 Henry Jones, The Bad Seed

1957 Sessue Hayakawa, The Bridge on the River Kwai

1958 Orson Welles, Touch of Evil

1959 Burl Ives, Day of the Outlaw

 

Best Supporting Actress

1953 Thelma Ritter, Pickup on South Street (2)

1951 Kim Hunter, A Streetcar Named Desire

1951 Shelley Winters, A Place In the Sun

1952 Jean Hagen, Singin’ In the Rain

1955 Jo Van Fleet, East of Eden

1955 Evelyn Varden, The Night of the Hunter

1956 Eileen Heckart, The Bad Seed

1958 Barbara Bel Geddes, Vertigo

 

Best Juvenile Performance

1952 Brigitte Fossey, Forbidden Games (3)

1956 Patty McCormack, The Bad Seed (3)

1953 Jon Whiteley and Vincent Winter, The Little Kidnappers

1955 Uma Das Gupta, Pather Panchali

[Bogie56]

It’s time for 1960.  We will be on 1960 for one week so plenty of time for everyone to respond.

 

Here are Oscar’s choices for 1960.  Winners in bold. 

 

Best Actor

 

Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry*

Trevor Howard, Sons and Lovers +

Jack Lemmon, The Apartment

Laurence Olivier, The Entertainer

Spencer Tracy, Inherit the Wind

 

Best Actress

 

Elizabeth Taylor, Butterfield 8*

Greer Garson, Sunrise at Campobello

Deborah Kerr, The Sundowners

Shirley MacLaine, The Apartment

Melina Mercouri, Never on Sunday

 

Best Supporting Actor

 

Peter Ustinov, Spartacus*

Peter Falk, Murder, Inc.

Jack Keuschen, The Apartment

Sal Mineo, Exodus.

Chill Wills, The Alamo 

 

Best Supporting Actress

 

Shirley Jones, Elmer Gantry*  

Glynis Johns, The Sundowners

Shirley Knight, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

Janet Leigh, Psycho

Mary Ure, Sons and Lovers

 

Haley Mills received special Oscar statuette for outstanding juvenile performance of 1960 for Pollyanna.  I believe that this was the last time the juvenile performance award was given out by Oscar.

 

+ IMO Trevor Howard belongs in the supporting actor category for Sons and Lovers.  I also agree that Janet Leigh’s performance in Psycho is a supporting one.

 

[Bogie56]

My choice for the Juvenile Acting award for 1960 is…

 

Eleanora Brown (Rosetta), Two Women.

[TomJH]

I didn't realize that Janet Leigh had been nominated as best supporting actress for her role in Psycho. I'm a little surprised that the Motion Picture Academy would categorize a major star such as herself in the supporting category since that might be seen by many as a slight to her star status.

 

I agree, though, she was, indeed, a supporting character in this film. This is, to me, quite a contrast to the best actor nomination given to David Niven in Separate Tables for 22 minutes of screen time.

[LawrenceA]

1960

 

BEST ACTOR

Anthony Perkins  Psycho****

Albert Finney  Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

Marcello Mastroianni  La Dolce Vita

Kirk Douglas  Spartacus

Spencer Tracy  Inherit the Wind

Toshiro Mifune  The Bad Sleep Well

Laurence Olivier  The Entertainer

Max Von Sydow  The Virgin Spring

Burt Lancaster  Elmer Gantry

Ralph Bellamy  Sunrise at Campobello

Jean Paul Belmondo  Breathless

Alain Delon  Purple Noon

Fredric March  Inherit the Wind

 

BEST ACTRESS

Shirley MacLaine  The Apartment****

Sophia Loren  Two Women

Hideko Takamine  When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

Melina Mercouri  Never On Sunday

Barbara Steele  Black Sunday

Anna Massey  Peeping Tom

Jean Simmons  Spartacus

Lee Remick  Wild River

Monica Vitti  L'avventura

Greer Garson  Sunrise at Campobello

Alida Valli  Eyes Without a Face

Deborah Kerr  The Sundowners

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Peter Ustinov  Spartacus****

Laurence Olivier  Spartacus

Eli Wallach  The Magnificent Seven

Charles Laughton  Spartacus

Fred MacMurray  The Apartment

Gene Kelly  Inherit the Wind

Alan Bates  The Entertainer

Tatsuya Nakadai  When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

Edward G. Robinson  Seven Thieves

Woody Strode  Spartacus

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Janet Leigh  Psycho****

Rachel Roberts  Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

Shirley Jones  Elmer Gantry

Jo Van Fleet  Wild River

Katina Paxinou  Rocco & His Brothers

Anita Ekberg  La Dolce Vita

Glynis Johns  The Sundowners

 

BEST JUVENILE PERFORMANCE

Eleanora Brown  Two Women****

[Bogie56]

Here are my choices of the 88 films I've seen from 1960 for…

 

Best Supporting Actress of 1960

 

1.  RACHEL ROBERTS (Brenda), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

2.  SHIRLEY JONES (Lulu Bains), Elmer Gantry

3.  BRIGITTA VALBERG (Mareta Tore, the mother), The Virgin Spring

4.  GUNNEL LINDBLOM (Ingeri/”Ingrid”), The Virgin Spring

5.  JANET LEIGH (Marion Crane), Psycho

 

6.  MARY URE (Clara Dawes), Sons and Lovers

7.  KATINA PAXINOU (Rosaria Parondi), Rocco and His Brothers

8.  KINUYO TANAKA (Mother), Her Brother

9.  HEATHER SEARS (Miriam Lievers), Sons and Lovers

10. STEPHANE AUDRAN (Ginette), Les Bonnes Femmes

 

and..,

 

GLYNIS JOHNS (Mrs. Firth), The Sundowners

KAY WALSH (Mary Titterington), Tunes of Glory

SUSANNAH YORK (Morag Sinclair), Tunes of Glory

MAUREEN STAPLETON (Vee Talbot), The Fugitive Kind

ANGELA LANSBURY (Mavis Pruitt), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

SHIRLEY KNIGHT (Reenie Flood), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

HYLDA BAKER (Aunt Ada), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

BRENDA DE BANZIE (Phoebe Rice), The Entertainer

VERA MILES (Lila Crane), Psycho

PENELOPE HORNER (Pat), The Angry Silence

BRIGITTA PETTERSSON (Karin Tore, the daughter), The Virgin Spring

SHIRLEY ANNE FIELD (Doreen "Dorie" Gretton), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

MARTITA HUNT (Baroness Meinster), The Brides of Dracula

NINA FOCH (Helena), Spartacus

EDNA MORRIS (Mrs. Bull), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

FREDA JACKSON (Greta), The Brides of Dracula

MARIE LAFORET (Marge), Purple Noon

ALIDA VALLI (Louise), Eyes Without a Face

NICOLE BERGER (Theresa Saroyan), Shoot the Piano Player

[TomJH]

My 1960 acting picks:

 

BEST ACTOR

 

Jack Lemmon, THE APARTMENT

Anthony Perkins, PSYCHO

Burt Lancaster, ELMER GANTRY

Laurence Olivier, THE ENTERTAINER

Spencer Tracy, INHERIT THE WIND

 

Honourable Mention: Robert Mitchum in The Sundowners, Kirk Douglas in Spartacus, Laurence Olivier in Spartacus, John Mills in Tunes of Glory.

 

BEST ACTRESS

 

Shirley MacLaine, THE APARTMENT

Deborah Kerr, THE SUNDOWNERS

Jean Simmons, SPARTACUS

Judy Holliday, BELLS ARE RINGING

Jean Simmons, ELMER GANTRY

 

Honourable Mention: Melina Mercouri in Never On Sunday.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

 

Peter Ustinov, SPARTACUS

Peter Ustinov, THE SUNDOWNERS

Fred MacMurray, THE APARTMENT

Eli Wallach, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

Charles Laughton, SPARTACUS

 

Honourable Mention: Jack Kruschen in The Apartment.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

 

Glynis Johns, THE SUNDOWNERS

Shirley Jones, ELMER GANTRY

Jo Van Fleet, WILD RIVER

Janet Leigh, PSYCHO

Janis Paige, PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES

 

Honourable Mention: Lillian Gish in The Unforgiven.

 

Best Ensemble Cast of the Year

 

Spartacus

 

[Bogie56]

Here are my choices of the 88 films I've seen from 1960 for…

 

Best Supporting Actor of 1960

 

1.  PETER USTINOV (Lentulus Batiatus), Spartacus

2.  PETER FALK (Abe Reles), Murder, Inc.

3.  TREVOR HOWARD (Walter Morel), Sons and Lovers

4.  CHARLES LAUGHTON (Sempronius Gracchus), Spartacus

5.  ELI WALLACH (Calvera), The Magnificent Seven

 

6.  ARTHUR KENNEDY (Jim Lefferts), Elmer Gantry

7.  ROGER LIVESEY (Billy Rice), The Entertainer

8.  GEOFFREY KEEN (Davis), The Angry Silence

9.  FRED MACMURRAY (Jeff D. Sheldrake), The Apartment

10. BERNARD LEE (Bert Connolly), The Angry Silence

 

and...

 

GORDON JACKSON (Captain Jimmy Cairns, MC), Tunes of Glory

DEAN JAGGER (William L. Morgan), Elmer Gantry

JOHN FRASER (Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas),  The Trials of Oscar Wilde

PETER USTINOV (Rupert Venneker), The Sundowners

CHARLES MCGRAW (Marcellus), Spartacus

R.G. ARMSTRONG (Sheriff Jordan Talbot), The Fugitive Kind

SAL MINEO (Dov Landau), Exodus 

MICHAEL CRAIG (Joe Wallace), The Angry Silence

MARTIN BALSAM (Milton Argobast), Psycho

JACK KRUSCHEN (Dr. Dreyfuss), The Apartment

ELI WALLACH (Pancho), Seven Thieves

HERBERT LOM (Tigranes Levantus), Spartacus

ERNEST THESIGER (Henry Hadlock), Sons and Lovers

NORMAN ROSSINGTON (Bert), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

JOHN IRELAND (Crixus), Spartacus

[kingrat]

If Two Women is a 1960 film, and if Bernadette Lafont (Les Bonnes Femmes) and Wendy Hiller (Sons and Lovers) have leading roles, then we have nine performances worthy of a Best Actress citation, by my calculation. I agree with Tom that 1961 will be much weaker, with little depth in the supporting categories, too. There were two Oscar Wilde films released in 1960, which naturally killed both of them at the box office.

 

Best Actor for 1960:

 

Anthony Perkins, PSYCHO****

Jack Lemmon, THE APARTMENT

Richard Attenborough, THE ANGRY SILENCE

Stanley Baker, THE CRIMINAL

Robert Mitchum, THE SUNDOWNERS

Marcello Mastroianni, LA DOLCE VITA

 

Honorable mention: Ralph Bellamy, SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO; Jean-Paul Belmondo, BREATHLESS; Alain Delon, PURPLE NOON; Kirk Douglas, SPARTACUS; Albert Finney, SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING; Alec Guinness, TUNES OF GLORY; John Mills, TUNES OF GLORY; Laurence Olivier, THE ENTERTAINER; Laurence Olivier, SPARTACUS; Toto, THE PASSIONATE THIEF

 

Best Actress for 1960:

 

Lee Remick, WILD RIVER****

Deborah Kerr, THE SUNDOWNERS

Anna Magnani, THE PASSIONATE THIEF

Sophia Loren, TWO WOMEN

Jean Simmons, SPARTACUS

Jean Simmons, ELMER GANTRY

Shirley MacLaine, THE APARTMENT

Wendy Hiller, SONS AND LOVERS

Bernadette Lafont, LES BONNES FEMMES

 

Best Supporting Actor for 1960:

 

Cyril Cusack, THE NIGHT FIGHTERS****

Peter Ustinov, SPARTACUS

Lionel Jeffries, TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE

Trevor Howard, SONS AND LOVERS

Ben Gazzara, THE PASSIONATE THIEF

 

Honorable mention: Noah Beery, Jr., INHERIT THE WIND; John Fraser, TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE; Bernard Lee, THE ANGRY SILENCE; Ralph Richardson, OSCAR WILDE

 

Best Supporting Actress for 1960:

 

Jo Van Fleet, WILD RIVER****

Lea Massari, L'AVVENTURA

Rachel Roberts, SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING

Esmeralda Ruspoli, L'AVVENTURA

Shirley Jones, ELMER GANTRY

 

Honorable mention: Anouk Aimee, LA DOLCE VITA; Florence Eldridge, INHERIT THE WIND; Janet Leigh, PSYCHO; Kay Walsh, TUNES OF GLORY

 

Virginia Ham Award for Overacting: Fredric March, INHERIT THE WIND (I blame this on the director; a skillful execution of a bad directorial concept)

 

[TomJH]

 

Virginia Ham Award for Overacting: Fredric March, INHERIT THE WIND (I blame this on the director; a skillful execution of a bad directorial concept)

 

Generally speaking, I admire Fredric March as an actor. But I agree with you, kingrat, that he really overdoes it in Inherit the Wind. His excessive on screen screen theatrics (which some might try to justify by the kind of character he was playing) couldn't be more contrasting to Spencer Tracy's superbly minimalist characterization.

 

I love Gene Kelly's aside at one point in referring to March's Matthew Harrison Brady as the only man he knew who could strut while seated. But at that point the script has March give him a look of annoyance as he overhears the comment, an act that, in turn, makes his character seem quite pompous and a bit foolish as the butt of the joke.

 

By the film's end, the viewer is supposed to feel sorry for Brady. But I found the March characterization so generally cartoony that it was impossible for me to feel any pity for him.

[Bogie56]

Well, i guess I'll scratch March off my list as Best Actor! 

[LawrenceA]

As the one person who has had March in Inherit the Wind among their nominees, I'll state that he is over-the-top, he is cartoonish, and that would normally be too much, except for the fact that I've seen more than a few politicians, preachers, and combinations of the two that were almost exactly like that characterization. Pompous, self-important fools who had only become more so as they aged, so that they were eventually near parodies of their earlier, charismatic selves, a sad state that they are usually the last to realize has come to pass. And that's why I nominated him.

[TomJH]

Well, i guess I'll scratch March off my list as Best Actor! 

 

 

"I protest!"

[TomJH]

As the one person who has had March in Inherit the Wind among their nominees, I'll state that he is over-the-top, he is cartoonish, and that would normally be too much, except for the fact that I've seen more than a few politicians, preachers, and combinations of the two that were almost exactly like that characterization. Pompous, self-important fools who had only become more so as they aged, so that they were eventually near parodies of their earlier, charismatic selves, a sad state that they are usually the last to realize has come to pass. And that's why I nominated him.

 

Maybe that's because they saw Fredric March in this film.

[JamesJazGuitar]

As the one person who has had March in Inherit the Wind among their nominees, I'll state that he is over-the-top, he is cartoonish, and that would normally be too much, except for the fact that I've seen more than a few politicians, preachers, and combinations of the two that were almost exactly like that characterization. Pompous, self-important fools who had only become more so as they aged, so that they were eventually near parodies of their earlier, charismatic selves, a sad state that they are usually the last to realize has come to pass. And that's why I nominated him.

 

Clearly March was a solid enough actor that he could have given a more nuanced performance in ITW.    I always assumed that the producer and director wanted (required) this type of over-the-top performance to make a political statement as it relates to the type of politician \ preacher you reference in your post.    Of course my view here is bias since I had no respect for the POV as presented by his character (as well as actual history). 

[TomJH]

Spartacus is my favourite of the big screen epics that were churned out by Hollywood during the late '50s and early '60s. It may not have a heart stopping chariot race sequence in it, but it has an intelligent, literate screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and a once in a lifetime cast, many of whom do outstanding work.

 

 

Of course, producer star Kirk Douglas deserves credit for Spartacus being the first film to have a blacklisted screenwriter's name appear in the credits. That took genuine courage on Douglas's part, it remaining an act for which the politically liberal actor remains justly proud. The screenplay's appeal to a respect for individuality also appealed to Douglas, something that would be explored to an even greater degree two years later by the actor when he collaborated again with Trumbo for Lonely Are the Brave.

 

With the removal of Anthony Mann as director, Stanley Kubrick (having worked with Douglas in Paths of Glory in 1957) was given this huge Hollywood assignment. Kubrick, however, was never satisfied with the final product, which was, apparently, much more the vision of producer star Douglas and, perhaps, Trumbo. This I find ironic since I regard Spartacus as one of the best films with which Kubrick would ever be associated.

 

The British members of the cast, Olivier, Laughton and Ustinov, have all been rightly celebrated for their brilliant contributions to the film, Ustinov winning his first Oscar in the process. But I think that Kirk Douglas also deserves strong commendation for his on screen portrayal. Not only did he bring the requisite muscularity to the title role (arguably the actor never looked more physically imposing) but he has scenes of considerable sensitivity, as well, quite unique for a feature of this nature.

 

And when it comes to sensitivity I feel that Jean Simmons is uncommonly fine here as well. She is not relegated to mere window dressing in this largely male epic full of testosterone, at times. She and Douglas have a marvelous scene in which she conveys her pregnancy to him. Both actors do themselves proud here.

 

Alex North's musical score is highly effective, particularly so in the film's opening titles, the visuals of a Roman statue's face crumbling at the end, combined with the music, both foreshadowing the gradual destruction of the Roman Empire.

 

For Spartacus lovers, I highly recommend watching these YouTube anecdotes by Peter Ustinov about the making of the film. He is highly amusing and informative here, with a wicked impersonation of Charles Laughton. He also reveals something here that I didn't know. He wrote the scenes in the film that he and Laughton share.

 

 

By the way, I attended a 2002 book signing of Kirk Douglas in Toronto. I recall it being a sweltering affair, with waaaay too many people standing in too small a room awaiting the actor's arrival. There were hundreds of people there, I swear, and I came close to leaving because I hate crowds. I felt like the eleventh person in an elevator that only holds ten. There were probably a dozen or so people carrying posters of Spartacus scattered throughout the room. There was no image of Douglas there more predominant than that one.

 

We all had to pay $25 in advance for Kirk's book, A Stroke of Luck, after which we were to have the book signed by the star. Following the introductions of the actor by his son, Michael ,and his wife, the very glamorous Catherine Zita Jones, Douglas then spoke to us. I can't recall much of what he had to say but I do know that he spoke of a time of great despondency in his life (either after his stroke or the helicopter crash, I forget which) in which he contemplated suicide.

 

He said that he placed the barrel of a gun in his mouth but, in doing so, banged his teeth. He laughed as he told us that what prevented him from pulling the trigger was the fact that he immediately pulled the gun out of his mouth because of the pain to his teeth.

 

I was about ten rows or so back from the stage where Douglas sat at a table to sign books. Security guards stood on the stage with him. No one in the crowd of fans could get near him. People were passing their copy of his book to the person ahead of them. The book would be passed hand over hand to the stage to be signed.

 

I handed my copy of the actor's book to the person ahead of me and watched it get passed on until it reached the stage. My beady eyes were glued to it as a security guard took it and passed it to Douglas, who signed it, then handed it back to the guard. I gleefully watched as the book was being passed hand over hand back towards me.

 

Suddenly, much to my horror, my book was gone. Someone ahead of me had snagged it for himself. A moment of panic overtook me, my $25 book now a souvenir of someone else in a crowd so thick it was difficult to even move. At that moment I saw someone's else's copy of the book being passed back near me. I leaped in the air and grabbed it! Dog eat dog stuff, I know, but, in that hot, sweltering room, I was not going to be denied an autographed book, especially since I had already paid for it.

 

I slowly wormed my way out of the crowd, most of whom were still facing the stage, looking for their own signed copies of Kirk's book.

 

After a while, though, I noticed that security guards were yellow taping off a section at the side of the room. Most, or all of the crowd, was still watching the stage where Douglas was signing the books. I had a hunch and moved over to the yellow taped off section. Sure enough, about 15 minutes later Kirk Douglas was walking down it waving goodbye to the crowd with security guards accompanying him.

 

As he passed by me I stuck out my hand and Kirk shook it. I was probably one of no more than half dozen in that huge crowd who got a handshake. And even today I recall the first words that passed through my mind at the time, "I just shook Spartacus's hand."

 

[kingrat]

Lawrence, your point is well taken. In real life, many politicians, preachers, etc. are indeed buffoons. If one were to play, say, a certain presidential candidate the way he presents himself in real life, one would probably be accused of overacting. It's valid to play Brady in that way, and given that premise, March carries it out faithfully to the best of his considerable ability, and it's not surprising that some of you have wanted to recognize that skill.

 

The problem for me is that that approach doesn't make Brady a very interesting character. Stanley Kramer doesn't go in for subtlety. He can take a good idea, such as using the popular hymn "Give Me That Old Time Religion," and by using it relentlessly over and over again turn it into a bad idea. Brady would be much more interesting if he were shown as a character with many different aspects: as intelligent as his opponent, sincere in his religious beliefs, a natural orator, a man slightly corrupted by a long career in politics, and so on. William Jennings Bryan used his oratorical gifts to champion the working man; not much of this makes its way into Brady. A duel of equals (Bryan vs. Darrow) is always more interesting than the battle between one man obviously right (Tracy) and a buffoon who's obviously wrong (March).

 

For my taste, the best acting in Inherit the Wind can be found in smaller roles, where two actors in particular bring considerable quiet dignity to a film much in need of that quality: Noah Beery, Jr. as the father of a young man who killed himself because of the harsh judgment of the local preacher, and Florence Eldridge as the woman who has loved both March and Tracy.

 

 

[LawrenceA]

Spartacus is my favourite of the big screen epics that were churned out by Hollywood during the late '50s and early '60s. 

 

On this we agree 100%.

[LawrenceA]

Edit: I'll just leave it alone, to avoid offending anyone.

 

Nothing to see here, just move along, move along...   

 

[skimpole]

Actor

Laurence Olivier,  The Entertainer
Anthony Perkins, Psycho
Jean-Paul Belmondo, Breathless
Jack Lemmon, The Apartment
Max von Sydow, The Virgin Spring


Runner-ups:  Montgomery Clift (Wild River),  Toshio Mifune (The Bad Sleep Well), Gabrielle Ferzetti (L'Avventura), Robert Mitchum (The Sundowners), Albert Finney (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning), Charles Aznavour (Shoot the Piano Player), Alain Delon (Rocco and His Brothers), Paul Newman (Exodus), Philippe Noiret (Zazie in the Metro), Kirk Douglas (Strangers When We Meet), Soumitra Chatterjee (Devi) , Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry), Alain Delon (Purple Noon)

Actress

Supriya Choudhury, The Cloud-Capped Star
Shirley Maclaine, The Apartment
Jean Seberg, Breathless
Monica Vitti, L'Avventura
Setsuko Hara, Late Autumn
 

Runner-ups:   Lee Remick (Wild River), Deborah Kerr (The Sundowners), Kim Novak (Strangers when we Meet), Sharmila Tagore (Devi), Marie Dubois (Shoot the Piano Player), Catherine Demongeot (Zazie in the Metro), Lee Eun-Shim (The Housemaid), Jean Simmons (Elmer Gantry), Eva Marie Saint (Exodus), Edith Scob, Alida Valli (Eyes Without a Face),  Hideko Takamine (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs)

,

Supporting Actor

Roger Livesay, The Entertainer
Fred MacMurray, The Apartment
Peter Ustinov, Spartacus, The Sundowners
Albert Remy, Shoot the Piano Player
Charles Laughton, Spartacus


Runner-ups:   Laurence Olivier (Spartacus), Michel Constantin, Jean Karaudy, Philippe Leroy, Raymond Meunier (Le Trou), Renato Salvatori (Rocco and His Brothers), Ralph Richardson (Exodus), Masayuki Mori (The Bad Sleep Well), Axel Duberg (The Virgin Spring),

Supporting Actress

 

Janet Leigh, Psycho
Jo van Fleet, Wild River
Gunnel Lindbloom, The Virgin Spring
Lea Massari, L'Avventura

Moira Shearer, Peeping Tom

 

Runner-ups:  Birgitta Pettersson (The Virgin Spring), Rachel Roberts (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning), Anna Giradot, Katrina Paxinou (Rocco and His Brothers),  Yuko Tsukasa, Mariko Okada (Late Autumn)


Not seen:  The Alamo, Sons and Lovers, Never on Sunday, Murder Inc, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

 

-------, In Contrast to TomJH, I had no trouble finding sufficient choices for both actress categories this year.  It doesn't matter which year Two Women is considered, because Loren just misses the cut-off in both of them.

 

------, I chose Olivier over Perkins, partly because the serial killer theme has not had a good influence on movies.

 

 

-------Albert Finney, Alain Delon, and Paul Newman all make their first appearances this year.  As it happens they all appear as runner-ups, given a rather strong year in all acting categories.  But that will change.

[TomJH]

 

-------, In Contrast to TomJH, I had no trouble finding sufficient choices for both actress categories this year.  It doesn't matter which year Two Women is considered, because Loren just misses the cut-off in both of them.

 

 

Actually, what I wrote is that there is little in the way of outstanding work in the best actress category for 1961.

[LawrenceA]

-------I understand why lots of actors appeared in Stanley Kramer movies and why they got lots of nominations.  But giving broad and simple minded speeches is not good acting, and shouldn't be mistaken for such.

 

Was this comment really necessary? It's more than a little insulting to those of us who happen to have some of those performances listed. it's possible to put forth your recommendations without ******** on other people's. At least, I've managed to so far. If everyone would prefer we take this in another direction, we can, and I can criticize and nitpick everyone else's choices. But all that seems to do is irritate people, at best, while adding nothing to the conversation, except perhaps for contempt for those who traffic in such personal observations couched as universal truths. 

[Bogie56]

This thread was meant as a forum to put forth our favourite film performances so that others may seek these films out if they have not already seen them.  It was not meant to be a thread to criticize actors or their styles or to debate other people's choices.   I was trying to point that out with my lame March joke.  There are plenty of other threads out there to do that in.   So, lets keep this on the celebratory track that has worked so well thus far.  Thanks.

[JamesStewartFan95]

Best Actor

Kirk Douglas, Spartacus

Jack Lemmon, The Apartment

Paul Newman, Exodus

Laurence Olivier, The Entertainer

Anthony Perkins, Psycho

 

Best Actress

Judy Holliday, Bells Are Ringing

Shirley MacLaine, The Apartment

Jean Seberg, Breathless

Jean Simmons, Spartacus

Elizabeth Taylor, BUtterfield 8

 

Best Supporting Actor

Martin Balsam, Psycho

Gene Kelly, Inherit the Wind

Sal Mineo, Exodus

Akim Tamiroff, Ocean's 11

Peter Ustinov, Spartacus

 

Marc Connelly, Tall Story; James Drury, Pollyanna; Karl Malden, Pollyanna; Adolphe Menjou, Pollyanna; Ray Walston, Tall Story

 

Best Supporting Actress

Glynis Johns, The Sundowners

Shirley Jones, Elmer Gantry

Janet Leigh, Psycho

Paula Prentiss, Where The Boys Are

Rachel Roberts, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

 

Agnes Moorehead, Pollyanna; Nancy Olson, Pollyanna; Reta Shaw, Pollyanna; Jane Wyman, Pollyanna

 

Best Juvenile Performance

Hayley Mills, Pollyanna