Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1960 for Best Actress

1960 best actress nominees range from the sublime to the ridiculous

#5

elizabeth taylor in 'butterfield 8'

'butterfield 8' simply put was trash. hollywood thought elizabeth was dying after a tracheotomy. paleeze!

even ms taylor said the film was crap and that she was awful in it. it may be the worst performance by a respected actress of all time.

it's a damn shame because two wonderful performances got left in the dark.

ms taylor for 'butterfield 8' is...
the ridiculous!

(in fact: the most ridiculous nomination and win in this field to date)

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#4 greer garson in 'sunrise at campobello'

definitely an also ran performance. it was ralph bellamy's film. ms garson has ms taylor to thank for not placing last.

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#3

melina mercouri in 'never on sunday'

ms mercouri shined as the ilya the proverbial 'prostitute with a heart of gold'. i still love watching her performance every now and then even as the film itself becomes more 'creaky'.

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#2

shirley maclaine in 'the apartment'

ms maclaine was a wonder as fran kubelik in 'the apartment'. it cemented her fate as leading lady and star. being nominated for this best picture winner certainly pumped up her resume.

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#1

deborah kerr in 'the sundowners'

what to do about deborah? ms kerr lost the oscar yet again but this time to a damn tracheotomy. i ask you, beg you, to watch the train sequence where ms kerr as ida, wife of 'sundowner' robert mitchum, eyes her compartment companion. without a single line of dialouge ms kerr lays bare to us ida's very being and her longings of all that might have been but never would be. a superb performance. ms taylor indeed!

the sublime

Celebrating 'Life' Magazine

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Oscarbation: Deborah Kerr

deborah received an honorary oscar after being snubbed six times as best actress.

Happy Birthday Deborah Kerr 9/30

Deborah Kerr died on Oct. 16, 2007. I had not yet begun this blog. Had it existed I would have done a major tribute to her. Why? Because she would have deserved it! Well it is never too late. So on her birthday I will begin with my number 8 favorite film 'The King and I'. That actually is the movie that introduced me to Miss Kerr. I would then work backward and then forward to view her films. In doing so I discovered one of the greatest actresses of all time.
It is said that when Louis B. Mayer met her he changed her name to Kerr because it rhymed with STAR. True or not it became the truth.

Deborah NEVER won an Oscar, Never!!! Along with Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole never winning, the shame of Oscar and it's often absurd choices continued.*
If there is a successor on film to Ms. Kerr it may be Kate Winslet another English Rose. Kate has yet to win the gold statue. The next time Kate is nominated and loses she will tie with Deborah for most noms most loses. Be careful Oscar you are too tainted already.
The biggest loose for Deborah was losing to Elizabeth Taylor for 'Butterfield 8;. Even Miss Taylor says it was "the worst piece of crap I ever made". Hollywood thought Liz was going to die after an emergency tracheonomy during the voting period. Deborah lost for 'The Sundowners' having given a pitch-perfect performance. Shame Shame Shame Oscar!
It's a somewhat lost fact that Deborah filmed the role without makeup. How many actresses would have done that at that time?

Over the next weeks I'll highlight some of my favorite Deborah movies. My recommendations. A variety as to drama, comedic ability and the power to make me me laugh, cry, think and keep me on the edge of my seat. She had it all and did it all. Film is a lesser place without her.

I give you Deborah Kerr







*(now although i think oscars often get it wrong i do get caught up in the hoopla as you will see at year end.)

'The King and I' is Number 8

I unashamedly say I LOVE MUSICALS. I love Broadway and the musical films that come from it. I also love some made just for film musicals. Most people and groups consider 'Singin' in the Rain' the best film musical. In all honesty it would not make my top 200. I don't get it.

My film musical experience begins in the 50's. 1954 brought '7 Brides for 7 Brothers', 1955 brought 'Oklahoma' followed by 'Carousel' and 'The King and I' in 1956 and finally 'South Pacific' in '58.. These five films formed my musical point of view. I still like them all but I don't love them all anymore. The brides and brothers seem too hokey now. 'Carousel' too stilted. Why the hell did they keep jumping from location to soundstage in the same scene? 'South Pacific' too corny. And what the hell was Josh Logan, director, doing with those color changes? Sheer madness. It is barely watchable nowadays. 'Oklahoma' does hold up though. But it is 'The King and I' that truly stands the test of time. This film continues to play like it came out in any given year you watch it.

So what about 'West Side Story'? I love it but just not more than 'The King and I'. Maybe if they got rid of that "Cool" number. That if for no other reason knocks this movie out of my top 10. You will all ask where your favorite is. Well they may yet show up. I'm not even sure yet as I am still formulating here. I really am taking taking this seriously the movie nut that I am.

As is my way I will first off SHAME the Oscars. The dismal, abysmal and long forgotten 'Around the World in 80 Days' won Best Picture in 1956. Gimme a break. Absurd, idiotic and downright insulting.

Score, costumes, cinematography, choreography, screenplay, orchestration, sound,sound mixing, direction and acting are all brilliant. And then there are Deborah Kerr the I and Yul Brynner the king. Yul will always be the King. Anyone else who plays the role is just fill-in. I also don't believe there will be another Anna as good as Deborah. She made Anna a fully equal sparing partner for the King as no one has before or since on stage. I say this with full apology to my old friend and neighbor Donna Murphy who won her second Tony for the role in the 90's Broadway revival. Great yes but no Deborah.

Now Mr. Brynner won the Oscar for his role here. Deborah did not. Why? There are two reasons really. The first is that Miss Kerr was not under contract to the producing studio, 20th century Fox and thus did not push for her to win. The second is the maddening reason. Ingrid Bergman made a return to Hollywood in 'Anastasia' after Hollywood, Congress and the Catholic Church publicly humiliated her for divorcing in 1949 and leaving her children. So seven years later Hollywood needed forgiveness and what better way than give an Oscar to the slandered party. So Ingrid in and Deborah out. The three other nominees were just fill-in in a lean year for women on film and at best should be forgotten like Carol Baker in 'Baby Doll'. God help us.
(p.s. congress and the church never apologized to Miss Bergman. But on second thought they did not have oscars to hand out.)

So here is just one of the six Deborah snubs. So I say to all nominees past and future if you feel you wuz robbed just remember you are in great company. I know that is no consolation but I try. And remember that your guess is as good as mine.

But enough....

If you do not know the film it's my pleasure to present to you my eighth favorite film: 'The King and I'.





The buildup to and then the greatest dance screen ever filmed: "Shall We Dance?".




Deborah as Anna


The King and Anna




Yul Brynner won Beat Acoto in '56 for being The King







Some Lobby Cards




The Black and White Gallery