Best Supporting Actor 1953: Robert Strauss in Stalag 17

Robert Strauss received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Stanislas 'Animal' Kasava in Stalag 17.

Robert Strauss plays Animal one part of the comedy team within the POW barracks of one Stalag 17, his partner in comedy being Harry Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck). A comedy pair that has only grown on my in each subsequent viewing to which I thought maybe they were a little much the first time but I found I've found their bits to be increasingly endearing. Very much working as a contrast to the darker comedic material and some of the darker plot wise material throughout the film. 

 

Strauss has more than a few more scenes where he is pretty good. He is a lively presence in the film which I enjoy all by himself. Also with his wild Animal behavior I actually do not think he does not go too over the top which could be incredibly easy. His outrageous behavior is as well handled as someone could, some of what he does works better than others at times, but again I never feel he really messes up in the film. In fact he shows a bit more range too. Such as just when he is in the more serious scenes in the film, he actually makes it so his joking presence does not interfere with the more realistic scenes and really works as part of the mean. Also one other scene that works well is when he reads a letter from home to a shell shocked soldier. Strauss actually has a nice subtle scene here that adds well to his performance. The followup scene of the gift to the soldier I found especially moving in large part just because of how warm and empathetic Strauss is in that scene. It's a performance that has only grown on me over time and I've come to even enjoy the most absurdist bits all the more in large part thanks to the energy Strauss brings here.