Best Supporting Actor 1943: Results

5. Akim Tamiroff in For Whom the Bell Tolls- Tamiroff gives a far too simple approach as Pablo, and fails to bring the depth to part that could have easily been found.

4. Charles Bickford in The Song of Bernadette- Bickford is satisfactory enough as the priest who eventually comes around to helping Bernadette, particularly when he is doubting. His character never requires much though and frankly his more tender scenes seems a bit rough around the edges.

3. J. Carrol Naish in Sahara- Naish has an extremely limited role but manages to create a sympathetic portrait as well gives a passionate speech. Not much but he does a fine job.

2. Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier- Coburn gives a great comedic performance. He is completely steals every single scene he is in and makes the most of every opportunity he has with his character. 

 

1. Claude Rains in Casablanca- Rains gives an extremely flashy always trying to steal a scene no matter how he does it, and certainly does just that.

Deserving Performances:
Dana Andrews in The Ox-Bow Incident

Best Supporting Actor 1943: Akim Tamiroff in For Whom the Bell Tolls

Akim Tamiroff received his second and final Oscar nomination for portraying Pablo in For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Akim Tamiroff plays Pablo the leader of the group of rebels in the Spanish Civil War who Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) comes to join to blow up a bridge. Akim Tamiroff's Pablo is a rather weak willed man, who Tamiroff is perhaps just a tad too cartoonish in his portrayal since Tamiroff does his usual routine which is a combination of a craziness as well as some joviality.

Although this can work as just a side character in comedies or as a comic relief in other films here it does not really work so well. Tamiroff does tone down his usual style here, but really not enough to make Pablo either realistic or compelling. What I really do not like about his performance is the fact that Pablo could have been a pretty interesting character, but Tamiroff never reaches this potential like say Katina Paxinou does in the role of Pablo's wife and the eventual leader of the rebel group Pilar.

I suppose Pablo is appropriately weak willed and cowardly in the hands of Tamiroff, but there is really too much emphasis on this aspect of Pablo. Yes it is obvious that leadership would be taken from Pilar because of this but Tamiroff never makes any indication to how Pablo was ever their leader to begin with he seems too much like a clown much of the time, and too much like a loser most of the time. There is not even the slightest hint to Pablo ever being a strong man or a leader.

Tamiroff though fails more thoroughly when Pablo comes off as a dangerous man who you have no idea what he is going to do. Tamiroff never seems brutal, or sinister enough to give Pablo's actions any emotional weight. Tamiroff always remains far far too simplistic and never manages to bring the complexity of the character to life. Pablo perhaps could have been a fascinating character in his unpredictability, but Tamiroff never brings more than a paper thin characterization to the part.

Best Supporting Actor 1943

And the Nominees Were:

Claude Rains in Casablanca

Akim Tamiroff in For Whom the Bells Tolls

Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier

J. Carrol Naish in Sahara

Charles Bickford in The Song of Bernadette

Best Supporting Actor 1936: Results

5. Mischa Auer in My Man Godfrey- Auer's whole purpose is to be funny, and I never found him to be so.

4. Stuart Erwin in Pigskin Parade- I sort of liked Erwin's performance as the hill billy football star because he did not go over the top, but he was not exactly amazing either.

3. Akim Tamiroff in The General Died at Dawn- Tamiroff at least does not go over the top with his Chinese general but he is so stiff that his performance never holds much interest.

2. Basil Rathbone in Romeo and Juliet- Rathbone is fine as Tybalt, although not great, but than again Tybalt is not much of a character. 

1. Walter Brennan in Come and Get It- Brennan accent is not perfect and his role becomes too reduced for most of the film, but he is incredibly strong in the early scenes when he needs to be.

Deserving Performances:
Frank Morgan in The Great Ziegfeld
Peter Lorre in Secret Agent
Robert Young in Secret Agent

Best Supporting Actor 1936: Akim Tamiroff in The General Died at Dawn

Akim Tamiroff received his first Oscar nomination for portraying General Yang in The General Died at Dawn.

The General Died at Dawn is a strangely dull film despite having unique editing and a complicated story, although I will admit the version I watched really needed restored sound.

Akim Tamiroff portrays an evil Chinese warlord called General Yang. Now there were only a few ways non Asians generally played Asians. There was more offensive over the top way of say Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's or the stone faced way of Boris Karloff as Fu Manchu. Tamiroff plays Yang in the latter sort of way. He is always very stiff and very strict in his manner and his accent. The most he strives from this really is a sly smile now and again.

I will admit that its better that he did not go over the top, but at the same time he is a bit dull. He sticks too closely to his single way the whole time, and he never creates that interesting character in General Yang. He keeps in character though which is something, and he is never exactly bad, but never that good. His best scene is his last scene where he shows a little more emotion but still very little. He never creates more in his strict character than what is expected, causing his performance to be fine but never interesting.

Best Supporting Actor 1936

And the first ever nominees in this category were:

Mischa Auer in My Man Godfrey

Basil Rathbone in Romeo and Juliet

Akim Tamiroff in The General Died at Dawn

Stuart Erwin in The Pigskin Parade

Walter Brennan in Come and Get It

Who do you pick? What do you predict my ranking will be?