Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1975: Results

5. Leon Vitali in Barry Lyndon- Vitali gives a good performance being properly pompous but as well managing to be somewhat sympathetic by showing where his character is coming from.

Best Scene: Bullingdon duels Barry.

4. Charles Durning in A Dog Day Afternoon- Durning doesn't have much of a role, but he makes more than the most of it portraying the method of the police negotiator in a very compelling fashion.

Best Scene: Moretti tries to handle Sonny and the crowd. 

3. Max von Sydow in Three Days of the Condor- Max von Sydow is excellent in his portrayal of the cold calculated killer who we absolutely believe when he says his job is refreshing.

Best Scene: Joubert warns Condor about his possible fate.  

2. John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon- Cazale once again gives a great tragic performance. He is terrific in creating both a danger in that violence bubbling underneath the man, but as well the sadness by earnestly showing just how lost his character is.

Best Scene: Sal asks Sonny if they will really kill the hostages. 

1. Robert Shaw in Jaws- Good Prediction RatedRStar, Michael Patison, and JamDenTel. Although I loved the performances of Max von Sydow, John Cazale, George Burns and Burgess Meredith I did not have to think twice about who would be my choice for the year overall. Robert Shaw is amazing in the role of the Ahab like shark hunter Quint. He is outstanding every moment he is on screen giving an equally entertaining and heartbreaking turn. His delivery of the Indianapolis speech alone should have guaranteed him both an Oscar nomination and an Oscar win.

Best Scene: The Indianapolis monologue. 

Overall Rank:

1. Robert Shaw in Jaws
2. John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon
3. Max von Sydow in Three Days of the Condor
4. Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws
5. Burgess Meredith in The Day of the Locust
6. George Burns in The Sunshine Boys
7. Nicol Williamson in The Wilby Conspiracy
8. Brad Dourif in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
9. Bill Owen in In Celebration
10. Charles Durning in Dog Day Afternoon
11. Alan Bates in In Celebration
12. Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon
13. Brian Cox in In Celebration
14. Bruce Dern in Smile
15. Ugo Tognazzi in My Friends
16. Donald Sutherland in The Day of the Locust 
17. Claude Dauphin in That Most Important Thing: Love
18. Will Sampson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
19. Klaus Kinski in That Most Important Thing: Love
20. Leon Vitali in Barry Lyndon
21. Jacques Dutronc in That Most Important Thing: Love
22. Oliver Reed in Tommy
23. Cliff Robertson in Three Days of the Condor 
24. Fernando Rey in Seven Beauties
25. Dominic Guard in Picnic at Hanging Rock
26. Michael Palin in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
27. Keenan Wynn in Nashville
28. Christopher Lloyd in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
29. Murray Hamilton in Jaws
30. Lance Henriksen in Dog Day Afternoon
31. John Cleese in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
32. Phillppe Noiret in My Friends
33. Eric Idle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
34. Amjad Khan in Sholay
35. Sydney Lassick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
36. Henry Gibson in Nashville
37. William Redfield in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
38. Richard Attenborough in Brannigan
39. John Jarratt in Picnic at Hanging Rock
40. Wojciech Pszoniak in The Promised Land
41. Peter Eyre in Hedda
42. John Houseman in Three Days of the Condor
43. Christopher Plummer in The Man Who Would Be King
44. Graham Chapman in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
45. Jason Robards in A Boy and His Dog  
46. Richard Benjamin in The Sunshine Boys
47. Allen Garfield in Nashville
48. John Houseman in Rollerball
49. Patrick Stewart in Hedda
50. Sully Boyer in Dog Day Afternoon
51. Philippe Leotard in French Connection II
52. Strother Martin in Hard Times
53. James Coburn in Bite the Bullet
54. Saeed Jeffrey in The Man Who Would Be King
55. Bernard Blier in My Friends
56. Robert Duvall in The Killer Elite
57. Ned Beatty in Nashville
58. Bob Hoskins in Inserts
59. Ben Johnson in Bite the Bullet
60. Scatman Crothers in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
61. Sylvester Stallone in Death Race 2000
62. James Woods in Night Moves
63. Keith Carradine in Nashville
64. William Duell in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
65. Andrzej Seweryn in The Promised Land
66. Saeed Jaffrey in The Wilby Conspiracy
67. William Atherton in The Hindenburg
68. Jack Warden in Shampoo
69. Scott Glenn in Nashville
70. Burt Young in The Killer Elite
71. Harold Gould in Love and Death
72. Bruce Robinson in The Story of Adele H.
73. Jackie Earle Haley in The Day of the Locust
74. Danny DeVito in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
75. Ian Bannen in Bite the Bullet
76. John Huston in The Wind and the Lion
77. Hardy Kruger in Barry Lyndon
78. Michael Murphy in Nashville
79. Fernando Rey in French Connection II
80. Luther Adler in The Man in the Glass Booth 
81. Kenneth Mars in Night Moves
82. Gene Sacks in The Prisoner of Second Avenue
83. George Kennedy in The Eiger Sanction
84. Lawrence Pressman in The Man in the Glass Booth 
85. Patrick Magee in Barry Lyndon
86. James Tolkan in Love and Death
87. James Broderick in Dog Day Afternoon
88. Charles Durning in The Hindenburg
89. Edward Binns in Night Moves
90. Sylvester Stallone in Farewell, My Lovely
91. Harry Dean Stanton in Farewell, My Lovely
92. Robert DoQui in Nashville
93. John Ireland in Farewell, My Lovely
94. Brian Keith in The Wind and the Lion
95. Jack O'Halloran in Farewell, My Lovely
96. Stephen Davies in Inserts
97. Jan-Michel Vincent in Bite the Bullet
98. George Hamilton in Once is Not Enough

Next Year: 1975 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1975: Charles Durning in Dog Day Afternoon

Charles Durning did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning NBR and being nominated for a Golden Globe, for portraying detective Moretti in Dog Day Afternoon.

It is quite notable that Durning managed to receive a Golden Globe nomination and win the NBR for his performance in this film. The reason it is notable is that Moretti really isn't much of a part. He simply is the police negotiator who must deal with bank robber/hostage taker Sonny (Al Pacino). Clearly in the script Moretti was not meant to be much of anything since he does lose his importance completely from just one sentence from the FBI agent who replaces him. It is a testament to Durning's talent what he is able to do with role considering the film frankly could not care less about Moretti as a character.

We learn nothing about Moretti as a person. We don't know where he comes from we only know what it is that he is trying to do which is to keep the situation from escalating. This is a performance that is all about surface, this is not a criticism but rather the nature of the role. We never find out what Moretti really thinks about the situation we simply see that he is just going to do his best to reach a solution to it. Durning plays the negotiator in many ways, and is quite good in showing the methods of the negotiator. He plays Moretti in a variety of fashions, and effectively conveys the way that Moretti will try and get the hostages out.

The very time he talks to Sonny he is very firm and hostile as he tries to get him to immediately surrender, but after that clearly is not going to happen Moretti changes his tune considerably. Durning is excellent in establishing the way that the kind approach Moretti takes afterwards is just that an approach. It is not that Moretti is necessarily a nice guy, but rather the hostile approach clearly was not going to work so he has to change. Durning is very good in portraying how Moretti goes about talking to Sonny which is to keep him calm no matter what while trying to negotiate and push Sonny to release the hostages at the same time.

Durning makes Moretti both natural and artificial as he so gently speaks to Sonny. Although Durning makes Moretti genuine in that he genuinely wants to get the hostages out, but the artificiality comes in exactly how he speaks maybe too calmly and the way he always seems to be trying to make a certain eye contact and a physical closeness to Sonny. Durning gets across the way Moretti is just trying to play Sonny into seeing his way through almost a psychological conditioning as Moretti tries to seem like Sonny's best friend, even though he really is just trying to get the job done.

Durning is very effective throughout though and shows him realistically reacting to the situation and showing that Moretti can't keep up his method completely. He is very good in showing the frustrations he faces, and the believable reactions Moretti has throughout all the developments of the day. Durning is very compelling here in his own way creating an effective dynamic with Pacino and their back and forth throughout the day. It is a performance that adds a great deal to the whole of the film and makes the negotiation scenes properly come to life. Durning makes his own mark on the film despite this being such a limited role. His stamp is somewhat limited by the way his character exits with so little ceremony, but this a great example of an actor making something out of almost nothing.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1975

And the Nominees Were Not:

John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon

Charles Durning in Dog Day Afternoon

Robert Shaw in Jaws

Max von Sydow in Three Days of the Condor

Leon Vitali in Barry Lyndon

Best Supporting Actor 1983: Results

5. John Lithgow in Terms of Endearment- Lithgow although hindered by the fact he has few scenes and the film doesn't really care about him gives a good performance showing the simple love expressed by his character well.

4. Jack Nicholson in Terms of Endearment- This is probably a bit of a surprise, but I did actually prefer the two above. Nicholson is inconsistent and some ineffective in his performance at first relying far too much on his trade marks that never meld with his character. He though becomes much better later on capturing the joyous energy of his boisterous character well, as well as creating an interesting relationship with Shirley MacLaine.

3. Charles Durning in To Be or Not Be- Durning only needs to do one thing here and that is for him to be funny. He is funny in all of his scenes and his scenes with co-star Christopher Lloyd are the highlights of the film for me.

2. Rip Torn in Cross Creek- Rip Torn's succeeds in every way Gregory Peck failed to in the role of the real person who inspired Peck's character in the Yearling. Torn creates a unique vivid portrait of his backwoods character and he especially brings great degree of emotional weight to his final scenes.

1. Sam Shepard in The Right Stuff- Shepard win this year giving a great performance in The Right Stuff. Shepard absolutely becomes test pilot Chuck Yeager flawlessly bringing to life the uninhibited confidence and strength of the man. He speaks few words but he holds every moment he appears on the screen.

Deserving Performances:
Darren McGavin in A Christmas Story
Ed Harris in The Right Stuff

Best Supporting Actor 1983: Charles Durning in To Be Or Not To Be

Charles Durning received his second Oscar nomination for portraying Colonel Erhardt in To Be Or Not To Be.

To Be Or Not To Be is the Mel Brooks remake of the comedy about a group of actors who try to foil a Nazi plot in Warsaw Poland.

Charles Durning I must say must have been a popular, or very well liked guy during 82 and 83, since both times he was nominated for films in which he was the sole nomination. Also both films were unsuccessful in some way Whorehouse critically, this film commercially. Also just like his first nomination his role is quite small and only in a few scenes. It would seem there had to be some other reason he was nominated these two times, like people were not sure who to put in a blank spot and said I like Charles Durning I'll vote for him. I suppose why not as Durning is always a competent character actor, and at least this time he was nominated for the right performance unlike in 1982.

Durning portrays one of the many bumbling Nazis in To Be Or Not To Be who are fooled by the actors. I must say I enjoyed the three main Nazi villains who all are amusing in their own. Jose Ferrer was pretty good as a treacherous professor, and Christopher Lloyd has some very enjoyable scenes with Durning as an S.S. Captain and S.S. Colonel respectively. Lloyd being an absolutely no nonsense Captain following order and always claiming not knowing anything, whereas Durning is the more casual superior who is constantly blaming others for any problems or even sometimes even making a joke at Hitler's expense.

Durning is not particularly threatening, only Ferrer has any sort of menace as a villain, but that is really the point of his character. The Colonel is just suppose to be a comical character. Durning is enjoyable enough particularly in his exchanges with Christopher Lloyd with Durning being the more explosively comical one and Lloyd acting as the strange man. They both have a fun dynamic as the two act surprised at their failures with Lloyd being taken aback, and Durning always yelling at Lloyd to always try to remove any blame from himself.

Durning is also enjoyable when he is being constantly surprised by the various impersonations the actors do to fool him. Although most of what he does is make a surprised look, or plead not to have his Hitler jokes revealed Durning still manages not to be repetitive and I certainly did continually get a chuckle out of his antics. Also I will give Durning credit he really does not go over the top with his performance, and is probably funnier because of it. He is always a Nazi officer who is bumbler acting this way not just an actor doing crazy things as characters very often become.

I must say this is an entertaining performance from Charles Durning even though it is quite simple, but hey he stays funny in all of his scenes even if he only has a few of them. I would say though that he is not the best part of the film, combined with Christopher Lloyd he is the best part of the film, and alone he is just one of the most enjoyable films. I probably should say this is not the greatest comedy ever but I laughed enough to say it was still a good one and to his credit most of the laughs in the film came from Durning. This is not the most complex of performances but Durning certainly puts his all into being funny, and he is, so mission accomplished.

Best Supporting Actor 1983

And the Nominees Were:

Sam Shepard in The Right Stuff

John Lithgow in Terms of Endearment

Jack Nicholson in Terms of Endearment

Charles Durning in To Be or Not To Be

Rip Torn in Cross Creek

Best Supporting Actor 1982: Results

5. Charles Durning in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas- Durning although may be the best part of the film, still does not make a particularly substantial impact with his small amount of screentime, that is mostly made up of a very unspectacular musical number.

4. Robert Preston in Victor Victoria- Preston gives a standard Preston performance which most certainly is charming but also not particularly special. It is not even the best case of Preston doing Preston.

3. Lou Gossett, Jr. in An Officer and A Gentleman- Gossett is convincing and capable as an intense drill Sergeant, he also is very good in inserting subtle indications of the more humane characterizations of the man.

2. John Lithgow in The World According to Garp- John Lithgow never overacts in his role as a transsexual and instead gives a nicely heartfelt performance.

1.James Mason in The Verdict- This win easily goes to James Mason who thoroughly proves his strength as an actor in the role of the ace attorney in this film. He gives an excellent quietly dominating performance that creating the perfect sort of adversary in the film.

Best Supporting Actor 1982: Charles Durning in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Charles Durning received his first Oscar nomination for portraying the Governor in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

The Best Little Whorehouse is a rather hard to sit through musical about a long standing Whorehouse's problems with people who are against it.

Charles Durning portrays the governor of Texas who aside from a few very short and quite unremarkable  reaction shots really does not do anything in the film until way past half way through the film he finally does something because the governor of Texas is the person left with the decision to close the Whorehouse down or not, even though he really does not want to be the person left with the decision. Durning despite how little he is in the film is often described as the best part of this film, although that may be true it really says more about the quality of the film than the quality of his performance.

He really does not do anything till he is asked to make a decision on the Whorehouse something he does not really want to do since it gives him any sort of responsibility. So he says all of that in a musical number about side stepping the issue, in which he joyfully sings about his love of doing so, with short moments of saying absolutely nothing through just saying some random good politician type statements. I can't say the number is particularly well written or well directed but Durning does have some energy into the number but never enough that it makes the number at all memorable.

Other than the number he just is a southern inconsistent politician. Durning attempts to be comedic in his character's indecisiveness, but his material is frankly never good enough for Durning to do anything even slightly amusing with it. Durning does try though, and I will give him credit for that but even at his best his performance is nothing special. It never overcomes his material, and his performance is never anything that needed to be awarded. How he was nominated is a bit perplexing especially since they could have nominated him for Tootsie and it would have been far more deserving.

Best Supporting Actor 1982

And the Nominees Were:

James Mason in The Verdict

Robert Preston in Victor Victoria

Lou Gossett Jr. in An Officer and A Gentleman

Charles Durning in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

John Lithgow in The World According to Garp