Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1954: Results

5. Clifton Webb in Three Coins in a Fountain- Webb is a bit wasted in his film, but he does well to create a warmer take on his most frequent role as a snobbish intellectual.

Best Scene: Shadwell confesses both his love and the fact that he is dying. 

4. Raymond Burr in Rear Window- Burr certainly gets help from his director, but in very key moments his performance as well amplifies power of his character within the film.

Best Scene: Thorwald notices Jeff.

3. Fred MacMurray in The Caine Mutiny- MacMurray makes for an excellent villain playing the part with such charm that he tricks you into thinking that he is not even the villain.

Best Scene: Keefer suggests the officers mutiny. 

2. Peter Lorre in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea- Lorre is a very likable and lends some very nice lighthearted relief in his film as the endearing sidekick Conseil.

Best Scene: Any scene between Conseil and Ned Land.

1. Van Johnson in The Caine Mutiny-Johnson gives the best performance not nominated for an Oscar this year through his moving down to earth portrayal of a man who tries to do the right thing despite tremendous pressures all around him.

Best Scene: Maryk takes the stand in his court martial. 

Overall Rank:

1. Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai 
2. Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny
3. Rod Steiger in On the Waterfront
4. Lee J. Cobb in On the Waterfront
5. Karl Malden in On The Waterfront
6. Alastair Sim in An Inspector Calls
7. Fredric March in Executive Suite
   
8. Peter Finch in The Detective
9. Van Johnson in The Caine Mutiny
10. Peter Lorre in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
11. Kuroemon Onoe in Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
12. Richard Basehart in La Strada
13. Fred MacMurray in The Caine Mutiny
14. Raymond Burr in Rear Window
15. Ken Uehara in Sound of The Mountain
16. Van Johnson in Brigadoon 
17. Geoffrey Keen in Carrington V.C
18. John Williams in Dial M For Murder  
19. Eitaro Shindo in The Crucified Lovers
20. Jose Ferrer in The Caine Mutiny 
21. Geoffrey Keen in Doctor in the House
22. Louis Calhern in Executive Suite
23. Clifton Webb in Three Coins in a Fountain
24. Edmund Gwenn in Them!
25. Rene Dary in  Touchez Pas Au Grisbi
26. John Williams in Sabrina 
27. Allen Cuthbertson in Carrington V.C
28. Brian Worth in An Inspector Calls
29. Robert Cummings in Dial M For Murder
30. Minoru Chiaki in Seven Samurai
31. Bryan Forbes in An Inspector Calls
32. Isao Kimura in Seven Samurai  
33. Lee Marvin in The Raid
34. Emile Meyer in Riot in Cell Block 11
35. Broderick Crawford in Human Desire
36. John Hamilton in On the Waterfront 
37. Paul Fix in The High and the Mighty
38. Walter Pidgeon in Executive Suite 
39. Otto Kruger in Magnificent Obsession
40. Seiji Miyaguchi in Seven Samurai
41. Pat Henning in On the Waterfront 
42. Alexander Knox in The Divided Heart
43. Yoshio Inaba in Seven Samurai 
44. Lino Ventura in Touchez Pas Au Grisbi
45. Robert Newton in The High and the Mighty 
46. Geoffrey Keen in The Divided Heart
47. James Robertson Justice in Doctor in the House
48. Walter Brennan in The Far Country
49. Paul Douglas in Executive Suite
50. Rentaro Mikuni in Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
51. Richard Widmark in Broken Lance
52. Ernest Borgnine in Johnny Guitar
53. Donald Houston in Doctor in the House
54. Arthur Young in An Inspector Calls
55. Walter Hampden in Sabrina
56. Dean Jagger in Executive Suite 
57. Edmond O'Brien in The Barefoot Contessa
58. Wendell Corey in Rear Window 
59. Brock Peters in Carmen Jones
60. Harry Morgan in The Glenn Miller Story 
61. Charles Bronson in Vera Cruz
62. Ernest Borgnine in Vera Cruz 
63. Robert Stack in The High and the Mighty
64. Paul Muller in Journey to Italy
65. John McIntire in The Far Country
66. William Holden in The Country Girl 
67. Cesar Romero in Vera Cruz 
68. Jack Carson in Phffft
69. Dean Jagger in White Christmas
70. Charles Bickford in A Star is Born 
71. Cecil Parker in The Detective 
72. E.G. Marshall in Broken Lance
73. Russ Tamblyn in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
74. Noah Beery Jr. in The Black Dakotas
75. Rory Calhoun in River of No Return
76. Tom Tully in The Caine Mutiny
77. Sidney Blackmer in The High and the Mighty
78. Louis Jordan in Three Coins in a Fountain
79. Jack Carson in A Star is Born 
80. John Broomfield in The Black Dakotas
81. Rossano Brazzi in Three Coins in a Fountain

Next Year:  1993 supporting

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1954: Clifton Webb in Three Coins in a Fountain

Clifton Webb did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying John Frederick Shadwell in Three Coins in a Fountain.

Three Coins in a Fountain is a very breezy film about three women trying to find love in Rome. I can't say it is particularly compelling especially since two of three relationships in the film are quite dull.

Clifton Webb here once again portrays a upper crust character who certainly has a high opinion of himself. I would say that the writer John Frederick Shadwell is considerably less into himself than Waldo Lydecker, his character in Laura, or that of Mr. Belvedere in Sitting Pretty. In fact this is very much a character in the vein of the type Webb tended to play, but actually Webb shows his ability to soften his characterization quite well. Shadwell still is very assured of his own intelligence, but Webb does well in softening the edge of his usual manner here.

John Frederick Shadwell does not appear all that often in the film, and certainly has the least amount of screen time out of the three men. This is unfortunate as he is the most interesting of the three, he as well does not really get his part in the film until late into the last third of the film. Webb actually does well in doing his usual thing, because like John Gielguld he was simply very good at being the upper crust sort so why not cast him in such a role. The role simply suits Webb's style perfectly, but he does well in not giving the exact same performance as his other earlier performances.

Webb actually is quite good in being a warmer sort of intelligentsia. He still critiques and constantly presents his opinion in an incisive manner, but here Webb dials back the cynicism taking an honestly more charming approach. Webb shows that Shadwell does not mind flaunting his knowledge by he tries to be nice and considerate about it as much as he is able to do so. It actually is quite difficult to make what is a very snobbish character likable, but Webb does here in a similar manner to the way John Gielgud did in Arthur. He is not quite on the level of that performance here, but he does the nicer snob well.

Webb does not really become a part of the romance aspect of the film until very late in it when his secretary Miss Francis (Dorothy Maguire) finally indicates her love for him, but at the same he finds he is in all very likely hood he is terminally ill. I must say despite being given the least amount of time I actually cared about this romance far more than the other two. Webb and Maguire are actually quite nice together because they do not try to push on the romantic elements of their relationship, and because of that their relationship feels a little more natural actually.

Webb and Maguire are given the short end of the stick as they are forced to do something with the extremely limited amount of time they have. They do make the most of it in that I found their's far more moving than the other two in the film, which felt rather forced. The limitations of the role do bare down on Webb's performance which never becomes as substantial as it might of been if the film had not put him in the back seat in favor of lesser performances. This still is a good performance by Clifton Webb, and it does well in showing that there is more than just one way to play a snob.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1954

And the Nominees Were Not:

Peter Lorre in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Raymond Burr in Rear Window

Clifton Webb in Three Coins in The Fountain

Van Johnson in The Caine Mutiny

Fred MacMurray in The Caine Mutiny

Best Supporting Actor 1944: Results

5. Monty Woolley in Since You Went Away- Woolley although limited by his screentime does gives a nice humorous performance as a stuffy man who becomes less stuffy.

4. Hume Cronyn in The Seventh Cross- Hume Cronyn has a fairly simple role as an average man trying to help his friend, but he makes the most of it. He gives a convincing performance effectively finding the quiet decency of his character.

3. Claude Rains in Mr. Skeffington- Although Rains has to contest with a wildly overacting co-star he does far more than hold his own as he creates a genuinely moving portrait as the titular character.

2. Clifton Webb in Laura- Webb is almost perfect throughout having the perfect superior demeanor throughout the film. He creates a memorable character and even though his final scene could have been even better this is still a strong performance.

1. Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way- After almost winning the lead category for this year I find it very easy to give Fitzgerald his deserved win for the category he belongs. He gives a simply wonderful supporting performance that is a humorous warm performance that could not be better.

Deserving Performances:
Edward G. Robinson in Double Indemnity
William Bendix in Lifeboat
Peter Lorre in Arsenic and Old Lace

Best Supporting Actor 1944: Clifton Webb in Laura

Clifton Webb received his first Oscar nomination for portraying Waldo Lydecker in Laura.

Laura tells the investigation of the murder of a young advertising executive Laura (Gene Tierney).

I should mention this review really must have spoilers  for the mystery of Laura. Though one can usually guess who the killer is in a mystery when there was someone nominated in the best supporting actor category. Clifton Webb portrays Waldo Lydecker a newspaper columnist who knows how to easily spew venom and way he wishes whenever he wishes to. Webb could not be better cast for the role as he challenges John Gielgud for being the King of portraying stuffy upper class individuals with quite a superiority complex.

Webb never leaves an moment open for when Waldo is on screen to question to question whom Waldo believes to be the smartest man in the room. Webb does not exactly control every scene with his presence which would be wrong for Waldo actually, but he is always part of the room that you cannot ignore. Webb always has the right emphasis with every single one of Waldo's snarky comments that he comes up with in all of his scenes. Webb always has the right demeanor in these moments as he shows that Waldo does this effortlessly.

Webb keeps Waldo as a bit of a enigma as he should be, in that he never gives away exactly who Waldo is in detail. Yes he is a pompous columnist which Webb displays in spades, but Webb never does leave a bit of mystery behind the man that may or may not contribute to his motivations. Although Webb never makes Waldo not a suspect he never makes it obvious that he will be the villain in the end. Yes it is clear that he is a rather low life sort of man who seems to try to prey on people's weaknesses and manipulating others is not beyond him. Webb never shows it as evil, but rather that is simply the way Waldo is.

An interesting criticism that the film sometimes receives is that Webb who was gay in real life does not seem like ever a romantic possibility with Laura. Well firstly I would say Webb could portray a straight person well enough when he wanted to like in Cheaper by the Dozen he is a believable father and husband. On the other hand in Sitting Pretty the plot point about the town gossip about Webb's character and the housewife played by Maureen O'Hara seemed implausible because, well its Clifton Webb. Even though Clifton Webb is Waldo, and Waldo is suppose to love Laura, I would say Webb still does make the relationship work in his own way.

Although Webb does show that Waldo loves Laura, and that he is the only one who want Laura it is only in his own particular and strange fashion. Webb never seems to show any sexual sort of desire for Laura though as almost he is above that sort of thing. Even in his fits of jealously over Laura he never shows it as a jilted lover but rather the reaction of a man who believes his possession is being tampered with. That really is the key to Webb's portrayal in that he shows a love for Laura by Waldo an intense unwavering one, but as he would for his prize not for a woman he loves.

His sort of love he shows for Laura also factors in perfectly to when it reveals he is in fact the man who murdered the woman. After all it never shows Laura really reject Waldo, it more of shows that she never really considers him, after all he is played by Clifton Webb. Webb creates Waldo relationship with Laura into something that could only really ended in one way since she is not a painting but a human being. This leads to his final scene where he again decides to murder. Webb shows a darker side to Waldo here, and I would by lying if I would to say it is a wholly satisfying conclusion scene for Webb. I do love his final goodbye which perfectly realizes the underlying insanity of Waldo, but I just feel when he threatens her he perhaps just could have been a little better as it seems just a little below Waldo. Nevertheless Webb still gives a terrific performance that creates a memorable character that serves his film just about perfectly.

Best Supporting Actor 1944

And the Nominees Were:

Claude Rains in Mr. Skeffington

Clifton Webb in Laura

Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way

Monty Woolley in Since You Went Away

Hume Cronyn in The Seventh Cross 

Best Supporting Actor 1946: Results

5. William Demarest in The Jolson Story- Demarest has a simple role as a supportive mentor, he is properly supportive but little is asked of him.

4. Clifton Webb in The Razor's Edge- Webb has a simple role as a pompous snob, which is portrays with proper snobbishness but again like Demarest little is asked of him.

3. Charles Coburn in The Green Years- Coburn's gives an entertaining and warm performance. He realizes his particular character quite well that only succeeds in adding to his film.

2. Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives- Harold Russell gives a terrific heartbreaking performance that never fails to be moving.

1. Claude Rains in Notorious- Good prediction RatedRStar. The top two of this year are both absolutely terrific heartbreaking performances. What I find amazing about Rains though is that his character never had to be heartbreaking to begin with since he portrays a villain. Rains is astounding in his ability to give both a chilling villainous performance as well as give a sympathetic portrait and turns his character into almost a tragic man.

Deserving Performances:
Henry Travers in It's a Wonderful Life
Lionel Barrymore in It's a Wonderful Life

Best Supporting Actor 1946: Clifton Webb in The Razor's Edge

Clifton Webb received his second Oscar nomination for portraying Elliott Templeton in The Razor's Edge.

The Razor's Edge is a very bad film that tells the story of a troubled War vet ran who takes a personal journey to find the meaning of life.

Clifton Webb was apparently the go to snobbish society type before John Gielgud took over that perpetual role. The character of Elliott Templeton is strictly within Webb's type, a snobbish fellow who looks down upon basically everyone else in someway. As one would except Webb is of course a pro at being the snobbish Templeton, and always has the right demeanor as well as superior attitude in each of his scenes.

Elliot Templeton as a role in the film is quite limited though to mostly making snide remarks about others going through the plot. Webb though always does indeed make the most of each of his moments. Webb is just the perfect snob, which is exactly what Templeton is suppose to be. Templeton though is not the greatest role still and does not do more than act as a snob until his death/ Oscar scene.

The placement of the scene actually is quite bizarre considering how he was just treated as a snob most of the time, yet the film suddenly wants you to have sympathy for him, either way though Webb does have a chance to show a weaker side to Templeton. Webb's final scene is a mix though. He overacts in one moment of it as he cries out that no one is coming to see him, but his last moments are well handled as Templeton regains his dignity.

As with so many performances nominated in this category there is not anything special in Webb's performance, and aside from a moment during his final scenes there is nothing wrong with his performance either. It is really standard work from Webb that suits the role, and is an entirely functional performance, but not one that ever stands out as something all that substantial.

Best Supporting Actor 1946

And the Nominees Were:

Claude Rains in Notorious

Charles Coburn in The Green Years

Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives

Clifton Webb in The Razor's Edge

William Demarest in The Jolson Story

Best Actor 1948

5. Dan Dailey in When My Baby Smiles At Me- Dailey's performance is okay but unimpressive when he is just trying to be charming, but when he tries to present the character's self destructive behavior he becomes quite bad.

4. Lew Ayres in Johnny Belinda- Ayres gives a nice pleasant performance as a really nice guy, it is not anything much more than that, but it is properly pleasant and warm.

3. Clifton Webb in Sitting Pretty- Webb gives a completely deadpan performance, which is quite amusing,effective and properly consistent.

2. Montgomery Clift in The Search- Clift's performance is much like Ayres, but I found it even more effective, in a really nice guy role. Clift portrays his part completely realistically, and has some very warm and honest moments throughout the film.

1. Laurence Olivier in Hamlet- Good prediction Dinasztie Laurence Olivier's performance is the only performance of these nominees that truly dominates his film, and his win really is the only option for me. Olivier is amazing from beginning to end as Hamlet, finding all the nuance, and complexity in the part. He never ever simplifies the part, even when he simplifies the play. This is a great performance by Olivier, and may just be his best.

Best Actor 1948: Clifton Webb in Sitting Pretty

Clifton Webb received his third and final Oscar nomination for portraying Lynn Belvedere in Sitting Pretty.

Sitting pretty tells the story about a husband and wife (Robert Young, Maureen O'Hara) who have trouble with their three rowdy kids. No one will be a nanny until they find one Belvedere, and it turns out he's a man, oh boy hi jinks ought to ensue especially with the gossipy town they live in.

Clifton Webb plays the male nanny Lynn Belvedere who only takes the job because he sees it as a challenge, and he is up for it being professional genius after all. It turns out Belvedere is the perfect nanny whipping those children into shape just about as soon as he gets there.Webb's performance is technically one note, a one note of a complete deadpan performance. And I will say I most certainly liked his performance because he stuck to his note so well. Webb never lets up with Belvedere always portraying as a none too modest fellow, who takes joy in the fact that he is a genius and no one else in town is.

Webb's performance is really thoroughly enjoyable and I got a kick out of several moments of his performance. This came mostly from some his reactions and eye gestures, with his bemusement over the more panicky attitudes of everyone else in town. I like the fact that Webb never lets up with his characterization, having Belvedere always look down upon everyone else, and having the perfect restrained delight well doing it. I never got bored, or annoyed by characterization, but instead I felt Webb really managed the a bit too into himself way of Belvedere in just the right fashion. I can't say this is all that complicated performance, since it is a dead pan performance. I think it was the perfect way to play the character though, in showing that Belvedere stays exactly the same no matter what. Certainly not an amazing piece of acting but an appropriately enjoyable one.

Best Actor 1948

And the Nominees Were:

Lew Ayres in Johnny Belinda

Montgomery Clift in The Search

Laurence Olivier in Hamlet

Clifton Webb in Sitting Pretty

Dan Dailey in When My Baby Smiles At Me