Best Actor 1955: Results

5. Frank Sinatra in The Man with Golden Arm- Sinatra I will admit tries hard to do a good job here, but he never really succeeds. It is a challenging role which he does not meet the challenge.

4. James Cagney in Love Me or Leave Me- This is not a challenging role really, and Cagney plays it as well as possible. He is properly mean as the rather simple gangster, it is not much of a character but Cagney does a fine job with it.

3. James Dean in East of Eden- Mr. Mannerisms himself certainly has a lot of mannerism in his fairly over the top performance, now I probably would not let anyone else get away with a performance like this but something about Dean and the character of Cal make it work.

2. Spencer Tracy in A Bad Day at Black- Probably his best work, Tracy is brilliant here in a completely understated role. He has a magnetic presence in this film, and somehow controls the scenes even though he only ever raises his voice once.

1. Ernest Borgnine in Marty- Borgnine is just brilliant as Marty. He gives a very realistic and heartfelt of performance. He is brilliant at showing all of who Marty his from his frustrations, to the real joy he has when he finally finds love. Simply a great performance.

Deserving Performances:
Robert Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter

Best Actor 1955: Frank Sinatra in The Man With the Golden Arm

Frank Sinatra received his second and final Oscar nomination for portraying Frankie Machine in The Man With the Golden Arm.

The Man with the Golden Arm is a film that has some good moments but it is a bit dull at other times, and it bit too repetitive.

Frank Sinatra plays here a heroin addict who has kicked the habit and wants to become a drummer, but finds that getting away from the drugs is harder than he would have expected. Apparently Sinatra commented that this performance would have been more deserving of an Oscar than his one in From Here to Eternity. I will agree that this performance is better than that one but that this one would not have been deserving either. Sinatra here begins the film as Frankie as he tries to make something of himself. Sinatra is okay at best in these standard scenes, of the guy who hangs out in the wrong places. The problem with these early scenes is that his performance just merely is not that interested. It is not that bad it just is a bit boring at times, he really does not make his character into anything special.

Later though Frankie finds he will have bigger problems when he falls back into his heroine habit. Sinatra is okay showing his depression as he goes back into the habit but he never is that good. He has some big scenes involving him going cold turkey to get off the drugs. These scenes would be challenging for any actor and Sinatra really does not succeed but he does not fail completely. I am glad that he does not overact these scenes at all, he tries to just portray them realistically. But Sinatra does come off as a bit false, I can see he is clearly trying hard to play the scene realistically, he does not overdo it, but he never comes off as a man really going cold turkey.

Sinatra really never has a great scene in this film, his best scene is his last scene with Eleanor Parker. He still is not amazing but again he does a fine job showing how the character has grown from his experiences. Overall though his performance is sometimes a bit dull, and only okay at best. He tries his best with the difficult scenes but never fully succeeds with them. I want to say that I do not hate Sinatra as an actor completely. I think he was very good in Von Ryan's Express and great in The Manchurian Candidate. I think he tries hard here he just does not succeed. I really wish he had been great and I was hoping this performance was going to be like his in The Manchurian Candidate but unfortunately it just is not.

Best Actor 1955

And The Nominees Were:

Spencer Tracy in A Bad Day At Black Rock

James Dean in East of Eden

Ernest Borgnine in Marty

Frank Sinatra in The Man With The Golden Arm

James Cagney in Love Me Or Leave Me

Best Supporting Actor 1953: Results

5. Brandon De Wilde in Shane- Brandon De Wilde is a dull presence in the film, and every single line and reactions only take away from the film. He is suppose to be the heart in the film but fails miserably to ever be authentic.

4. Frank Sinatra in From Here To Eternity- Sinatra isn't overly endearing as Maggio but he does find an earnest chemistry with Clift. 

3. Eddie Albert in Roman Holiday- Albert technically does nothing wrong in his role, and does not take away from the film, but he basically is always just in the background taking pictures that is all.

2. Robert Strauss in Stalag 17- He is funny enough as the two man Pow comedy team, and he does not let his jokes actually interfere with more serious sections of the film.

1.  Jack Palance in Shane- The role he plays it not much but Palance puts the right amount of menace in his role as the villainous gunman. He is never required to all that much but everything he does do is as well handled as possible.

Deserving Performances:
Otto Preminger in Stalag 17
Ernest Borgnine in From Here to Eternity
John Gielgud in Julius Caesar
Jay Robinson in The Robe

Best Supporting Actor 1953: Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity

Frank Sinatra won an Oscar from his first nomination for portraying Pvt. Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity.

Frank Sinatra is Angelo who basically is just the friend who hangs out with Prewitt (Montgomery Clift). He likes his drinks and his parties and his character consists of very little more than that. Really played by Sinatra, Angelo is one obnoxious character  who I did not care for in the least, which means Sinatra fails quite obviously. Angelo is just annoying in every scene with his annoying voice, and his party guy mentality. I did not find him funny or care about his character in the least I was just bugged by him. In fact the first scene with Sergeant Fatso Judson (Ernest Borgnine) I more of sympathized with Fatso, and not just because Borgnine gives the better performance either. Because Sinatra as Angelo is far more annoying that Judson's piano playing ever could be. Angelo just always is bugging people and being obnoxious and is a character I really cannot stand. That is a major problem because the viewer is suppose feel very much for Angelo later in the film. Sinatra mostly just does his obnoxious behavior of look I am drinking and I am a wacky buddy character. That is until is final scene. He does not do the same routine but I really felt his last scene was poorly handled and was a pretty overacted scene by him. You are suppose to feel a loss from his exit in the film but all I felt was relief of no longer having to see his overacting. 

Re-watching the film I will say my old thoughts are a little harsh, but not too harsh. I still don't find Maggio incredibly endearing and I do think his final scene is definitely overacted. Where I think I didn't give him enough credit is his natural chemistry with Clift. That is where his performance does work to a degree as you believe their friendship and camaraderie more than enough. Where the two together do have this certain energy where you are granted their charge as a pair effectively and really the two getting pulled along as soldiers who find the fun in part within each other. Would I call it a great performance by any means, no, as again I do think his final moment is probably the weakest bit in the film, though softened by Clift's performance of the scene, but the rest of the time I think Sinatra is more than serviceable as the soldier whose mouth is bigger than his brains, though importantly you do believe him as this guy particularly as a friend to Prewitt. 

Best Supporting Actor 1953

And the Nominees Were:

Jack Palance in Shane

Brandon De Wilde in Shane

Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity

Eddie Albert in Roman Holiday

Robert Strauss in Stalag 17

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