Alternate Supporting Actor 1947: Ranking

 The simple truth about this year is that there are not a great deal of performances that really stick out that need to be nominated. The lead performances just stand out with far more strength than the supporting ones. Even in a film like Odd Man Out, which has a solid supporting cast none of the supporting players hold attention nearly as well as James Mason's lead performance. That is the case for almost every film this year. I will instead just do five short reviews of some fairly random performances, since this year in film there just are not a great deal of supporting performances that stick out as something that really must be reviewed.

Kirk Douglas in Out of Past- Douglas gives an an appropriately devious performance as the film villain. He has a great deal of fun when his character is in control of the situation, but he dials it back properly when he is not. This is not on the level of Richard Widmark's work from this year, since Douglas is not in the film all that much. It is an effectively handled slimy characterization though, and Douglas adds a great deal to his film with his presence. 4/5

F.J. McCormick in Odd Man Out- Odd Man Out has a great deal of fine performances from Robert Newton as a lunatic painter to Robert Beatty's loyal man who tries to help the injured IRA operative Johnny McQueen (James Mason). My favorite though is with McCormick as a slightly daffy bird keeper who tries to profit from finding the operative, but is quite in over his head in the whole affair. McCormick gives a enjoyable performance, that lights up the latter half right when the film needs it. He is quite a bit of fun, and is an effortless comic relief. He also quite effectively brings about a conscious in his character even if it is hasty, McCormick believably handles it. In fact he eventually almost becomes a moral compass of all his own as he sees where the story goes. McCormick's final reactions to end are particularly moving, and powerfully handled. He frankly makes far far more out of his part than really ever seemed required of him. 4.5/5

Gene Lockhart in Miracle on 34th Street- Gene Lockhart is quite enjoyable in this film as the judge who presides over the trial to prove whether Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is Santa Clause or not. His motivation almost entirely comes form his election prospects which he is reminded of constantly by his political manager (William Frawley, doing his usual thing but doing it well). Lockhart's reactions throughout the trail scenes are quite enjoyable, and I particularly enjoy his direct conversations both verbal and non verbal with Frawley's character. This is a nice enjoyable part of the film that is appropriately entertaining. 3.5/5

David Farrar in Black Narcissus- Farrar's character in this film acts as a temptation for the Nuns who have recently come to the Himalayas. Farrar's performance is appropriately virile in his own way, and he makes the problems that develop because of him believable. The main reason for this is that a coldness perpetuates within his performance, though as he both seems to encourage as well as discourage Nuns to have interest in him at the same time. He is not incredible but he serves his function well within the film. 3/5


Charles Coburn and Charles Laughton in The Paradine Case- The Paradine Case is not a very remembered Alfred Hitchcock thriller for a reason. It is rather poorly handled, the leading performance by Gregory Peck does not carry enough of an internal conflict necessary for the film. There is some of Hitchcock's trademark directorial flair but not enough to make up for the lackluster story. The film does have two great character actors in it, Charles Coburn and Laughton who besides sharing a first name also share similar ability to steal scenes through their witty styles. I would say though that Coburn always comes off as a much warmer personality, and Laughton as a colder one. In this film Coburn is the legal adviser for Peck's character. Coburn is his usually charming self, and does his best to add some life to the proceedings. Although he does not save the film he successfully steals all the scenes from Peck that he is given the chance to effectively bringing to life the great legal mind his character is suppose to be. Laughton is given an odd role in that he has a subplot that is bizarre and really does not go anywhere about his character seeming disinterested with everything. Laughton tries to do something with his part, and with his natural charisma does his best, but unfortuantely nothing really comes from the part due to the bizarre requirements of it. Coburn 3.5/5, Laughton 2.5/5

Overall Rank:

1. Richard Widmark in Kiss of Death
2. Louis Jouvet in Quai des Orfèvres
3. F.J. McCormick in Odd Man Out
4. Toshiro Mifune in Snow Trail 
5. Walter Slezak in Born to Kill
6. Kirk Douglas in Out of the Past
7. Robert Ryan in Crossfire
8. Hume Cronyn in in Brute Force 
9. Everett Sloane in The Lady From Shanghai
10. Thomas Gomez in Ride the Pink Horse
11. Charles Bickford in The Woman on the Beach
12. Gene Lockhart in Miracle on 34th Street
13. Van Heflin in Possessed 
14. Robert Beatty in Odd Man Out
15. Lee J. Cobb in Johnny O'Clock
16. William Frawley in Miracle on 34th Street
17. Robert Newton in Odd Man Out
    
18. W.G. Fay in Odd Man Out 
19. Ray Collins in The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer
20. Charles Bickford in Brute Force 
21. Denis O'Dea in Odd Man Out
    
22. Sam Jaffe in 13 Rue Madeleine 
23. Ian Keith in Nightmare Alley
24. George Sanders in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 
25. Cyril Cusack in Odd Man Out
    
26. Arthur Kennedy in Boomerang! 
27. Monty Woolley in The Bishop's Wife 
28. Richard Conte in 13 Rue Madeleine
29. Elisha Cooke Jr. in Born To Kill 
30. Akitake Kono in Snow Trail
31. Charles Coburn in The Paradine Case
32. Jerome Cowan in Miracle on 34th Street 
33. Clifton Young in Dark Passage
34. Patric Knowles in Ivy
35. Lee J. Cobb in Boomerang!
36. Robert Mitchum in Crossfire
37. Edmond O'Brien in A Double Life
38. David Farrar in Black Narcissus 
39. Raymond Massey in Possessed
40. Philip Tonge in Miracle on 34th Street 
41. Fred Clark in Ride the Pink Horse 
42. Ted De Corsia in The Lady From Shanghai
43. Tom D'Andrea in Dark Passage
44. James Gleason in The Bishop's Wife
45. Herbert Marshall in Ivy
46. Harry Davenport in The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer
47. Percy Kilbride in The Egg and I
48. Porter Hall in Miracle on 34th Street 
49. Cedric Hardwicke in Ivy
50. Boris Karloff in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
51. Rudy Vallee in The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer
52. Keenan Wynn in The Song of the Thin Man
53. Charles Dullin in Quai des Orfèvres
54. Art Smith in Ride the Pink Horse 
55. Charles Bickford in The Farmer's Daughter
56. Charles Laughton in The Paradine Case
57. Leo G. Carroll in The Paradine Case
58. Raymond Massey in The Mourning Becomes Electra
59. Louis Jordan in The Paradine Case
60. John Garfield in Gentleman's Agreement
61. Kirk Douglas in The Mourning Becomes Electra 
62. Bruce Bennett in Dark Passage
63. Philip Terry in Born to Kill
64. George Cooper in Crossfire
65. Brian Donlevy in Kiss of Death 
66. Rory Calhoun in The Red House
67. Leo Genn in The Mourning Becomes Electra 
68. Glenn Anders in The Lady From Shanghai 
69. Sabu in Black Narcissus

Next Year: 1954 Supporting

Best Supporting Actor 1938: Results

5. Basil Rathbone in If I Were King-Rathbone sometimes just gives a rather dull villainous performance, but other times he gives a needlessly strange performance as if the King was a crazy old man.

4. John Garfield in Four Daughters- Yes it is true Garfield has an intense on screen presence, but unfortunately in this case he does not serve it to really create a character. Instead he only ever scratches the surface with his performance, and unfortuantely at the end of his performance he overacts a great deal.

3. Gene Lockhart in Algiers- Lockhart is able to be pathetic enough as Regis the informer, but unfortuantely he always seems miscast in the role. This is because he never seems like a truly convincing slimy rat he should be.

2. Robert Morley in Marie Antoinette- Morley gives a good humorous performance in his first half, and than an effectively sad performance in his second half. It never is quite a great performance, and he is forgotten for a good deal of the picture, but it remains a good one.

1. Walter Brennan in Kentucky- Yes Walter Brennan is one actor the academy got absolutely right, every time he won, he deserved to win. Brennan gives an effective performance as an old man with a grudge, as well as love. Brennan who transforms himself to almost double his age seamlessly also manages to show the grudge as something the old man simply cannot shake since it has been something with him for so long, as well as his love for horses as something just as deep as the hatred, even deeper, since Brennan carefully shows it overcome his feelings of hatred.

Deserving Performances:
Pat O'Brien in Angels With Dirty Faces
Edward Arnold in You Can't Take it With You

Best Supporting Actor 1938: Gene Lockhart in Algiers

Gene Lockhart received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Regis in Algiers.

Gene Lockhart in Algiers plays Regis who acts as a police informer inside of the criminal infested native quarter known as the Casbah in Algiers. Gene Lockhart is a recognizable character actor who was really best at playing either softhearted or spineless fellow. As Regis Lockhart really is miscast as the street smart, slimy informer Regis, who tries to trick Pepe Le Moko (Charles Boyer) into a trap.

I simply never believed Lockhart as this sort of street rat individual, he simply does not fit the bill. Now someone like say Peter Lorre would have been perfect for this role, but Lockhart never for a moment seems right for the part. The only piece of the part he really gets right at all is just the pathetic qualities of Regis, but never the real sneaky or conniving qualities really needed for the part, something that someone like Peter Lorre could easily have brought to part. Lockhart is not awful or anything, but always missing the qualities the part requires even though he most certainly does try.

Best Supporting Actor 1938

And the Nominees Were:

Gene Lockhart in Algiers 

John Garfield in Four Daughters

Walter Brennan in Kentucky

Basil Rathbone in If I Were King

Robert Morley in Marie Antoinette