Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1946: Results

5. Finlay Currie in Great Expectations- Currie brings the right roughness and heart to the role but still never makes that much an impression.

Best Scene: Magwitch comes back.

4. William Bendix in The Blue Dahlia- Bendix, despite the writing messing up his ending, gives an affecting portrayal of a man driven to moments of insanity due to his war experiences.

Best Scene: Buzz is bothered by the music. 

3. Roger Livesey in A Matter of Life and Death- Livesey steals the film right out from David Niven and manages to give weight to the central romance of the film than the two performers portraying it do.

Best Scene: The doctor fights for Peter's life in the Heavenly court.

2. Henry Travers in It's A Wonderful Life- Travers gives a funny and quite wonderful realization of the pure goodness of his character.

Best Scene: George after visiting his mother.

1. Lionel Barrymore in It's a Wonderful Life- Good Predictions Kevin, Maciej, moviefilm, koook160, and  Jackiboyz. The year itself came down to one of my favorite depictions of a villain of all time against Claude Rains who manages to make the villain the most sympathetic character in his film. Both I think are equally good in their roles and I don't see how either could be better. In a way to cheat out of really choosing I'll just base it on their second films of the year. Rains was also great in Angel on my Shoulder whereas Barrymore was quite forgettable in Duel in the Sun.

Best Scene: George goes to Potter for help.

Overall Rank:

1. Claude Rains in Notorious
2. Lionel Barrymore in It's A Wonderful Life
3. Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives
4. Henry Travers in It's A Wonderful Life
5. Roger Livesey in A Matter of Life and Death
6. Thomas Mitchell in It's A Wonderful Life 
7. Michael Redgrave in The Captive Heart 
8. Claude Rains in Deception  
9. Claude Rains in Angel on My Shoulder
10. William Bendix in The Blue Dahlia
11. Alastair Sim in Green For Danger 
12. Charles Coburn in The Green Years 
13. Robert Mitchum in The Locket 
14. Raymond Massey in A Matter of Life and Death 
15. François Périer in A Lover's Return
16. Jean Vilar in Gates of the Night 
17. Samuel S. Hinds in It's A Wonderful Life  
18. William Conrad in The Killers   
19. Hume Cronyn in The Postman Always Rings Twice
20. Trevor Howard in Green For Danger 
21. H.B. Warner in It's A Wonderful Life  
22. Marius Goring in A Matter of Life and Death
23. Raymond Bussières in Gates of the Night
24. Basil Radford in The Captive Heart 
25. Kirk Douglas in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers 
26. George Coulouris in The Verdict 
27. Burgess Meredith in The Diary of a Chambermaid 
28. Jimmy Hanley in The Captive Heart 
29. Finlay Currie in Great Expectations
30. Mervyn Johns in The Captive Heart 
31. Jack Warner in The Captive Heart  
32. Alexander Knox in Sister Kenny 
33. Serge Reggiani in Gates of the Night
34. Arno Paulsen in The Murderers Are Among Us 
35. Ian Wolfe in Bedlam 
36. Leo Genn in Green For Danger 
37. Oscar Levant in Humoresque 
38. Richard Haydn in Cluny Brown 
39. Victor Mature in My Darling Clementine
40. Alec Guinness in Great Expectations 
41. Reginald Gardiner in Cluny Brown
42. Francis Lederer in The Diary of a Chambermaid
43. Andy Devine in Canyon Passage
44. Pierre Brasseur in Gates of the Night 
45. Billy House in Bedlam 
46. Peter Lorre in Black Angel 
47. Francis L. Sullivan in Great Expectations
48. Peter Lawford in Cluny Brown 
49. Sheldon Leonard in It's A Wonderful Life
50. Richard Attenborough in A Matter of Life and Death  
51. Lee J. Cobb in Anna and the King of Siam 
52. Robert Shayne in Three Strangers  
53. Jason Robards Sr. in Bedlam 
54. Walter Brennan in my Darling Clementine  
55. Frank Faylen in It's A Wonderful Life 
56. Ward Bond in Canyon Passage 
57. Glen Vernon in Bedlam 
58. Roman Bohnen in The Best Years of Our Lives 
59. Alan Napier in Three Strangers 
60. Thomas Mitchell in The Dark Mirror
61. Robert Mitchum in Till the End of Time 
62. Monty Woolley in Night and Day 
63. Bobby Anderson in It's A Wonderful Life  
64. Glenn Ford in A Stolen Life 
65. Walter Huston in Dragonwyck 
66. Bernard Miles in Great Expectations 
67. Cecil Kellaway in Kitty 
68. Ward Bond in It's A Wonderful Life 
69. Walter Baldwin in The Best Years of Our Lives
70. Howard da Silva in The Blue Dahlia 
71. Hoagy Carmicheal in The Best Years of Our Lives
72. Robert Coote in A Matter of Life and Death 
73. Elisha Cook Jr. in The Big Sleep
74. Nigel Bruce in Terror By Night  
75. Albert Dekker in The Killers  
76. Harry Morgan in Dragonwyck 
77. William Edmunds in It's A Wonderful Life
78. Anthony Wager in Great Expectations
79. Henry Travers in The Yearling
80. Walter Brennan in A Centennial Summer 
81. Charles MacGraw in The Killers 
82. Ray Bolger in The Harvey Girls
83. Reginald Owen in Kitty  
84. Lucien Coëdel in L'Idiot
85. Hoagy Carmichael in Canyon Passage 
86. Marcel Andre in Beauty and the Beast
87. Walter Huston in Duel in the Sun
88. Reinhold Schunzel in Notorious
89. Hardie Albright in Angel on My Shoulder
90. Todd Karns in It's A Wonderful Life 
91. George Brent in The Spiral Staircase
92. Kent Smith in The Spiral Staircase 
93. Clifton Webb in The Razor's Edge
94. Gene Raymond in The Locket
95. Lionel Barrymore in Duel in the Sun 
96. John Hodiak in The Harvey Girls 
97. Will Wright in The Blue Dahlia 
98. Brian Aherne in The Locket
99. Richard Haydn in The Green Years 
100. George Brent in Tomorrow is Forever 
101. Herbert Marshall in The Razor's Edge
102. Michel Auclair in Beauty and the Beast
103. William Demarest in The Jolson Story
104. Ward Bond in My Darling Clementine
105. Brian Donlevy in Canyon Passage 
106. Louis Calhern in Notorious
107. Charles Waldron in The Big Sleep
108. Cecil Kellaway in The Postman Always Rings Twice
109. Jess Barker in The Time of Our Lives
110. Joseph Calleia in Gilda
111. John Payne in The Razor's Edge
112. Leon Ames in The Postman Always Rings Twice
113. Hume Cronyn in The Green Years
114. Philip Mervale in The Stranger
115. Hugh Beaumont in The Blue Dahlia 
116. Chill Wills in The Yearling 
117. Guy Madison in Till The End of Time 
118. Richard Long in The Stranger
119. Philip Terry in To Each His Own
120. Dane Clark in A Stolen Life 
121. George Macready in Gilda
122. Bill Goodwin in To Each His Own 
123. Richard Fraser in Bedlam 
124. Hurd Hatfield in The Diary of a Chambermaid 
125. Edwin Maxwell in The Jolson Story
126. Bill Goodwin in The Jolson Story 
127. John Lund in To Each His Own

Next Year: 1932 Lead might as well suggest any Supporting ideas as well.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1946: Henry Travers in It's A Wonderful Life

Henry Travers did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Clarence Odbody, angel second class, in It's A Wonderful Life.

Henry Travers first speaks rather early in the film as he is called upon by God and Joseph to be the one to go down to Earth to help George Bailey (James Stewart) before he takes his life. Before Clarence can go help him though he is first given George's back story which is about the first two thirds of the film. During this time Clarence makes the occasional comment, and you could not ask a better voice for an angel. There is such a genuine warmth and goodness to Travers voice that is hard to imagine anything but kindness coming from him, making his casting as a mean old man in The Bells of Saint Mary's all the more ridiculous I mention this mostly because it's the movie on the marquee in Bedford Falls. Anyway, although we get the very short comments Travers does not appear in the flesh until very late in the film when it takes its last act turn, and Travers's appearance is what indicates this turn in the film.

George is about to commit suicide, due to a lost large sum of money, by jumping off a bridge. In this darkest of moments for the film we suddenly and unexpectedly get a bright beam of light in the face of Henry Travers as Clarence when he makes his first onscreen appearance. Travers could not have a more kindly smile instantly offering some hope to the situation of a possible suicide, which alleviated all the more when Clarence jumps in himself forcing George's good nature to kick causing him to jump in as well to save Clarence. What follows is one of my favorite scenes in the film, although I'll admit I have a lot of favorite scenes in this film, as George and Clarence dry off giving Clarence a chance to introduce himself as his guardian angel.Travers is pitch perfect in the role and he makes his first substantial scene wonderful to watch. Travers establishes such a sweetness in his performance, which never feels too much or forced, but rather is truly angelic.

Travers also manages to bring a certain kookiness to the role that he also so carefully portrays as it could easily become cloying but Travers is only ever endearing in his portrayal of it. Travers has a very sly comic timing and manner in his performance. He never distracts too much away from the importance of the emotions concerning George's story and brings these humorous moments flawlessly into these scenes. Travers is actually quite unassumingly hilarious as Clarence as he makes the character's naivety and somewhat absentmindedness both funny yet just so very charming at the same time. This is one of those performances where you could almost take any line delivery from Travers and find something special in it. Two moments perhaps are my favorite, on the comic side of things, the first being his oh so friendly goodbye of "Cheerio my good man" after scaring a man away in disbelief after giving out what AS2 stands for, and my second is his rather futile attempt to name a drink for himself at a bar.

Travers's work is not just merely funny and sweet even if it is both those things as well because Clarence is sent there with a mission which is to convince George that his life is worthwhile. Travers excels in this regard as well as he carries himself with this otherworldly wisdom that he manages to make a natural part of the daffy angel. Travers is outstanding in the moments where he shows Clarence to merely quietly prod George with the information. There is something so powerful about the way Travers delivers his lines in these scenes as he speaks the blunt truth with such a severity but always with a warmth. Travers brings such a poignancy in every lines he speaks particularly "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?". Travers is excellent as he portrays Clarence as having such an inspiring soulfulness about him that George would have to take notice of Clarence's message.

It is interesting in that the exact final moment of Clarence's exit of the film is not particularly climatic, but it strangely ends up not mattering. Travers makes such a grand impression in the screen time he does have that it doesn't feel like Clarence is shortchanged by the end of the film. The reason being that it feels though Clarence's presence is still with George to the very last frame of the film. Travers accomplishes this by just how good he is in the role. This is an incredibly entertaining performance by Travers to say the least as he's consistently funny and makes Clarence so likable as well. It is more than just a likable characterization by Travers though as he makes Clarence serve an even greater purpose. George going from the worst to finding the will to live is of course beautifully brought to life by Stewart's amazing performance, but Travers also contributes greatly to making the transformation as powerful as it is through his realization of Clarence as a entity of pure goodness.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1946

And the Nominees Were Not:

Henry Travers in It's A Wonderful Life

Lionel Barrymore in It's A Wonderful Life

Roger Livesey in A Matter of Life and Death

Finlay Currie in Great Expectations

William Bendix in The Blue Dahlia

Best Supporting Actor 1942: Results

5. Frank Morgan in Tortilla Flat- Morgan is by far the best part of a bad film bringing a lot of heart to his role of the dog lover.

4. Henry Travers in Mrs. Miniver- Travers portrays his usual nice old man role in his usual nice old man fashion. It is not a stretch for him, the part is very limited, but Travers does it well.

3. William Bendix in Wake Island- Bendix's whole point in the film is to be funny, he is funny enough, and he is perfectly fine.

2. Walter Huston in Yankee Doodle Dandy- Huston gives a good performance as the warm and wise father. He is convincing in the vaudeville scenes, but his role is a little too limited for Huston to really do anything  special in the role.

1. Van Heflin in Johnny Eager- Good prediction RatedRStar. Heflin very very easily wins this year. Heflin simply gives an outstanding performance. He absolutely steals the entire film, he brings genuine emotions, and an original character to a film that certainly needs it.

Deserving Performances:
Claude Rains in Now Voyager
Roddy McDowall in The Pied Piper

Best Supporting Actor 1942: Henry Travers in Mrs. Miniver

Henry Travers received his only Oscar nomination for portraying James Ballard in Mrs. Miniver.

Henry Travers I must say is one of the pleasant actors I have seen on screen. Everything about him just seems to say very nice old man. In turn he mostly played nice old men. His best nice old man portrayal was as Clarence in It's A Wonderful Life, and he would have been very deserving had he been nominated for that, but instead he was only nominated for his performance for the popular Mrs. Miniver. Here he plays once again a nice old man who is a friend of the Miniver family, and has named his prize rose after Mrs. Miniver.

As usual with a Travers character he is a somewhat shy and timid man, who has a very good heart. Henry Travers certainly is playing in type here, but why not he is so good at it, in fact I would say he was the best at it actually. He is always a genuinely sweet man here, and there is no doubt that every nice thing he says he absolutely does believe. Travers in just extremely likable in his unique unassuming charm that certianly works for the character of James Ballard who is just suppose to be a likable old man.

Besides being a sweet old man in a few scenes the main point of his character is his Miniver Rose which James puts his whole into, and Travers in turn does show that he puts his whole into the rose. Travers always makes it abundantly clear that James has an unwavering passion for his rose growing. In each moment when he talks about it or about roses in general Travers shows a sweet passionate love for what James does brings it out marvelously. His whole story could seem overly saccharine, but Travers always manages to avoid this by never ringing a false note in his performance.

His most pivotal scene comes in at the very end at the flower contest, and here Travers is simply wonderful. His realization of just how much joy, and ever disbelief he has over the fact that his flower has finally gained recognition could not be better. Travers brings the most genuine of emotions to this scene, and does make it quite moving actually. This is a good performance by Travers he always puts a lot of heart into his part, and never has a false moment. The only problem is he really is only in a few scenes, and most of his appearances are very brief. His part is quite limited, and I really wish there had been more of him. This still a fine portrayal of a nice old man, it just is not Travers's very best portrayal of a nice old man.

Best Supporting Actor 1942

And the Nominees Were:

Frank Morgan in Tortilla Flat

Henry Travers in Mrs. Miniver

Van Heflin in Johnny Eager

William Bendix in Wake Island

Walter Huston in Yankee Doodle Dandy