Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1971: Results

5. Bruce Dern in Drive, He Said- Dern does not have much of a part but he does make himself the best part of his film through his energetic performance.

Best Scene: The Coach reorganizes his team at half time.

4. Jack Albertson in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory- Albertson gives a nice warm supportive turn even if he is overshadowed by Gene Wilder for a large chunk of the film.

Best Scene: Grandpa Joe surprises Charlie with a Wonka bar.

3. Fernando Rey in The French Connection- Rey's is a minimalistic performance that realizes his French crime lord as an effective villain.

Best Scene: Frog one waves Popeye goodbye.

2. Andy Robinson in Dirty Harry- Robinson is a great villain by being both incredibly pathetic and exceptionally threatening.

Best Scene: Harry tortures Scorpio.

1. John Hurt in 10 Rillington Place- Good Predictions Mark, Moviefilm, and Michael McCarthy. This was a landslide victory for John Hurt as I did not have to think twice to give the win to him for his absolutely devastating performance as man who faces one tragedy after another that perfectly complements the terrifying lead performance by Richard Attenborough. I can sort of understand the academy's oversight of Attenborough because of their timidness for completely despicable characters, but there was no excuse for ignoring Hurt especially with the filler nominations given to Leonard Frey and Richard Jaeckel.

Best Scene: Timothy finds his wife after the murder.

Overall Rank:

1. John Hurt in 10 Rillington Place 
2. Donald Pleasence in Wake in Fright
3. Andy Robinson in Dirty Harry
4. Ben Johnson in The Last Picture Show
5. Alain Delon in Red Sun
6. Eddie Axberg in The Emigrants 
7. Ian McShane in Villain
8. Fernando Rey in The French Connection
9. Jack Albertson in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 
10. Jeff Bridges in The Last Picture Show
11. Roy Scheider in The French Connection
12. Tom Baker in Nicholas and Alexandra
13. John Huston in Man in the Wilderness
14. Max von Sydow in The Touch
15. Bruce Dern in Drive, He Said
16. Donald Pleasence in THX 1138
17. Roy Kinnear in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 
18. Jack MacGowran in King Lear
19. Ian Hendry in Get Carter 
20. Edward Fox in The Go-Between
21. Hugh Millais in McCabe & Mrs. Miller
22. Laurence Olivier in Nicholas and Alexandra
23. Cyril Cusack in King Lear
24. Patrick McGoohan in Mary, Queen of Scots
25. Patrick Magee in A Clockwork Orange
26. John Osborne in Get Carter
27. Patrick Magee in King Lear 
28. Percy Herbert in Man in the Wilderness
29. Trevor Howard in Mary, Queen of Scots
30. Michael Gothard in The Devils
31. David Battley in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 
32. Marcel Bozzuffi in The French Connection
33. David Warner in Straw Dogs   
34. David Gulpilil in Walkabout
35. Ian Holm in Nicholas and Alexandra
36. Nigel Davenport in Mary, Queen of Scots
37. Murray Melvin in The Devils 
38. Nigel Davenport in Villain 
39. Michael Redgrave in The Go-Between
40. David Warbeck in Duck, You Sucker!
41. Reni Santoni in Dirty Harry 
42. Alan Bates in The Go-Between
43. Paul Mann in Fiddler on the Roof 
44. Eddie Egan in The French Connection
45. Chips Rafferty in Wake in Fright
46. Bryan Mosley in Get Carter 
47. Graham Armitage in The Devils
48. Godfrey Quigley in A Clockwork Orange 
49. Pierre Lindstedt in The Emigrants
50. Bill Hickman in The French Connection
51. John Vernon in Dirty Harry
52. Aubrey Woods in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 
53. John Stride in Macbeth
54. Tony Lo Bianco in The French Connection
55. Jack Thompson in Wake in Fright
56. Charles Cioffi in Shaft
57. Roy Scheider in Klute
58. Peter Vaughan in Straw Dogs 
59. Per Oscarsson in The Last Valley
60. Raul Julia in The Panic in Needle Park
61. John McEnery in Nicholas and Alexandra 
62. Timothy Dalton in Mary, Queen of Scots
63. Frederic de Pasquale in The French Connection 
64. Art Garfunkel in Carnal Knowledge
65. Nigel Davenport in The Last Valley
66. Anthony Sharp in A Clockwork Orange  
67. Jack Hawkins in Nicholas and Alexandra
68. Richard Bright in The Panic in Needle Park 
69. Charles Gray in Diamonds Are Forever
70. John Larch in Dirty Harry 
71. Michael Bates in A Clockwork Orange
72. Charles Cioffi in Klute 
73. Leonard Frey in Fiddler on the Roof
74. Martin Shaw in Macbeth
75. John Mitchum in Play Misty For Me 
76. John Meillon in Wake in Fright
77. Philip Stone in A Clockwork Orange
78. John Mitchum in Dirty Harry
79. Arthur O'Connell in The Last Valley
80. Gunter Meisner in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
81. T.P. McKenna in Straw Dogs
82. Robert Towne in Drive, He Said  
83. Harry Guardino in Dirty Harry
84. Rene Auberjonois in McCabe & Mrs. Miller 
85. Moses Gunn in Shaft
86. Romolo Valli in Duck, You Sucker!
87. Paul Glaser in Fiddler on the Roof
88. Clu Gulager in The Last Picture Show 
89. Dudley Sutton in The Devils 
90. Alan Vint in The Panic in Needle Park 
91. David Prowse in A Clockwork Orange
92. Paris Themmen in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
93. Warren Clarke in A Clockwork Orange
94. Leonard Stone in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
95. Randy Quaid in The Last Picture Show
96. Michael Bollner in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
97. Timothy West in Nicholas and Alexandra
98. Charles Tyner in Harold and Maude
99. Harry Andrews in Nicholas and Alexandra
100. Barnard Hughes in The Hospital 
101. Terence Bayler in Macbeth 
102. Roderic Noble in Nicholas and Alexandra
103. Murray Head in Sunday Bloody Sunday
104. Charles Aidman in Kotch
105. Josef Summer in Dirty Harry
106. Michael Margotta in Drive, He Said
107. Elliot Gould in The Touch

Next Year: 1999 lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1971: Jack Albertson in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Jack Albertson did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Jack Albertson plays Grandpa Joe a man bedridden for twenty years and one of the four grandparents of the poor Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) who hopes to be one of the lucky children to find a golden ticket that will give him a tour of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Albertson is the very traditional sort of supporting performance here in that Grandpa Joe is always supporting Charlie with moral support any way he can. Albertson is very charming the role just having a genuine warmth needed for the part. He has just the right sweetness without becoming saccharine, and serves the film well with his bright personality in the early scenes of the film where Charlie faces some big disappointments.

Albertson handles his scenes very well being the kindly encouraging grandfather to Charlie, and does well because they are not all happy moments. Albertson's best scene is when he surprises Charlie with a bar and they open it together to find nothing. Albertson brings such genuine emotion to the moment as Grandpa Joe first shares Charlie's excitement but then sadly has to tenderly comfort his grandson after their disappointment. Another scene that causes some complaints is when Grandpa Joe gets out of bed because he sings a song to do it. I really don't mind because Albertson really does deliver with the song, not necessarily with how good or bad his singing voice is, but rather with an energy and brightness to bring the joy of the situation out quite splendidly.

Once the film steps in the Chocolate Factory Albertson takes a back seat, in fact everyone does, to Gene Wilder's performance as Willy Wonka. Gene Wilder owns the film without question and for most the tour the most everyone can get out is a surprised reaction or two. No one for a moment steals Wilder's thunder during these scenes and as the reactionary cast goes I would probably say Roy Kinnear as Mr. Salt probably does the best. Albertson is not bad in these scenes, he handles all the little moments he has well enough, but they don't leave too much of an impression with Gene Wilder around. This is not a criticism against Albertson though, but rather just praise for Wilder.

Albertson does get one scene at the end of the film when Grandpa Joe confronts Wonka after Wonka has said that Charlie will not receive the lifetime supply of chocolate due to a violation of contract. Albertson is very good in the scene as Grandpa Joe angrily denounces Wonka's actions and even suggests they go to Wonka's competitor with information. The moment does not pain Grandpa Joe in a bad light at all though because Albertson shows that where the anger comes from is his disbelief that Wonka would honestly treat a child that way opposed to having any actual malice. It's a good moment for Albertson as it lets him fulfill the important role Grandpa Joe had in the film's opening act. Albertson does not steal that scene or the film, but he adds very nicely to the film as a whole by being the tender support Grandpa Joe should be.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1971

And the Nominees Were Not:

John Hurt in 10 Rillington Place

Andy Robinson in Dirty Harry

Fernando Rey in The French Connection

Jack Albertson in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Bruce Dern in Drive, He Said

Best Supporting Actor 1968: Results

5. Daniel Massey in Star!- Massey does a slight Noel Coward imitation, and that is it. The film he is in is downright terrible, and he does not rise above that material.

4. Jack Wild in Oliver!- Jack Wild I feel does certainly fully fit the role of the Artful Dodger. Now the role is not that much, but Wild handles it well enough.

3. Seymour Cassel in Faces- A realistically handled and played performance, that works incredibly well in Faces, he adds a good amount to the film, and he an Lynn Carlin work perfectly together.

2. Gene Wilder in The Producers- A performance I will admit may not be for everyone, and it all contingent on whether or not you find his antics funny, which I did.

1. Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses- Albertson is truly great as the father of a small dysfunctional family. His performance really contains some truly great acting, and creates a very fascinating character.

Deserving Performances:
Jason Robards in Once Upon a Time in the West
Timothy Dalton in A Lion in Winter

Best Supporting Actor 1968: Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses

Jack Albertson won an Oscar from his only nomination for portraying John Clearly in The Subject Was Roses.

The Subject was Roses is a decent film about that usual type of Oscar nominated family, a dysfunctional one. It is not great, and it has some problems, but it also has strong acting, and some very interesting moments.

Jack Albertson's win here is rather interesting, because it usually is well praised, but rarely talked about, I would probably attribute that to the film being somewhat difficult to find. His performance here is most certainly not supporting, it is lead, all the main players are leading Martin Sheen as the son, Jack Albertson as the father and Patricia Neal as the mother, not a single one is supporting in the least. The most supporting a characters get are two people they briefly talk to in a night club, and the extras I suppose. Something interesting about it is technically he could have traded places with Ron Moody in Oliver since Albertson is far more a lead in his film, than Moody is in his.

John Clearly is a stern father, who certainly wants things his way, even his way is rather selfish, the fascinating part about the character, and Albertson's performance is that he is not at all simplistic despite how these character can sometimes be portrayed. Albertson really just works well in the role, always acting appropriately stern as if this is something that John, has done and always must do. Albertson perfectly shows his directness and his way of always wanting a certain amount of control over his situation and family. Albertson though does not always show him in this single light and it is amazing how well Albertson shows the depth of this man.

I particularly found it interesting how Albertson perfectly shows the different sides throughout the film, and how he acts differently when he just with his wife at the beginning of the film. Where they immediately bicker about their different ways of dealing with their sons. It is fascinating how both actors in their first scene together clearly show a long history between them, without really even saying all that much about their history. Albertson and Neal simply create the right amount of knowing and distance from each other that works incredibly well. In fact all three of the actors work perfectly together to show them together like a true family. Albertson though is the most complex in this in that John Clearly is the one who tries to hide some of his though and emotions, and tries to be a different person when he is with his son, with his wife or when he is alone.

I like how well Albertson brilliantly shows the way his character's mixed emotions about his son, and wife. It is fascinating the way he seems to love both of them in actuality but has some inherit hatred for them too. Albertson handles the complex nature of a character like this well, he never switches obviously from hating to loving, but rather carefully combines the emotions to create a truly fascinating character. I think his best scenes are when he shows Clearly in his happier moments. I particular think he is truly great in the night club scene. Albertson is just brilliant especially in his brief singing scene. He does so much in these scenes when he talks about his love for his wife, but also tries to hide the fact that he is unfaithful. Then later when he truly desires his wife, but she rejects him, the switch from his love to hate, is truly great acting from Albertson.

Now criticism could be leveled against this performance, that it is too theatrical and loud, but I would disagree. His loudness comes from his attempts to always be strict not from over acting, and Albertson does not over act, and in fact gives a brilliantly subtle performance despite the fact that his character is not a quiet character. Albertson always uses both his voice, and facial expressions to great effect. I though in particular scenes where he listened and did not talk. Especially his first scene where he admires his army jacket, and even stronger his powerful reaction to when his son says he loves him. Albertson is never dull in this performance, or underacting, he never stops telling us more about his character, and I find due to Albertson his performance itself is far more complete than the actual film.

Best Supporting Actor 1968

Gene Wilder in The Producers

Daniel Massey in Star!

Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses

Jack Wild in Oliver!

Seymour Cassel in Faces

This year looks like it could be quite interesting. What do you think? Who is your pick and prediction?