Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1953: Results

5. Lee Marvin in The Wild One - Marvin steals the film in just a couple of scenes with his entertaining portrayal of a boisterous biker.

Best Scene: The Beetles arrive into town.

4. Otto Preminger in Stalag 17 - Preminger gives an enjoyable, with just enough menace, performance as the smug camp commandant.

Best Scene: The man trying to "escape" is killed.

3. Jay Robinson in The Robe - Robinson makes himself the highlight of the film by giving a lively energetic performance in an otherwise rather bland film.

Best Scene: Gallio's trail.

2. John Gielgud in Julius Caesar - Gielgud gives a great performance through his devious portrayal of Cassius that acts a particularly effective counterpoint to James Mason's honest portrayal of Brutus.

Best Scene: Cassius before the battle.

1. Ernest Borgnine in From Here to Eternity - This year came down for me between Gielgud who gives a great performance with a great material against Borgnine who gives a gives a great performance with very limited material. Although Borgnine only has a few minutes of screen time he makes a substantial impact with his intimidating portrayal of a vicious soldier.

Best Scene: Fatso warns Maggio

Overall Rank:

1. William Holden in Stalag 17 
2. Robert Ryan in The Naked Spur
3. Ernest Borgnine in From Here to Eternity
4. John Gielgud in Julius Caesar 
5. Marlon Brando in Julius Caesar 
6. Roland Lesaffre in Thérèse Raquin
7. Jay Robinson in The Robe
8. Otto Preminger in Stalag 17 
9. Lee Marvin in The Wild One
10. Hans Conried in The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T   
11. Isao Yamagata in Gate of Hell
12. Charles Laughton in Young Bess 
13. Jūzō Dosan in Love Letter
14. Shirō Ōsaka in Tokyo Story
15. Boris Karloff in A & C meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
16. Jack Palance in Shane
17. Richard Erdman in Stalag 17
18. James Mason in The Desert Rats 
19. Charles Laughton in Salome 
20. Joseph Cotten in Niagara 
21. Jukichi Uno in Love Letter
22. James Mason in The Story of Three Loves 
23. Jacques Duby in Thérèse Raquin
24. Peter Graves in Stalag 17   
25. Millard Mitchell in The Naked Spur
26. Lee Marvin in The Big Heat
27. Peter van Eyck in The Wages of Fear
28. Folco Lulli in The Wages of Fear
29. Neville Brand in Stalag 17   
30. James Whitmore in Kiss Me Kate
31. Keenan Wynn in Kiss Me Kate 
32. William Powell in How to Marry a Millionaire  
33. Ralph Meeker in The Naked Spur
34. Gill Stratton in Stalag 17 
35. Robinson Stone in Stalag 17
36. William Tubbs in The Wages of Fear  
37. Sig Ruman in Stalag 17  
38. So Yamamura in Tokyo Story 
39. Robert Strauss in Stalag 17 
40. Hasse Ekman in Sawdust and Tinsel 
41. Robert Beatty in Man on a Tightrope  
42. Jack Buchanan in The Band Wagon 
43. Donald O'Connor in Call Me Madam
44. Alberto Sordi in I Vitelloni
45. Franco Interlenghi in I Vitelloni
46. Franco Frabrizi in I Vitelloni 
47. Leopoldo Trieste in I Vitelloni 
48. Koreya Senda in Gate of Hell
49. Vittorio de Sica in The Earrings of Madame de... 
50. Kirk Douglas in The Story of Three Loves 
51. Edmond O'Brien in Julius Caesar
52. Scott Forbes in Charade
53. Robert Newton in The Desert Rats 
54. Bill Thompson in Peter Pan 
55. Farley Granger in The Story of Three Loves 
56. George Sanders in Call Me Madam 
57. Brian Aherne in Titanic
58. Edmund Trizcinski in Stalag 17 
59. Karl Malden in I Confess
60. Alexander Scourby in The Big Heat
61. Louis Calhern in Julius Caesar 
62. David Wayne in How to Marry a Millionaire 
63. Hugh Griffith in The Beggar's Opera 
64. Edmund Gwenn in The Bigamist
65. Harvey Lembeck in Stalag 17 
66. Donald Sindon in The Cruel Sea 
67. Eddie Albert in Roman Holiday
68. Stanley Holloway in The Titfield Thunderbolt
69. Hugh Griffith in The Titfield Thunderbolt 
70. Jack Warden in From Here to Eternity
71. Richard Boone in Man on a Tightrope  
72. Adam Williams in The Big Heat  
73. Charles Coburn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 
74. Denholm Elliott in The Cruel Sea 
75. Miles Malleson in The Captain's Paradise
76. Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity
77. Charles Goldner in The Captain's Paradise 
78. Stanley Baker in The Cruel Sea
79. John McIntire in The Mississippi Gambler 
80. Adolph Menjou in Man on a Tightrope 
81. Oscar Levant in The Band Wagon 
82. Don Taylor in Stalag 17  
83. Reginald Denny in A & C meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
84. Anthony Perkins in The Actress 
85. Michael Rennie in The Robe 
86. Tom Tully in The Moon is Blue
87. Ward Bond in Hondo
88. Richard Kiley in Pickup on South Street
89. Paul Cavanagh in House of Wax  
90. George Reeves in From Here to Eternity 
91. Paul Cavanagh in The Mississippi Gambler 
92. Elisha Cook Jr. in Shane 
93. Frank Lovejoy in House of Wax 
94. Howard Keel in Calamity Jane 
95. James Whitmore in All The Brothers Were Valiant
96. Keenan Wynn in All The Brothers Were Valiant 
97. Henry Morgan in Torch Song 
98. Bela Lugosi in Glen or Glenda
99. Brian Aherne in I Confess  
100. John Harryson in Summer With Monika 
101. Emile Meyer in Shane
102. Ray Teal in The Wild One 
103. Cameron Mitchell in Man on a Tightrope 
104. Richard Baseheart in Titanic
105. Gig Young in Torch Song 
106. Geoffrey Toone in The Man Between 
107. Rhys Williams in Man in the Attic
108. Ryosuke Kagawa in Ugetsu  
109. Robert Keith in The Wild One 
110. Philip Ober in From Here to Eternity
111. Cedric Hardwicke in Salome 
112. Donald Sinden in Magambo
113. Harley Power in Roman Holiday
114. Robert Wagner in Titanic
115. Jean-Pierre Aumont in Lili 
116. Peter Lind Hayes in The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T 
117. Michael Pate in Hondo
118. Cecil Kellaway in Young Bess  
119. Lyle Bettger in All I Desire 
120. Harcourt Williams in Roman Holiday 
121. Karl Malden in Take the High Ground 
122. Alan Badel in Salome
123. Paul Picerni in House of Wax 
124. Tommy Wall in Kiss Me Kate
125. Bobby Van in Kiss Me Kate 
126. Richard Long in All I Desire 
127. Brandon De Wilde in Shane 
128. Stewart Granger in Young Bess 
129. Dean Jagger in The Robe
130. Craig Stevens in A & C meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
131. Elliott Reid in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
132. Tommy Noonan in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 
133. Byron Palmer in Man in the Attic  
134. Victor Mature in The Robe
135. J. Carrol Naish in Beneath the 12-Mile Reef 
136. Guy Rolfe in Young Bess 
137. Richard Brewster in Little Fugitive 
138. Lloyd Nolan in Crazylegs 
139. Gregory Moffett in Robot Monster

Next Year: 1967 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1953: Jay Robinson in The Robe

Jay Robinson did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Caligula in The Robe.

The Robe is a pretty bland biblical epic with a bland leading performance by Richard Burton and is many ways like Quo Vadis which was also rather bland. Like Quo Vadis though there is one man who refuses to be bland and once again it is the actor playing the Roman Emperor in the film. In Quo Vadis it was Peter Ustinov playing the infamous Roman Emperor Nero, in the Robe it is Jay Robinson who plays perhaps the even more infamous Caligula. Robinson appears in the opening of the film, before Caligula has been made Emperor, to basically attempt to outbid our hero Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton) at a slave auction. Robinson is great as he prances on the scene in a way only a man who knew he was about to have absolute power could. Robinson's smile is perfect showing a man loving his place, but as well a man having a such a joy of performance that it's hard not to have fun watching it.

Robinson's performance is quite good at realizing Caligula's character even though the film technically does not get into Caligula's personal lusts, in fact a different actor could have played him as just some jealous power hungry guy. That's not the case for Robinson who seems to suggest Caligula's various perversions merely in that devious grin of his and just the whole odd way he carries himself in every scene. Robinson seems to show a man who loves various pleasures far too much just in the way he slants in his chair. Honestly Robinson does not waste a gesture in making his Caligula one sick man even though we don't see much of it first hand. Technically speaking most of the time is spent with Caligula terrorizing Gallio eventual wife Diana (Jean Simmons) as he basically wants Gallio dead after he has converted to Christianity. Well even within the limits of the role Robinson still makes sure to get the most out of it.

Robinson is incredibly entertaining in the scenes where Caligula is in some way thwarted in his attempts to get Gallio. Robinson plays Caligula in these scenes like a spoiled brat who's not getting the present he wanted. Robinson is glorious in showing the rampant insanity of Caligula that in it's heart is childish in nature fitting for a man who has anything he wants handed to him no matter how crazy the request may be. My only problem with Caligula in this film is he's not in the film as much as Nero was in Quo Vadis. Robinson has about four scenes in the film and two of those scenes are a bit short. There's just not enough Caligula to go around because he's unquestionably the best part of the film. Robinson energizes the proceedings whenever he shows up and actually makes the film entertaining with his antics. Almost alone Robinson prevents the film from being completely forgettable as he gives one reason to watch the film.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1953

And the Nominees Were Not:

Ernest Borgnine in From Here to Eternity

Otto Preminger in Stalag 17

Jay Robinson in The Robe

John Gielgud in Julius Caesar 

Lee Marvin in The Wild One