Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1970: Results

5. Leonard Frey in The Boys in the Band- Frey, although his voice is a bit theatrical, gives an effective in his portraying his character's sharp cynicism.

Best Scene: Harold cuts Michael down.

4. Donald Sutherland in Kelly's Heroes- Sutherland gives a weird performance but an endearing character as the aptly named Oddball. 

Best Scene: Oddball takes a break from battle.

3. Trevor Howard in Ryan's Daughter- Howard gives a strong performance that deftly mixes in rather coarse qualities with a genuine heart.

Best Scene: Father Hugh talks to Rosy about marriage.

2. Alec Guinness in Scrooge- Guinness has only two scenes but two scenes of brilliance in his dryly comic performance as a ghost.

Best Scene: Marley in Hell.

1. Karl Malden in Patton- Good Predictions JackiBoyz, Maciej, and Kevin. Karl Malden gives a great performance as the unassuming General Omar Bradley by being the perfect foil for George. C. Scott's depiction of the pride filled Patton, and showing that a modest man can still be a complex man.

Best Scene: Bradley openly speaks his mind to Patton.

Overall Rank:

1. David Warner in The Ballad of Cable Hogue
   
2. Karl Malden in Patton
3. Charlton Heston in Julius Caesar
   
4. Alec Guinness in Scrooge
5. Trevor Howard in Ryan's Daughter
6. Bernard Cribbins in The Railway Children
   
7. Christopher Plummer in Waterloo
   
8. John Mills in Ryan's Daughter
9. Leo McKern in Ryan's Daughter
10. Donald Sutherland in Kelly's Heroes
11. Barry Foster in Ryan's Daughter
12. Yves Montand in Le Cercle Rouge
    
13. Don Rickles in Kelly's Heroes 
14. Chief Dan George in Little Big Man
15. Forrest Tucker in Barquero 
16. Michel Bouquet in La Rupture
    
17. Leonard Frey in The Boys in the Band
18. Mick Jagger in Performance
    
19. Anton Rodgers in Scrooge  
20. Colin Welland in Kes
    
21. Oleg Dahl in King Lear
22. Klaus Kinski in Count Dracula 
23. Gian Maria Volonte in Le Cercle Rouge
    
24. Rabi Ghosh in Aranyer Din Ratri
    
25. Regimantas Adomaitis in King Lear
26. Soumitra Chatterjee in Aranyer Din Ratri 
    
27. Yoshitaka Zushi in Dodes’ka-den
    
28. Orson Welles in Catch-22
29. Anthony Perkins in Catch-22 
30. Subhendu Chatterjee in  Aranyer Din Ratri
    
31. Kenneth More in Scrooge 
32. Samit Bhanja in  Aranyer Din Ratri
    
33. Giancarlo Gianni in The Pizza Triangle 
34. Jack Palance in Monte Walsh
    
35. Robert Duvall in MASH 
36. Junzaburo Ban in Dodes’ka-den
    
37. Robert Vaughn in Julius Caesar 
38. Strother Martin in The Ballad of Cable Hogue
39. Jeremy Kemp in Darling Lili
40. Maximilian Schell in First Love
    
41. Kārlis Sebris in King Lear
42. John Marley in Love Story
43. Tom Skeritt in MASH
44. Leonhard Merzin in King Lear
45. Martin Balsam in Little Big Man
46. Vladimir Yemelyanov in King Lear
47. Richard S. Catellano in Lovers and Other Strangers
48. Richard Mulligan in Little Big Man
49. Gig Young in Lovers and Other Strangers
50. Jean Gascon in A Man Called Horse
    
51. Bob Newhart in Catch-22
52. Martin Balsam in Catch-22
53. Henry Fonda in Sometimes a Great Notion 
54. Bob Balaban in Catch-22
55. Rene Auberjonois in MASH
56. Gerald Sim in Ryan's Daughter
57. Charles Grodin in Catch-22
58. Len Lesser in Kelly's Heroes
59. Martin Sheen in Catch-22 
60. So Yamamura in Tora! Tora! Tora!
61. Martin Balsam in Tora! Tora! Tora!
62. Jason Robards in Tora! Tora! Tora!
63. Tatsuya Mihashi in Tora! Tora! Tora!
64. James Whitmore in Tora! Tora! Tora! 
65. E.G. Marshall in Tora! Tora! Tora! 
66. Takahiro Tamura in Tora! Tora! Tora!
67. Donatas Banionis in King Lear
68. Ray Milland in Love Story 
69. Colin Blakely in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
    
70. Orson Welles in Waterloo 
71. Kerwin Mathews in Barquero
72. Lou Gossett Jr.in Landlord
73. Christopher Lee in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
    
74. Richard Johnson in Julius Caesar
    
75. Timothy Dalton in Cromwell 
76. Roy Scheider in Puzzle of a Downfall Child
    
77. Hal Holbrook in The Great White Hope 
78. Franco Nero in Tristana
    
79. Jon Voight in Catch-22 
80. Peter White in The Boys in the Band
81. Richard Jaeckel in Sometimes a Great Notion
82. Gianni Santuccio in Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
83. Gastone Moschin in The Conformist
84. Art Garfunkel in Catch-22
85. Robert Morley in Cromwell
86. David Collings in Scrooge
87. Carroll O'Connor in Kelly's Heroes 
88. Gary Burghoff in MASH
89. Edward Binns in Patton
90. Cliff Gorman in The Boys in the Band
91. Michael Medwin in Scrooge
92. Laurence Naismith in Scrooge 
93. Dan O'Herlihy in Waterloo
    
94. Enzo Tarascio in The Conformist
95. Chester Morris in The Great White Hope
96. Billy Bush in Five Easy Pieces  
97. Herbert Lom in Count Dracula
    
98. Richard Benjamin in Catch-22 
99. Michael Bates in Patton
100. Federick Combs in The Boys in the Band 
101. Richard Beaumont in Scrooge
102. Laurence Luckinbill in The Boys in the Band
103. Patrick McDermott in Joe
104. Lawrence Dobkin in Patton
105. Jack Gilford in Catch-22
106. Ralph Waite in Five Easy Pieces 
107. Robert La Tourneaux in The Boys in the Band
108. Cal Bellini in Little Big Man

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1970: Leonard Frey in The Boys in the Band

Leonard Frey did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Harold in The Boys in the Band.

The Boys in the Band is a film about a group of homosexual friends who get together for a birthday party although problems arise when their various past traumas are revealed and one of the men invites his old straight roommate. Although the film is well enough written and directed it is problematic because of the performances of the cast.

The actors in this film are reprising their stage roles and the majority of them are making their film debuts. This unfortunately is more than a little noticeable in their performances as most of them seem to be playing to the back rows. The film wants to make it doubly clear, in case you did not know already that the characters are definitely all gay. The performances may even well fit with the flamboyant characters but the actors often falter with the more subtle moments required of their characters. Leonard Frey did not make his film debut here though, but he too certainly gives a less than subtle way of delivery his lines. His voice here sounds like a more nasal version of the voice that Al Pacino used in Dog Day Afternoon.

Frey appears well into the film although he build up quite a lot as it is his birthday. His entrance is quite dramatic, and suggests that Harold will not necessarily be bringing cheer to the proceedings. Harold, like the main character Michael (Kenneth Nelson), has a strong passive aggressive streak that only becomes more openly aggressive as the night proceeds. Although the voice Frey uses is less than subtle, much like most everyone else, but unlike most of them Frey does know to bring some subtext to within this flamboyance rather than trying just when they are asked to be less loud by the script. Frey, because he seems to understand film the most, gives by far the best performance in the film.

Harold is a bile filled man ready to take on Michael's bile with great stride. The main difference between the two is that Harold is far more comfortable not only as a homosexual but as well in his sardonic style. Frey is very effective in creating a loathing pessimist who seems to find solace in whatever way he can trade offenses with Michael who happens to be in particularly bad mood. Frey is very good in the most surface side of his character which is making every verbal swipe toward Michael with the utmost precision. It is rather interesting to see the man who played the shy Motol in Fiddler on the Roof play the role of a vicious cynic with such ease and even some menace.

Frey makes Harold more than just a set of zingers to hit Michael with through the course of his visit. Frey, unlike most everyone else, makes great use of his silent moments during the film. Frey in these moments suggests that his cynicism is not all there is to Harold. There is a certain sadness Frey suggests in his quiet moments and in his reactions to Michael's antics that slowly seek to make everyone as miserable as he is. Frey largely steals these scenes by showing that as Michael harasses the others Harold is slowly building up his own distaste and in turn his own case against Michael. When Harold finally cuts Michael down Frey absolutely earns the moment by building to it properly and delivering with the cold ferocity necessary.

The only problem I would have with Frey's performance is his voice that he uses that does always feel like a straight carry over from the stage without proper adjustment for it to seem wholly natural. It still does feel more of an actor's choice than something entirely natural to his character. Other than that choice though Frey's gives a strong performance that easily bests everyone else in the cast by bringing more to his character than some obvious mannerisms or absurdly labored line readings. If it were not for my one major reservation of his choice in voice I would say this is very close to being a great performance by Leonard Frey, as he very much delivers in his portrayal jaded man who gets the most pleasure in his life by punishing a man who just is not nearly as good at being jaded.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1970

And the Nominees Were Not:

Alec Guinness in Scrooge

Donald Sutherland in Kelly's Heroes

Trevor Howard in Ryan's Daughter

Karl Malden in Patton

Leonard Frey in The Boys in the Band

Best Supporting Actor 1971: Results

5. Leonard Frey in Fiddler on the Roof- Leonard Frey gives an enunciation and energetic performance that might be a bit much, but is fitting for the part.

4. Richard Jaeckel in Sometimes a Great Notion- Jaeckel is barely noticeable most of the film, although he is always fine when he is on screen, but his final scene is quite effective.

3. Roy Scheider in The French Connection- Scheider although never has a scene really to himself or his character he gives a realistic performance that more than fulfills the requirements of his role.

2. Jeff Bridges in The Last Picture Show- Bridges gives a performance that I can never say wows me, but it is always a good consistently realistic turn that brings to life the confusion of his character.

1. Ben Johnson in The Last Picture Show- Johnson easily earns my win this year as Sam the Lion. Johnson creates a haunting and humane portrait of a man who stands for a certain noble dying nature.

Deserving Performances:
Andrew Robinson in Dirty Harry
Fernando Rey in The French Connection
Jack Albertson in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Best Supporting Actor 1971: Leonard Frey in Fiddler on the Roof

Leonard Frey received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Motel Kamzoil in Fiddler on the Roof.

Leonard Frey portrays Motel Kamzoil the poor tailor who is love with the eldest daughter Tzeitel of the milkman Tevye (Topol). Motel is only a small aspect of the story, and is a rather modest character as well. Motel though is quite passionate in his love for Tzeitel, and does insist on being her husband even though she has been matched with a different man.

Frey gives an energetic and enthusiastic performance, perhaps a little too enthusiastic frankly with how much he puts into each of his expressions and reactions. It is a musical though and he is in line with many of the performances found in the film with his particular enthusiasm, and it certainly makes sense for his character who is very passionate for his love.

Frey though most of the time is barely even noticeable in the film which technically is fitting for his character but does not make his performance especially compelling either. Frey mostly is as he should be since Motel should be quite the modest individual who never is suppose to really stand out much, except when it comes to Tzeitel or his sewing machine which will make his sewing far easier.

He also has a song number to himself and he does through a lot of energy into his single song that is again quite appropriate to Motel who is quite passionate when he needs to be. In the end still it is hard for me to say this is all that much of a performance. It isn't really bad at all, even if he might be a bit much at times, but he never makes Motel overly special either.

Best Supporting Actor 1971

And the Nominees Were:

Leonard Frey in Fiddler on the Roof

Jeff Bridges in The Last Picture Show

Ben Johnson in The Last Picture Show

Richard Jaeckel in Sometimes a Great Notion

Roy Scheider in The French Connection