Best Supporting Actor 1962: Victor Buono in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Victor Buono received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Edwin Flagg in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? tells the story of two aged sisters the demented and has been Baby Jane (Bette Davis) who terrorizes the crippled buy still fondly remembered Blanche (Joan Crawford).

Victor Buono plays a fairly small role of a pianist and composer who takes on the add put in by Baby Jane to help her with the songs in the act she believes she can make. Edwin is fairly oblivious to the insanity of Baby Jane, and believes her to be a serious opportunity for work as a composer. Buono actually a nice addition to the film, and his jovial performance helps keep the film from becoming a depressing affair.

Edwin is a fairly simple role he lives with his mother, and than spends time with Jane. In his scenes with Edwin's mother Buono is rather humorous even though it is rather funny looking just the size difference between Edwin and his mother to begin with. Buono though appropriately shows the frustrations he has with his mother clearly showing the Edwin does want to get out of her house, and even shows some anger over his past with his mother and father. The relationship is small and simple but Buono tries to get the most out of it.

Buono is as well humorous in his scenes with Jane. Buono shows that Edwin attempts to come off far more proper and pompous composer than he really is. He also appropriately is believable in his relationship with Jane. They have an interesting dynamic with Edwin not noticing she is off her rocker always very much interested in the prospects of money. It is a simple dynamic but one that is properly amusing as portrayed by David and Buono.

Buono really though only amounts to just a small humorous role with a few dramatic moments such as his later scenes where he finally realizes that Jane is insane after all. Buono is just fine in his dramatic moments as his humorous always doing his best. The simple truth though is Edwin Flagg never is that much of character to begin with. What there is though Buono does manage to bring anything he can out of it. It is not much but it is an amusing and likable performance.

Best Supporting Actor 1962: Telly Savalas in Birdman of Alcatraz

Telly Savalas received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Feto Gomez in Birdman of Alcatraz.

Telly Savalas plays fellow prisoner to the Birdman Robert Stroud (Burt Lancaster). He gets some birds of his own gives them to Stroud when they are laying eggs, than we see him one more time in Alcatraz as he hands Stroud a book. That's it this character should never have been considered for a nomination, Savalas brings nothing to the part than one would expect from this nothing of a character. He is tough guy prisoner that's it. Savalas has absolutely nothing to do here that is all there is to it. This is a truly wasted nomination.

Best Supporting Actor 1962

And the Nominees Were:

Terence Stamp in Billy Budd

Telly Savalas in Birdman of Alcatraz

Ed Begley in Sweet Bird of Youth

Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia

Victor Buono in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Best Supporting Actor 1943: Results

5. Akim Tamiroff in For Whom the Bell Tolls- Tamiroff gives a far too simple approach as Pablo, and fails to bring the depth to part that could have easily been found.

4. Charles Bickford in The Song of Bernadette- Bickford is satisfactory enough as the priest who eventually comes around to helping Bernadette, particularly when he is doubting. His character never requires much though and frankly his more tender scenes seems a bit rough around the edges.

3. J. Carrol Naish in Sahara- Naish has an extremely limited role but manages to create a sympathetic portrait as well gives a passionate speech. Not much but he does a fine job.

2. Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier- Coburn gives a great comedic performance. He is completely steals every single scene he is in and makes the most of every opportunity he has with his character. 

 

1. Claude Rains in Casablanca- Rains gives an extremely flashy always trying to steal a scene no matter how he does it, and certainly does just that.

Deserving Performances:
Dana Andrews in The Ox-Bow Incident

Best Supporting Actor 1943: Claude Rains in Casablanca

Claude Rains received his second nomination for portraying Captain Louis Renault in Casablanca.

Claude Rains plays Captain Renault who is the head of the police in Casablanca. He is player of any side that gets him something being a self confessed corrupt official. Captain Renault is a very flashy role with all his scheming as well as his retorts and Rains decides to take this potential to its limit. This is the flashier performance by Rains that I have seen there is not a single scene where he does not appear to be trying to steal that scene no matter what. Rains throughout his performance is always trying to push himself and be the center of attention even when a scene has little to do with him.

Rains has basically no shame in his entire performance nor fear with his choices in this performance he always goes right out and says yes this is flashy role and that is exactly how I am going to play it. Rains does by stating each of his lines with a swift gusto, as well as when every moving on screen there is always something extra to what he does. Each of his reactions and just the way he walks has a certain extra actory quality to it only to really be flashier in the role and get even more attention.

Rains certainly through his flashiness make Captain Renault an enjoyable character to watch. He never quite makes Renault a villain rather always keeping him as a man gets only what he happens to want. Rains really shows a joy in Renault as he tries to get money and women from his position of power. Rains shows that nothing really gets Renault down to much even when he fails, which works well because it shows it as just mostly a game to Renault, a game he has lots of fun with.

Rains certainly has an enjoyable presence in the film and brings the right flash to this part. This as this exploiter who isn't quite good or even but a definite grey. He excels within the grey with great gusto. Rains of course could always play a more overt villain but here he has the right sort of intense fun with it that is appropriate for the part. He shows a man just living within the setting in a way and going with the flow of his strange position as a puppet with power in so many ways. The excelling of this is in the final moments which he makes work by really just little reactions throughout the film. This that are more than entertaining in showing how the character really feels and in moments of hesitation or calculation in what is a refined and proper showboating turn.   

Best Supporting Actor 1943: Charles Bickford in The Song of Bernadette

Charles Bickford received his first Oscar nomination for portraying Father Peyramale in The Song of Bernadette.

The Song of Bernadette tells of the life of Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

 Charles Bickford plays the local priest who is very skeptical of Bernadette's sightings of a divine woman. Bickford's performance is not a particularly complex character. He is at first very hard on Bernadette since he does not believe her story. Bickford I suppose is appropriately strict at the begining of the film. Later on he shows his faith though when he eventually comes around to believing Bernadette.

There really is not any sort of transition to be seen in Bickford's performance nor is there one written though. The priest's change is almost instant. Bickford never becomes that interesting though after he becomes on her side he becomes a passionate supporter, and Bickford is appropriately passionate. When Bickford is suppose to be tender though Bickford seems always a little too rough still to really bring the right emotions to the situations near the end of the film. Bickford overall really is not bad but his part is too limited to ever really be compelling.

Best Supporting Actor 1943: Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier

Charles Coburn won his Oscar from his second nomination for portraying Benjamin Dingle in The More the Merrier.

The More the Merrier involves the misadventures of three people who find themselves in the same apartment due to a housing shortage in Washington D.C.

Charles Coburn really is not all that much of a supporting performance for about a half to a third of the film where he basically is the lead being the primary force in moving the story along. I do not mind this placement though because he almost disappears in the later part of the film, which is too bad for the film though because if he had remained the lead the film would have probably been better on a whole, since for me the film lost almost all of its steam when Coburn was not on the screen because he makes the movie.

Coburn plays Benjamin Dingle a rich eccentric billionaire who arrives two days early than expected forcing him to find housing by sharing an apartment with a woman Constance (Jean Arthur). Coburn with ease brigns out all the humor with the situation as he shows that Dingle is always in control of his situation. Not in some sort of dictator fashion, but just a man who always knows what to do, and takes the initiative as Dingle says "Damn the torpedoes full speed ahead.".

Coburn is just great in every scene he has with always pitch perfect comedic reactions to the the various complexities that occur thanks to the unusual room arrangement that Dingle makes even more unusual by renting half of his half to a younger soldier also in town named Joe (Joel McCrea). Every moment Coburn makes the most of with his exceedingly charming and entertaining performance. He always takes every line, every reaction and practically brings each to its fullest potential.

 There is not a scene, even the with the later ones where Dingle is unfortunately pushed in the back where Coburn does not make Dingle the man in charge who can't help but be a joyous presence. I only wish Coburn had been the lead because his part is so enjoyable. This is a performance I simply love and he always makes the film a very easy watch. A eccentric comedic character like this is easy to get very wrong but Coburn always brings the humor and the charm of his character into each and every moment he has in the film.