Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1943: Dana Andrews in The Ox-Bow Incident and Results

Dana Andrews did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Donald Martin in The Ox-Bow Incident.

Dana Andrews often played characters who were stern and very restrained in their emotions such as in films like Laura and Boomerang. This performance is in a way is as much against type as Joseph Cotten was in Shadow of a Doubt due to the emotional nature of the role. Dana Andrews plays the man who is the leader of a group of three men who are stumbled upon by the posse hoping to avenge the death of a local rancher. The men are accused of the murder, and they are helped by the fact that they have some of the man's cattle without a proper receipt for the purchase. These leaves Martin to try and convince the very angry men to believe that he and the other men had nothing whatsoever to do with the murder and are innocent.

Andrews has none of his usual demeanor in this performance instead giving a very emotionally charged performance as Martin. His first scene is incredible reflecting the complete confusion of the man as he founds himself surrounded and instantly accused of a very severe crime. Andrews is absolutely terrific bringing about the strain of the situation into his performance. Andrews is excellent in showing how hard it is for Martin to try to keep his thoughts together as he tries to juggle all of the question being asked at him as well as trying to keep things under control among his own men, and from the extremely hostile crowd who are ready to string him up without even the slightest explanation.

It is especially powerful to see the usually so confidant Andrews give such an emotionally violate performance. Andrews is especially raw an intense in nature, and in a time where so many performances could be dull it is amazing to see such an uncompromising depiction of feeling as Andrews gives. His pleas for understanding, sympathy, and for the sake of his family are heartbreaking. There is never a moment of false sentiment in his portrayal. His performance is only ever genuine. There is nothing showy about this but rather he plays the part in such a purely genuine fashion that he is utterly gut wrenching to hear his pleas that are only the pleas of an innocent man fighting for his life.

 Andrews's performance pretty much takes over the picture  with his presence as even when he is not saying anything his silent reactions to the posse's deliberations are just as powerful as when he is talking. When the posse vote on whether to kill them or to let them live Andrews's performance is that brings the power of the scene so strongly to life. His face is so haunting as he shows Martin trying so hard to keep it together as the men choose. He is so moving as he gives the glimpse of hope in his eyes when some choose to let them live, but his reaction to most of the choosing death is one of the saddest moments ever put in a fictional film as we see Martin see that he has no chance to live. 

The Ox-Bow Incident is about showing the horrors and wrongfulness that is the act of lynching along with the mob mentality that goes along with it. Andrews gives the portrait of the victim of this injustice with his delicate and poignant performance. Dana Andrew's performance stands for me as one of the most affecting performances ever through his wholly genuine depiction of a man pleading for mercy against a wall of seemingly deaf ears. Although I still did not cry watching this performance his work right along with Richard Jordan's performance in Gettysburg stands as two of the few performances that I can't help but choke up when watching and come very very close to losing my composure.

Other Performances:

Anthony Quinn in The Ox-Bow Incident- Although Dana Andrews does leave the strongest impression on the film a very young Anthony Quinn makes his mark in the film as one of the other men in the accused group of three men. Quinn plays Juan Martínez who seems like he is the least savory of the three men. Quinn is very good in creating his character form the get out from his expression when he first sees that they have been surrounded by the posse. It isn't of fear or surprise but rather like he was thinking that he would be caught for something eventually. His character has some secrets, and Quinn is very good in being an unpredictable element in the film as a bit is revealed about Juan throughout his brief screen time. Each of the men react to their potential lynching differently, and the three actors each portray their parts differently. Quinn is very effective in being the cynical one who doesn't accept his fate, and won't let his captors see any fears in his eyes. His role is a short one which doesn't get the majority focus as most is given to Andrews, but Quinn makes a strong impact with all that he has.

Erich von Stroheim in Five Graves to Cairo- Erich Von Stroheim plays Field Marshall Rommel, but that really is not important. He plays the main Nazi villain of the film, which was a common villain during the 40's, and often they would be one note or rather bland. Stroheim buck this trend though in giving a fairly intelligent performance as Rommel. He plays Rommel as the arch villain with a strong presence, and just the right amount of flamboyance. Rather just trying to be evil like most Nazi villains of the time Stroheim goes about making Rommel a worthy adversary, and an entertaining character. He tears into all his scenes with a certain refined style where he expresses the ability of Rommel, and just is a fun character to watch while still successfully being the villain he is suppose to be. A fairly limited role on the whole, but one that Stroheim plays with the appropriate gusto to make Rommel one of the best parts of this film.

Overall Rank:

1. Dana Andrews in The Ox-Bow Incident
2. Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier
3. Anthony Quinn in The Ox-Bow Incident
4. Erich von Stroheim in Five Graves to Cairo
5. Harry Davenport in The Ox-Bow Incident
6. Lee J. Cobb in The Song of Bernadette
7. George Sanders in This Land is Mine
8. Francis Ford in The Ox-Bow Incident
9. Vincent Price in The Song of Bernadette 
10. Takashi Shimura in Sanshiro Sugata
11. Henry Travers in Shadow of a Doubt
12. Laird Cregar in Heaven Can Wait 
13. Hume Cronyn in Shadow of a Doubt
14. Harry Morgan in The Ox-Bow Incident 
15. Charles Coburn in Heaven Can Wait 
16. Rex Ingram in Sahara 
17. Frank Morgan in The Human Comedy 
18. Anton Walbrook in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
19. Akim Tamiroff in Fives Grave to Cairo
20. Leigh Whipper in The Ox-Bow Incident 
21. Eugene Palette in Heaven Can Wait
22. George Coulouris in Watch on the Rhine
23. Walter Slezak in This Land is Mine 
24. Richard Nugent in Sahara 
25. Frank Conroy in The Ox-Bow Incident
26. Dan Duryea in Sahara 
27. Denjiro Okochi in Sanshiro Sugata
28. Van Johnson in The Human Comedy
29. George Coulouris in This Land is Mine
30. Wallace Ford in Shadow of a Doubt
31. Ray Collins in The Human Comedy
32. Peter van Eyck in Fives Grave to Cairo
33. William Eythe in The Ox-Bow Incident
34. Paul Hurst in The Ox-Bow Incident
35. Kent Smith in This Land is Mine
36. Louis Mercier in Sahara
37. Matt Briggs in The Ox-Bow Incident
38. J. Carrol Naish in Sahara
39. Charles Bickford in The Song of Bernadette
40. Chris-Pin Martin in The Ox-Bow Incident
41. Albert Bassermann in Madame Curie
42. Marc Lawrence in The Ox-Bow Incident
43. Henry Travers in Madame Curies
44. Dick Rich in The Ox-Bow Incident
45. Yukiki Todoroki in Sanshiro Sugata 
46. Akim Tamiroff in For Whom the Bell Tolls
47. Macdonald Carey in Shadow of a Doubt 
48. William Eythe in The Song of Bernadette
49. Kurt Kreuger in Sahara
50. James Craig in The Human Comedy
51. John Wengraf in Sahara
52. Donald Buka in Watch on the Rhine
53. Richard Gaines in The More the Merrier
54. Nelson Eddy in Phantom of the Opera
55. Edgar Barrier in Phantom of the Opera
56. Eric Roberts in Watch on the Rhine

Next Year: 2002 Lead