Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1950: Results

5. Louis Calhern in The Asphalt Jungle- I hate to put Calhern fifth as I really liked everyone in this line up. Calhern gives an effective performance bringing a nice complexity to his role as an amoral lawyer.

Best Scene: Emmerich tries to double cross the Doc.

4. Alastair Sim in Stage Fright-Sim gives an entertaining performance that up shows the entire film around him.

Best Scene: Eve Gill brings Johnathan to Commodore Gill's home.

3. Takashi Shimura in Rashomon- Shimura performance gives an interesting and moving performance as a seemingly moralistic woodcutter who might be hiding something himself.

Best Scene: The woodcutter is called out by the commoner.

2. Richard Attenborough in Morning Departure- Richard Attenborough gives a very strong turn being appropriately intense as a man who goes to extremes due to fear, but as well quite tender as the very same man who finds courage within himself.

Best Scene: The remaining crew play a game of cards.

1. Masayuki Mori in Rashomon- Good Prediction Psifonian feel free to name another year and performance to go with it. Mori gives an incredible performance giving four different perceptions of the same doomed man. He is able to be chilling then heartbreaking, brave then cowardly, and his reserved style here perfectly in creating a very memorable dynamic with Toshiro Mifune's flamboyant turn. I will keep Sanders as the winner for the moment but I will say he is on thin ice. I will have to get around to watching All About Eve again as that will make or break his placement over Mori.

Best Scene: The samurai tells his version of the story.

Overall Rank:

1. George Sanders in All About Eve
2. Masayuki Mori in Rashomon
3. Sam Jaffe in The Asphalt Jungle
4. Richard Attenborough in Morning Departure
5. Takashi Shimura in Rashomon
6. Alastair Sim in Stage Fright
7. Louis Calhern in The Asphalt Jungle
8. Minoru Chiaki in Rashomon
9. Sessue Hayakawa in Three Came Home
10. Luis Van Rooten in Cinderella 
11. James Whitmore in The Asphalt Jungle
12. Erich von Stroheim in Sunset Blvd.
13. Kichijiro Ueda in Rashomon
14. George Cole in Morning Departure
15. Cecil B. DeMille in Sunset Blvd. 
16. Michael Brennan in Morning Departure
17. Marc Lawrence in The Asphalt Jungle
18. Nigel Patrick in Morning Departure
19. Jack Webb in The Men 
20. Everett Sloane in The Men
21. Edmund Gwenn in Mister 880
22. Richard Erdman in The Men
23. Stephen McNally in Winchester '73
24. Millard Mitchell in The Gunfighter
25. Jack Palance in Panic in the Streets
26. Cecil Kellaway in Harvey 
27. John McIntire in Winchester 73'
28. Anthony Caruso in The Asphalt Jungle
29. Miles Malleson in Stage Fright
30. Jack Hawkins in Morning Departure
31. Zero Mostel in Panic in the Streets
32. Stephen McNally in No Way Out
33. Brad Dexter in The Asphalt Jungle
34. Wallace Ford in Harvey
35. Karl Malden in The Gunfighter
36. Barry Kelley in The Asphalt Jungle
37. Will Geer in Winchester '73
38. Paul Douglas in Panic in The Streets
39. Millard Mitchell in Winchester '73
40. Luther Adler in D.O.A
41. Michael Wilding in Stage Fright
42. Patric Knowles in Three Came Home
43. Jeff Chandler in Broken Arrow 
44. William Prince in Cyrano de Bergerac
45. Hugh Marlowe in All About Eve
46. Charles Drake in Harvey
47. Skip Homeier in The Gunfighter
48. Gary Merrill in All About Eve
49. Charles Drake in Winchester '73
50. John McIntire in The Asphalt Jungle
51. Neville Brand in D.O.A.
52. Gregory Ratoff in All About Eve

Next Year: 1966 lead

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1950: Alastair Sim in Stage Fright

Alastair Sim did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Commodore Gill in Stage Fright.

Stage Fright is most certainly lesser Hitchcock but it still is an enjoyable enough thriller about an inspiring actress Eve (Jane Wyman) who wants to try to prove the innocence of her friend Johnathan (Richard Todd) who is accused of murdering the husband of a famous entertainer Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich).

Alastair Sim plays Eve's father who she first takes the despondent Johnathan to so he can hideout and avoid being arrested. Sim is just a delight in the role of Commodore Gill who takes on the mystery with his daughter. Sim's performance has a natural low key charm here that really adds a great deal to the early scenes of the film. Sim has Gill play a little game almost as he takes part in the mystery as well as suspects what his daughter's exact reasons are for trying to help the man out. Sim sets the tone for his part quite effectively by mixing in a bit of concern for his daughter, interest in the events, and even a bit of bemusement at the strangeness of the mystery. Sim doesn't let one emotion overwhelm the character bringing a nice balance to the part.

Honestly the early scenes in this film could have been completely lifeless if it were not for Sim's presence who is immensely likable in the role, and quite able at lightening things up a bit while still keeping the dramatic weight of the situation perfectly intact. Sim really doesn't even have funny lines at his disposal but rather is able just to bring a certain humor often just through his facial expressions as he goes through the exploration of the mystery with Wyman. Even though he is actually the supporting character I found myself far more interested in the scenes where Sim investigates then the ones where Wyman's does as Sim is able to find that tone found in the best Hitchcock films where we are allowed to have fun with the investigation even though it is technically a serious situation.

Not all scenes with Gill are his investigations into the central murder mystery and sometimes he stands as a background player in several scenes. These scenes still belong to Sim livening each of them in the traditional scene stealer style. Sim in every moment just adds a jolt of energy through his various reactions during the scenes with just the right type of flamboyance to it. Sim never goes over the top in his portrayal of Gill's behavior who is trying to help his daughter but also is clearly having a good time playing around with lies they are trying to pull off. Sim gets the most out of each of these scenes taking them for himself without any question and making them far more entertaining simply due to his enthusiastic though enjoyably dry presence. 

Alastair Sim is not able to make this essential Hitchcock by any means, but he does make far more worthwhile than it would have been without his very entertaining performance. Sim's work is a great example of an actor making the most out of a role even if it is fairly limited in nature. Sim takes what could have just blended in the fairly unexceptional background of the film but he stands out in the a memorable fashion leaving Commodore Gill as the best character of the film. I only wish that the film actually had been reworked to include even more of Sim as he acts as the Michael Redgrave in the Lady Vanishes, or Robert Donat in 39 Steps of this film bringing that comic relief needed without ever forgetting to keep the necessary emotional weight to the proceedings as well.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1950: Richard Attenborough in Morning Departure

Richard Attenborough did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Stoker Snipe in Morning Departure.

Morning Departure is an fairly effective film about a group of British men stuck on a submarine after a sea mine has exploded.

Richard Attenborough has always been underrated as an actor, and that is not because he is an actor who also directs either although the academy for whatever reason only ever recognized him in that field. I imagine his underrated status mostly comes from the fact that a large part of his career, particularly early in his career, he starred mainly in very British productions. This film is no exception which is a shame considering there is some strong acting to be found in this almost completely forgotten film. Attenborough plays one of the men stuck on the submarine who we briefly meet before the accident involving the sea mine. Attenborough sets his character up perfectly showing Snipe to be a man quietly at unease with the idea of boarding a submarine as well as his wife's rather questionable behavior.

The young Attenborough, as he also showed in Brighton Rock, has such an intensity in his big youthful eyes. He uses this particularly well to amplify the freighting nature of the men's situation as Attenborough shows Snipe as a man who is deeply afraid in the disabled submarine. Snipe's early actions in the film are that of a cowardly man who suffers from claustrophobia, and it is revealed that he only took the position on the submarine for the extra pay it offered. Attenborough is excellent because he doesn't play Snipe as a villain as he explores the weaknesses of the man even though he makes these flaws quite vivid. Attenborough portrayal of the fear is quite powerful as we see it drive him to foolish and selfish actions. Attenborough is always honest in making the fear of a normal man not some sort of monster.

Instead of making Snipe some sort of enemy to the crew when he eventually breaks down and attempts to make some sort of foolish escape Attenborough is able to actually be rather sympathetic in his portrayal of the selfish Snipe. Attenborough always brings an authenticity to this and Snipe's breakdown is rather remarkable because Attenborough while being appropriately intense in the temporary insanity in Snipe he at the same time allows us to see the very human emotions driving Snipe in his actions. Attenborough is able to show us where this man is coming from and even though we probably won't agree with Snipe's actions he does allow us to understand why he is tries his escape. This understanding though is particularly important though as Snipe changes as the film proceeds to a selfless man who stays on the submarine and tries his best to help the other three men still on board.

Attenborough makes this transition completely natural despite just how quick it is by setting up Snipe's actions earlier as those of a man in a truly terrible situation. Attenborough doesn't force it in the least being quite moving performance as he reveals a caring Snipe underneath his fear. Attenborough doesn't just brush off the fear though keeping internalized in his performance for the rest of the film as he should, but Attenborough shows that Snipe is able to remove his minds to the needs of the rest of the crew instead. Attenborough keeps Snipe the same making his change in the film believable when it very easily could have been a severe failing of the film considering that Snipe's discovery of his sense of duty is such a rapid one. Attenborough serves this film especially well bringing a needed friction earlier to the film as the troubled Snipe as well as giving a heartfelt portrayal when Snipe finds his courage.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1950: Louis Calhern in The Asphalt Jungle

Louis Calhern did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Alonzo D. Emmerich in The Asphalt Jungle.

Louis Calhern was nominated for his performance as Oliver Wendell Holmes for lead actor in 1950 but his performance that year was actually his supporting turn in this year although it is not surprising that he was nominated for the dignified portrait of a supreme court justice rather his portrayal of a rather sleazy lawyer who dabbles in crime on the side. Calhern essentially plays the money man for the big operation to steal a fortune worth of jewels from a bank vault. Emmerich though is not nearly as trust worthy as the other men in the plan would like to be as he decides upon a double cross early on as one way to escape his own financial problems. One of the strengths of this film is that Emmerich's character is given far more depth than the usual greedy wealthy man often found in heist films.

Louis Calhern, who often played authority figures, deserves a great deal of credit for going about fleshing out his character beyond simply what his actions are. Calhern is of course very good in being the bluntest part of the role which is the rich lawyer who would like to be a hot shot criminal. Calhern has the right sort of pompousness in his performance. He seems like the rich man in front of the criminals and is very good in putting an extra emphasis to his rich man demeanor which is fitting as Emmerich is putting on a bit of a show for his associates benefits as he does want to trick them into believing that he will go through with the plan all the way without any tricks up his sleeve. Calhern maneuvers through the act effectively making it easy to see why the criminals would agree to work with him at first, but not agree to trust him later.

Calhern brings more to the role though than just being the seedy man who messes up the money end of the heist. Calhern very good in bringing depth into every facet of Emmerich's life. His affair with a young woman played Marilyn Monroe is particularly well handled by Calhern. When he speaks to her Calhern expresses an interesting combination of emotions in Emmerich as he seems to lust after her while seeming to be disgusted by his behavior at the very same time. Calhern also brings this complexity in his brief scenes where Emmerich spends time with his invalid wife. Calhern portrays the mixed feelings of Emmerich very well once gain although this time it is shame in him for being unfaithful for his wife although along with a boredom of her, although importantly Calhern does bring a subtle warmth in his performance that shows Emmerich still loves his wife despite his own behavior.

Like Sam Jaffe's performance and pretty much every performance in the film there is a certain style to Calhern's work that very much adds to the film as whole. There is something so particular about his manner especially the way that he smokes his cigarette that has a memorable style to it well always feeling authentic. One of the things this film does though is break apart the image of the men in the film with the tough Dix really begin a man just wanting to go home, the mechanical mastermind Doc really being just a lustful old man, and Emmerich although wanting to be the big boss man is really just a pathetic small man. One of Calhern's best scenes is when Emmerich tries to trick Doc and Dix to give him the money but things turn south causing Emmerich's henchmen to be killed by Dix. Calhern is excellent in the scene as he shows Emmerich lose his usual assured manner and become a scared wreck almost driven to tears revealing the truly pathetic Emmerich underneath his fancy suits. Calhern realizes Emmerich as a complex portrait of a man who tries to think big but is in fact a very small man inside.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1950: Masayuki Mori in Rashomon

Masayuki Mori did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Takehiro Kanazawa in Rashomon.

Akira Kurosawa's films are not always known for their ensembles. This is not a problem as I never believe this causes any actual problems for the film, but they are usually driven by one or two performances. Rashomon though is an exception. Yes, as usual, it contains a great performance by Toshiro Mifune but almost every actor in the film has a moment to shine. Out of the supporting characters the man who shines the most is Masayuki Mori as the samurai Takehiro Kanazawa whose fate is the constant of the four different stories of the same event. The samurai's fate being that he is killed one of the many things that are disputed though is who killed him not to mention how he was murdered and why exactly he was killed.

Mori like Toshiro Mifune gives four different sides of apparently the same man. The samurai though is a little different though from his wife and the bandit because we never see the samurai as himself in the court we only know him through the perspectives of the story tellers. Mori's work is very different form Mifune's almost the polar opposite particularly in terms of how little he says as well as the fact he very much downplays the emotions of his character whereas Mifune revels in them. As Mifune's fiery performance reflected the free spirited nature of his character Tajomaru the infamous bandit, Mori's icy turn reflects his role as the controlled samurai who at first is just very normally moving one place to another through a forest with his wife.

Tajomaru's version of the events is told like an adventure despite the results of it therefore the samurai is pictured as an adversary although importantly a worthy adversary. Mori in this version is just about silent in his portrayal of the samurai. Every action he takes seems to be deducing what the bandit wants to do and attempting to thwart him the best that he can. Even when he is tied to the tree in defeat Mori portrays the samurai with a strong willed defiance like even though he is defeat he will not lay down, the perfect enemy to say that the bandit eventually defeats. When they do finally fight Mori once again portrays the samurai as a worthy foe who is brave, tough, and someone that makes it so the bandit can be very proud of his victory within his story.

In the wife's story Mori brings a subtle variation on the first story's version. Where Mori portrayed the samurai as most certainly unhappy in the first story the focus of the second his his intense disgust not at the bandit but at his wife for succumbing to the bandits advances. Mori portrayal of this disgust is particularly effective because of just how cold he is yet still forceful in the emotional intensity of his hatred. Mori barely says anything again yet there is such power in his stare without any remorse as he condemns his wife in his eyes. This version of the samurai is killed by his wife leaving her an emotional wreck and Mori makes both the wife's actions as well as her emotional state in the court believable through his bitter scowl.

I will skip over his version as that is the strongest point of his entire performance and go to the woodcutter's version. The woodcutter's version seems the most pathetic and perhaps the most realistic as the whole event leaves a terrible taste in the mouth. Mori's work is particularly interesting here as the samurai once again denounces his wife yet Mori plays it in a completely different fashion yet somehow it seems like it still could have come from the same man. Mori's plays this denouncement in a far more open and to the point manner probably far more like how most men would turn from their wives. Mori is still very harsh but it is fascinating the way in this version how he portrays the same action in such a different fashion yet still seems as though he is portraying the same character.

Mori is particularly effective in showing not only how their fatal battle starts but also how it ends. In this version it is being emasculated by the wife that leads both men to fight. Instead of being the stoic worthy adversary of the first story Mori's portrays the samurai much more as a normal man who is forced by pride to try and fight like a man. As I said in Mifune's review he and Mori are terrific in the portrayal of the battle particularly when compared to the bandit's version. Where the first was made a rousing affair by the actors in this version it is a particularly unpleasant sight to watch as both are frightened as they attempt to kill one another. Mori is very powerful as in the end does not portray the finale of the fight as a worthy opponent accepting defeat but rather just a very scared man pleading for his life.

Mori's greatest moment though is when the samurai himself tells the story through a medium, a person who speaks for the dead. Mori says the most as we hear his voice but do not see him. Mori's voice is extremely haunting and it is as it should be the voice of a dead man suffering in darkness. Through his voice we hear the samurai's version of the events. Mori is incredible because where the other scenes his performance properly acts as a man closed off from us, in this one he opens up to us as we see samurai as he sees himself. Mori still stays reserved in his performance but although there is not warmth precisely there is not that same coldness instead we are allowed see the basic human feelings in this man.

In this version of the story the samurai does not hate his wife for letting the bandit have his way with her but rather because she insists that the bandit murder him. Mori is actually quite heartbreaking in this version as he so honestly portrays how this tears the samurai inside. There is not anger that Mori portrays in this version but only sadness in the samurai due to all that he has lost from the event. It is especially moving because of the difference in this quietly emotional depiction in contrast to the cold version as he is seen by the other observers. That is the achievement of this performance by Masayuki Mori as he is able to create four different sides of the samurai yet never making it an entirely different character. His performance just like Mifune's is compelling complex portrait of the four perceptions of a man which Mori makes a particularly effective counterpart through his far more restrained portrayal to Mifune's flamboyant work.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1950: Takashi Shimura in Rashomon

Takashi Shimura did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying the woodcutter in Rashomon.

Takashi Shimura plays the woodcutter the only person to tell a version of the story where the samurai dies and his wife is raped who does not appear in the story himself. The woodcutter, along with a priest and a commoner discuss a story while waiting for a rainstorm to stop underneath the city gate. The woodcutter claims at first to have been the one to come upon the corpse of the samurai and report the crime to the police. Where the priest laments the situation and the commoner just seems to mostly enjoy hearing the story, the woodcutter though for some reason consistently decries each of the stories as lies made by the storyteller and not the truth.

Takashi Shimura's role is a limited role and Shimura plays his role in a seemingly simple fashion at first as the film cuts back to the three men before and after each of the stories. He and Minoru Chiaki as the priest accent each of the stories by portraying the men's reactions to hearing each version of the story. Minoru Chiaki effectively shows the great distress over the nature of the story as he sees people acting morally bankrupt. Shimura portrays a similar reaction which adds to the impact to each story by showing what it means to them. Shimura though is careful in that he portrays the woodcutter's reaction which is not the same as there seems to be some sort of outrage he has under that haunted expression as he reflects on the stories he has heard.

Takashi Shimura in his performance carefully sets up the secret the woodcutter has as he tears down each of the stories by calling the three storytellers liars, and Shimura gives the sense that this there is more to what the woodcutter knows which is revealed later. The woodcutter claims to have seen the whole event himself and depicts the story in a particularly unromantic light, and paints all of the three participants rather poorly. Shimura handles the scenes before and after the woodcutter's story just right as it is impossible to tell if he is lying or if he telling the truth yet Shimura never makes this seem lacking in distinction. Shimura portrays that the woodcutter is most definitely haunted for a reason and hates what has happened but he leaves the viewer to decide from where this outrage comes.

The scenes of the three men discussing the crime build up to the point in which they find an abandoned baby and the commoner steals a kimono that was with it, the woodcutter calls him on it leaving the commoner to reveal that perhaps the woodcutter was also acting in self-interest with his story as he was the one who took the expensive knife left after the crime. Shimura is very moving using mostly his expressive face as the woodcutter must face his own guilt. Shimura shows the weakness that exists in the man as well and powerfully expresses the shame the man feels for his actions. Shimura is actually able to retain the mystery of the story as he again leaves it open where exactly the shame lies in that man whether it is for stealing the knife or perhaps for making up his version of the story.

The film leaves Shimura and Chiaki a difficult scene to end on as they must make an optimistic ending from the often pessimistic narrative. The optimism comes from the woodcutter's willingness to take the baby and takes care of it as one of his own acting no longer in self interest. The scene comes out of the blue and it is easy to see how it might not have worked but it ends up being a terrific ending to the film due to the performances of Shimura and Chiaki. Shimura is only genuine in his depiction of the woodcutter's moral redemption as he is willing to do a purely selfless act. Shimura's and Chiaki's scene has such honest warmth and feeling and gives hope at the end of the film that does not feel forced or sanctimonious in the least.

Shimura's screen time is limited and his scenes are decidedly not the showy ones of the film as we only see the woodcutter in the strictest terms. Shimura despite this still gives a complex performance within the woodcutter who seems simple at first yet he and the film reveal this to not be the case in a most effective fashion. It is a most intriguing portrait that he creates of the observer as we see both his own reactions to the three other stories but as well what makes up actually why a man might take the selfish route and create his own perspective in the film place. His work makes the stories out of the realm of the rashomon effect hold their own power as well as amplify the power of the stories, and as well his portrayal of the morality of the woodcutter acts as the natural and very poignant personification of one of the major themes of this film.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1950

And the Nominees Were Not:

Masayuki Mori in Rashomon

Takashi Shimura in Rashomon

Louis Calhern in The Asphalt Jungle

Alastair Sim in Stage Fright

Richard Attenborough in Morning Departure

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