Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981: Results

5. John Lithgow in Blow Out- Lithgow gives an interesting turn as a hired killer who accomplishes his dirty job by pretending to be a murderous psychopath.

Best Scene: Burke explains his actions to his superior.

4. Paul Freeman in Raiders of the Lost Ark- Freeman gives an effective performance that makes Belloc the shadow to Indiana Jones.

Best Scene: "This, this is history"

3. Wilford Brimley in Absence of Malice- Brimley steals his whole film through his assured performance that basically wraps up the plot for his film.

Best Scene: His scene.

2. Bill Hunter in Gallipoli- Hunter gives a strong performance giving humanity to a man who continues with a futile and fatal charge because it is his order to do so.

Best Scene: Major Barton proceeds with the final charge.

1. Robert Prosky in Thief- Prosky gives my favorite supporting performance of 1981, apologies once again to my seemingly perpetual number 2 Jack Nicholson, by delivering a fantastic performance as a warm genial older man which hides the vicious gangster beneath.  

Best Scene: Leo threatens Frank.

Overall Rank:

1. Robert Prosky in Thief
2. Jack Nicholson in Reds
3. John Gielgud in Arthur
4. Ian Holm in Chariots of Fire
5. Bill Hunter in Gallipoli 
6. Wilford Brimley in Absence of Malice
7. Paul Freeman in Raiders of the Lost Ark   
8. Lee Van Cleef in Escape From New York
9. Mickey Rourke in Body Heat 
10. Sean Connery in Time Bandits 
11. John Gielgud in Chariots of Fire 
12. John Lithgow in Blow Out
13. Jerry Orbach in Prince of the City
14. Michael Ironside in Scanners
15. Klaus Wennermann in Das Boot
16. Michael Palin in Time Bandits 
17. Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire
18. Kjell Nilsson in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior 
19. Harry Dean Stanton in Escape From New York 
20. Bruce Spence in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
21. Griffin Dunne in An American Werewolf in London
22. Christopher Walken in Pennies From Heaven
23. Burgess Meredith in Clash of the Titans 
24. Herbert Grönemeyer in Das Boot
25. Patrick McGoohan in Scanners
26. Howard Rollins in Ragtime
27. Bill Kerr in Gallipoli
28. Donald Pleasence in Escape From New York
29. Kenny Baker in Time Bandits 
30. Nicholas Farrell in Chariots of Fire 
31. Robert Grubb in Gallipoli
32. Lindsay Anderson in Chariots of Fire
33. John Cleese in Time Bandits
34. Brad Dourif in Ragtime
35. Warren Oates in Stripes
36. Nigel Davenport in Chariots of Fire
37. David Warner in Time Bandits
38. Bob Balaban in Absence of Malice 
39. Ralph Richardson in Time Bandits
40. Sean Penn in Taps
41. James Coco in Only When I Laugh
42. John Rhys Davies in Raiders of the Lost Ark
43. Tom Cruise in Taps
44. Patrick Magee in Chariots of Fire
45. Vernel Bagneris in Pennies From Heaven
46. John Woodvine in An American Werewolf in London
47. Michael Preston in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
48. Willie Nelson in Thief
49. Ernest Borgnine in Escape From New York 
50. David Rappaport in Time Bandits
51. James Cagney in Ragtime
52. Struan Rodger in Chariots of Fire 
53. Pierce Brosnan in The Long Good Friday
54. Ian Holm in Time Bandits
55. Ronald Lacey in Raiders of the Lost Ark
56. David Argue in Gallipoli 
57. Peter Egan in Chariots of Fire 
58. Isaac Hayes in Escape From New York
59. Barney Martin in Arthur
60. David Yelland in Chariots of Fire
61. Gene Hackman in Reds 
62. Alfred Molina in Raiders of the Lost Ark
63. James Olson in Ragtime
64. Dabney Coleman in On Golden Pond
65. Ted Danson in Body Heat
66. James Belushi in Thief
67. John Candy in Stripes
68. Dennis Farina in Thief
69. Denholm Elliot in Raiders of the Lost Ark 
70. J.A. Preston in Body Heat
71. Paul Sorvino in Reds
72. Gregory Hines in History of the World Part I
73. Dennis Franz in Blow Out 
74. Brad Davis in Chariots of Fire
75. Laurence Olivier in Clash of the Titans
76. Vernon Wells in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
77. Stephen Elliot in Arthur
78. Tom Signorelli in Thief
79. John Larroquette in Stripes
80. Doug McKeon in On Golden Pond 
81. Edward Hermann in Reds
82. Don Hood in Absence of Malice
83. Dennis Christopher in Chariots of Fire

Next Year: 1964 lead

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981: Bill Hunter in Gallipoli

Bill Hunter did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Major Barton in Gallipoli.

Gallipoli is a film about the friendship of two different men Frank and Archy played by Mel Gibson and Mark Lee respectively, but there is a fairly solid ensemble that surrounds the two as they go from running for reward to running for their lives. Bill Hunter plays a superior officer in the Calvary unit in which Archy and later Frank find themselves in. In the early scenes of his performance there is not all that much to Hunter's actual character. His brief moments though nicely humanize the superior in the military as Hunter plays Major Barton as an actual man in the position rather than some sort of inhuman representation of the military as he might have been played.

The real meat of Hunter's performance comes when the light cavalry is finally put into action as infantry who must attempt to take the enemy position by running across no man's land. Hunter is terrific in the scene as he shows the way Major Barton changes just through the course of initiating the plan. At the beginning Hunter keeps Barton as the likable enough superior, as a man it is completely understandable why he would allow Frank to take Archy's place as message carrier simply because of Archy's plead to him. Hunter begins with Barton with the humanitarian bent as he shows concern that the enemies turret guns have not been displaced, but Hunter still portrays the military restrictions as the man as he still is determined to proceed with the plan.

The last sequence of the film is amazing held together brilliantly by the performances of Gibson, Lee and Hunter who actually is equally important to the power of this end. Where Archy just has to wait until being called to make the run for the enemy lines, Frank also must follow orders to transfer the messages only allowed slight sway in the proceedings, and even Major Barton must follow orders although is allowed to think about it for a little longer. Hunter is exceptional in portraying the increasing desperation in Major Barton as he sees that his men barely make it on the field before being quickly killed by the onslaught of machine gun fire that rains down upon them.

Where Lee's Archy is the unfortunate soldier, and Gibson shows the futile attempt of a man to make a difference, Hunter shows the unfortunate reality of the chain of command in his performance as Major Barton. Barton could have easily been made to be a foolish lifeless man ordering the deaths of others, but the writing and Hunter's take on the major makes the ending of the film far more powerful. Hunter shows the humanity still in Barton and you can see how every death is tearing him apart to the point where he becomes a shaking mess of despair, but nevertheless Hunter still shows that restrictions in the man that forces him to follow his orders even in his emotional devastation. Hunter gives a remarkable performance by making Major Barton a good man who allows the deaths of men because they are his orders.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981: Robert Prosky in Thief

Robert Prosky did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Leo in Thief.

Thief  is about a career thief Frank (James Caan) who agrees to work for the mafia while trying to build a more normal life for himself. It's a pretty effective thriller although I found its score to be rather poor, I like a good 80's synth soundtrack, but here it was distracting and often felt out of place.

Thief follows many similar story beats to that of Drive, and one of the similarities is found in the main heavy of the story who is a older mobster, although Bernie Rose as played by Albert Brooks in Drive seemed a bit more retired than Leo played by Robert Prosky. Both men approach our hero with a good proposition. Bernie Rose wanted to get into the racing scene circuit with the driver, but Leo here actually wants Frank to perform illegal activities for him. Frank, despite ticking off one of Leo's men, intrigues Leo with his skills as a thief which makes Leo offer Frank an offer that it seems he can't refuse. The offer being that Leo will basically fund and set up jobs for Frank to pull and they will split the profits.

Robert Prosky, much like Albert Brooks, is not exactly the first guy you think of when you think villian after all Robert Prosky was the man who originated the part of the hapless salesman Shelley Levene in Glengarry Glen Ross. That is not a problem for Prosky in fact it is asset in the way he plays Leo for the first three fourths of the film. Prosky plays Leo as a fairly genial fellow when Leo outsets his plan for Frank and himself. Prosky is rather gentle as Leo asks Frank do to jobs with him with a nice friendly smile, and at the moment Prosky makes it seem that Leo can be perfectly trusted as mostly just a nice old man. Prosky makes it wholly believable why Frank would except the proposition because Prosky makes it seem like such a good deal.

Prosky does something brilliant here though in that even though he makes Leo seem like a nice old man he never compromises the fact that he also is a gangster. Prosky approach to do this lies almost entirely in his manner that suggests his years as a mobster. The way he walks, the way he seems to always be in control of his crew without anything all comes Prosky's body language as Leo. Prosky even brings this incredible hidden menace in Leo, it is something just suggested never enforced in the early scenes. It is obvious that Leo had a long past in crime and Prosky let's that known in his physical performance, and puts it to just simmer there below of the surface of the personality that Leo allows Frank to see.

One particularly amazing scene for Prosky comes when he is talking to Frank and Frank tells Leo his personal problems which involve issues with adopting a child. Prosky plays this scene so well in the add but oh so effective dynamic he brings to the part of Leo. On one hand Prosky genuinely makes Leo a father figure to Frank, as Leo tries to remedy any problems he might have in his personal life. Prosky seems so honestly warm as Leo promises to get Frank that son he wants. Prosky makes Leo seem man who just wants Frank to have a good life, but there is something else in the scene that only adds to the greatness of it.  During the entire scene Prosky keeps Leo the gangster though in the way he leans in his chair, as if he were a King, and even just the way he wears his sunglasses that are so fitting to an illegal power player.

Leo undergoes a bit of a transition though when Frank wants to end the agreement and Leo does not. This is flawlessly portrayed by Prosky, aided well by the way he set up Leo throughout, as in a single facial transition we see the real Leo come out. It is a beautifully done scene by Prosky as we see the happy hold man, when Frank has said nothing, drift to the murderous criminal right before our eyes when Frank tries to threaten Leo. Prosky does not need to say a single thing as it it obvious the tide will change as makes pleasantness naturally drift from his face to that of the hollow mobster he really is. The full extent of the evil in Leo though comes in Prosky's strongest scene as Leo threatens Frank in one long monologue. Prosky is absolutely chilling in the sheer brutality he brings to Leo's words that does not only threaten Frank but threatens his entire family.

The strength of that monologue is made all the more powerful because of how Prosky lead to it. In the monologue there is not a hint of sympathy in his eyes, in his voice, in his face. In the moment Prosky let's be known that the warmth before was only allowed to men who followed every order he gave. The monologue is truly jarring because all that warmth is made to be a lie by Prosky showing that Leo never was really Frank's friend, not even when he found Frank a son. This is a great performance by Robert Prosky who steals every one of his scenes as well as the entire film through his outstanding portrayal of the method of an aged gangster. Prosky never allows you to second guess his casting for a moment through his imposing depiction of both the kind deception and the true viciousness of his character.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981: Wilford Brimley in Absence of Malice, Mickey Rourke in Body Heat, and Christopher Walken in Pennies From Heaven

Wilford Brimley did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Assistant U.S. Attorney General James A. Wells in Absence of Malice.

Wilford Brimley shows up late in this film for about fifteen minutes basically to clear up all the plot for everyone and complete the film. After watching Absence of Malice for the first time I remembered very little of it other than Wilford Brimley's one scene in the film where the plot finally seems to move forward. Brimley's character appears to get to the bottom of the various problematic acts the other characters performed by deriving the information, and then punish those who have done wrong. The whole character could seem a bit of a contrivance just to get things over with, but it does not feel that way because of Wilford Brimley's performance.

Brimley is completely on for his fifteen minutes of the film and completely steals the scene from everyone including the two leads. Brimley got a most unique style when it comes to be imposing, and boy does it work well here. Brimley rather then yelling or even getting what would seem vicious in the traditional fashion but rather has this down home calm about himself. Brimely is in absolute command of the room so to speak as he does not only make it obvious that his character of Wells would and could get right down to the truth, but Brimley also makes it obvious that he will completely own the scene.

Brimley flawlessly creates the method in which Wells takes to get to the bottom of what exactly happened. Brimley is able to be right out confrontational in that so purely Wilford Brimley way where he intimidates while never raising his voice past a certain point. Brimley does even more than that though as Wells also acts as the moral center of the film, and Brimley is rather poignant in the unpretentious way he expresses his disappointment with the actions of others. Brimley switches method perfectly in the scene particularly when he chews out to of his associates. The first one who Wells respects more Brimley quietly but firmly dismisses, the second though Brimley leaves no hesitations as Wells bluntly and coldly fires him.

Brimley does not simply steal that one scene, but steals the entire film with it. Absence of Malice is a film that I felt for the most part just lied there proceedings without any real spark, other than that one scene where Paul Newman remembers he's Paul Newman, that is until Brimley shows up who breaths life into the story with his astute performance. The part of Wells is just there to clear up the plot, but Brimley does more than just fulfill his role. Brimley makes Wells into a character that lives past that one scene though through his honest portrayal of an intelligent man who wants to do the right thing and to make sure that he confronts everyone else what they have done wrong. Brimley never makes Wells overly prideful or egotistical, but rather a man who knows he is in the right and does not mind saying so.

Mickey Rourke did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Teddy Lewis in Body Heat.

Body is essentially a remake of Double Indemnity with one of its few major additions being the minor character of Teddy Lewis. Double Indemnity contained a great supporting performance by Edward G. Robinson, but the equivalent character in this film is severely weakened partly because Robinson's role Keyes's is broken into two characters. The strongest supporting performance in the film instead belongs to Mickey Rourke as one of Ned Racine(William Hurt)'s former clients who has a criminal past, which comes useful to Racine when he himself wants to break the law by murdering the rich husband of the lust woman he is having an affair with.

Rourke's only in the movie for about four minutes but is able to make the strongest impression out of the entire cast. Teddy is arsonist who makes an explosive device for Racine, but also tries to add a few words of wisdom at the same time. Rourke is superb in finding his character of Teddy as he very coolly puts everything to Racine. Rourke in just his few minutes gives the whole history of his character in his attitude which shows that Teddy knows quite a few ways around the park by now. Teddy knows that getting involved in any crime is a pretty stupid thing to do, but he basically recognizes that he really is not quite smart enough himself not to be criminal.

Mickey Rourke shows exactly what made him a thing in the 80's. Rourke just owns his scenes with William Hurt, and does brings a weight to the proposed murder the way that Edward G. Robinson did in the original film. Rourke's second scene is equally strong as Teddy tries to warn Ned of a double cross, as Rourke delivers an emotionally intense performance that gets to the really heart of the matter of the film and strangely makes Teddy, probably was not meant to be, but Rourke is able to make him the moral center of the film, and pretty much, in just his few minutes of screen time, subverts the role Ted Danson and J.A. Preston were suppose to fill in the scheme of the film.

Rourke, just like Wilford Brimely, pretty much steals the film although Rourke does it in even less time with even less to work with. Rourke just like Brimely doesn't reside to fulfilling just the limited plot device that Teddy is, and instead makes Teddy a man who there is clearly more to than what we allowed to see. I wish the film had been reworked with Rourke in mind to give the character of Teddy a greater presence in the film, past just the two short scenes he has because Rourke builds so much potential with the part that technically speaking could have been just a simple character that made no lasting impression on the film whatsoever.

Christopher Walken did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Tom in Pennies From Heaven. 

Pennies From Heaven is an entertaining and rather stunning musical about the downward spiral that comes from a sheet music salesman's affair with an innocent schoolteacher, although I completely understand why Fred Astaire hated it.

If you were to cast the part of an unsavory pimp who can dance would you really say anyone besides Christopher Walken? Christopher Walken is yet another one scene wonder who shows up one scene of Pennies of Heaven to be a well dressed but bluntly cruel man. If there is someone who can make a strong impression with one scene Christopher Walken definitely works. There is just something so oddly fascinating about his screen presence, and this only becomes all the more fascinating when he starts breaking out into a most extraordinary dance number where he tap dances and strips his way while bouncing across a bar.

There really is not much to the "real" part of the performance as there frankly is not much of the character of Tom, but Walken knows how to be both charismatic and callous in basically the same breath Even more importantly though I suppose is that he also know how to be Christopher Walken and that is all that is really required here. I could only see Christopher Walken go from encouraging someone to try new things enthusiastically to threatening to cut their face as smoothly as Walken does it here. Frankly the fact that the pimp starts dancing seems like the natural progression actually because he is played by Christopher Walken.

This performance is all about the dance number though of course, and Walken most definitely delivers in this respect. The whole concept of the dancing pimp is bizarre enough but it becomes gloriously so with Walken at the helm of it. Walken embraces it all in his wonderful number that is just fantastic. Walken delivers the dance but only adds to its greatness through his premium Christopher Walken expressions and noises throughout. I do wish that Tom was in more than one scene actually because I could have easily seen more of an off the wall Walken. All that needs to be said really is that no one could have done this part as well or as memorable as Walken and that is all there is to it.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981: John Lithgow in Blow Out

John Lithgow did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Burke in Blow Out.

Blow Out is an excellent thriller about a movie sound specialist Jack (John Travolta) who stumbles upon the careful murder of a politician. This film is pure 80's in the best kind of way.

John Lithgow portrays Burke the mystery hit man who causes the titular blow out to occur which kills a politician who threatened to take the party nomination from the current president. Burke is a strange man, and if you want someone strange well John Lithgow certainly can fit the bill. Burke is a most bizarre hit man who, like Frank in Once Upon a Time in the West, disobeys his bosses orders and kills feeling his bosses measures were not extreme enough to get the task done. Burke then goes on to take just as extreme of measures to cover up what happened the night the politician died, which actually goes beyond destroying the evidence and even killing the witnesses.

Burke, to make the cover up airtight, does not want to just kill the one of the main witnesses, but rather desires to create a serial killer to make it seem like she was merely one of the many people he murdered. This puts Burke as most oddly intriguing character which is a trained "sane" killer who pretends to be a more run of the mill psychopath. Lithgow plays this strange game very well with his performance that comes in out of the film as Burke basically builds his manufactured serial killer until he thinks it is time to finish the cover up. Lithgow is interesting because on the surface he makes Burke a man who is doing his job, and acts just as a man doing his job. He doesn't really take pleasures in the murders, but does them because he feels they are needed.

Lithgow is very effective in showing the way Burke creates the killer as an act. Up to the killing he portrays the stalker psychopath after his prey, but actually doing the killing itself Lithgow almost looks like he taking out the trash, as for Burke it is just part of his plan. After the murders Lithgow plays a part upon a part as Burke calls the police to fake a serial killer identity, making his serial killer some sort of deranged hill billy. Lithgow has the right efficiency in his portrayal of this with him being a completely believable psychopath as he informs the police, but as soon as he is ending the call Lithgow instantly returns to what Burke is which is trained fixer who does not have the emotional attachments like his false serial personality he has manufactured.

This is a very well handled turn by John Lithgow. Lithgow in a way is kind of a secondary lead, only kind of as it definitely is not Burke's story, because the film does allow us to see the whole implementation of Burke's plan to cover up the murder that coincides with Travolta's character's attempt to try to uncover it. Lithgow slowly builds up the menace of Burke slowly in his scenes that come in and out of the film until the point in which he finally decides to proceed with the target. The end of the film is an incredible tense sequence only made more so because of the way Lithgow has made Burke a properly chilling figure that makes his mere appearance something to fear.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981: Paul Freeman in Raiders of the Lost Ark

Paul Freeman did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. René Belloc in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The only acting nomination Raiders of the Lost Ark received, outside of the genre based Saturn Awards, was a BAFTA nomination for Denholm Elliot. All I can say about that nomination is that, boy did the BAFTA voters love Denholm Elliot as his turn as Marcus Brody in this film consists very little more than him knocking on a door and giving just a little bit of exposition, he actually got to do something with his reprise the role in The Last Crusade. If BAFTA was going to nominate someone from the film they should have nominated Paul Freeman in the largest most important performance out of the supporting actors in the film.

Belloc is the main villain of the film and essentially an anti Indiana Jones. Like Indiana he is archeologist who is looking for rare artifacts, but unlike Jones he takes basically a passive approach where basically lets Jones do all the work then stealing it afterwards. Also instead of doing everything himself, Belloc likes to use various allies he wants to exploit in someway including joining up with the Nazis since they meet his needs. Even his moral alignment is a bit like Jones, Belloc is evil but not purely evil just as Jones is good but has some rough qualities in his personality.

Paul Freeman in turn plays the role in a manner that again reinforces Belloc as a shadow to the heroic Jones. Freeman plays the role with a nicely placed ease, and general smugness as Belloc. In the opening scene of the film when Belloc steals the artifact from Jones Freeman adds vinegar to the wounds by showing just how much joy Belloc gets out of screwing over Jones. It is not just about getting the artifact for Belloc as Freeman makes a nice ego in Belloc that not only wants to gain the reward from theft, but the idea that proving himself the smarter of the two seems to be the even greater prize for Belloc.

Freeman makes Belloc easy going and even slightly detached at times as he lets others do the work, which is the much the opposite of Ford's very driven and sometimes rather emotionally intense performance. Belloc and Jones do share a few traits although even these they share at opposing ends. Freeman makes Belloc actually a charming fellow when he attempts to seduce Marion (Karen Allen), but unlike the down to earth charisma of Ford, Freeman brings a more refined style to Belloc's charms. Their other shared trait is their love of archaeology but again even though it is their shared profession they still have differing attitudes when it comes to the subject.

Indiana Jones in a few important scenes has a wonderment of the ancient treasures, Freeman shows that Belloc shares this although in a strangely selfish fashion. Freeman's best scene is when he calls Jones's bluff to destroy the Ark of the Covenant, but adds the importance of it as he encourages him. Freeman's delivery s terrific as we see that wonderment that Jones had in Belloc, although Freeman adds just the right hint of an elitist indulgence to it, to reinforce the idea that all important mysterious should be found and discovered by him and no one else. Freeman foil of Ford's work is nicely handled right down the line and provides the film with a good dignified villain, even if his demise is decidedly most undignified.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981

And the Nominees Were Not:

Robert Prosky in Thief

Wilford Brimley in Absence of Malice

Bill Hunter in Gallipoli

John Lithgow in Blow Out

Paul Freeman in Raiders of the Lost Ark

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