“Forgotten Hollywood”- Five Ignored Oscar-Worthy Roles…
Manny P. here…
I’m always reading on Facebook about performances by actors that were snubbed by Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. I have my own opinion about this. Most of the time, Oscar gets it right, at least in terms of a nomination. In five instances, I completely scratch my head:
~ Lon Chaney Jr. / Of Mice and Men – Not only was this a breakthrough role, it allowed the actor to step out of the formidable shadow of his father, the greatest dramatic screen star of the silent era. He brings John Steinbeck’s Lenny to life. The only explanation is the film was released in 1939… Even Frank Morgan and Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz and Bela Lugosi in Son of Frankenstein were also passed over.
~ William Bendix / Lifeboat – Here was a talented actor of drama and comedy. He shows both in this Alfred Hitchcock thriller. His performance still tugs at my heart. That said, he was ignored by the Academy…
~ Edward G. Robinson / Double Indemnity – He was always good in every role. He was never better in support of Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. Surprisingly, he never received one nomination for a statuette in his entire career!
~ Humphrey Bogart / Treasure of the Sierra Madre – Arguably, a career defining role. It should earned the actor at least a nod. Urban Legend suggests that he was a nominee. But, his only attention he received from the Academy were for Casablanca, The African Queen, and The Caine Mutiny.
~ George C. Scott / Dr. Strangelove – The iconic actor steals the film from such scene-stealers as Peter Sellers, Slim Pickens, and Sterling Hayden. The movie proves the actor could do comedy.
MYRNA LOY ROBERT PRESTON
Honorable Mentions: Myrna Loy / The Best Years of Our Lives; Robert Preston / The Music Man. Again, Loy was surprisingly snubbed for a competitive Oscar for her entire career; Preston earned a well-deserved Tony Award for his role as Professor Harold Hill.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2015 at 6:25 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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