Never Ever Nominated

"Ir's an honor just to be nominated." Every time I heard Oscar nominees say that, I wholeheartedly believed them. Some famous actors who consistently gave praiseworthy performances were never nominated. This year's list of Oscar nominees has been announced. Come March, the month the Oscars ceremony will be telecast, cable's TCM (Turner Classic Movies) presents its annual "31 Days of Oscar." Each film aired in prime time will be an Oscar winner or received Oscar nominations.

I pitched that TCM present "Never Ever Nominated" nights showcasing films starring actors who never heard their names announced as Oscar nominees. Here are a few examples of stars I'd showcase on those nights.  When I was a kid, I thought for sure that Mia Farrow would be a Best Actress Oscar nominee for her stunning performance in the modern-day horror story, ROSEMARY'S BABY. She begins as a vibrant, young New York City wife in an apartment building who steadily grows pale and understandably paranoid during her pregnancy. She has no idea she's surrounded by Satanists who plan to possess her child. Ruth Gordon won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this 1968 hit film directed by Roman Polanski.

She wasn't nominated. She then went on to deliver a series of stellar performances in films written and directed by Woody Allen: HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, ALICE, BROADWAY DANNY ROSE and RADIO DAYS.  In the nostalgic RADIO DAYS, Farrow displayed her comedy skills as the clueless Sally who is determined to transform herself.

 Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Mira Sorvino and Cate Blanchett won Oscars for performances in Woody Allen films. Mia Farrow never even got a nomination.

The Academy made a rule change after 1945 when Barry Fitzgerald got two Oscar nominations for the same performance in the hit 1944 film, GOING MY WAY. He was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. He won for Best Supporting Actor.  Who did not get a nomination? Edward G. Robinson for Billy Wilder's film noir classic, DOUBLE INDEMNITY. He's the moral and skeptical insurance investigator who has no idea that a beloved co-worker killed a wicked blonde's husband. Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray co-starred.

He was a stand-out in LITTLE CAESAR, THE SEA WOLF, KEY LARGO, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, SOYLENT GREEN and THE CINCINNATI KID. Still, Robinson was never nominated for an Oscar. Neither was Myrna Loy whose film career started in the silent screen era of the 1920s and went up to 1980. She was perfect in MGM's THE THIN MAN franchise and dramatically effective in Fox's THE RAINS CAME co-starring Tyrone Power.  Myrna Loy was excellent as the wife of a returning WW2 vet in William Wyler's THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES. It won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Fredric March), Best Supporting Actor (Harold Russell) and Best Director (William Wyler) of 1946.

Can you imagine THE RED SHOES without Anton Wolbrook as the sophisticated, stylish, manipulative and obsessed ballet company owner? I can't.

He's another one who was never an Oscar nominee.

Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott had been movie stars since the 1930s. They were both at their best in the 1962 western drama, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY. This western is referenced in the Annie Proulx short story, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.

Those two stars never heard their names read as Oscar nominees.

She gave a sublime performance in one of the best films directed by her husband, Federico Fellini. As the hardluck, lovable Italian prostitute who somehow manages to keep a sense of optimism when life has kicked her to the curb, Giuletta Masina was magnificent in 1957's NIGHTS OF CABIRIA. The hit Broadway musical comedy, SWEET CHARITY, was based on this film.

And there you have it. A few performances worth seeing given by actors who were never ever nominated for an Oscar. If you'd like me to post more, let me know.

By the way, I still think the idea I pitched to TCM is a good one.