By waiting until 1936, the Academy missed the chance to award Boris Karloff an Oscar for his brilliant work as the Monster in
Frankenstein, though they probably wouldn’t have done so.

SPOILER WARNING for the Youtube clip: If you haven’t seen Mister Roberts, this is the ending of the film. Go see it. Then play this.

As I mentioned in the Introduction, Supporting Actor has a strange relationship with Best Picture. 44 Best Pictures have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but only 15 have won. All three films with 3 Supporting Actor nominations went on to win Best Picture (On the Waterfront, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II), but the first two lost Supporting Actor. Of the 4 films to both win Supporting Actor and get a second nomination, two won Best Picture (Ordinary People and Terms of Endearment) and the other two were nominated (The Last Picture Show and Julia). On the Waterfront, The Godfather Part II, Peyton Place, Tom Jones and The Last Picture Show are the only films to get 4 Supporting nominations. Peyton Place and Tom Jones both lost all 4, while Last Picture Show won in both categories.

Supporting Actor is also the acting award least likely to be won by a film when its the only nominee – just 4 times, and only once in the last 40 years (City Slickers).

More trivia about the nominees themselves will be with Part II tomorrow.

Honor Roll: The Best Man

Shame Roll: none

Grades (36-69 only): Winners: B / Nominees: B- / Seen: 93.53% 98.82% (all but A Medal for Benny and The Bold and the Brave)

(blue won Best Picture, red was nominated for Best Picture and purple received just the one nomination)

(because Academy rules limit an actor to 1 nomination in a category, if someone appears twice in my top 5, I list their second performance as “also for” to get to the 5 actors without knocking out a worthy performance)

1936 AA: Walter Brennan in Come and Get It

  • Mischa Auer in My Man Godfrey
  • Basil Rathbone in Romeo and Juliet
  • Stuart Erwin in Pigskin Parade
  • Akim Tamiroff in The General Died at Dawn

me: Humphrey Bogart in The Petrified Forest

  • Peter Lorre in The Secret Agent
  • Claude Rains in Anthony Adverse
  • Frank Morgan in The Great Ziegfeld
  • Mischa Auer in My Man Godfrey

note:  Walter Brennan won 3 of the first 5 Oscars in this category for what was essentially the same performance.  He was have been very popular with his fellow Academy members.

1937 AA: Joseph Schildkraut in The Life of Emile Zola

  • Ralph Bellamy in The Awful Truth
  • H. B. Warner in Lost Horizon
  • Thomas Mitchell in The Hurricane
  • Roland Young in Topper

me: the same but I would have given the Oscar to Ralph Bellamy

1938 AA: Walter Brennan in Kentucky

  • John Garfield in Four Daughters
  • Gene Lockhart in Algiers
  • Robert Morley in Marie Antoinette
  • Basil Rathbone in If I Were King

me: Erich von Stroheim in Grand Illusion

  • Lionel Barrymore in You Can’t Take It With You
  • Ralph Richardson in The Citadel
  • Allan Mowbray in Merrily We Live
  • Claude Rains in Four Daughters

1939 AA: Thomas Mitchell in Stagecoach

  • Harry Carey in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  • Claude Rains in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  • Brian Aherne in Juarez
  • Brian Donlevy in Beau Geste

me: Claude Rains in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

  • Ray Bolger in The Wizard of Oz
  • Thomas Mitchell in Stagecoach
  • Harry Carey in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  • Frank Morgan in The Wizard of Oz

1940 AA: Walter Brennan in The Westerner

  • Albert Basserman in Foreign Correspondant
  • Jack Oakie in The Great Dictator
  • James Stephenson in The Letter
  • William Gargan in They Knew What They Wanted

me: Cray Grant in The Philadelphia Story

  • Jack Oakie in The Great Dictator
  • John Carradine in The Grapes of Wrath
  • William Gargan in They Knew What They Wanted
  • Thomas Mitchell in The Long Voyage Home

1941 AA: Donald Crisp in How Green Was My Valley

  • Walter Brennan in Sergeant York
  • James Gleason in Here Comes Mr. Jordan
  • Sydney Greenstreet in The Maltese Falcon
  • Charles Coburn in The Devil and Miss Jones

me: Sydney Greenstreet in The Maltese Falcon

  • Claude Rains in Here Comes Mr. Jordan
  • Donald Crisp in How Green Was My Valley
  • Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon
  • Herbert Marshall in The Little Foxes

1942 AA: Van Heflin in Johnny Eager

  • Henry Travers in Mrs. Miniver
  • William Bendix in Wake Island
  • Walter Huston in Yankee Doodle Dandy
  • Frank Morgan in Tortilla Flat

me: Walter Huston in Yankee Doodle Dandy

  • Claude Rains in Kings Row
  • Van Heflin in Johnny Eager
  • Henry Travers in Mrs. Miniver
  • Thomas Mitchell in Moontide
  • Frank Morgan in Tortilla Flat

1943 AA: Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier

  • Claude Rains in Casablanca
  • Charles Bickford in The Song of Bernadette
  • Akim Tamiroff in For Whom the Bell Tolls
  • J. Carrol Naish in Sahara

me: Claude Rains in Casablanca

  • Akim Tamiroff in For Whom the Bell Tolls
  • Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier
  • George Sanders in This Land is Mine
  • Erich von Stroheim in Five Graves to Cairo

note:  While in later years Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor rarely go to the same film, in the earlier years it happened quite a lot and Claude Rains still didn’t win.  The greatest character actor of all-time, nominated 4 times, yet never won.  His 4 losses without a win tie him with Arthur Kennedy for most in Supporting Actor.

1944 AA: Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way (also nominated for Actor)

  • Monty Woolley in Since You Went Away
  • Hume Cronyn in The Seventh Cross
  • Claude Rains in Mr. Skeffington
  • Clifton Webb in Laura

me: Clifton Webb in Laura

  • Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way
  • William DeMarest in The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
  • Edward G. Robinson in Double Indemnity
  • Raymond Massey in Arsenic and Old Lace

1945 AA: James Dunn in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

  • Michael Chekhov in Spellbound
  • John Dall in The Corn is Green
  • Robert Mitchum in The Story of G.I. Joe
  • J. Carrol Naish in A Medal for Benny

me: Robert Mitchum in The Story of G.I. Joe

  • John Dall in The Corn is Green
  • Michael Chekhov in Spellbound
  • James Dunn in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
  • Walter Brennan in To Have and Have Not

1946 AA: Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives

  • Clifton Webb in The Razor’s Edge
  • Charles Coburn in The Green Years
  • William Demarest in The Jolson Story
  • Claude Rains in Notorious

me: Claude Rains in Notorious

  • Clifton Webb in The Razor’s Edge
  • Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives
  • Pierre Renoir in Children of Paradise
  • Charles Coburn in The Green Years

1947 AA: Edmund Gwenn in Miracle on 34th Street

  • Robert Ryan in Crossfire
  • Charles Bickford in The Farmer’s Daughter
  • Thomas Gomez in Ride the Pink Horse
  • Richard Widmark in Kiss of Death

me: Robert Ryan in Crossfire

  • Edmund Gwenn in Miracle on 34th Street
  • Kirk Douglas in Out of the Past
  • Frances L. Sullivan in Great Expectations
  • Art Smith in Ride the Pink Horse
  • Finlay Currie in Great Expectations

1948 AA: Walter Huston in Treasure of the Sierra Madre

  • Charles Bickford in Johnny Belinda
  • Jose Ferrer in Joan of Arc
  • Oscar Homolka in I Remember Mama
  • Cecil Kellaway in The Luck if the Irish

me: Walter Huston in Treasure of the Sierra Madre

  • Charles Bickford in Johnny Belinda
  • Peter Lorre in Casbah
  • Jose Ferrer in Joan of Arc
  • Tim Holt in Treasure of the Sierra Madre
  • Oscar Homolka in I Remember Mama

1949 AA: Dean Jagger in 12 O’Clock High

  • John Ireland in All the King’s Men
  • Ralph Richardson in The Heiress
  • James Whitmore in Battleground
  • Arthur Kennedy in Champion

me: Kirk Douglas in A Letter to Three Wives

  • Arthur Kennedy in Champion
  • Claude Rains in The Passionate Friends
  • Ralph Richardson in The Heiress
  • John Ireland in All the King’s Men

1950 AA: George Sanders in All About Eve

  • Erich von Stroheim in Sunset Boulevard
  • Jeff Chandler in Broken Arrow
  • Edmund Gwenn in Mister 880
  • Sam Jaffe in The Asphalt Jungle

me: Erich von Stroheim in Sunset Boulevard

  • Orson Welles in The Third Man
  • George Sanders in All About Eve
  • Alistair Sim in Stage Fright
  • Frances L. Sullivan in Night and the City

note:  Almost a three way tie for my winner.  It’s difficult to pick among those three performances.

1951 AA: Karl Malden in A Streetcar Named Desire

  • Leo Genn in Quo Vadis
  • Peter Ustinov in Quo Vadis
  • Kevin McCarthy in Death of a Salesman
  • Gig Young in Come Fill the Cup

me: Karl Malden in A Streetcar Named Desire

  • Robert Newton in Oliver Twist
  • Peter Ustinov in Quo Vadis
  • William Bendix in Detective Story
  • Leo Genn in Quo Vadis

1952 AA: Anthony Quinn in Viva Zapata!

  • Victor McLaglen in The Quiet Man
  • Richard Burton in My Cousin Rachel
  • Arthur Hunnicutt in The Big Sky
  • Jack Palance in Sudden Fear

me: Toshiro Mifune in Rashomon

  • Donald O’Connor in Singin’ in the Rain
  • Richard Burton in My Cousin Rachel
  • Anthony Quinn in Viva Zapata!
  • Burt Lancaster in Come Back Little Sheba
  • Jack Palance in Sudden Fear

1953 AA: Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity

  • Eddie Albert in Roman Holiday
  • Brandon de Wilde in Shane
  • Jack Palance in Shane
  • Robert Strauss in Stalag 17

me: Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity

  • Robert Strauss in Stalag 17
  • Lee Marvin in The Big Heat
  • Jack Buchanan in The Band Wagon
  • Eddie Albert in Roman Holiday
  • Ernest Borgnine in From Here to Eternity

1954 AA: Edmond O’Brien in The Barefoot Contessa

  • Lee J. Cobb in On the Waterfront
  • Karl Malden in On the Waterfront
  • Rod Steiger in On the Waterfront
  • Tom Tully in The Caine Mutiny

me: Karl Malden in On the Waterfront

  • Lee J. Cobb in On the Waterfront
  • Rod Steiger in On the Waterfront
  • Tom Tully in The Caine Mutiny
  • Jose Ferrer in The Caine Mutiny

1955 AA: Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts

  • Joe Mantell in Marty
  • Arthur O’Connell in Picnic
  • Arthur Kennedy in Trial
  • Sal Mineo in Rebel Without a Cause

me: Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts

  • Sal Mineo in Rebel Without a Cause
  • Arthur Kennedy in Trial
  • Arthur O’Connell in Picnic
  • James Cagney in Mister Roberts
  • Burt Lancaster in The Rose Tattoo

1956 AA: Anthony Quinn in Lust for Life

  • Anthony Perkins in Friendly Persuasion
  • Don Murray in Bus Stop
  • Mickey Rooney in The Bold and the Brave
  • Robert Stack in Written on the Wind

me: Toshiro Mifune in The Seven Samurai

  • Robert Stack in Written on the Wind
  • Anthony Quinn in Lust for Life
  • Cantinflas in Around the World in 80 Days
  • Rod Steiger in The Harder They Fall
  • Herbert Lom in The Ladykillers

1957 AA: Red Buttons in Sayonara

  • Sessue Hayakawa in The Bridge on the River Kwai
  • Arthur Kennedy in Peyton Place
  • Russ Tamblyn in Peyton Place
  • Vittorio de Sica in A Farewell to Arms

me: Sessue Hayakawa in The Bridge on the River Kwai

  • Red Buttons in Sayonara
  • Lee J. Cobb in 12 Angry Men
  • James Donald in The Bridge on the River Kwai
  • Ed Begley in 12 Angry Men

1958 AA: Burl Ives in The Big Country

  • Theodore Bikel in The Defiant Ones
  • Lee J. Cobb in The Brothers Karamazov
  • Arthur Kennedy in Some Came Running
  • Gig Young in Teacher’s Pet

me: Burl Ives in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

  • Nils Poppe in The Seventh Seal
  • Lee J. Cobb in The Brothers Karamazov
  • Maurice Chevalier in Gigi
  • Theodore Bikel in The Defiant Ones

note:  Right actor.  Wrong performance.

1959 AA: Hugh Griffith in Ben-Hur

  • Arthur O’Connell in Anatomy of a Murder
  • George C. Scott in Anatomy of a Murder
  • Ed Wynn in The Diary of Anne Frank
  • Robert Vaughn in The Young Philadelphians

me: George C. Scott in Anatomy of a Murder

  • Hugh Griffith in Ben-Hur
  • Joseph Schildkraut in The Diary of Anne Frank
  • Orson Welles in Compulsion
  • Joe E. Brown in Some Like It Hot

1960 AA: Peter Ustinov in Spartacus

  • Jack Kruschen in The Apartment
  • Chill Wills in The Alamo
  • Peter Falk in Murder Inc.
  • Sal Mineo in Exodus

me: Laurence Olivier in Spartacus

  • Vasili Merkuryev in The Cranes are Flying
  • Gene Kelly in Inherit the Wind
  • Jack Kruschen in The Apartment
  • Peter Ustinov in Spartacus

note:  Right film.  Wrong performance.

1961 AA: George Chakiris in West Side Story

  • Montgomery Clift in Judgment at Nuremberg
  • Jackie Gleason in The Hustler
  • George C. Scott in The Hustler
  • Peter Falk in Pocketful of Miracles

me: George C. Scott in The Hustler

  • George Chakiris in West Side Story
  • Montgomery Clift in Judgment at Nuremberg
  • Burt Lancaster in Judgment at Nuremberg
  • Peter Falk in Pocketful of Miracles

1962 AA: Ed Begley in Sweet Bird of Youth

  • Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia
  • Victor Buono in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
  • Telly Savalas in Bird Man of Alcatraz
  • Terence Stamp in Billy Budd

me: Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia

  • Peter Sellers in Lolita
  • Ed Begley in Sweet Bird of Youth
  • Jason Robards Jr. in Long Day’s Journey Into Night
  • Terence Stamp in Billy Budd

1963 AA: Melvyn Douglas in Hud

  • Hugh Griffith in Tom Jones
  • Nick Adams in Twilight of Honor
  • Bobby Darin in Captain Newman, M.D.
  • John Huston in The Cardinal

me: Hugh Griffith in Tom Jones

  • Toshiro Mifune in High and Low
  • Yutaka Sada in High and Low
  • Tony Curtis in Captain Newman, M.D.
  • Bobby Darin in Captain Newman, M.D.

1964 AA: Peter Ustinov in Topkapi

  • Stanley Holloway in My Fair Lady
  • John Geilgud in Becket
  • Edmond O’Brien in Seven Days in May
  • Lee Tracy in The Best Man

me: Sterling Hayden in Dr. Strangelove

  • Lee Tracy in The Best Man
  • Stanley Holloway in My Fair Lady
  • James Coburn in The Americanization of Emily
  • Takashi Shimura in Scandal

1965 AA: Martin Balsam in A Thousand Clowns

  • Tom Courtenay in Doctor Zhivago
  • Michael Dunn in Ship of Fools
  • Ian Bannen in The Flight of the Phoenix
  • Frank Finlay in Othello

me: Tom Courtenay in Doctor Zhivago (also for King Rat)

  • Martin Balsam in A Thousand Clowns
  • Frank Finlay in Othello
  • Rod Steiger in Doctor Zhivago
  • Alec Guinness in Doctor Zhivago

1966 AA: Walter Matthau in The Fortune Cookie

  • Robert Shaw in A Man for All Seasons
  • George Segal in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • Mako in The Sand Pebbles
  • James Mason in Georgy Girl

me: George Segal in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

  • Walter Matthau in The Fortune Cookie
  • Robert Shaw in A Man for All Seasons
  • Alec Guinness in The Quiller Memorandum
  • Mako in The Sand Pebbles

1967 AA: George Kennedy in Cool Hand Luke

  • Gene Hackman in Bonnie and Clyde
  • Michael J. Pollard in Bonnie and Clyde
  • Cecil Kellaway in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
  • John Cassavetes in The Dirty Dozen

me: Gene Hackman in Bonnie and Clyde

  • Alec Guinness in The Comedians
  • Sidney Poitier in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
  • George Kennedy in Cool Hand Luke
  • Michael J. Pollard in Bonnie and Clyde

1968 AA: Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses

  • Jack Wild in Oliver!
  • Seymour Cassel in Faces
  • Daniel Massey in Star!
  • Gene Wilder in The Producers

me: Anthony Hopkins in The Lion in Winter

  • Gene Wilder in The Producers
  • John Castle in The Lion in Winter
  • Michael Simon in The Two of Us
  • Kenneth Mars in The Producers

1969 AA: Gig Young in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

  • Anthony Quayle in Anne of the Thousand Days
  • Rupert Crosse in The Reivers
  • Elliott Gould in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
  • Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider

me: Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West

  • Gig Young in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
  • Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider
  • Robert Ryan in The Wild Bunch
  • John Mills in Oh, What a Lovely War

Honorary Mentions:

  • 1959: Robert Vaughn in The Young Philadelphians
  • 1962: Paul Ford in The Music Man
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