Best Supporting Actor 1970

1927/28 through 1997
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Best Supporting Actor 1970

Richard S. Castellano - Lovers & Other Strangers
5
21%
Chief Dan George - Little Big Man
12
50%
Gene Hackman - I Never Sang for My Father
5
21%
John Marley - Love Story
1
4%
John Mills - Ryan's Daughter
1
4%
 
Total votes: 24

Eenusch
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by Eenusch »

Karl Malden in Patton should have been nominated instead of Marley.
Big Magilla
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by Big Magilla »

The Original BJ wrote:The idea of John Mills as an Oscar winner doesn't bother me, but I'm sorry to say I think he's pretty ridiculous in Ryan's Daughter. I'm not sure any actor could have soared with a character this dreadfully conceived, but nothing about his bumbling village idiot came off as anything other than a performance straining for effect. His co-star Trevor Howard was much stronger in the same film.
Yes, but this was still the era in which the studios designated lead vs. supporting performances. It may have been the last such year after the furor over MGM's infamous listing of Howard as a co-lead with Robert Mitchum.
The Original BJ
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by The Original BJ »

The idea of John Mills as an Oscar winner doesn't bother me, but I'm sorry to say I think he's pretty ridiculous in Ryan's Daughter. I'm not sure any actor could have soared with a character this dreadfully conceived, but nothing about his bumbling village idiot came off as anything other than a performance straining for effect. His co-star Trevor Howard was much stronger in the same film.

Along those lines, if someone from Love Story had to be nominated -- and I'm not saying anyone did -- then Ray Milland has the most clearly dominant role. The fact that John Marley has a more emotional character, with clearly affecting grieving father scenes, likely put him over the top. But the part is tiny, and I can't say he elevated it into anything special.

Gene Hackman is solid in I Never Sang for My Father, though the supporting classification is ludicrous -- he's the protagonist of a movie with barely any characters in it. I don't find the material all that special -- much of it feels like a pretty generic father-son relationship drama -- but having good actors in the roles certainly benefited it, and even in these earlier years, it was clear that Hackman was an actor of real intelligence and gravitas.

Richard Castellano is funny in a sad-sack way in Lovers and Other Strangers, and I agree that his scenes with Bea Arthur are the highlight of the movie. He has an everyman quality to him that's very appealing here, and I understand people voting for him.

But I'll go with Chief Dan George, whose performance is a lot like Little Big Man itself -- emotionally resonant but also full of whimsy, and carrying the weight of many years of life over the course of the film's story. He doesn't necessarily have what you'd call a classic Oscar clip scene -- though the "It is a good day to die" sequence is certainly memorable -- but he has a warm, assuring presence throughout, and in this field, that's enough to get my vote.
ITALIANO
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by ITALIANO »

This time I've picked Gene Hackman. Not exactly supporting, I know, but the way this actor - not only in this movie - never seems to want to focus the viewer's attention to himself and to detract it from the other players, is a rare sign of, more than shyness or generosity, trust in one's own skills and talent. His quietness is a proof of - justified - self-confidence. The movie isn't the best ever, but, especially as I haven't voted for Hackman in Bonnie and Clyde and I still don't know if I will for Unforgiven, it's time for me to vote for him.

The others weren't bad, Chief Dan George especially. I've never found Lovers and Other Strangers or Castellano's performance especially funny, but I guess that, as with so many other comedies, one had to be there, to see it when if first came out. And John Marley, of course, had been extremely effective in his non-nominated turn in Faces - I think he won the Best Actor prize at Venice for that - so his nod for Love Story, where he is good by the way, certainly the best in the cast, may be also due to that. The winner, John Mills, won because of his reputation and for his showy role, and predictably so, but he had been much better in other movies.
Reza
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by Reza »

Voted for Castellano.

My picks for 1970:

1. Trevor Howard, Ryan's Daughter
2. Richard Castellano, Lovers and Other Strangers
3. Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
4. Gene Hackman, I Never Sang For My Father
5. John Mills, Ryan's Daughter

The 6th Spot: David Warner, The Ballad of Cable Hogue
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by Precious Doll »

I voted for the ever reliable Gene Hackman. My choices:

1. Holly Woodlawn for Trash
2. David Warner for The Ballad of Cable Hogue
3. Rod Mullinar for The Set
4. John Huston for Myra Breckinridge
5. Peter McEnery for Entertaining Mr. Sloane
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MovieFan
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by MovieFan »

Its between Dan George and Hackman for me, both were tremendous, but Hackman is clearly the lead, and I think Dan George did more with less screentime.
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by Mister Tee »

I haven't seen the movie in over 30 years, and changing mores may have dated it badly, but my overwhelming choice at the time was Leonard Frey's mesmerizing Harold in The Boys in the Band. i didn't think any of the actual nominees came close to him.

John Marley was strictly a best picture tag-along. Small, likable enough part, but utterly undeserving of this citation.

John Mills had a long, honorable career, but it's sad his only Oscar attention came for this "look at me act!" stunt. Nothing from Ryan's daughter beyond the cinematography rates attention.

Gene Hackman was just evolving into the stalwart character we now know so well. He's touching in I Never Sang for My Father, and I'm glad he got the not-certain nomination. But the material is fairly wan, and Hackman has lots better performances to cite.

Little Big Man, probably because it was released by a studio with no clout, did poorly at the Oscars despite good reviews and solid business. The only thing that survived for nomination was the Chief Dan George performance, which had been heartily endorsed by the critics. I confess I didn't think the performance was quite all that. He's fine, and it's a solid enough part. But I wondered if a touch of political correctness accounted for the universal push he got.

I went with Richard Castellano, who, along with partner Bea Arthur, anchored by far the funniest parts of Lovers & Other Strangers. It's not a performance for the ages, but the one I enjoyed most of this group.
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by Big Magilla »

A strong list of nominees with one exception, John Marley's "modern" Italian father in Love Story. That slot should have gone to Trevor Howard whose portrayal of the strong village priest in Ryan's Daughter was that film's best. Unfortunately MGM listed him as co-lead with Robert Mitchcum so his deserved nomination wasn't to be. The outcry over this hastened the end of the rule which went into effect after Barry Fitzgerald's double nomination in 1944 by which the studios got to choose who should be considered lead and who should be considered support.

John Mills is nomination worthy as the village idiot but had he and Howard both been nominaed woould have had a tougher time winning.

Gene Hackman was excellent as the dutiful son in I Never Sang for My Father but was also an also-ran.

Richard Castellano was marvelous as the "old-fashioned" Italian father in Love With the Proper Stranger and would have been my choice were it not for the impeccable Chief Dan George bringing his humrous naturalness to bear in Little Big Man. The New York film Critics' choice was the right one this year.
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Best Supporting Actor 1970

Post by ksrymy »

All the nominees were pretty spot-on this year. The only one I would eliminate would be John Marley's nomination which got swept up with everything else in the abominable Love Story.

Of the four awesome performers, first to go would be Castellano, but this is because I've never really enjoyed his film but he was the bright spot in it nonetheless.

Gene Hackman was really becoming a great actor (and the next year, this was affirmed) after garnering his second nomination which was well deserved in a great father-son story. And being able to work off Melvyn Douglas helps a lot as well.

For some reason, silent performances in sound pictures are always jaw-dropping... but for me it's only that was with females à la Holly Hunter, Jane Wyman (although I still think de Havilland was better that year), and even Marlee Matlin wasn't bad in her winning film. John Mills definitely deserved his nomination as the mute village idiot but something tells me this is a swan song, aging, thanks-for-your-years-of-service award.

So my only choice, and my actual choice for the whole year, goes to real Native Chief Dan George for what may be the warmest, kindest performance of a Native American ever put on screen. His lines are marvelous ("The only trouble with snake women is they copulate with horses, which makes them strange to me. She says she doesn't. That's why I call her 'Doesn't Like Horses'. But, of course, she's lying" being my favorite) and the authenticity is marvelous.

My picks
_______________
1) Chief Dan George - Little Big Man
2) Gene Hackman - I Never Sang for My Father
3) Trevor Howard - Ryan's Daughter
4) Richard S. Castellano - Lovers & Other Strangers
5) John Mills - Ryan's Daughter

6) George Kennedy - Airport
Last edited by ksrymy on Thu Mar 22, 2012 11:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Men get to be a mixture of the charming mannerisms of the women they have known." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
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