I've seen Lanchester. I'm not generally a fan of hers - she does too much of the wrong thing for whatever role she's cast in, usually (although I liked her in Ladies in Retirement). Here is no exception. I didn't buy the chemistry - shocking, she and Laughton were beards/best friends - and her humour operates in a slower, more quaint wavelength than the rest of the film does.
My picks for this year, a strong one:
1. Ineko Arima, Tokyo Twilight
2. Susan Harrison, Sweet Smell of Success
3. Ingrid Thulin, Wild Strawberries
4. Isuzu Yamada, Tokyo Twilight
5. Ruby Dee, Edge of the City
Best Supporting Actress 1957
A friend of mine wrote a wonderful appreciation of What's My Line in the Wall Street Journal a few years back:
TASTE COMMENTARY
Oh, the Civility!
"What's My Line?" is a window to another era.
BY ROBERT J. HUGHES
Friday, May 27, 2005 12:01 a.m.
This week on television, Goldie Hawn enacted a zany childhood scene on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and Tom Cruise was so jumpy and energized on "Oprah" that you wondered about his mental health. Both actors flogged new projects--Ms. Hawn, a memoir; Mr. Cruise, a sci-fi movie--and both made long, choreographed and generally uninteresting appearances.
Farther down the dial, in the wee small hours of the morning, William Holden had a movie to plug too. But the actor, despite being dead for nearly a quarter century, managed to outshine today's stars. He was the mystery guest on a 1956 rerun of "What's My Line?"--the charming conversational game show from decades ago that is a 3:30 a.m. staple on the GSN cable and satellite network. During his appearance, Mr. Holden mentioned his then-new and now-forgotten movie, "Toward the Unknown," only after the panelists guessed his identity. He spoke for maybe a minute. And unlike today's typically self-infatuated talk-show guest, he came across as charming, modest and mercifully laconic.
"What's My Line?"--a Sunday night fixture on CBS from 1950 to 1967--is a bracing antidote to today's dispiriting talk-a-thons, humiliating reality shows and hostile cable-news programs. And with VCRs, TiVo and other time-shifting contraptions available to modern TV watchers, the show's retro charms are available to a much wider swath of viewers than its minuscule ratings would suggest.
And what a treat "What's My Line?" is: low-key but sophisticated, decorous yet not stuffy, and a real window onto another era. "What's My Line?" was unscripted, and it was broadcast live. Its panelists refer to current affairs in passing, and its guests were a veritable who's who of the arts high and low, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Liberace.
But what strikes you first is the civility. In this age of confrontational television, "What's My Line?" lets us breathe a little easier. Even if it's all in the past.
The show is simplicity itself: A panel of four tries to guess the occupation, or line, of a guest. When there's a mystery guest, the panelists are blindfolded and try to figure out the guest's identity. The panelists ask questions that require a yes or no answer, and try to deduce from the responses what the person does, or who he or she is. That's it. But that may explain its appeal. There's no competition, no backstabbing, no one-upmanship. It's as if we viewers were asked to join in a casual after-dinner party game at the home of urbane hosts.
No small part of the show's appeal lay in its engaging panel. For much of its run, the "What's My Line?" crew included the charming Arlene Francis, who was a theatrical performer and popular radio host; Bennett Cerf, the dapper founder of Random House, the publishing concern; and Dorothy Kilgallen, who had a radio show with her husband and was also a gossip columnist--and who, perhaps because of that calling's lowlier status, seemed to have more of an edge to her personality than her colleagues. From 1954 to 1956, radio comedian Fred Allen was the fourth panelist; following his death, that spot was filled with guests ranging from Steve Allen to a young Phil Rizzuto and a pre-"Odd Couple" Tony Randall.
At the start of each show, the panelists introduced each other, in a rather courtly and decidedly old-fashioned way that helps maintain the illusion we're privy to a charming salon. Sometimes, when Mr. Cerf and the show's moderator, newsman John Charles Daly, made some reference to their homes in Westchester, N.Y., I would have an image of a suburban John Cheever world (minus the despair, perhaps), or when Ms. Francis mentioned a book that Mr. Cerf had published recently I'd get a sense of what America was reading at the time.
These panelists helped make viewers feel they, too, were part of a Manhattan elite. They were clearly well-read, conversant with the arts and on top of current events. On one show, Mr. Cerf correctly guessed that the mystery guest was a Suez Canal pilot, during the time of that Middle East crisis, because he was aware of talks in New York related to it. One show even had as a mystery guest the judge who had recently performed the wedding service for Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller.
Since I began watching "WML?" I've pored over my copy of Mr. Cerf's memoir, "At Random," for anecdotes about the show and his life, scoped Lee Israel's 1979 biography of Dorothy Kilgallen, and searched for Arlene Francis's memoir (she actually wrote a book about being charming, too). "What's My Line?" also sent me looking into the Suez affair and the 1956 presidential election, not to mention the movies, TV shows and plays that guests mention during their brief appearances. I have to believe that the panelists' contemporary viewers had their curiosity piqued in much the same way. And given that the network primetime audience back then was huge by today's standards, "What's My Line?" was truly educational TV with none of the pretense we now associate with the term.
As for the noncelebrity guests, they were all treated with consideration and respect. Of course, the show wasn't entirely representative of America's cultural diversity. But it did have a sizable number of women guests with interesting occupations, ranging from a sweet elderly woman who was the warden of a prison to a barrel-shaped blonde who managed a brewery. On two separate occasions, Japanese women, attired in kimonos, shattered stereotypes. One turned out to be a jazz pianist; the other, a pizza maker.
Apart from the interesting day-to-day occupations that "What's My Line?" so cheerfully explored, what remains fascinating are the show's more famous guests. How refreshing in our era of the tell-all to see Hollywood actors say merely a few words--mainly "Yes" and "No"--and a line or two about a current movie. Rather than subjecting viewers to tiresome anecdotes and desperate jokes, "What's My Line?" offers us a glimpse of glamour, allowing some of the mystery surrounding stardom to remain.
And what guest stars "What's My Line?" attracted! Since I've been watching, they have included Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, director George Stevens ("Shane," "Giant"), 1950s hostess and ambassador Perle Mesta, songwriters Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe, the writer Herman Wouk and actress Claudette Colbert. Even newlyweds Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher.
Watching Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Fisher in that moment of bliss, before husband dumped wife in favor of Elizabeth Taylor, captures some of the poignancy and the pleasure of viewing "What's My Line?" We may know what will happen, for better or worse, to these people caught on film a half-century ago. But at least we don't have to hear them talk about it.
==================
Mr. Hughes is a Wall Street Journal reporter in New York.
TASTE COMMENTARY
Oh, the Civility!
"What's My Line?" is a window to another era.
BY ROBERT J. HUGHES
Friday, May 27, 2005 12:01 a.m.
This week on television, Goldie Hawn enacted a zany childhood scene on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and Tom Cruise was so jumpy and energized on "Oprah" that you wondered about his mental health. Both actors flogged new projects--Ms. Hawn, a memoir; Mr. Cruise, a sci-fi movie--and both made long, choreographed and generally uninteresting appearances.
Farther down the dial, in the wee small hours of the morning, William Holden had a movie to plug too. But the actor, despite being dead for nearly a quarter century, managed to outshine today's stars. He was the mystery guest on a 1956 rerun of "What's My Line?"--the charming conversational game show from decades ago that is a 3:30 a.m. staple on the GSN cable and satellite network. During his appearance, Mr. Holden mentioned his then-new and now-forgotten movie, "Toward the Unknown," only after the panelists guessed his identity. He spoke for maybe a minute. And unlike today's typically self-infatuated talk-show guest, he came across as charming, modest and mercifully laconic.
"What's My Line?"--a Sunday night fixture on CBS from 1950 to 1967--is a bracing antidote to today's dispiriting talk-a-thons, humiliating reality shows and hostile cable-news programs. And with VCRs, TiVo and other time-shifting contraptions available to modern TV watchers, the show's retro charms are available to a much wider swath of viewers than its minuscule ratings would suggest.
And what a treat "What's My Line?" is: low-key but sophisticated, decorous yet not stuffy, and a real window onto another era. "What's My Line?" was unscripted, and it was broadcast live. Its panelists refer to current affairs in passing, and its guests were a veritable who's who of the arts high and low, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Liberace.
But what strikes you first is the civility. In this age of confrontational television, "What's My Line?" lets us breathe a little easier. Even if it's all in the past.
The show is simplicity itself: A panel of four tries to guess the occupation, or line, of a guest. When there's a mystery guest, the panelists are blindfolded and try to figure out the guest's identity. The panelists ask questions that require a yes or no answer, and try to deduce from the responses what the person does, or who he or she is. That's it. But that may explain its appeal. There's no competition, no backstabbing, no one-upmanship. It's as if we viewers were asked to join in a casual after-dinner party game at the home of urbane hosts.
No small part of the show's appeal lay in its engaging panel. For much of its run, the "What's My Line?" crew included the charming Arlene Francis, who was a theatrical performer and popular radio host; Bennett Cerf, the dapper founder of Random House, the publishing concern; and Dorothy Kilgallen, who had a radio show with her husband and was also a gossip columnist--and who, perhaps because of that calling's lowlier status, seemed to have more of an edge to her personality than her colleagues. From 1954 to 1956, radio comedian Fred Allen was the fourth panelist; following his death, that spot was filled with guests ranging from Steve Allen to a young Phil Rizzuto and a pre-"Odd Couple" Tony Randall.
At the start of each show, the panelists introduced each other, in a rather courtly and decidedly old-fashioned way that helps maintain the illusion we're privy to a charming salon. Sometimes, when Mr. Cerf and the show's moderator, newsman John Charles Daly, made some reference to their homes in Westchester, N.Y., I would have an image of a suburban John Cheever world (minus the despair, perhaps), or when Ms. Francis mentioned a book that Mr. Cerf had published recently I'd get a sense of what America was reading at the time.
These panelists helped make viewers feel they, too, were part of a Manhattan elite. They were clearly well-read, conversant with the arts and on top of current events. On one show, Mr. Cerf correctly guessed that the mystery guest was a Suez Canal pilot, during the time of that Middle East crisis, because he was aware of talks in New York related to it. One show even had as a mystery guest the judge who had recently performed the wedding service for Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller.
Since I began watching "WML?" I've pored over my copy of Mr. Cerf's memoir, "At Random," for anecdotes about the show and his life, scoped Lee Israel's 1979 biography of Dorothy Kilgallen, and searched for Arlene Francis's memoir (she actually wrote a book about being charming, too). "What's My Line?" also sent me looking into the Suez affair and the 1956 presidential election, not to mention the movies, TV shows and plays that guests mention during their brief appearances. I have to believe that the panelists' contemporary viewers had their curiosity piqued in much the same way. And given that the network primetime audience back then was huge by today's standards, "What's My Line?" was truly educational TV with none of the pretense we now associate with the term.
As for the noncelebrity guests, they were all treated with consideration and respect. Of course, the show wasn't entirely representative of America's cultural diversity. But it did have a sizable number of women guests with interesting occupations, ranging from a sweet elderly woman who was the warden of a prison to a barrel-shaped blonde who managed a brewery. On two separate occasions, Japanese women, attired in kimonos, shattered stereotypes. One turned out to be a jazz pianist; the other, a pizza maker.
Apart from the interesting day-to-day occupations that "What's My Line?" so cheerfully explored, what remains fascinating are the show's more famous guests. How refreshing in our era of the tell-all to see Hollywood actors say merely a few words--mainly "Yes" and "No"--and a line or two about a current movie. Rather than subjecting viewers to tiresome anecdotes and desperate jokes, "What's My Line?" offers us a glimpse of glamour, allowing some of the mystery surrounding stardom to remain.
And what guest stars "What's My Line?" attracted! Since I've been watching, they have included Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, director George Stevens ("Shane," "Giant"), 1950s hostess and ambassador Perle Mesta, songwriters Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe, the writer Herman Wouk and actress Claudette Colbert. Even newlyweds Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher.
Watching Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Fisher in that moment of bliss, before husband dumped wife in favor of Elizabeth Taylor, captures some of the poignancy and the pleasure of viewing "What's My Line?" We may know what will happen, for better or worse, to these people caught on film a half-century ago. But at least we don't have to hear them talk about it.
==================
Mr. Hughes is a Wall Street Journal reporter in New York.
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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Mister Tee
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The reason for the decline of intellectual presence on television -- and What's My Line was certainly among its high points -- is, simply, democratization. When What's My Line -- and other Golden Age more sophisticated favorites, llke Sid Caesar and Edward R. Murrow -- first aired, there were far fewer televisions in the US, and they tended to be located in urban areas. Thus, TV catered to the more rarefied tastes of these audiences. (The same audience that, in recent years, has supported niche hits like The Sopranos and Mad Men)
Once TV became a universal household item, the sophistication level was drawn down -- and The Beverly Hillbillies, Family Feid and Hee Haw swiftly followed.
Once TV became a universal household item, the sophistication level was drawn down -- and The Beverly Hillbillies, Family Feid and Hee Haw swiftly followed.
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Big Magilla
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Big Magilla
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What's My Line was the classiest game show on TV - ever.
I watched it when I got the chance in the late 50s and early 60s. It was never the same after Dorothy Kilgallen died in 1965 though it was revived several times in syndication over the years.
The YouTube captures are fascinating, especially the early ones. What other show had guest stars from Eleanor Roosevelt and Bishop Sheen to Irene Dunne and Claudette Colbert? None.
I watched it when I got the chance in the late 50s and early 60s. It was never the same after Dorothy Kilgallen died in 1965 though it was revived several times in syndication over the years.
The YouTube captures are fascinating, especially the early ones. What other show had guest stars from Eleanor Roosevelt and Bishop Sheen to Irene Dunne and Claudette Colbert? None.
Speaking of the 50s and tv, I'm now addicted - thanks to Youtube - to an American show called What's My Line. Does anyone here remember it (I think it lasted till the 70s, though the best episodes are really the ones in the 50s)? There were some intelligent, witty people on it, and the guest stars (whose identity they had to discover) were the big names of the time.
This one, for me, is between Diane Varsi and Elsa Lanchester.
Miyoshi Umeki and Carolyn Jones were fine but merely fine. I generally like Hope Lange very much, but she's just too elegant to be convincing as "white trash."
Elsa Lanchester is great fun in Witness For The Prosecution, and she's the type of actress for whom this award was designed. Diane Varsi is a borderline case of lead/supporting. She is so charismatic, warm, beautiful and completely believable (even when her material is not) in Peyton Place. So we have terrific character work vs. an ingenue bursting upon the screen in a star-making role. (Tthat she didn't remain a star had to do with her own life choices, and not the public's reaction to her.)
I'll go with Varsi.
Interesting that 3 of the nominees would be better known for prominent TV series of the mid-60s-early 70s than for their film work -- Jones with The Addams Family; Umeki, The Courtship Of Eddie's Father; and Lange, The Ghost And Mrs. Muir. And even though it lasted only (I think) one season, Lanchester was featured on The John Forsythe Show, which is probably where I first knew her.
My Own Top 5:
1. Kay Thompson in Funny Face
2. Dorothy Malone in Man Of A Thousand Faces
3. Argentina Brunetti in The Brothers Rico
4. Joan Blondell in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and Desk Set
5. Diane Varsi in Peyton Place
Miyoshi Umeki and Carolyn Jones were fine but merely fine. I generally like Hope Lange very much, but she's just too elegant to be convincing as "white trash."
Elsa Lanchester is great fun in Witness For The Prosecution, and she's the type of actress for whom this award was designed. Diane Varsi is a borderline case of lead/supporting. She is so charismatic, warm, beautiful and completely believable (even when her material is not) in Peyton Place. So we have terrific character work vs. an ingenue bursting upon the screen in a star-making role. (Tthat she didn't remain a star had to do with her own life choices, and not the public's reaction to her.)
I'll go with Varsi.
Interesting that 3 of the nominees would be better known for prominent TV series of the mid-60s-early 70s than for their film work -- Jones with The Addams Family; Umeki, The Courtship Of Eddie's Father; and Lange, The Ghost And Mrs. Muir. And even though it lasted only (I think) one season, Lanchester was featured on The John Forsythe Show, which is probably where I first knew her.
My Own Top 5:
1. Kay Thompson in Funny Face
2. Dorothy Malone in Man Of A Thousand Faces
3. Argentina Brunetti in The Brothers Rico
4. Joan Blondell in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and Desk Set
5. Diane Varsi in Peyton Place
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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Mister Tee
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Peyton Place has never rung my bell. Lange is clearly the better of the two ladies, but I couldn't possibly vote to honor anyone from such a smarm-fest.
Jones is dominant for a few minutes, but the part is even smaller than I'd remembered (I saw it again a year or so ago). She played vaguely the same part two years later in A Hole in the Head, and even her (much more substantial) Marjorie Morningstar persona is similar. Basically, she floated on that character till she found her bliss as Morticia. I always enjoyed her, but can't vote for her.
I know history tells us Red Buttons was a lock for Sayonara, and Umeki a stunning upset. But the last time I watched the film, I found her work massively more authentic and moving. Not a part for the ages, but far from an Oscar embarrassment.
But, like most here, I'll side with Lanchester -- a character actress I always liked in a pleasing, funny performance (in a movie I've seen roughly 100 times). Were she opposed by someone at full bore, I might refrain, but, given the fairly lightweight competition, I feel free to give her my reward.
Jones is dominant for a few minutes, but the part is even smaller than I'd remembered (I saw it again a year or so ago). She played vaguely the same part two years later in A Hole in the Head, and even her (much more substantial) Marjorie Morningstar persona is similar. Basically, she floated on that character till she found her bliss as Morticia. I always enjoyed her, but can't vote for her.
I know history tells us Red Buttons was a lock for Sayonara, and Umeki a stunning upset. But the last time I watched the film, I found her work massively more authentic and moving. Not a part for the ages, but far from an Oscar embarrassment.
But, like most here, I'll side with Lanchester -- a character actress I always liked in a pleasing, funny performance (in a movie I've seen roughly 100 times). Were she opposed by someone at full bore, I might refrain, but, given the fairly lightweight competition, I feel free to give her my reward.
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Big Magilla
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ITALIANO wrote:Big Magilla wrote:ITALIANO wrote:
It IS allowed not to vote like Big Magilla.
I think people know that or Patty McCormack, among others, would have gotten more votes in previous years.
My post wasn't directed generally at people.
So it was directed specifically at me? Lol.
Amongst the nominees I prefered Lanchester's amusing performance the most. Her scenes with Laughton are hilarious. Lange is a distant second. Varsi, Umeki and Jones did nothing to warrant Oscar nods.
Edited By Reza on 1276872668