Best Supporting Actress 1963

[Big Magilla]

... and Maggie Smith's portrayal of Richard Burton's loyal secretary ...

I totally agree with you about Smith – it's a very sincere, poignant performance which is rather at odds with the trashy aiming at being flashy fakeness which surrounds it, but it was Rod Taylor's character who was her boss, not Burton's, although her scene with the latter is the best one.

It comes back! Yes, she was indeed and yes, her scene with Burton was the best dramatic scene in the film though Rutherford's "I shall arrive in America in an advanced state of drug addiction" was the best line.

It should also be remembered that Oscar voters don't vote for these things in a vacuum, which is what I try to show in my ramblings. Rutherford's V.I.P.s performance was strong enough to win on its own but the enormous success of the Miss Marple films is what made her such an overwhelming favorite at the time.

Actually to correct my earlier comment, Murder, She Said was 1961 in the U.K., 1962 in the U.S. and the even more successful Murder at the Gallop opened in June, 1963 in the U.S. and unlike the first film was not relegated to art houses but opened wide to great fanfare three months before The V.I.P.s which had a prestige opening at Radio City Music Hall.

Lilia Skala's back story probably made her Rutherford's strongest competition. The first female architect in Austria, as well as a successful stage star, she was forced to flee the Nazis with her Jewish husband and children, working at minimal wage office jobs amid occasional acting jobs until Lilies of the Field. She was working as a clerk for the New York Port Authority and couldn't afford to go to the Oscars. It was only when United Airlines stepped in and gave her a free flight that she was able to go.

As for Peggy Wood, wait, just wait!



Edited By Big Magilla on 1278769494

[ITALIANO]

Oooops, you are absolutely right. I always seem to block that one from my head.

Well, but even Damien won't vote for Peggy Wood, come on.

[Uri]

I voted for Lilia Skala as Mother Maria in Lilies of the Field.

To the stunned surprise of all.

But the bad news is - now, for some time, no nuns anymore - the next should be Meg Tilly. Or am I wrong?

A serious case of denial, if ever there was one, Marco.

We have Peggy Wood just around the corner, dear.



Edited By Uri on 1278750901

[ITALIANO]

I voted for Lilia Skala as Mother Maria in Lilies of the Field.

To the stunned surprise of all.

But the bad news is - now, for some time, no nuns anymore - the next should be Meg Tilly. Or am I wrong?

[Uri]

... and Maggie Smith's portrayal of Richard Burton's loyal secretary ...

I totally agree with you about Smith – it's a very sincere, poignant performance which is rather at odds with the trashy aiming at being flashy fakeness which surrounds it, but it was Rod Taylor's character who was her boss, not Burton's, although her scene with the latter is the best one. Rutherford, on the other hand, did go along with that nonsense, but since she did it fully aware of it's nature, the outcome was totally enjoyable, which is not a trivial achievement – Orson Wells, going for the same effect, failed miserably.

There was not one, not two, not three, but FIVE nuns in Lilies of the Field – Damien idea of porn, I guess – so I'm afraid I was totally overwhelmed, or rather underhelmed by it to be able to fully appreciate it. A nice but extremely minor piece in my book.

The three ladies from Tom Jones were all good, largely because they did exactly what the nature of that film called for, meaning bring out the broadness and the ridiculousness of the characters, which in a way hinders their prospects of winning our outmost respect, since to fully be appreciated as great a performance should be about subtlety and complexity, shouldn't it? And they were part of an even larger stable of worthy thespians in TJ – one can make valid arguments in favor of York's freshness or Greenwood's voice.

I guess if I must choose it will be between these two great English eccentric veterans. Had this been '64, believing that since this must be the first and probably the last chance of rewarding any one of them, I probably would have picked Evans, who was the more important actress (her being Lady Bracknell while Rutherford was Miss Prism sum their respective positions rather nicely). But we're doing it with the knowledge of the "future", so I'm going with Rutherford.

(Anyway, the ultimate best supporting female performance (and arguably best performance period) that year was given by Patricia Neal in Hud, but we've gone through this when we did best actress, so I won't go there again.)



Edited By Uri on 1278755336

[The Original BJ]

I spent a lot of the day mulling this one over, and I'm still not sure who would get my vote -- I leaned several different directions, and maybe would feel different even tomorrow.

I thought Diane Cilento made a strong impression in the early scenes of Tom Jones -- quite frankly, she left me wanting a lot more of her. But she must have, at most, eight or nine minutes of screen time. An Oscar would be too much.

Joyce Redman had a bit more to do, most notably that food scene, which I of course didn't find lewd, but did find pretty hilarious. And yet, her performance was still too little too late for a trophy.

Of the Tom Jones women, I definitely liked Edith Evans best, in a very funny, witty role. I thought about picking her. Tom Jones is definitely the best film here, and she might give the best performance in it. But it's not so much of an individual showcase for her, at least not compared to some other, better places in which one could vote for her.

I also considered the Damienite choice. Lilies of the Field isn't a deep movie, but it is a sweet, lovely one. Along those lines, Skala isn't transcendent, but she is very touching and gentle in her role. Plus, she has to have the most substantial part of any of these women.

And then there's Margaret Rutherford. Part of me wants to shout BRAVO! for adding some humor to the film, distracting from the soap suds of the Taylor-Burton plotline. But I do wonder if being the most amusing thing about a stupid airport movie is an Oscar-worthy achievement (despite this trick working for actresses on more than one occasion). Still, Rutherford is quite funny in a completely unique way, and I do think she manages to create, overall, the most memorable character of this bunch of nominees. So right now I see I landed with the majority in picking Rutherford, but I just as easily might have gone for Evans or Skala when in a different mood.

[Mister Tee]

I voted for Lilia Skala as Mother Maria in Lilies of the Field.

To the stunned surprise of all.

[Damien]

I voted for Lilia Skala as Mother Maria in Lilies of the Field.

[Mister Tee]

None of these ladies is unworthy, but no one jumps out as outstanding, either.

I'm with Italiano in finding Diane Cilento's saucy wench quite appealing. She didn't have the largest role, but her seductive quality was palpable.

Joyce Redman was clearly recognized for being one-half of the most widely-discussed scene in Tom Jones. I'm sure this is inconceivable for anyone under 50, but, at the time, the "eating scene" was viewed as borderline lewd.

Edith Evans was Edith Evans -- Lady Bracknell by any other name. Not quite wonderful enough to win, but plenty amusing to keep the movie revving.

Lilia Skala could be quite the ham, based on what little other work of hers I've seen, but she's nicely under control in Lilies of the Field, and wouldn't be an embarrassing winner.

But Margaret Rutherford is a pip, redeeming the lugubrious The VIPs by popping up every 15 minutes or so and providing much-needed laughs. She rates the same response someone gave at our Oscar party when Maggie Smith won for California Suite -- "Thanks for making it bearable". I'll cast my uncertain but unashamed vote for her.

[ITALIANO]

Not the most exciting race ever.

Lilia Skala will get the votes of the nun-lovers, and I had loved her movie as a child - but then I saw it again more recently and honestly it's really nothing special.

The three nominees from Tom Jones are good - Cilento has the most unforgettable role, Redman the best single scene, and Evans of course is the best actress - but none is really award-worthy.

So I voted for Rutherford, a true British eccentric and a very skilled comic actress. The movie isn't very good, but she is.

[Reza]

Voted for Rutherford.

My top 5:

Patricia Neal, Hud
Margaret Rutherford, The V.I.P.s
Maggie Smith, The V.I.P.s
Edith Evans, Tom Jones
Sarah Miles, The Servant

In the 6th spot a close race between Lotte Lenya (From Russia, with Love) and Wendy Hiller (Toys in the Attic).

[Big Magilla]

Poor Edith Evans. She finally gets an Oscar nomination as the imperious Miss Western in Tom Jones and has to share the honor with two other actresses from the same film.

Joyce Redman was something of a surprise, but at least she had that famous eating scene with Albert Finney, but what did the then Mrs. Sean Connery (Diane Cilento) do to deserve an Oscar nomination?

Lucky Lilia Skala, nominated for her first major screen role at the age of 67 as the wily Mother Superior opposite Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field.

As good Evans and Skala were, there was little doubt that anyone but Margaret Rutherford would win the award this year.

Rutherford had delighted audiences all year with her portrayal of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the art house hit, Murder, She Said. Early word on The V.I.P.s was that her portrayal of the pill-popping duchess and Maggie Smith's portrayal of Richard Burton's loyal secretary would steal the film out from under Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. For once, the advance buzz was right on.

For me, Maggie Smith is an easy choice for the fourth spot with the fifth a toss-up between Wendy Hiller as crazy Geraldine Page's more sensible sister in Toys in the Attic; Aline MacMahon as Jean Simmons' sad-eyed aunt in All the Way Home and Thelma Ritter as the match-making hotel owner in For Love or Money.

My vote goes to Rutherford.