Best Picture and Director 1977

[mlrg]

Mister Tee wrote
Well, funny: My first thought was, God, no, they were preferences -- I'd never have predicted that ragtag bunch. But then, I checked other books, and found I'd predicted 4 of the 5 (had Karen Lynn Gorney, also from Saturday Night Fever, in place of Anne Wedgworth). It was a slim pickings year.

You may wonder why I strayed so far from the Globes list; the reason is, back at that time, the Globes were often terrible about forecasting Oscar supporting nominees (check the rosters in the preceding couple of years; a mere 1 or 2 matches happened quite often). And the Globes, of course, did have Skala on their list (nearly everyone did). It seemed smarter to me to predict the NY Critics winner than a ballerina who couldn't act. Saturday Night Fever was such a huge hit during the voting period, I over-estimated its appeal to Academy folk. Quinn Cummings was on my alternate list. Weld and Dillon came from pretty much nowhere.

Since you asked about the other categories:

Best actor, I predicted all but Burton, with Art Carney/The Late Show in his slot.

Best actress, I omitted Marsha Mason (if only!) in favor of Kathleen Quinlan in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.

Supporting actor, I had Schell, Guinness and Firth, but Lou Jacobi (Roseland) and Richard Gere (Mr. Goodbar) in place of Baryshnikov and ultimate winner Robards.

I got best director 5-for-5, but, like many, had Close Encounters in best picture over The Goodbye Girl.

Well, you've gotten better at this for sure.

Well, with so many precursors and bloggers nowadays, who hasn’t. It’s really fascinating to learn Tee’s, Magilla’s or Reza’s predictions from decades ago though.

[Reza]

I can't speak for the two actresses in Saturday Night Fever. I still haven't seen it. I should remedy that

*GASP*

[Reza]

Reza, this looks more like a list you would have put together subsequent to 1977 as Madame Rosa wasn't shown anywhere in the U.S. until 1978, and Opening Night was a limited L.A. only release.

Yes, that's correct - a subsequent list. Back in early 1978 had no clue who was in or who was out. I relied on the few magazines I collected back then - the British Photoplay and Rona Barrett's Hollywood & Gossip. The Oscars had only recently started showing up on our local tv - my first show (not live) was the one where Cuckoo's Nest swept. Time and Newsweek helped a bit. Later I got access to the NY Times paper at our local American Center library where the arts section carried movie adverts touting Oscar nods when the season arrived.

[Sabin]

Mister Tee wrote
Well, funny: My first thought was, God, no, they were preferences -- I'd never have predicted that ragtag bunch. But then, I checked other books, and found I'd predicted 4 of the 5 (had Karen Lynn Gorney, also from Saturday Night Fever, in place of Anne Wedgworth). It was a slim pickings year.

You may wonder why I strayed so far from the Globes list; the reason is, back at that time, the Globes were often terrible about forecasting Oscar supporting nominees (check the rosters in the preceding couple of years; a mere 1 or 2 matches happened quite often). And the Globes, of course, did have Skala on their list (nearly everyone did). It seemed smarter to me to predict the NY Critics winner than a ballerina who couldn't act. Saturday Night Fever was such a huge hit during the voting period, I over-estimated its appeal to Academy folk. Quinn Cummings was on my alternate list. Weld and Dillon came from pretty much nowhere.

Since you asked about the other categories:

Best actor, I predicted all but Burton, with Art Carney/The Late Show in his slot.

Best actress, I omitted Marsha Mason (if only!) in favor of Kathleen Quinlan in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.

Supporting actor, I had Schell, Guinness and Firth, but Lou Jacobi (Roseland) and Richard Gere (Mr. Goodbar) in place of Baryshnikov and ultimate winner Robards.

I got best director 5-for-5, but, like many, had Close Encounters in best picture over The Goodbye Girl.

Well, you've gotten better at this for sure.

-For Best Supporting Actress, I wasn't there at the time but it seems as though Browne and Cummings benefited from coattails. Handle with Care and Roseland didn't get anything. Maybe this applies to Melinda Dillon as well and even Tuesday Weld. Looking for Mr. Goodbar only picked up Supporting Actress and Cinematography but had Annie Hall not been released maybe Diane Keaton would've been up. I can't speak for the two actresses in Saturday Night Fever. I still haven't seen it. I should remedy that.

-For Best Actor, you really didn't think Burton would make it in? I thought he was the front-runner going into the race.

-I was going to remark similarly for the omission of Jason Robards. I had misremembered him as a frontrunner but as I look at the precursors, I see that he didn't show up anywhere. He won the LAFCA but Schell won the NYFCC, Edward Fox won the National Society, Skerritt won the National Board, and Firth won the Golden Globe. That's a jump ball.

-Sounds like you were really holding out against hope that The Goodbye Girl wouldn't make it in. I'd probably be in your shoes at the time although four Golden Globe wins would probably lead me to be closer to omitting Annie Hall.

[Big Magilla]

Sabin's question to Mister Tee below about his predictions made me curious about my own.

While I endorse both Bancroft and MacLaine as worthy and deserved nominees in my post below I discovered that neither made it to my own personal list for the year

My choices for Best Actress:

Shelley Duvall, Three Women
Jane Fonda, Julia
*Diane Keaton, Annie Hall
Sophia Loren, A Special Day
Simone Signoret, Madam Rosa

And for Supporting Actress:

Joan Blondell, Opening Night
Ellen Burstyn, Providence
Irene Papas, Iphigenia
*Vanessa Redgrave, Julia
Sissy Spacek, Three Women

Reza, this looks more like a list you would have put together subsequent to 1977 as Madame Rosa wasn't shown anywhere in the U.S. until 1978, and Opening Night was a limited L.A. only release.

My best actress nominees for the year have always been the same, but not so the other acting categories.

Burton, Dreyfuss, and Travolta have always been on my Best Actor list along with Art Carney and off-and-on Mastroianni, although Paul Newman (Slap Shot) and Craig Russell (Outrageous!) have been in his place from time to time.

Neither Joan Blondell nor Ann-Margret would have been on anyone in New York's list. I remember having Donna Pescow and Teresa Wright (Roseland) on my list at some point. Ann-Margret made my list after I saw it in New York in 1978. Opening Night was not shown in New York until the 1990s.

Besides Baryshnikov, Maximilian Schell was initially a headscratcher for me in Supporting Actor. I eventually warmed to Schell in place of I think, Richard Kiley (Looking for Mr. Goodbar). I also remember replacing Tom Skerritt on my list with Richard Gere but eventually went back Skerritt.

[Mister Tee]

Mister Tee wrote
I look over my notes from the time, and I see that, in addition to the obvious Redgrave, I opted to echo the NY Critics slotting of Sissy Spacek in 3 Women (despite its clear category fraud), Donna Pescow in Saturday Night Fever, Lilia Skala in Roseland, and Anne Wedgworth in Handle with Care. Not a stellar slate, but, to its credit, it doesn't include Leslie Browne.

Are these your preferences or predictions? If the latter, what did you have in the other main categories?

Well, funny: My first thought was, God, no, they were preferences -- I'd never have predicted that ragtag bunch. But then, I checked other books, and found I'd predicted 4 of the 5 (had Karen Lynn Gorney, also from Saturday Night Fever, in place of Anne Wedgworth). It was a slim pickings year.

You may wonder why I strayed so far from the Globes list; the reason is, back at that time, the Globes were often terrible about forecasting Oscar supporting nominees (check the rosters in the preceding couple of years; a mere 1 or 2 matches happened quite often). And the Globes, of course, did have Skala on their list (nearly everyone did). It seemed smarter to me to predict the NY Critics winner than a ballerina who couldn't act. Saturday Night Fever was such a huge hit diuring the voting period, I over-estimated its appeal to Academy folk. Quinn Cummings was on my alternate list. Weld and Dillon came from pretty much nowhere.

Since you asked about the other categories:

Best actor, I predicted all but Burton, with Art Carney/The Late Show in his slot.

Best actress, I omitted Marsha Mason (if only!) in favor of Kathleen Quinlan in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.

Supporting actor, I had Schell, Guiness and Firth, but Lou Jacobi (Roseland) and Richard Gere (Mr. Goodbar) in place of Baryshnikov and ultimate winner Robards.

I got best director 5-for-5, but, like many, had Close Encounters in best picture over The Goodbye Girl.

[Reza]

Sabin's question to Mister Tee below about his predictions made me curious about my own.

While I endorse both Bancroft and MacLaine as worthy and deserved nominees in my post below I discovered that neither made it to my own personal list for the year

My choices for Best Actress:

Shelley Duvall, Three Women
Jane Fonda, Julia
*Diane Keaton, Annie Hall
Sophia Loren, A Special Day
Simone Signoret, Madam Rosa

And for Supporting Actress:

Joan Blondell, Opening Night
Ellen Burstyn, Providence
Irene Papas, Iphigenia
*Vanessa Redgrave, Julia
Sissy Spacek, Three Women

[Sabin]

Mister Tee wrote
I look over my notes from the time, and I see that, in addition to the obvious Redgrave, I opted to echo the NY Critics slotting of Sissy Spacek in 3 Women (despite its clear category fraud), Donna Pescow in Saturday Night Fever, Lilia Skala in Roseland, and Anne Wedgworth in Handle with Care. Not a stellar slate, but, to its credit, it doesn't include Leslie Browne.

Are these your preferences or predictions? If the latter, what did you have in the other main categories?

[Reza]

The Turning Point - guys its really not that bad. Yes, the dialogue is trite but both Bancroft and MacLaine are superb as they tear into their parts recalling the era of old Hollywood studios that created great parts for stars like Garbo, Davis, Crawford, Stanwyck and Dietrich. Both Baryshnikov and Browne, in their screen debuts, are of course better dancers than actors. All the dance sequences - there are excerpts from more than a dozen ballets - are superbly, if rather hurriedly staged with Baryshnikov breathtakingly electric during his solos. Old fashioned film recycles old material which often gets maudlin and sentimental but the funny, tense and touching relationship between the two stars makes it all work. Martha Scott scores in a small part as the acerbic grand old lady of the ballet company. The film holds the record (along with "The Color Purple") for the most nominations (11) without winning a single Oscar. Or is there another film that matches or surpasses it? Did it deserve all those nods? Maybe not although both leading ladies deserved theirs. The film was instrumental in bringing back both stars which gave both an incredible run in the movies during the coming decades. Pity Bancroft died so early as she would most certainly have continued to make her presence felt on both the big and small screen.

[Big Magilla]

I haven't watched The Turning Point in years, but the last time I did, I fast-forwarded past the ballet sequences which I always thought were too much.

I thought the nominations for Baryshnikov and Browne were absurd, coming at the expense of Tom Skerritt and Martha Scott who should have gotten those slots. Lilia Skala made my list in place of the kid from The Goodbye Girl while Ann-Margret in Joseph Andrews is there in place of Melinda Dillon. Tuesday Weld is the only nominee I agreed with aside from Redgrave.

My only argument with Best Actress was that I thought, and still think, that Keaton should have been nominated and won for Looking for Mr. Goodbar. not Annie Hall where she was just playing herself.

I'd rank Bancroft, Fonda, MacLaine and Mason behind Keaton in that order with Sophia Loren in A Special Day having given the best non-nominated performance.

Regarding Bancroft and MacLaine's performance, Bancroft hadn't been that good since The Graduate and MacLaine hadn't been that good since The Apartment although she been Oscar nominated for the amusing at best Irma La Douce in the interim.

[Mister Tee]

Big Magilla wrote
Leslie Browne wasn't an actress. She was a dancer. Herbert Ross, who directed all three of her films, was her godfather.

Well, there had to be a dancer who was an actor out there that they could’ve cast instead.

You're making me think far too much about this movie I disliked 45+ years ago and have never had the remotest desire to revisit.

But I have to underline your point: Leslie Browne was abjectly terrible in this role. Baryshnikov wasn't any ball of fire as an actor, but his dazzling leaps at least provided mild justification for his nomination. Browne was just bad, and her nomination was a combination of a thin roster of competition and lazy voter centrifugal force, defaulting to the "big" film (big with what I'd label the A Touch of Class caucus).

I look over my notes from the time, and I see that, in addition to the obvious Redgrave, I opted to echo the NY Critics slotting of Sissy Spacek in 3 Women (despite its clear category fraud), Donna Pescow in Saturday Night Fever, Lilia Skala in Roseland, and Anne Wedgworth in Handle with Care. Not a stellar slate, but, to its credit, it doesn't include Leslie Browne.

As for the context: it's true, Finally! Roles for Women! was a trending topic that year, after multiple years where they'd been scarce (three straight years, a clear supporting performer had been elevated to the lead actress category, peaking in the dread 1975). Keaton got the cover of Time, and Fonda followed a week or two later on Newsweek, in an issue highlighting the many prominent lead female roles, MacLaine/Bancroft most especially. It may be that some critics were cowed into supporting the film for appearance's sake.

I think Fonda was viewed as Keaton's strongest competition that year at least partly because MacLaine/Bancroft were thought to be splitting their pool of votes. MacLaine was obviously the as-yet-unrewarded-though-oft-nominated candidate, but her role was seen as less imposing than Bancroft's, which set up a classic divide-and-conquer situation.

After the Globes, I was genuinely terrified The Turning Point would win best picture/director. It's about the only thing that could have made me less than angry about a Star Wars victory. Happily, history went even better. I'll always remember the moment I saw the news Woody had won at the Directors' Guild. I'd never thought that even remote possibility.

[Sabin]

Big Magilla wrote
The script was a fictionalized version of the Browns' life and the long friendship between Isabel (her mother) and Nora (Ross' wife). The fictional parts primarily concern the character Yuri, who was created as a love interest for Emilia. Originally, the ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, who was at the height of her fame at the time and dating Mikhail Baryshnikov (Yuri), was offered the role of Emilia.[8] She rejected the role as she was dealing with substance abuse issues at the time and she "wanted no part of Hollywood". Ross then decided that Leslie Browne, who was nineteen at the time, would be able to portray a fictionalized version of herself in the film. In real life, Leslie had just joined ABT in 1976 and was experiencing the same things she portrayed on screen. Leslie had added an "e" to her last name as her stage name to sound more feminine after being mistaken as a man in a playbill.

I think a girl with substance abuse issues is exactly what that part required.

[Big Magilla]

She was essentially playing herself.

From Wikipedia:

The script was a fictionalized version of the Browns' life and the long friendship between Isabel (her mother) and Nora (Ross' wife). The fictional parts primarily concern the character Yuri, who was created as a love interest for Emilia. Originally, the ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, who was at the height of her fame at the time and dating Mikhail Baryshnikov (Yuri), was offered the role of Emilia.[8] She rejected the role as she was dealing with substance abuse issues at the time and she "wanted no part of Hollywood". Ross then decided that Leslie Browne, who was nineteen at the time, would be able to portray a fictionalized version of herself in the film. In real life, Leslie had just joined ABT in 1976 and was experiencing the same things she portrayed on screen. Leslie had added an "e" to her last name as her stage name to sound more feminine after being mistaken as a man in a playbill.

[Sabin]

Big Magilla wrote
Leslie Browne wasn't an actress. She was a dancer. Herbert Ross, who directed all three of her films, was her godfather.

Well, there had to be a dancer who was an actor out there that they could’ve cast instead.

[Big Magilla]

Leslie Browne wasn't an actress. She was a dancer. Herbert Ross, who directed all three of her films, was her godfather.