So, the other day, I rented the 1950's version of THE CAINE MUTINY, hadn't seen it before, although I'm very familiar with THE CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL play, it's one of my favorites. I thought the movie was terrific in that old 1950's big, important, audience- pleasing style. It had a very different emphasis than the play, turning the trial (which is the whole play) into just the 3rd act. Bogart was great as Queeg, loved the whole thing, but what I really liked was the Fred MacMurray role of Keefer, who I had always felt in the play was an unplayably one-dimensional character. Here, he was the most interesting thing in a truly excellent movie.

Then, it occured to me, you know old Fred has never been considered world's greatest actor, but there were at leasst three times when he really hit it out of the park in some great movies (namely DOUBLE INDEMNITY, THE CAINE MUTINY, and THE APARTMENT). Check this out, all three were up for Best Picture and plenty of other awards, yet Fred wasn't nominated for any of them.

Aha, you say, maybe it was stiff competition that year. I mean, the Academy stiffed Poitier for INT THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT and Bernard Herrmann's score for PSYCHO, but then you look at the nominees that year, they're all freaking amazing, and you realize someone was getting screwed no matter what.

In Fred's case, that really stiff competition argument doesn't hold. In 1944, they nominated Bing Crosby in GOING MY WAY, Cary Grant who's always good, President Wilson from WILSON, and Barry Fitzgerald from GOING MY WAY... wait, whoa, the first three are pretty good, but didn't Barry win for supporting Actor? Are you telling me Fred got bumped so they could nominate this guy for the same part in two categories? Huh? (And how Edward G. Robinson wasn't nominated for this film is a whole 'nother thread.)

Then for THE CAINE MUTINY, Tom Tully was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Who? Who's Tom Tully? The captain of the Caine before Queeg gets it. You mean that guy who's only in the first ten minutes of the movie? Don't get me wrong, I actually thought he was really good, but this would be akin to denying Alec Guinness his nomination for STAR WARS so that they could nominate the guy who played Greedo.

And finally, Fred didn't get nominated for THE APARTMENT. Instead, they nominated the fat annoying guy from THE ALAMO and gave the Oscar to the fat annoying guy from SPARTACUS. And I'm in know way biased toward THE APARTMENT. I hate New-York-y romantic comedies, and I love big kick-ass epics. I own SPARTACUS and THE ALAMO, seen 'em both several times and will see them several more, I saw THE APARTMENT once, it was good, but that will more than suffice for the rest of my existence. That said, Fred was ten times better than those guys (for that matter, so was Laurence Olivier in SPARTACUS and you could say Anthony Perkins was Supporting in PSYCHO).

The only award Fred got nominated for was the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy for THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR. Good for him. I wonder who won. I hope it wasn't Barry Fitzgerald or Peter Ustinov, 'cause that would just be cruel.

(Oddly, these three great roles for him are all smarmy villains, which is odd, since he's always considered Mr. Light-andLikable-Comedic).

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cassius,

I also think that Fred was badly overlooked by the Academy, but calling Peter Ustinov a "fat, annoying guy" is all kinds of wrong and makes your whole post irrelevant...

I second that sentiment.

Edward G. Robinson remains the most stunning non-nominee of all time, as good as MacMurray was in the filmed mentioned.

Meantime, Fred laughed literally all the way to the bank. Without most people being aware of it, he poured his early earnings into investments, mainly real estate, and ended up one of the wealthiest (we're talking hundreds of millions of dollars) actors in the business.

quote:

Originally posted by Fritz:
calling Peter Ustinov a "fat, annoying guy" is all kinds of wrong and makes your whole post irrelevant...

"Fat people are charming and phlegmatic, while skinny people are angry and uptight"
Charles Laughton to Peter Ustinov in SPARTACUS

Comic relief that isn't funny is generally seen as annoying. Of course, some people may haVE FOUND HIM FUNNY, but I also preferred Mr. Laughton in that picture. Which doesn't change the fact that Fred was the best out of all of them!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cassius,

quote:

Originally posted by seanflynn:
Edward G. Robinson remains the most stunning non-nominee of all time, as good as MacMurray was in the filmed mentioned.

Meantime, Fred laughed literally all the way to the bank. Without most people being aware of it, he poured his early earnings into investments, mainly real estate, and ended up one of the wealthiest (we're talking hundreds of millions of dollars) actors in the business.

And didn't he marry "Baby June" of Gypsy fame?