It was Harold Russell, a double-arm amputee--and WWII vet--who won for his role as a wounded sailor in The Best Years of Our Lives, which airs next Friday at midnight on TCM. The movie is definitely worth a peak. Directed by William Wyler, Best Years took a brave and honest look at the hardships facing men returning from WWII and features stellar performances by Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, and Teresa Wright. Russell's performance, ironically, is not very good.
So how did he win not one but TWO Oscars?
He was awarded an honorary Oscar for giving hope to his fellow wounded soldier. He also won the race for Best Supporting Actor, but watching him on screen, one can only assume that voters in 1947 were too sympathetic to vote for anyone with hands.
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4 comments:
I saw that movie back when I was a teen, Carli, but I don't remember it very well. I can see why the voters, so close to the time of WW2, would give Russell the sympathy vote.
Michele sent me over today.
Sometimes one wonders what planet the voters for the Oscars are on... wait, they are the Hollywood people. They can do no wrong, say no wrong, make their millions and do and say whatever they want. They know better than we who are peons working and scraping together to make it day after day. And now days they don't even provide us with entertainment worth the outrageous prices we have to pay. I won't be watching.
Michele sent me.
Disabled actors always get a handicap at voting time, so to speak. That was a great question and a good twist on the one about which pair of actors have been nominated for playing the same character?
Gloria Stewart and Kate Winslet, Titanic. And for the record, I thought Gloria Stewart ALSO sucked. She was nominated because she was super old and was a sentimental favorite. There aren't too many people around these days who made movies in the early thirties!
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