Best Supporting Actor 1975: Results

5. Jack Warden in Shampoo- Warden is descent and humorous enough in the stock role of a hapless rich guy always being fooled by some hip young guy.

4. Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon- Sarandon in his two scenes is great creating an interesting character as well as a complex a believable relationship with Pacino's character.

3. Brad Dourif in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest- Dourif adds well to his film giving a heartbreaking performance as a very troubled young man that effectively adds to the ensemble and has one truly great individual moment.

2. George Burns in The Sunshine Boys- Burns gives a very enjoyable and funny dead pan performance. He never budges an each and is entertaining in every scene.

1. Burgess Meredith in Day of the Locust- Coming down to two aging vaudevillian only makes this race even closer. This choice was one of my hardest to make in the category, and really they are both equally great in their own ways, and this is really a case I don't have much of a reason otherwise than Meredith is terrific in his role of both a tragic and inspiring man who seems to always be on death door yet there is always a great deal of joy and life in him as well.

Deserving Performances:
Robert Shaw in Jaws
John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon
Charles Durning in Dog Day Afternoon
Max von Sydow in Three Days of the Condor

Best Supporting Actor 1975: George Burns in The Sunshine Boys

George Burns won his Oscar from his first Oscar nomination for portraying Al Lewis in The Sunshine Boys.

Something funny about this year is that George Burns won his Oscar from what some believe to be a veteran award, but in all truth the last time Burns had been in a film was before two of his fellow nominees Brad Dourif, and Chris Sarandon were even born. Burns work here is most certainly not just a throwaway award to the entertainer, since Burns gives a great performance here as the retired former vaudevillian brought back to just one more show with his old partner Willie Clark for a television special. Burns performance for whatever reason has been described as one of the worst winners in the category, which is outrageous of course, but they usually say this is because either basically Burns was old when he won as well as they say his performance is one note.

I suppose with a rather broad definition of one note one could describe Burns's performance as such, but that would be one note of dead pan brilliance. From his first moment on screen to his last Burns is hilarious in the role, but just how much he downplays his entire performance. There is not a single visible moment in which you can spot Burns trying to go for a laugh as Al Lewis, yet that is all that Burns really is doing for almost his entire performance. This is a completely spot on dead pan work from Burns that it very very difficult to pull off effectively, after all you don't ever act out for you laughs you underplay for them, but Burns is a master of it here.

This approach is fitting for Al Lewis who is a rather unassuming old man who just likes to relax at his daughter's home, and spend time with his grandchildren, and really is the polar opposite of his former frantic comedy partner Willie. Their scenes together are the highlight of the film, as well as the only time I really feel that Matthau's performance and the character of Willie really work. Their dynamic is terrific as the constantly upset in some way Willie is always ready to argue at the slightest disagreement and Matthau really plays up every scene with all sorts of yelling and hand gestures, whereas Al is always calm, and Burns is absolutely quiet and barely moves.

Where Matthau's old man routine gets old in all of the other scenes, they work here because of Burns to basically make the punchline to every set up by giving his simple response to every one of Matthau's over the top action. I will admit Burns absolutely steals every scene, and pretty much just uses Matthau's performance to his own end, since every time I laughed at any of these scenes it was due to Burns not Matthau. Burns knows exactly how to play off of Matthau so really he always gets the last laugh. Burns is just on the entire time he is on screen and he never has a wrong moment during his entire performance, it is deadpan comedy gold from beginning to end.

George Burns is really just perfect in the role as the aged vaudevillian. I should also say that it does not matter whether he is Matthau or not, he is equally hilarious with Richard Benjamin as Willie's nephew and agent as he is with Matthau. Everything about Al Lewis is portrayed brilliantly by Burns rather it is his old aged memory lapses, to his actual on stage performance which although is still dead pan Burns brilliantly adds just a little more energy to the proceedings showing the difference between his off stage and on stage personalities. This difference is slight and subtle but Burns could not handle it better. Burns's act here never gets old, and every moment he has he makes as enjoyable and entertaining as he possibly can.

I will say that the more dramatic moments in his performance which come near the end are similarly well handled, even if they are short. There are two scenes in near the end of the film where he worries about Willie's health. Burns still stays consistent to his portrayal of Al as a quiet and simple man, but he does effectively convey that although Al and Willie constantly fight he does love the big guy after all. Burns again makes it simple but a genuine care he shows Al has for Willie, and it works extremely well for the end of the film. This is not the main facet of his performance, the main facet of his performance is just being funny in his brilliant deadpan manner, but it is just another part of this great characterization by Burns.

Best Supporting Actor 1975

And The Nominees Were:

Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon

Burgess Meredith in The Day of The Locust

George Burns in The Sunshine Boys

Brad Dourif in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

Jack Warden in Shampoo

And here it is my final year in the supporting category.

International House

“International House” (1933) is one of those free-wheeling, anything for a laugh, Pre-Code comedies that I find irresistible. There’s basically no plot, but plenty of opportunities for specialty numbers, skits, and riotous comedy.

Paramount, that most Continental of movie studios, seemed to have a special affinity for these types of loopy, off-the-cuff, anything goes movies. Check out Bing Crosby’s feature film debut “The Big Broadcast” (1932) and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Paramount had the right actors, writers, directors and technicians who could effortlessly pull off these types of movies while making it all look so easy.

And like a cherry on a sundae, “International House” is topped off by the presence of the great W.C. Fields.

Was W.C. Fields the funniest man who ever lived? I don’t know, but whenever I’m watching one of his movies I think he is.

How to describe the plot of “International House?” Let’s see, there’s an inventor trying to interest a group of investors in a new fangled invention called television. They are all gathered at the International House, a lavish hotel, in Wu-Hu, China. Fields is flyer and explorer Henry R. Quail, who is attempting to fly around the world in his specially designed airplane (liberally stocked with his favorite beverages, as seen here).



He mistakes Wu-Hu for Kansas City and makes an emergency landing in the middle of a floor show. Like a one-man army, he practically turns the hotel upside down to suit his purposes, mainly in pursuit of Peggy Hopkins Joyce, playing herself. In real life Joyce was a notorious serial divorcee and plays the part to the hilt. She has a suitor (Bela Lugosi) who does not appreciate Quail’s interest in her.

There’s also George Burns and Gracie Allen as the hotel doctor and nurse, the incomparable Franklin Pangborn as the hotel manager, and Stu Erwin, desperately trying to keep Ms. Joyce at arms length for fear of incurring his fiancee’s wrath.

The television demonstrations don’t go as planned, and instead of showing the investors a six-day bicycle race in New York, the signals go astray and pick up performances from crooner Rudy Vallee, Baby Rose Marie belting out a tune at the top of her lungs, a painfully unfunny comedy skit by Colonel Stoopnagle and Budd (radio comedians?) and Cab Calloway singing “Reefer Man” about the joys of marijuana. (You can bet THAT number would not have been allowed in the reformed Production Code a year later).

But center stage belongs gloriously to Fields. I think his entrance to Wu-Hu is one of the greatest in movie history. Customers atop the rooftop of the International House hear a noise and look up to see a bizarre looking airplane hovering above them. Over the noise of the engines can be heard the familiar Fields voice asking, “Is this Kansas City, Kansas, or Kansas City, Missouri?”

Forced to make an emergency landing, he finds out he is in Wu-Hu in a comedy exchange I won’t repeat for fear of spoiling it. But when told he is lost, Fields exclaims, “Kansas City is lost. I am found.”

I don’t know why that cracks me up, but that’s one of my favorite lines of all time. If I’m having a bad day or annoyed with something, I just think to myself “Kansas City is lost, I am found” and all is right with the world.

It’s always good to see Lugosi, especially in a big budget studio picture like this. Like his performance in the Joe E. Brown comedy “Broadminded” (1931), he was adept at comedy and it’s too bad he could not have more comedies like this. His larger than life personality is perfect for these quirky, off-the-wall, surreal yet eminently enjoyable comedies.

Rating for “International House”: Three and a half stars.