5. Clifton Webb in Three Coins in a Fountain- Webb is a bit wasted in his film, but he does well to create a warmer take on his most frequent role as a snobbish intellectual.
4. Raymond Burr in Rear Window- Burr certainly gets help from his director, but in very key moments his performance as well amplifies power of his character within the film.
3. Peter Lorre in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea- Lorre is a very likable and lends some very nice lighthearted relief in his film as the endearing sidekick Conseil.
2. Fred MacMurray in The Caine Mutiny- MacMurray makes for an excellent villain playing the part with such charm that he tricks you into thinking that he is not even the villain.
1. Van Johnson in The Caine Mutiny-Johnson gives the best performance not nominated for an Oscar this year through his moving down to earth portrayal of a man who tries to do the right thing despite tremendous pressures all around him.
Raymond Burr did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Lars Thorwald in Rear Window.
This is not a usual performance by any means as Lars Thorwald is at first just one of the many people being watched by James Stewart's L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies as he tries to pass the time as his broken legs slowly heals. At the beginning not one of the windows really stands out especially as they are all seem to do their own thing, but slowly something odd seems to come up when Lars the man in the apartment across from his window seems to no longer have his invalid wife with him.
In many ways this is an impersonal performance as we seem Thorwald only from a great distance from Jeff's apartment and we rarely hear him. When we do here Thorwald it is distance and faint. For the most part it is easy to argue that really all of the performances out the window are very much a product of Alfred Hitchcock the director and not as much by the actor. I would say that is possibly quite true for some if not most, but I would not say that really is that case as Thorwald who becomes the most interesting person out the window.
Thorwald of course becomes the most fascinating when Jeff suspects that Thorwald may have killed his wife. Before the suspicions we just see Thorwald which Burr does well as a tired and not particularly happily married man of his wife. There is nothing that one should expect really expect from him, as he may be just a normal unhappily married man. After suspicions arise though Jeff starts to look more closely, and more comes from Burr's performance as Thorwald. After the murder Burr does just right with his part as a man doing some sort of job, but the question is what he is doing.
Burr creates the mystery of Thorwald well suggesting something very dark about Thorwald, but still leaving it entirely open that Jeff just might have too much free time on his hand. This becomes less likely though as we see more of Thorwald, and more of Burr. In the close up moments Burr does his best to make the most out of them to actually create Thorwald into a villain that works well for the film and actually even a more in depth character than one would expect given the circumstances.
In his very short moments where we see his reactions to the accusations, Burr does not portray just a blunt one dimensional villain, but more effectively portrays a very scared man suggesting that perhaps Thorwald's murder was something quite sudden and hasty. This is not to say though that Burr does not make Thorwald a proper threat. In his face he conveys a certain instinctual violence that is properly freighting. It is not that Thorwald is exactly a serial killer, but Burr shows that he is certainly capable of murdering to protect himself.
My two favorite two moments of his performance sum up the success of his performance. The first moment being when Thorwald finally looks and sees that Jeff is watching him. Burr's look of contained anger, and fear is very chilling creating a great deal of dread as he leaves his apartment and goes to Jeff's. The second moments is finally when he confronts Jeff and Thorwald asks Jeff why he is doing this. Burr is terrific in this moment as Burr does not deliver the questions so much like threats but rather like pleads. In strange way Burr actually makes you feel a little sorry for him, becuase he actually manages to humanize Thorwald. He makes Thorwald honestly a character, but as well still a proper villain for the film.
Crime of Passion(1957). Crime film noir directed by Gerd Oswald and written by Jo Eisinger. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr and Fay Wray.
The story begins, as San Francisco newspaper reporter Kathy Ferguson, helps two Los Angeles homicide detectives, Capt. Charles Alidos and Lt. Bill Doyle, find the woman who has just killed her husband. Soon after, Kathy's story impresses a important New York newspaper, who offer her a job with them.
She does not take the job, as she and Bill have fallen in love and move to Los Angeles, where they marry. Kathy, quickly becomes bored with her role as a housewife and the card games with Bill's friends and their wives. Kathy, who can not take their company anymore decides to elevate their social life. As luck would have it.. she has afender-bender with Alice Pope, wife of Inspector Tony Pope. The two become fast friends and Kathy convinces Alice to let her plan a surprise birthday party for Tony, which causes problems between Tony and Alidos, when he and his wife Sara miss the birthday party, as Kathy did not invite them. Later, Kathy persuades Bill to leave the LAPD and join the Beverly Hills force, even-though he will lose his seniority. Tony refuses Bill's resignation, and promises him that he is planning to make changes within the department. Kathy makes up a lie about Sara, gossiping about her and Tony having an affair, causing Bill to go to police headquarters in a rage and beating up Alidos. Bill and Alidos, decide not to tell Tony about the accusation. Not, able to work together... Alidos, transfers to another division and Bill is promoted to captain. While Bill is out of town, Tony comes to tell Kathy that Alice has been hospitalized, because she can no longer take the pressures of his job. Tony, now wanting to retire, Kathy makes the suggestion that Bill might replace him. Tony and Kathy fall into each others arms. Later, when Kathy finds out that the Popes are moving to Honolulu, she meets with Tony where he ends their very brief affair. Tony, also tells her that he has decided not to nominate Bill for his job, as he thinks Bill is "not good enough," and plans to give the job to Alidos.
Later that night, while waiting for Bill at police headquarters, Kathy steals a gun from the evidence desk and goes to Tony's house, where she begs for Bill to be promoted. After, Tony tells her that he has always seen through her scheming ways, Kathy shoots and kills him. Bill, is in charge of the investigation and when he discovers that the gun, is missing he realizes that Kathy had the opportunity to take it, he returns home where Kathy admits everything. Will Bill arrest his wife Kathy or let her go?
Barbara Stanwyck, gives a believable performance as a career woman who, falls for the wrong man. As her hubby, Sterling Hayden, he plays the boring part as a man, who does not to see his wife for what she really is. In a small but important role Raymond Burr, gives a perfect performance as Hayden's boss.
Fay Wray ( September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for playing the female lead in King Kong. Through an acting career that spanned 57 years, Wray attained international stardom as an actress in horror film roles, leading to many considering her as the first "scream queen". After appearing in minor film roles, Wray gained media attention being selected as one of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars". This led to Wray being signed to Paramount Pictures as a teenager, where she made more than a dozen films. After leaving Paramount, she signed deals with various film companies, being cast in her first horror film roles among many other types of roles, including in The Bowery (1933) and Viva Villa (1934), both huge productions starring Wallace Beery. For RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., she starred in the film with which she is most identified, King Kong (1933). After the success of King Kong, Wray performed in many major film roles and on television, finishing her acting career in 1980.
