The Academy was still indicating who placed second and third. Katharine Hepburn placed second in the voting. Elisabeth Bergner came in third.
The nominees were ...
- Elisabeth Bergner in Escape Me Never
- Claudette Colbert in Private Worlds
- Bette Davis in Dangerous
- Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams
- Miriam Hopkins in Becky Sharp
- Merle Oberon in The Dark Angel
... when they should have been ...
- Madeleine Carroll in The 39 Steps
- Bette Davis in Dangerous
- Olivia de Havilland in Captain Blood
- Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams
- Ginger Rogers in Top Hat
- Barbara Stanwyck in Annie Oakley
And the Oscar went to ...
Bette Davis in Dangerous.
It's generally accepted that the Oscar went to Davis because she had been stiffed for her performance the previous year in Of Human Bondage. But since I gave her an Oscar for that one, I don't feel obliged to reward her for acting in this junky but enjoyable melodrama.
... when it should have gone to ...
 |
| Katharine Hepburn and Fred MacMurray in Alice Adams |
Alice Adams was one of Hepburn's greatest roles, and if Bette Davis hadn't been rewarded for the previous year's snub, it's very likely that Hepburn would have won; as it is, she placed second. Booth Tarkington's study of small-town pretentiousness and snobbery seems almost tailor-made for her jittery intensity. Fred MacMurray, an underrated actor never given his due -- at least a nomination -- by the Academy, is a perfect foil, the groundedness of his character in contrast to Alice's flightiness. The happy ending seems unearned, however. Hattie McDaniel deserves special mention for her wonderful performance as the untrained servant at an awful dinner party, held in wilting heat, that's designed to impress MacMurray.
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