MovieChat Forums > The Caine Mutiny (1954) Discussion > Nominated for Best Supporting Actor?

Nominated for Best Supporting Actor?

posted 10 years ago by jaygill-1
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Don't get me wrong, I love this film and enjoyed many of the fine performances including Tom Tully who played the first Captain of the Caine. However, was his performance worthy of a best supporting actor nomination? Just in the parlance of this film, for the amount of screen time they had, I'd think that José Ferrer would have gotten the nod. Also, were MacMurray and Johnston's parts too big to be supporting roles? If not, why were they not nominated over Tully? It is an ensemble cast for the most part, though Bogie got the lead actor nomination.

Again, I loved Tully's performance very much but I don't think it outdistanced his cast mates by any margin. And, though I don't know them offhand, we are not even taking about other films that year.

[–] hisgrandmogulhighness 10 years ago

Tully was considered a true supporting player, and so got the nomination . . . in one sense correctly--as it is he who originally sets the tone of the Caine prior to Queeg's arrival, he actually sets the movie rolling along, and he also concludes the film . . . it's an important part--though clearly supporting . . . I'm assuming the Academy considered MacMurray and Johnson to be contenders for a leading nomination . . . same with Ferrer . . .