Oscar nom for Fred Astaire?
Did anyone else find it surprising that Fred Astaire was Oscar-nominated for such a small role?
No. His role wasn't that small, and he was excellent in it. He was favored to win, too, but lost in an upset to Robert DeNiro for The Godfather Part II, despite the fact that three people from that film were competing for the award.
I remember seeing Fred's face when DeNiro's name was announced. He was clearly disappointed. No offense to DeNiro, a superb actor, but Fred had earned that Oscar. The Towering Inferno wasn't his best performance -- that was in 1959's On the Beach -- but many if not most Oscars are given for reasons other than who was strictly "better" among the nominees. Fred deserved the Oscar on the merits, I believe, but certainly he should have won when his entire career is considered -- a sentiment that more often than not plays a key role in determining an Oscar winner.
I agree with you completely, Hobnob. Roles of supporting actors and actresses do not have to consume a lot of minutes to be judged outstanding and worthy of the award. I remember reading that Steve McQueen, after watching Fred's performance as the film was being made, commented that it was a particularly oustanding performance. McQueen knew it as soon as he saw it. The film had a lot of stars, but none shown brighter than Fred for the minutes he was on and the role he played.
Interesting about McQueen's comments, manage. I never heard that. TTI was also Fred's only Oscar nomination, though he'd gotten an honorary one in 1949. He should have been nominated for On the Beach (a lot of people think he was) but 1959 was a tough year. But at least he had a competitive nomination for one film. Many actors never get that much.
sharehe was up for a Golden Globe for On the Beach,,but Inferno is his only Oscar Nom...he won the Globe for it,,,he and Jennifer Jones both should of won for their roles
share'I believe, but certainly he should have won when his entire career is considered'
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That is fraud, then. The Oscar should go to the best of that year. I thought people hated when the Oscar is given for sentimental reasons, so why should he be granted it?
I thought people hated when the Oscar is given for sentimental reasons, so why should he be granted it?
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Probably because he did a dance in it. That would be considered superb and great acting by many.
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I remember seeing Fred's face when DeNiro's name was announced. He was clearly disappointed.
With all due respect, that's not how I remember it. I wanted Astaire to win, as it was one of the few roles I had seen (I was 13 at the time). I remember that once DeNiro's name was announced, Astaire was literally the first one to clap for him (all those split screens of all the nominees made it possible to see them all).
It always stuck with me all these years because I thought it was so incredibly gracious. share
Well, no offense taken or intended, but I was 22 when the Oscar ceremony was held, and I very clearly remember that he had an obvious look of disappointment on his face.
Note I said "disappointed" -- not livid, not angry, not resentful, not scowling, not grudging -- and yes, he certainly did applaud DeNiro...as did all the other nominees. In fact, all Oscar losers in any year applaud the winner.
Whether Fred was the exact first to applaud DeNiro I cannot say, but we're talking about a difference of perhaps one second. No question, he was gracious about it all, typical of his classiness (although there have been many other Oscar losers who were equally gracious in defeat). But clearly he was disappointed not to have won, especially since he was considered a virtual certainty for the award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txRzUMYOUk8
Since just about EVERYTHING is on YouTube, I found this! We can see how well our memories jibe with what actually occurred!
Thanks for the link -- yes indeed, nowadays everything is on YouTube.
I watched the clip a few times and, sorry, he clearly looked disappointed. He did seem to be the first of the losing nominees to applaud (of course, only two others were present, Michael V. Gazzo and the always egocentric and ungracious Lee Strassberg), but it was indeed a matter of only a second or so, and he wasn't leading the applause or smiling broadly or taking great pleasure at DeNiro's win. And in the last moments of the clip you can see him saying something to the person next to him, and the expression on his face is plainly one of disappointment; he looks resigned, he virtually stops clapping, his mouth twists up, and he's very obviously anything but happy.
Again, I never said he was angry or ungracious or anything nasty, but the look of disappointment is plain -- and completely understandable. The idea that he was the first to applaud purely out of graciousness is debatable, but in any case that's the expected reaction. But his dismay at not winning an award everyone expected him to get is palpable. His expression, especially in the last couple of seconds of the clip, is anything but one of equanimity or a carefree "Oh, well" attitude. He's not happy, and there's nothing wrong with his feeling that way.