Who was the best ever Best Actress Oscar winner, by decade? 1920s edition

I'd tell you my feelings, but I'm currently writing my much sought after book about it. Random House outbid Penguin for the rights. The topic was so white hot, so desired by the publishing world, neigh the entire world, that I received a seven figure advance!

Include this in the 30s op. A two winner thread is kind of unnecessary. What would be more interesting is how many dlers have seen all four. I’ve seen two. Coquette and Sunrise so I’m voting Gaynor.

Was Gaynor any good?

I've already done 1930s through to 1980s, this one was requested earlier today.

Best American actresses of the 1920s:

Lillian Gish

Louise Brooks

Gloria Swanson

Norma Shearer

Wow. Competitive.

[quote] neigh the entire world

Did the entire world bray back, r1?

Sunrise is a gorgeous film, it was Hollywood's attempt at making a European art film and was directed by Murnau, one of the remarkable post WWI German filmmakers. If you haven't seen it you should, its a beautiful piece, but not from the realist mode.

Think back to your college days, Dataloungers.

[Quote] Include this in the 30s op. A two winner thread is kind of unnecessary. What would be more interesting is how many dlers have seen all four. I’ve seen two. Coquette and Sunrise so I’m voting Gaynor.

I was the one who suggested this! Thanks OP, I feel so pampered. Is this what sugarbabies feel like?

Anyways I went with Sunrise. Coquette is such an embarrassing movie and the only reason Mary Pickford won the Oscar is because she was the biggest movie star in her time. Think Julia Roberts and "Erin Brokovich". I have procured a couple of clips for your enjoyment. See below from 2:00 onwards to see the pinnacle of Oscar performances.

I have done better sulking when I was 6 and pretending to have an achy stomach to get out school than our dear Mary does in the video below. Remember that her contemporaries Lillian Gash and Gloria Swanson don't have Oscars.

Young Helen Lawson for her first talkie, "Speakeasy Vamp".

R9 you are very welcome! Thanks for the videos, hilarious!

Did Mary get any better in her later career or was she always horrible! I guess it was hard transitioning from silent movies and toning down the mugging.

R12 Pickford did stage acting before her silent film career so I wouldn't say she was terrible, but Coquette was her first sound film. She was so nervous about it that she fired her cinematographer friend when he cut a scene in the middle of her monologue (I think there was a technical issue). My main issue with the movie is that she plays an 20 something ingenue southern-belle type of character when she was approaching 40.

That being said, Pickford is an absolutely fascinating character. I always thought of her as a businesswoman first, movie star second and actress last. She's possibly the most influential and powerful woman to ever work in Hollywood. The amount of control she had over her movies was incredibly vast even by today's standards. It's a shame her legacy is completely forgotten by the general public. Adjusted for inflation she's still one of the biggest movie stars of all time. I'll link an article that explains her legacy in more detail if you're interested in learning more about her.

Mary Pickford and Janet Gaynor were both unique, great talents. But only one got to costar with, and bone the delicious Charles Farrell. Advantage - Gaynor.

Was Mary Pickford the mother-in-law of Joanie?

Fuck 'em.

R15 she sure was. I've read on DL that Joan tried to emulate her when she ascended to high society, since she came from the gutter.

R14. Janet Gaynor wasn’t boning any men...other than, presumably, the one time Adrian knocked her up. I oughta know.