LEAST deserving Best Actress Winner - 1970s edition

Someone hate-voted for Liza!

What an insanely strong decade. So many well-deserved Oscars for iconic performances. This is the decade where things really picked up in terms of competitiveness. Gone were the days where beautiful close-ups and a tight waist got you the gold. Bitch, you better act!

Which little homosexual boys dare vote for me?!

Didn't we do this one already?

Jane Fonda in Coming Home.

Diane Keaton for Goodbar, yes. For Annie Hall? nah. She was nominated and won for the wrong performance.

Glenda gets a lot of unfair shit for Touch of Class, but it's not a bad movie.

Barbra fans hate it because they feel it denied her a chance at another acting oscar. But Ellen, Marsha and Joanne were also much better.

The Way We Were is a deeply flawed movie that goes south within the last half hour. And the ending is misogynistic and tasteless in todays climate. And Streisand plays her usual shrill self. Julie Andrews would have been a much better choice.

[quote]Someone hate-voted for Liza!

Diana, Cicely and Liv deserved it over her.

Liza is good, but she's playing herself.

Cicely Tyson should have won over Liza Minnelli, but they weren't ready for that jelly.

R7 did you not read the thread title? You aren't meant to vote for the person who won over a preferred performance

Poor Glenda!

A strong decade.

I settled on Diane Keaton for Annie Hall. Not on the same level as the rest.

Which is the best movie in its own right ? I want to watch before I vote

[quote]Which is the best movie in its own right ? I want to watch before I vote

Of those? Network. But, amazingly, there's more good than bad on that list. You could try all of them.

Not Ellen Burstyn. Bitch didn't even scat sing over the credits.

Is Women Love good? I know it has naked cocks!

*Women In Love

Faye's performance is incredibly overrated. I don't think of her as much of an actress and she was losing her looks by this point as well.

Glenda Jackson is overall the best actress of the group, but her win for “A Touch of Class” was and is a head-scratcher. Any of the other four that year (Burstyn, Mason, Streisand, Woodward) seemed likelier choices—Jackson seemed ill at ease in a slightly randier version of a Doris Day comedy. At the time, some said it was a makeup for “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Neither Streisand’s nor Woodward’s films/performances have aged well, they just weren’t going to give Burstyn an Iscar for a horror film, and Mason was probably seen as too new. So, “A Toych if Class” made money and they went for the prestige actress.

R18 sorry “A Touch of Class,” not whatever I typed in the last sentence.

I was always part of the Streisand fans who said she deserved the Oscar over Burstyn - until I actually watched 'Touch of Class' a few years ago, at an older age. I was convinced as an older adult Burstyn deserved this hands-down. She turned in an incredible performance (or as Millennials say these days: "An AMAZING performance". )

I picked Louise Fletcher but now I'm not sure. Her wooden acting style seemed to for once work with a role, as Nurses are kind of dreary and sadistic. And she was pivotal to the hopeless, depressing mood of the movie.

"Liza is good, but she's playing herself."

Liza always plays LIZA! in public. Like Carol Channing, Robin Williams, Charo, etc.- she's always 'on'.

I bet in private she's more like her character in Junie Moon.

R20 Pretty sure you mean Glenda Jackson, not Ellen Burstyn

I have always confused the two, too, r23.

Glenda Jackson's favorite actress was Joan Crawford so that alone qualifies her for 2 Oscar's

Glenda Jackson's favorite actress was Joan Crawford so that alone qualifies her for 2 Oscars

r25 r26, why do many gays adore, cherish, and revere Joan Crawford the way they do? I loved Mildred Pierce, but that was about it. Do enlighten us.

Faye didn't wear a bra in Network

🙏 OP. I can’t wait until you get to the 90s.

R29 just 2 more weeks!

Thanks OP and I swear I didn’t mean it snarky. At first your threads annoyed me because I loathe all white classic Hollywood but after reading them the posts were insightful and funny. Love you.

Fonda was Ok in "Coming Home," but it was a predictable role and character arc AND it wasn't JILL AS ERICA!!!

What was Mason nominated for ? Cinderella liberty should have won her the AA. Jill Clayburgh should have won for AUW. Gena Rowlands should have won for Gloria

Adjani could have easily won over >Fletcher for her heartbreaking performance in Adele H.

Sorry, Gloria was in the 80's. Weird. Such a 70's vibe. It probably took years to complete

R5 This is why I love DL. They are quick to notice and point out obvious contradictions. This is probably a sham story. Who knows. Gay men are the quickest men on Earth.

Sry wrong thread. Sometimes when you hit back after the fkin whole page refreshes when you start writing your comment. I don’t know why. It only does it on iPhone never when I had an android. Often when you write comment but scroll up to ensure you have the correct comment # the the entire page refreshes. I think it has something to do with Apple technology

[quote] why do many gays adore, cherish, and revere Joan Crawford the way they do? I loved Mildred Pierce, but that was about it. Do enlighten us.

The gays have a holy trinity consisting of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Judy Garland. Perhaps you failed to watch Johnny Guitar, Sudden Fear, A Woman's Face, Humoresque, Possessed, Grand Hotel, Rain, Letty Lynton, The Women, Autumn Leaves, etc.?

Honestly, this is a pretty strong list. I voted for Glenda in Touch of Class but she's not even bad in it, just not as strong as the others

You all should listen to the podcast And The Runner Up Is. He's doing a series on each Best Actress race and is now covering the 1970s. It's an absolutely stacked decade. Peaked at Klute and Cabaret IMO and the supporting actress races are also top notch.

The Glenda Jackson love is similar in form to Hillary Swank and Jodie Foster but so different in who they are, the performances, etc.

Glenda's second Oscar win should have been for Sunday Bloody Sunday. She got her BAFTA for that. Her win for A Touch of Class was making up for that.

As for Jane Fonda, I always felt her Oscars should have been for Julia and The China Syndrome. Both of her BAFTAs were for those two movies. Klute in particular is highly overrated and nothing special.

If my nomination form has not been lost in the mail, I would have won for a truly innovative and career making performance, just ask my co-stars.

If you give Ellen the 1973 Oscar for the Exorcist then she doesn't win in 1974 and Gena does for A Woman Under the Influence and the decade is perfect. The other wins are solid. I'd be open to an argument that Fletcher is supporting - she absolutely would be campaigned that way now. I'd also maybe give Faye a second for Chinatown. I'd push Jodie to Lead or she wins outright for Taxi Driver and she wins a second for Silence of the Lambs.

I think the consensus here is that Piper Laurie would have been a most deserving supporting winner for "Carrie".

R45 I agree with you about Ellen for "The Exorcist" and Gena for "A Woman Under The Influence", but career-defining work in movies which are still highly regarded.

I know it's a cop out but I'd tie Jill (An Unmarried Woman) and Ingrid ( Autumn Sonata) in 1978.

What was Glenda like in "Stevie"? It was made in the 70s but release was delayed til the 80s for some reason.

Bergman would have won for Autumn Sonata if they hadn't given her a 3rd Oscar for Murder on the Orient Express a few years prior. Autumn Sonata still stands as her best performance.

Jill should have tied. He non-win is literal violence. It's murder. Alan should have won in the leading category for WOMEN IN LOVE and supporting for AN UNMARRIED WOMAN .

Alan Bates had a big fat cock

[quote] What was Glenda like in "Stevie"? It was made in the 70s but release was delayed til the 80s for some reason.

Due to a limited run in LA, Stevie was eligible for the 1978 Oscars. It wasn't released in NY until 1981, and Jackson won the NYFCC award that year.

It's an incredible performance in an incredibly small - yet very good - film. In my book, Jackson's was the best English speaking turn by an actress in 1978 (sorry, but I'm not a big fun of Clayburgh).

[quote] The gays have a holy trinity consisting of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Judy Garland.

Hey granpa , are you posting from the 70's ? Haven't you heard ? your gals are OVAH. the Holy trinity is now NATALIE WOOD/FAYE DUNAWAY/MIA FAFA Welcome to 2023

well, R50, not to brag, but he did

[quote]The gays have a holy trinity consisting of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Judy Garland. Perhaps you failed to watch Johnny Guitar, Sudden Fear, A Woman's Face, Humoresque, Possessed, Grand Hotel, Rain, Letty Lynton, The Women, Autumn Leaves, etc.?

The only one I know for sure I've seen is The Women. I may also have seen Grand Hotel, Autumn Leaves, and Johnny Guitar, but I can't remember a thing about any of them besides the titles.

Thanks for the list.

R53 did you get to suck or ride it?

I'm just watching Women In Love for the first time and while Glenda is very good, she's only in just over 1/3 of it and the movie belongs to Bates & Reed. I guess she won because she didn't have much competition. I was expecting a powerhouse tour de force.

Is it true she's the first Best Actress Winner to appear nude in her winning performance?

R55 no questions please.

YOU LIKE ME!

Sally you deserved your first, let's see about your second

Very rarely do people win Oscars for their best performances.

It's a disgrace Alan Bates didn't get any recognition for Women In Love

Alan made his partners win awards, THAT is the mark of a truly great

The only really strong winning performances I've seen are Liza and Sally.

Valerie Perrine or Gena rowlands could've won over Burstyn, it was the strongest year. Mason should've won for Cinderella Liberty. Jackson was not very good in a touch of class. What went wrong ? Adjani should have won, then Clayburgh should have won, oh, and Alan Bates was also in THE ROSE, giving an unbelievable performance, but no one remembers that, because he's so different

Alan was sex on sticks in THE ROSE

[quote] Sally you deserved your first, let's see about your second

She didn't deserve the second. Vanessa Redgrave should have won for The Bostonians. She's one of those actresses like Lange, Blanchett, and Zellweger who the Academy knew deserved more than a measly supporting actress Oscar and needed to be awarded a leading actress Oscar.

If not Redgrave, then Judy Davis should have won for A Passage to India.

[quote] The only one I know for sure I've seen is The Women. I may also have seen Grand Hotel, Autumn Leaves, and Johnny Guitar, but I can't remember a thing about any of them besides the titles.

I think watching those movies would be a better explanation as to why the gays have always adored Joan Crawford from the beginning. Part of it has been due to her ability to reinvent herself for any era which kept her from becoming antiquated and thus made her the ultimate survivor. Keep in mind that she'd been acting from the silent era, 1925, all the way to 1970. Had she not suffered from medical complications, she would probably have kept working past 1970. She was the first choice to play Ma Kent in Superman (but she had already passed away by then) and she was also eager to work on Airport '77 with Joel McCrea. After she found out that they weren't giving her enough time for wardrobe fittings, she turned down the role and they were replaced with Olivia de Havilland and Joseph Cotten. In fact, most of Olivia's movies from this time were Joan's hand-me-downs (Lady in a Cage, Hush....Hush, Sweet Charlotte).

Grand Hotel was one of the first few Best Picture winners. Joan was the youngest and most inexperienced out of the five principal actors (although she still had third billing) but she was the one who got rave reviews and upstaged everyone else, even her idol Greta Garbo. In fact, Joan came to the picture believing she would share scenes with Garbo. Garbo was terrified that Joan would upstage her so she made sure the script kept them far apart and allegedly whittled down Joan's scenes. Only when Garbo accidentally walked past Joan and saw her did she take her face and say "What a pity. Our first picture together, and we won't work with each other. I am so sorry. You have a marvellous face."

Autumn Leaves should be available on YouTube for free. It stars Cliff Robertson who won an Oscar for Charly in 1969 and he's better known today as Uncle Ben from the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies. Cliff adored Joan and talked about how when he first visited her at her home, she seduced him to break him in as she did with her male co-stars. It was directed by Robert Aldrich, better known for directing What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? but frankly Autumn Leaves gives Joan the better role. She wanted Marlon Brando for the male lead but when she asked him, he very rudely responded that he didn't play mother-son roles. This was already after a previous time he had snubbed her so Joan never forgave Brando and would constantly disparage him publicly after that. Joan said Autumn Leaves was the finest movie portrayal of an older woman and younger man. Her iconic scene is posted here.

Johnny Guitar is a western but one of those westerns that doesn't fit comfortably in the western genre. I hate westerns but I do love this movie and I've noticed that to be true for anyone who hates the genre. It's considered one of the greatest movies of all time but when it was released, it got negative reviews and Joan also didn't have kind words to say. She had feuds with both of her co-stars, Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge. They both started a smear campaign against Joan, Hayden's wife saying that he loved money but all the money in the world wouldn't get him to work with Joan ever again. Mercedes McCambridge got rapturous applause during a scene by the crew that ticked Joan off so much that in a drunken fervor, she threw all of Mercedes' clothes outside and burnt them in a bonfire. The movie is also all about the feud between Joan and Mercedes' characters and it's essentially a sapphic story of revenge since Mercedes' character is a repressed lesbian who hates Joan's character for not reciprocating.

R65 haha are you saying The Academy were just dying to give Renee a lead Oscar?

And if you feel The Academy knew Vanessa deserved more than just a Supporting Actress Oscar, they've certainly waited a very long time to top her up!

[quote] haha are you saying The Academy were just dying to give Renee a lead Oscar? And if you feel The Academy knew Vanessa deserved more than just a Supporting Actress Oscar, they've certainly waited a very long time to top her up!

She acquired several Oscar nominations in a short period of time like for Bridget Jones's Diary and Chicago. And many felt she was snubbed for Nurse Betty and Miss Potter for which she got Golden Globe nominations. Judy was a tour de force performance and a perfect comeback for the once A-list actress which also proved that her talent was independent of Weinstein in every way.

As for Redgrave, the main issue with her was that her 1978 win for Julia ticked off a lot of people when she made her Zionist hoodlum speech. You can hear people booing her then and she mentioned how no one came up to her afterwards and she was essentially a pariah in Hollywood then. It was considered remarkable that she even got a nomination for The Bostonians but her remarks would have polarized voters too much for her to ever win again. And even if she had won, people would be too afraid of her next political speech which is why she never won a lead Oscar.

R65 Kathleen Turner should have won for Romancing the Stone. Turner had a remarkable career run in the 80's, and its baffling that she only has one oscar nomination. She did consistently stellar work in that decade, even in garbage like Switching Channels.

Mia Farrow and Lesley Ann Warren also deserved nominations.

Judy Davis was completely miscast, and for some inexplicable reason they went crazy with farm movies, cluttering the category with them. Jessica probably should have been the only nominee out of that bunch.

[quote]Hey granpa , are you posting from the 70's ? Haven't you heard ? your gals are OVAH. the Holy trinity is now NATALIE WOOD/FAYE DUNAWAY/MIA FAFA Welcome to 2023

OK boomer. You're still a couple decades behind. The holy trinity now is Zendaya/ Jennifer Coolidge/Natasha Lyonne.

R69 I forgot that Kathleen was snubbed for Romancing the Stone even though she won the Golden Globe for it, and also the Golden Globe the next year for Prizzi's Honor. I agree that she should have won the Oscar then. All the farm women roles should have cancelled out although somehow Sally Field inexplicably won. Perhaps because of the three, hers was the most definitively a lead role. Lange's character is a co-lead who doesn't really take over until the last act and Spacek's character is always secondary to Gibson's lead.

I didn't vote because I've only seen one of those films, and I was scared to look at the results, because I thought Sally Field might be leading. So very pleasantly surprised to see her so low in the poll.

Because I like her! I really like her!

[quote]R14 Not Ellen Burstyn. Bitch didn't even scat sing over the credits. —Linda Lavin

I wouldn’t want to take Burstyn’s Award away from her, but Dunaway is even better in CHINATOWN than in NETWORK. It’s a very skilled, detailed performance of a complex role, one that has to make a different kind of sense in retrospect. So in a way it’s almost like blending two performances.

It’s also impressive that she did it all without a director’s assistance. Polanski just wanted to give her line readings when she tried to discuss a scene.

Chinatown was Faye's best performance (that or Bonnie and Clyde). I always felt her Network performance was overrated. It might have been better had the whole film revolved around her character instead of those old bores. Robert Duvall deserved more screentime as well.

A Dunaway blooper:

Thanks, r66. I watched Autumn Leaves this evening. It's one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen. And I realized I don't like looking at Joan Crawford. Admittedly, this was a sad, sad story, but her resting bitch face is quite offputting. I was wondering if she suffered from PSS (pinched sphincter syndrome).

The most interesting facet of the movie that Jean Rouverol was one of the writers. She wrote a book called Writing for the Soaps back in the '70s or '80s. She was a writer on Guiding Light, and maybe other Midwestern Marvels.

Again, thanks very much. I don't know how soon I'll be returning to Joan Crawford, but it was nice to have my opinion supported.

Autumn Leaves is fabulous. Needs a Blu-ray release. As does The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone.

There is no good answer as these actresses were all excellent in their award winning roles.

If I had to pick who was the best it would be almost impossible, but I think I'd go with Liza in Cabaret.

She gets better every time I watch it.

I found Diane Keaton annoying in Annie Hall.

RE: The clip from Chinatown. I have never believed in any Jack Nicholson performance where he was cast as a romantic lead.

As to the ladies above: Keaton bleh. Coming Home tired. Fonda should have won her first Oscar for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

R80 you think Fonda deserved to beat Maggie Smith in her prime?!

Jack Nicholson always seems like an oily used car salesman and you'd have to navigate his pendulous belly to locate his 4-incher

Faye deserved a nom and even a win for PUZZLE OF A DOWNFALL CHILD. It's her best performance and one of the best ever by a leading actress

R43 seriously? The only thing Julia has going for it is the art direction, all Jane did was shout “Julia?!” in between shots of trains.

R84 Fonda was the favorite to win for Julia. Even Diane Keaton said she thought Fonda would win. Her Oscar for Coming Home the next year was probably in part to makeup for losing for Julia. And Julia was also a passion project for her and Redgrave, then the two most notable celebrity activists.

R80 Maggie Smith deserved the win even if she won as the surprise dark horse. Genevieve Bujold was the expected frontrunner and probably got second place. I'm sure Liza had a lot of goodwill too based on Judy's death a few months prior.

R85 there may have been high hopes for Julia but it got mixed reviews and is not remembered today at all, unlike Annie Hall. Jane was fine it but completely unremarkable. The same goes for her work in the execrable Coming Home, but her Oscar for that can be attributed to the shift in her persona from radical activist to well-behaved Hollywood actress; no more unseemly photo-ops, shag haircuts or strident protesting.

Jane was not fine inJulia, she seemed horribly self-conscious as an actress, you could see every wheel turning ("one two three, line, hit the mark")

I WAS A CO-LEAD IN GONE WITH THE FRIGGIN' WIND

I thought all three lead performances in Coming Home were superb. Jane was excellent and everyone thought so. I had no idea until now there were people who decided decades later her performance was no good?

R90 Jane is a terrible actress, what are you talking about ? are you a woman ? she's the antichrist around here, she's even more hated than Mia

Why are people mentioning actresses from other decades? I thought we were focusing on the seventies?

[quote]I thought all three lead performances in Coming Home were superb. Jane was excellent and everyone thought so. I had no idea until now there were people who decided decades later her performance was no good?

Hated it (in 1979)!

Nancy Dowd’s riposte to Vanity Fair over the nature of her and Jane’s involvement in writing Coming Home never gets old.

Link to Dowd