Nicholson at the Oscars: 1992 ("A Few Good Men")

The five years following Jack Nicholson's Oscar nomination for Ironweed marked a mix of epic highs and lows. For while the actor scored the biggest commercial success of his career in 1989, he would three years later garner his first (and to date, only) Worst Actor nomination at the Razzie Awards.

That 1989 film was of course none other than Tim Burton's Batman, a blockbuster summer release that fully delivered on all of its hype, and then some. Nicholson garnered warm critical notices for his extravagant portrayal of The Joker but it was the film's box office receipts, and the star's eye-popping paycheck for taking on the role, that really captured attention. At the end of the day, it was estimated that Nicholson reaped up to $90 million of the film's grosses.

From there, however, the star stumbled a bit.

The grand success of Batman at last gave Nicholson the license to embark on a pet project he'd for years yearned to deliver - a sequel to 1974's Chinatown. Production on The Two Jakes, directed by Nicholson himself, was troubled from the get-go, however, and the finished product, dumped in theaters in August 1990, failed to resonate with critics or audiences. Batman had spent 13 weeks in the box office top 10. The Two Jakes survived for one.

Nicholson was absent from the screen in 1991 but returned, to mixed success, with a trio of pictures the following year.

On paper, all of Man Trouble (reuniting with Bob Rafelson and Carole Eastman, the team from Five Easy Pieces), A Few Good Men (the latest from Rob Reiner, then on a hot streak) and Hoffa (an epic biopic of Jimmy Hoffa from Danny DeVito and David Mamet) had heaps of promise, perhaps even Oscar potential. Only one of the films, however, proved successful.

Man Trouble, a romcom casting the star opposite Ellen Barkin, garnered Nicholson some of the worst reviews and box office receipts of his career. Hoffa polarized critics but was met with a collective shrug by audiences upon its Christmas release.

Ultimately, it was only A Few Good Men, in which Nicholson has a supporting role (opposite leads Tom Cruise and Demi Moore), that left a positive impression. Reiner again struck box office gold and, despite all of the negative buzz around his other two 1992 releases, Nicholson would go on to garner his 10th Oscar nomination.

The 1992 Oscar nominees in Best Supporting Actor were...

Jaye Davidson, The Crying Game

Davidson portrays Dil, girlfriend of Jody (Forest Whitaker), a British soldier kidnapped and killed during an IRA hostage situation gone awry. Jody's friend Fergus (Oscar nominee Stephen Rea), a disaffected IRA member, visits London to look after the mysterious Dil, who is full of surprises. This performance marked Davidson's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Gene Hackman, Unforgiven

Hackman portrays "Little Bill" Daggett, the hard-nosed sheriff of Big Whiskey, Wyoming. After a local prostitute is left disfigured by a pair of cowboys, her colleagues take justice into their own hands, posting a reward for their murder. This doesn't sit well with Little Bill, who's all the most incensed when two groups of gunfighters (one led by Richard Harris, the other by Oscar winner Clint Eastwood) come charging into town to collect on the money. This performance, which won him honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics and New York Film Critics Circle, plus a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award, marked Hackman's fifth (and to date, final) Oscar nomination and second win.

Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men

Nicholson portrays Nathan Jessup, a conniving colonel of the U.S. Marine Corps. Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), a military lawyer tasked with proving a pair of marines innocent of murdering a colleague, finds himself with no option but to call Jessup, who wants the tragic affair kept quiet, to the stand. This performance, which won him honors from the National Board of Review, marked Nicholson's 10th Oscar nomination.

Al Pacino, Glengarry Glen Ross

Pacino portrays Ricky Roma, a deceptive, long-winded New York salesman who, alongside his three colleagues (Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin), is fighting to survive in the real estate game. Complications arise with an overnight burglary of their office and the disappearance of critical sales leads. This performance marked Pacino's 7th/8th (he was also nominated and prevailed for Scent of a Woman this year) Oscar nomination.

David Paymer, Mr. Saturday Night

Paymer portrays Stan Young, long-suffering brother and manager of Buddy (Billy Crystal, in an inauspicious directorial debut), a comedy legend of the early days of television. As Buddy's stardom escalates, so does his ego, as the comedian alienates just about everyone around him, including his brother. This performance marked Paymer's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Alec Baldwin, Glengarry Glen Ross; Danny DeVito, Batman Returns; Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own; Sydney Pollack, Husbands and Wives; Christopher Walken, Batman Returns; Robin Williams, Aladdin; Bruce Willis, Death Becomes Her

Won and should've won: Gene Hackman, Unforgiven

Come on, Academy. You gave his sleepy Out of Africa seven (!) Oscar victories but could not even bother to nominate Pollack for his incredible performance in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives?

The brilliant actor/filmmaker/producer should have been the winner here, and he should have been surrounded by the likes of Baldwin (stealing his single scene with thrilling gusto), Hanks (in the funniest turn of his career) and either Williams or Willis, both in spirited comic form. The winner, the always sublime Hackman, can stay.

Hackman aside, this category is a tad on the uninspired side. You have a marvelous character actor juicing what little he can out of a catastrophe of a picture; an intriguing but shaky debut performance in a fabulous film; and two New Hollywood legends ranting and raving to negligible effect in a pair of star-studded duds.

Let's start with Nicholson, in by far the worst Oscar-nominated turn of his career (see below the gap between this and Reds). I'll give him this much - he's pretty much the only watchable part of A Few Good Men. After killing it with a streak of hits that included This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me and When Harry Met Sally..., Reiner for once opted to play it safe and the result was this tedious courtroom drama.

While leading man Cruise and leading lady Demi Moore completely phone it in, Nicholson is at least in there trying to get some fireworks going. That's much easier said than done, however, when you're working with an Aaron Sorkin screenplay this dull and a director seemingly A-OK with keeping the proceedings as stagebound as possible. Worse, Nicholson's screen time is minimal - vis a vis his supporting work in Reds, for instance, this feels like a glorified cameo.

At least gracing his film for a fair amount of time is Pacino, playing to the last row of the balcony in James Foley's claustrophobic film adaptation of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross.

In all fairness to Foley, I'm not sure Glengarry could ever completely flourish as a feature film. Mamet's drama is perfectly tailored to the stage, where actors can feast on his succulent dialogue as loudly as they please, but plays as bombastic on film. Credit both Baldwin and Lemmon for expertly finding ways to tailor their roles to the screen - both deserved Oscar nominations (the latter was campaigned in Lead).

Pacino, I'm afraid, does not bring that same nuance to his part. This is Pacino the Ham, the Pacino that all too often surfaced with Scarface and on. His performance, while not without gusto, is like a dozen other Pacino turns you've seen - brash but kind of boring.

Beyond Nicholson and Pacino, the offerings here are much more satisfying.

I seesaw between Davidson and Paymer, both memorable and still totally inferior to Hackman.

I'm not convinced Davidson is necessarily the most talented or skillful of actors. For all I know, he's never given another great performance (I don't believe I've seen him in anything else). There are scenes in The Crying Game where he's clearly straining to sell this tricky role. That said, he's very well-directed here and has a shimmering screen presence that captivates from the moment he hits the screen. Davidson is essential to the film's success. It's a peculiar and refreshingly unaffected performance.

On the other hand, you have Paymer, a veteran character actor who has proven himself time and time again on both the big and small screens. Mr. Saturday Night marks both his best and most substantial performance and also possibly his worst film.

Mr. Saturday Night crash-landed with a resounding thud when it hit theaters that fall. The picture, Billy Crystal's directorial debut, was hyped as a surefire Oscar contender and, given the sky-high success of When Harry Met Sally... and City Slickers, a guaranteed box office hit to boot. The few moviegoers who ignored critics' pans of the picture were treated in theaters to an mawkish, haphazardly paced dramedy with Crystal as a character impossible to love.

The only thing anyone seemed to enjoy about Mr. Saturday Night was co-star Paymer, who steals scene after scene after scene from the leading man/director/writer/producer. It's a sweet, heartbreaking performance that somehow transcends the insipid schmaltz that plagues most of the proceedings. While Crystal blusters his way through the picture, Paymer's always there lurking in the shadows, and has our heart all along. It's a lovely turn from a wonderful actor in a flat-out trainwreck of a film. Oh, and one other qualm - the old age makeup on both Crystal and Paymer in this is horrendous. Like, Bette Midler and James Caan in For the Boys-bad.

Great as Paymer is, I ain't giving Mr. Saturday Night an Oscar. This is a slam dunk for Hackman.

Looking back on Hackman's exemplary career and Oscar run, I say he should have prevailed twice - first, for I Never Sang for My Father, and then for this. (I'm cool with his victory for The French Connection but prefer Peter Finch in 1971.) While I understand why Hackman took an exit from the screen (just look at how the likes of De Niro and Pacino have fared in recent years), his presence sure is sorely missed.

Unforgiven is one of the very best Hackman performances. It's a riveting and frightening portrayal of a figure who, in some of the more by-the-numbers westerns, probably would've been cast in a more one-dimensional light. Hackman is in commanding, barrel-chested form here and the sight of him going toe-to-toe with Eastwood leaves me positively giddy, even if I'm not generally enamored with western cinema. There's genuine, old-school movie magic to be found in Unforgiven and Hackman's barbarous villain is vital to that prosperity.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

1. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2. Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II
3. George C. Scott, Patton
4. Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces
5. James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope
6. Al Pacino, Serpico
7. Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail
8. Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon
9. Jack Nicholson, Chinatown
10. Melvyn Douglas, I Never Sang for My Father
11. Dustin Hoffman, Lenny
12. Gig Young, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
13. James Whitmore, Give 'em Hell, Harry!
14. James Coco, Only When I Laugh
15. Jack Nicholson, Easy Rider
16. Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris
17. James Garner, Murphy's Romance
18. Jack Nicholson, Ironweed
19. Gene Hackman, Unforgiven
20. Jack Nicholson, Terms of Endearment
21. John Gielgud, Arthur
22. Harrison Ford, Witness
23. Marcello Mastroianni, Dark Eyes
24. Rip Torn, Cross Creek
25. Jack Nicholson, Prizzi's Honor
26. Ryan O'Neal, Love Story
27. Jack Nicholson, Reds
28. Michael Douglas, Wall Street
29. David Paymer, Mr. Saturday Night
30. Jaye Davidson, The Crying Game
31. William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman
32. Walter Matthau, The Sunshine Boys
33. Robin Williams, Good Morning, Vietnam
34. Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff
35. Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire
36. Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger
37. Elliott Gould, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
38. William Hurt, Broadcast News
39. Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Ragtime
40. Art Carney, Harry and Tonto
41. Robert Redford, The Sting
42. John Lithgow, Terms of Endearment
43. Al Pacino, Glengarry Glen Ross
44. Charles Durning, To Be or Not to Be
45. Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express
46. Jon Voight, Runaway Train
47. Rupert Crosse, The Reivers
48. Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men
49. Anthony Quayle, Anne of the Thousand Days
50. Maximilian Schell, The Man in the Glass Booth

Nicholson at the Oscars: 1987 ("Ironweed")

In 1986, nearly a decade after their collaboration on the epic misfire The Fortune sent the director fleeing from Hollywood, Mike Nichols and Jack Nicholson reunited for what looked to be, on paper at least, a surefire smash.

Heartburn, based on Nora Ephron's eponymous best-seller (and adapted to the screen by Ephron herself), would not only bring Nichols and Nicholson back together but also the team from 1983's much-praised Silkwood - Nichols, Ephron and leading lady Meryl Streep. The film was stacked with star wattage, an ensemble including the likes of Maureen Stapleton, Stockard Channing, Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara. The effort simply had to be a grand success.

Alas, Heartburn was greeted that summer to a stunningly lukewarm, at times even scathing critical response. While the film opened to decent box office receipts, it quickly stumbled as poor word-of-mouth spread among moviegoers. There would, no surprise, be no love for Heartburn on Oscar nominations morning.

For 1987, Nicholson lined up a trio of pictures with heaps of potential.

First up was a big-budget summer blockbuster, The Witches of Eastwick, directed by George Miller of Mad Max fame and featuring three of the decade's hottest actresses - Cher (who would go on to score that year's Best Lead Actress prize for Moonstruck), Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon. Audiences and critics alike ate up Nicholson's gleeful scenery-chewing as the mysterious Daryl Van Horne as Witches emerged one of the season's biggest moneymakers.

Garnering even greater acclaim, at least among critics, were Nicholson's two Oscar season releases.

Broadcast News, in which Nicholson graces the screen in a modest supporting role, and Ironweed, a leading man vehicle for the star, were released over the same weekend that December. The former, an enchanting romantic comedy, proved a commercial success, while the latter, a bleak Great Depression-era drama, did not.

Nicholson's reviews for Ironweed were, however, among some of the strongest of his career. So, despite the film being a box office bomb, Nicholson was about to land his ninth Oscar nomination...

The 1987 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actor were...

Michael Douglas, Wall Street

Douglas portrays Gordon Gekko, the ruthless, extravagantly successful corporate raider who takes ambitious stockbroker Bud (Charlie Sheen) under his wing after the up-and-comer provides him with insider trading tips. Gekko's "greed is good" philosophy, and the burying of ethics that such entails, weigh heavily on his young mentee. This performance, which won him honors from the National Board of Review and a Golden Globe, marked Douglas' second (and to date, final) Oscar nomination and second win.

William Hurt, Broadcast News

Hurt portrays Tom Grunick, a local sports newscaster who, on charisma alone, is promoted as anchorman for a national television network's evening news program. Tom becomes the apple of producer Jane (Oscar nominee Holly Hunter)'s eye, even though he represents all that she despises about the trend in news toward entertainment. This development doesn't sit terribly well with their colleague Aaron (Oscar nominee Albert Brooks), who has long been enamored with Jane. This performance marked Hurt's third Oscar nomination.

Marcello Mastroianni, Dark Eyes

Mastroianni portrays Romano Patroni, a sad, middle-aged man who, while aboard an ocean liner in Russia, tells his life story to a curious stranger. Romano reflects on his loveless, if comfortable marriage to wife Elisa (Silvana Mangano) and how, while away for a spa vacation on his own, he fell head over heels for another woman (Elena Safonova). Complications arouse, however, when Romano returned home, determined to divorce his wife. This performance, which won him Best Actor honors at the Cannes Film Festival, marked Mastroianni's third and final Oscar nomination.

Jack Nicholson, Ironweed

Nicholson portrays Francis Phelan, once a baseball star and now an alcoholic vagabond, for years guilt-ridden over accidentally killing his infant son. During the Great Depression, Phelan returns to his hometown of Albany, New York, where he bonds with his lover and drinking pal Helen (Oscar nominee Meryl Streep) and has a chance to make peace with the family he abandoned. This performance, which won him honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Circle, marked Nicholson's ninth Oscar nomination.

Robin Williams, Good Morning, Vietnam

Williams portrays Adrian Cronauer, an irreverent disc jockey tasked with taking over the Armed Forces' Saigon radio broadcasts during the Vietnam War. While Cronauer's humor and enthusiasm resonate with the troops, his hard-nosed superiors aren't entirely sold on his schtick. Cronauer encounters greater hostility when, after facing the horrors of war firsthand, he takes to the airwaves to express some hard truths about Vietnam. This performance, which won him a Golden Globe, marked Williams' first Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Nicolas Cage, Moonstruck; Michael Douglas, Fatal Attraction; Steve Martin, Roxanne; Terry O'Quinn, The Stepfather; Gary Oldman, Prick Up Your Ears; Dennis Quaid, The Big Easy; Mickey Rourke, Barfly

Won: Michael Douglas, Wall Street

Should've won: Jack Nicholson, Ironweed

Ah, the year Michael Douglas portrayed the 45th president of the United States!

Even if I don't agree with all of the winners, I really love the 1987 Oscars. You have two of the finest comedies of the 1980s (Broadcast News and Moonstruck) contending for Best Picture, one of the all-time great line-ups in Best Lead Actress (Sally Kirkland!), Albert Brooks mustering a surprise Oscar nod, Morgan Freeman up for his most riveting and underrated performance (in Street Smart) and the likes of RoboCop and The Witches of Eastwick scoring multiple nominations.

Best Lead Actor ain't too shabby either, even though the best leading male performance by far (Rourke, superb opposite a comparably awesome Faye Dunaway in Barfly) wasn't even nominated.

The only nominee here I can't get terribly excited about is Hurt, nicely cast as the dashing dunce of an anchorman in Broadcast News but entirely overshadowed by his two superior co-stars.

As I noted in my review of the 1985 line-up, I so often find Hurt's turns (including his final three Oscar nominations) curiously sleepy, devoid of much in the way of vitality. In this film, where's he's portraying a dud, that kinda-sorta works and he has some nice banter with Hunter but that comic energy that drives the picture and is present among the rest of the performances is sorely lacking in Hurt's. Even Joan Cusack, with less than 10 minutes screen time, leaves more of an impression than Hurt does over the entirety of the proceedings.

Growing up, Williams was perhaps my favorite actor of all. I wore out my VHS copies of Mrs. Doubtfire and Jumanji in no time and loved the likes of Aladdin and Awakenings, among others, too. Looking back, though, much as I still adore Williams and terribly miss his comic genius, I'm not sure he was Oscar-nominated for the right performances.

I'm down with his nod for The Fisher King but the saccharin Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting have never much resonated with me. Williams' work in those two pictures is certainly credible but I don't think compelling enough to make the films quite worthwhile. Instead, I would've loved to see him recognized for Awakenings (surely over his hammy nominated co-star Robert De Niro), Mrs. Doubtfire (even though 1993 was such a busy and rich year for leading men) and also One Hour Photo.

While I don't think his turn in Good Morning, Vietnam is quite as inventive or poignant as his best work, it's still a very fine performance, one for sure strong enough to make the film worth a look. Like so many Barry Levinson films (including the other Levinson-Williams collaboration, Toys), it's an imperfect picture. Without Williams' exuberance, it probably wouldn't work at all but there he is, having a blast in a role perfectly suited to his talents. Moreover, he manages to sell the film's more dramatic (and less confident) material.

Likewise, Oliver Stone's Wall Street packs its punch on the shoulders of a performance, or, in this case, two turns. The film itself isn't as sharp as Stone's best (the likes of Nixon and Salvador) and in fact, some scenes, like those shared between Charlie Sheen and Daryl Hannah, are just plain awful. That said, the picture does get quite a bit of mileage out of Douglas and the other, better Sheen (Martin), both in prime form.

Douglas vividly captures the glossy barbarism of 1980s Wall Street. It's a performance equal parts alluring and intimidating and it sure doesn't hurt having a co-star who's so easy to steamroll over in acting prowess. I happen to much prefer his other performance from 1987 - Fatal Attraction - but this is still an iconic and absorbing turn from a performer who certainly deserved more than one acting Oscar nomination over his career.

Hats off to the Academy for recognizing the marvelous Mastroianni here as, while he did prove the toast of that year's Cannes Film Festival, he hadn't shown up anywhere else precursors-wise that awards season.

Dark Eyes is a terrific late-career showcase for Mastroianni who, while active well into the 1980s and 1990s, rarely came across projects as strong as this and his legendary earlier work (8 1/2, Divorce, Italian Style and La Dolce Vita, to name a few). The picture is lavishly designed, like a Merchant-Ivory production, with one hell of a Francis Lai original score, but, of course, its leading man is the heart and soul of the proceedings.

The film is a fabulous showcase of Mastroianni's range, as he paints a sad and weary Romano in his older age and a man far more ebullient and impassioned back in the day. It's a lovely turn from an actor with a career full of them.

Alas, much as I love Mastroianni (and would love to have seen him with an Oscar somewhere down the road) and am OK with the Douglas victory, I actually think Nicholson should have picked up trophy #3 this year.

Ironweed is perhaps the least Nicholson-like of Nicholson performances. It's a turn entirely devoid of his trademark charm and persona, instead a portrayal of a bleak and tortured man, as washed out as the Great Depression-era scenery around him. This is the most sorrowful Nicholson to ever grace the screen and it's an awfully jarring sight to contrast this performance with his other two 1987 turns, both of which find the actor largely coasting on charisma.

The best scenes in Ironweed, and some of the most haunting of any Nicholson film, are those shared between the actor and Carroll Baker, who evocatively portrays Phelan's abandoned wife. Both performances have a lived-in and tormented feel that is absolutely devastating. How was Baker not Oscar-nominated for this?

The performances ranked (thus far)...

1. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2. Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II
3. George C. Scott, Patton
4. Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces
5. James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope
6. Al Pacino, Serpico
7. Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail
8. Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon
9. Jack Nicholson, Chinatown
10. Melvyn Douglas, I Never Sang for My Father
11. Dustin Hoffman, Lenny
12. Gig Young, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
13. James Whitmore, Give 'em Hell, Harry!
14. James Coco, Only When I Laugh
15. Jack Nicholson, Easy Rider
16. Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris
17. James Garner, Murphy's Romance
18. Jack Nicholson, Ironweed
19. Jack Nicholson, Terms of Endearment
20. John Gielgud, Arthur
21. Harrison Ford, Witness
22. Marcello Mastroianni, Dark Eyes
23. Rip Torn, Cross Creek
24. Jack Nicholson, Prizzi's Honor
25. Ryan O'Neal, Love Story
26. Jack Nicholson, Reds
27. Michael Douglas, Wall Street
28. William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman
29. Walter Matthau, The Sunshine Boys
30. Robin Williams, Good Morning, Vietnam
31. Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff
32. Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire
33. Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger
34. Elliott Gould, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
35. William Hurt, Broadcast News
36. Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Ragtime
37. Art Carney, Harry and Tonto
38. Robert Redford, The Sting
39. John Lithgow, Terms of Endearment
40. Charles Durning, To Be or Not to Be
41. Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express
42. Jon Voight, Runaway Train
43. Rupert Crosse, The Reivers
44. Anthony Quayle, Anne of the Thousand Days
45. Maximilian Schell, The Man in the Glass Booth

Nicholson at the Oscars: 1985 ("Prizzi's Honor")

In 1973, one year prior to starring opposite her legendary father in Roman Polanski's Chinatown, Jack Nicholson began dating actress and model Anjelica Huston. Their tumultuous, on-and-off love affair would go on to span 17 years, a period in which the stars soared on the Hollywood A-list, the two netting a combined three Oscars.

It was not until 1985, however, that both Hustons - Anjelica and dad John - would collaborate with Nicholson, hot as ever after his 1983 Oscar victory for Terms of Endearment, on the same project.

Prizzi's Honor, a mob comedy that cast Nicholson as a professional hit man who falls head over heels for a hit woman (Kathleen Turner), was not, despite despite its hefty star wattage, expected to be a commercial smash or awards player. 20th Century Fox opened the film that summer with a modest release, playing less than half the theaters of blockbusters Rambo: First Blood II and The Goonies. The picture was presumed to be a little too dark and idiosyncratic to resonate with a wide audience.

To Fox's surprise, however, the film garnered critical raves, with the likes of Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert championing the picture as among the funniest of the decade. Come Oscar season, Fox would go all-in on Prizzi's Honor as their awards contender, and to great success. The film woke up on Oscar nominations morning to eight nods, including a trio for Nicholson and both Hustons. Ultimately, only one of the three would emerge triumphant on the big night...

The 1985 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actor were...

Harrison Ford, Witness

Ford portrays John Book, a Philadelphia detective assigned to investigate the murder of a fellow officer, witnessed by a young Amish boy (Lukas Haas). In danger upon discovering the crime was part of a department conspiracy, Book flees the city for the Amish community and while in hiding begins an uneasy romance with the boy's widowed mother (Kelly McGillis). This performance marked Ford's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

James Garner, Murphy's Romance

Garner portrays Murphy Jones, a small town pharmacist who befriends new-in-town Emma (Sally Field), a divorced single mom yearning for a fresh start. Murphy finds himself falling for Emma, a development sorely tested by the resurfacing of ex-husband Bobby (Brian Kerwin) in her life. This performance marked Garner's first and final Oscar nomination.

William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman

Hurt portrays Luis Molina, a gay window dresser serving time, alongside anti-government journalist Valentin (the brilliant Raul Julia), in a Latin American prison cell for sexual relations with a minor. To pass the time, Molina tells Valentin romantic stories from his favorite movies and, over time, the cell mates form an unlikely friendship. This performance, which won him honors from the Cannes Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Board of Review, plus a BAFTA Award, marked Hurt's first Oscar nomination and win.

Jack Nicholson, Prizzi's Honor

Nicholson portrays Charley Partanna, loyal hit man for the Prizzis, one of the nation's most powerful crime families. While attending a mob wedding, Charley meets and falls for fellow assassin Irene (Kathleen Turner). Their romance is joyous one, that is until Irene betrays the Prizzis, leaving Charley with an impossible decision to make. This performance, which won him honors from the National Society of Film Critics and New York Film Critics Circle, plus a Golden Globe, marked Nicholson's eighth Oscar nomination.

Jon Voight, Runaway Train

Voight portrays Oscar "Manny" Manheim, one half of a criminal duo (the other being Oscar nominee Eric Roberts) who have just escaped from a maximum security prison in Alaska. The two hop aboard a speeding train and appear to be in the clear. Then, disaster strikes as the train engineer suffers a heart attack, sending the locomotive out of control. Hardly calming the situation is Manny, descending into madness as prospects grow bleaker. This performance, which won him a Golden Globe, marked Voight's third Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Albert Brooks, Lost in America; Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose of Cairo; Griffin Dunne, After Hours; Michael J. Fox, Back to the Future; Raul Julia, Kiss of the Spider Woman

Won: William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman

Should've won: James Garner, Murphy's Romance

1985, the year the beautiful but sleepy Out of Africa staged its inexplicable Oscar sweep over The Color Purple, was not among the richest of years for leading men. Even so, the Academy managed to cobble together a respectable fivesome for Best Lead Actor, including two arguably career-best performances and one of Nicholson's funniest turns.

The one nominee I don't get at all here is Voight, an actor I seem to adore (in Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance and Coming Home) as often as I detest (here and most of his recent work).

Not unlike Finney in Murder on the Orient Express, this is a shamelessly hammy performance that no doubt will entertain some (as it obviously did many members of the Academy) but to me is mostly nails on chalkboard. Voight's accent is downright bizarre and while I guess I can appreciate the enthusiasm with which he tackles the role, the performance just leaves me exhausted.

The picture is impressive from a technical perspective, with some dynamite film editing and sound work, but the acting, from Voight, Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay, leaves an awful lot to be desired. At age 47, did Voight already think it was time to go as relentlessly over-the-top as Laurence Olivier went in his 70s?

Voight aside, there's a whole to like here, though I'm not quite on board with Hurt as the winner.

It's funny, so often, my qualm with Hurt as an actor is he seems to, perhaps purposely so on occasion, sleepwalk through his films. That kinda-sorta works in the likes of Broadcast News and The Accidental Tourist, as he's portraying characters who are basically comatose vis a vis more colorful co-stars. On a mere handful of occasions has Hurt really floored me - in Body Heat, One True Thing and on the TV series Damages.

Hurt's work in Kiss of the Spider Woman is really unlike anything he's done over his three-plus decades in film. It's a bold, vibrant, very much theatrical performance that takes a whole lot of risk. I'm not sure, however, Hurt really disappears into the role of Molina - he's fascinating to watch but his acting is at times a tad too affected and to boot, the performance lacks the intensity that co-star Julia (who I think deserved to win this year) brings to the table. It's the best of Hurt's three Oscar-nominated turns but I'm not quite as in love with it as voters were. That said, at least the film didn't go home empty-handed.

Another Best Picture contender tossed a consolation prize was Prizzi's Honor, one of the great comedies of the 1980s. That sole victory, of course, came not for its leading man but rather in Best Supporting Actress, where Anjelica Huston triumphed for her scene-stealing turn as Maerose Prizzi, a woman overwhelmed with unrequited love for Nicholson's Charley. (For what it's worth, much I enjoy Huston, I say The Color Purple's Margaret Avery should have triumphed in that category, with Prizzi's William Hickey prevailing in Supporting Actor.)

Nicholson's Charley is a hilarious and entirely unique creation, a lovable dunce who, despite his career as a killer, is awfully hard to resist. His chemistry with Turner, while not quite Dunaway/MacLaine-level, is fabulous and while the supporting players have even juicier meat to chew on (Hickey and John Randolph are especially marvelous), Nicholson no doubt had a blast in this role.

Even better is Ford, in one of the more challenging and riveting roles of his career, if not the best.

Witness is a prime vehicle for Ford, not only because it's a damn great movie, but it also stretches his acting muscles to an extent that is frankly pretty rare across his filmography. So often in his pictures, the focus is dead-set on orchestrating an exciting chase or action-packed set piece. Here, at last, the camera hones in on the man himself, and an absorbing, vulnerable and curious man at that. His romance with the McGillis character, portrayed in a refreshingly awkward fashion, is fascinating.

When on earth is that Ford honorary Oscar coming?

Much I love both Ford and Nicholson, I have a soft spot for Garner that I just cannot resist.

Murphy's Romance marked the seventh of eight projects from the team of director Martin Ritt and screenwriters Harriet Frank, Jr. and Irving Ravetch. Among their efforts were unimpeachable classics like The Long, Hot Summer, Hud and Norma Rae. Their 1985 film, while not quite as ambitious as that trio, is an enchanting charmer. Most significantly, after a career spent largely on the small screen, the picture at last gave Garner one hell of a leading man vehicle on the silver screen. (Garner was no stranger to cinema but the roles and films, more often than not, left a bit to be desired.)

Garner's performance, while endearing and fetching as can be, is also completely unassuming. This isn't an obvious piece of Oscar-bait, chock-full of drama or scenery-chewing. He's just so damn delightful, brightening up the screen like a ray of sunshine, and his chemistry with Field is aces too. Garner is also an actor who can say so much with a mere look - the resentment he feels toward the Kerwin character is plenty palpable and his longing for Field sure does tug at the heartstrings. 

Thank heavens this wonderful actor garnered an Oscar nomination during his remarkable career.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

1. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2. Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II
3. George C. Scott, Patton
4. Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces
5. James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope
6. Al Pacino, Serpico
7. Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail
8. Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon
9. Jack Nicholson, Chinatown
10. Melvyn Douglas, I Never Sang for My Father
11. Dustin Hoffman, Lenny
12. Gig Young, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
13. James Whitmore, Give 'em Hell, Harry!
14. James Coco, Only When I Laugh
15. Jack Nicholson, Easy Rider
16. Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris
17. James Garner, Murphy's Romance
18. Jack Nicholson, Terms of Endearment
19. John Gielgud, Arthur
20. Harrison Ford, Witness
21. Rip Torn, Cross Creek
22. Jack Nicholson, Prizzi's Honor
23. Ryan O'Neal, Love Story
24. Jack Nicholson, Reds
25. William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman
26. Walter Matthau, The Sunshine Boys
27. Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff
28. Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire
29. Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger
30. Elliott Gould, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
31. Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Ragtime
32. Art Carney, Harry and Tonto
33. Robert Redford, The Sting
34. John Lithgow, Terms of Endearment
35. Charles Durning, To Be or Not to Be
36. Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express
37. Jon Voight, Runaway Train
38. Rupert Crosse, The Reivers
39. Anthony Quayle, Anne of the Thousand Days
40. Maximilian Schell, The Man in the Glass Booth

Nicholson at the Oscars: 1983 ("Terms of Endearment")

In 1963, while a little-known Jack Nicholson was taking on supporting turns opposite horror legend Boris Karloff in a pair of Roger Corman-directed B-movies (The Raven and The Terror), English filmmaker Tony Richardson barnstormed Hollywood with Tom Jones. The film, based on the beloved Henry Fielding novel, was the toast of that year's Oscars, scoring four victories, including Best Picture, on its nine nominations.

Richardson, unfortunately, would never direct another picture as commercially successful as Tom Jones. Most of his subsequent efforts, while often critically acclaimed, failed to generate much interest at the box office.

Among Richardson's final films was 1982's The Border, a Nicholson vehicle that cast the star (opposite Harvey Keitel and Valerie Perrine) as a corrupt border enforcement agent. While now often looked upon as one of the more underrated Nicholson films and performances, the picture garnered a lukewarm critical reception at the time and was in and out of theaters within a month.

Nicholson would fare a whole lot better the following year.

In the 1970s, writer James L. Brooks emerged one of the most powerful and successful forces on the small screen as the creator of mega hits Room 222, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda and Taxi. Brooks' first foray onto the silver screen, as screenwriter of 1979's Oscar-nominated Starting Over, was also a home run.

Given Brooks' track record, expectations were sky-high for his feature film directorial debut, a screen adaptation of Larry McMurtry's acclaimed novel Terms of Endearment. Brooks wrote the juicy role of retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove with Burt Reynolds in mind but, on account of a commitment Reynolds made to headline the comedy Stroker Ace, the actor turned down the offer.

Reynolds would no doubt go on to regret that decision, as his replacement, a certain Oscar-winner, would go on to score his second golden trophy...

The 1983 Oscar nominees in Best Supporting Actor were...

Charles Durning, To Be or Not to Be

Durning portrays Colonel Erhardt, a bumbling Nazi who leads his troops in an invasion of Warsaw, Poland. Upon arrival, the Nazis are greeted by a troupe of disguised amateur actors (among them, Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft) who use their not-so-exemplary stagecraft in an attempt to fool the intruders and make an escape. This performance marked Durning's second and final Oscar nomination.

John Lithgow, Terms of Endearment

Lithgow portrays Sam Burns, a mild-mannered small town banker who has a brief romantic fling with Emma (Oscar nominee Debra Winger), a woman whose marriage has soured on account of her husband's own cheating. This performance marked Lithgow's second (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Jack Nicholson, Terms of Endearment

Nicholson portrays Garrett Breedlove, a womanizing former astronaut who for years has lived next door to the brash but lovable Aurora (Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine) without much interaction. Down the road, the two at last get to know each other and become romantically involved. This performance, which won him honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics and New York Film Critics Circle, plus a Golden Globe, marked Nicholson's seventh Oscar nomination and second win.

Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff

Shepard portrays Chuck Yeager, the legendary and fearless test pilot who in 1947 becomes the first man in the world to break the sound barrier. Yeager's victory inspires the U.S. astronauts later involved in the Space Race against Russia. This performance marked Shepard's first and final Oscar nomination.

Rip Torn, Cross Creek

Torn portrays Marsh Turner, a farmer in rural Cross Creek, Florida who, alongside daughter Ellie (the wonderful Dana Hill), welcomes aspiring New York author Marjorie (Mary Steenburgen) into town. Events involving Marsh and Ellie's cherished deer Flag inspire Marjorie to pen what will become her most famous work - The Yearling. This performance marked Torn's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Steven Bauer, Scarface; Scatman Crothers, Twilight Zone: The Movie; Jeff Daniels, Terms of Endearment; Scott Glenn, The Right Stuff; Ed Harris, The Right Stuff; Jerry Lewis, The King of Comedy; John Lithgow, Twilight Zone: The Movie; Darren McGavin, A Christmas Story; Kurt Russell, Silkwood

Won and should've won: Jack Nicholson, Terms of Endearment

Since embarking on 20 Years of Streep and now Nicholson at the Oscars, I have gone back and revisited a total of (including this year) 27 acting categories for this blog. While I've come across the occasional ho-hum line-up over these projects, I'm not sure I've seen a more perplexing fivesome than this one. While I do think the Academy got the winner right, given the lackluster competition, there are two nominees here who are legit head-scratchers and none of the contenders, not even Nicholson, are really that spectacular.

This category is a mess in so many ways.

The winner here for sure should've been Russell, just as fantastic as Streep and Cher in Silkwood. Bauer and McGavin are also more compelling than all of the Oscar nominees; Lithgow was up for the wrong performance; the Academy recognized inferior supporting turns from The Right Stuff and Terms of Endearment (nods should've gone to Harris and Daniels instead); and how sweet would it have been for Lewis to garner a competitive Oscar nod during his career for by far the best performance he ever gave.

Alas, the Academy instead decided to honor Durning, one of the all-time great character actors, in a rare one-note performance, and Lithgow, another acting giant, not doing a whole lot over less than 10 minutes of screen time in the Best Picture winner.

Durning, in addition to being a World War II hero who participated in the D-Day landings, was one hell of an actor, stealing scenes with ease from some of the all-time greats. How he wasn't Oscar-nominated for Dog Day Afternoon, among other films, is beyond me.

In 1982, a year in which he also graced the screen with a warm, charming turn in the greatest comedy of all-time (Tootsie), Durning garnered his first Oscar nomination for a brief but buoyant performance in the movie musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. It's such a small turn, in terms of screen time, but his fabulous rendition of "Sidestep" alone justified the recognition.

To Be or Not to Be, Alan Johnson's supremely inferior remake of the 1942 Ernest Lubitsch comedy classic, also finds Durning with limited screen time but there's no "Sidestep"-level scene or moment to be found. With his co-stars either hamming it up (Brooks) or playing it depressingly straight (Christopher Lloyd and Jose Ferrer), Durning seems uneasy about which way to go and ultimately, for the most part, winds up phoning it in. It's not an outright bad performance but there's nothing awards-caliber about his work in the slightest. The nomination is a testament to the affection Durning's peers felt toward the actor, regardless of the quality of the role.

Lithgow has even less screen time than Durning but at least breathes some life into his brief turn. His work in Terms of Endearment is quite charming while it lasts and, though Lithgow seems to come and go in the blink of an eye, his minor arc is an essential one to the Winger half of the picture.

Two problems, though - one, Lithgow is leaps and bounds more riveting in Twilight Zone: The Movie, not that the Academy was ever going to bestow recognition upon that film. Two, how on earth did Daniels not garner any traction at all that awards season? Sure, his character is kind of detestable but it's such an impressive breakthrough turn, I would argue just as terrific as Nicholson's performance. This marked the first of many occasions in which Daniels would be egregiously overlooked on Oscar nominations morning.

Speaking of recognizing the wrong performer from a film, there's Shepard, the late, great actor and playwright who's just not quite as strong as co-star Harris in The Right Stuff.

The Shepard nomination reminds me somewhat of Glenn Close's nod for The Natural the year after - Shepard, like Close, doesn't really have much meat to chew on in his picture but he looks incredible, exquisitely photographed by Caleb Deschanel, with matinee idol charisma. He has an almost mythical screen presence in the film but, beyond some tender moments opposite Barbara Hershey (who portrays his wife), it's not an especially amazing performance.

The two nominees here deserving of recognition are Torn and Nicholson, two New Hollywood actors whose paths somehow never crossed, sans during pre-production on Easy Rider, when Nicholson replaced Torn, who was initially cast in the role of George Hanson. (Torn withdrew from production amid tension with director Dennis Hopper.)

Cross Creek is only intermittently compelling. Steenburgen, who's typically able to brighten up even the dullest of proceedings, is curiously lifeless in the lead role and director Martin Ritt paces the film at snail speed. What does work, thankfully, are some of the supporting performances, including Torn, Alfre Woodard and especially Dana Hill.

Torn's Turner - rigid on the outside, a softy on the inside - is not unlike film characters we've seen countless times before. Still, he and Hill are a pleasure to watch and toward the film's end, events transpire with Turner that are downright devastating. His performance finally gets some blood flowing through the film's veins, though it's too late to salvage the picture as a whole.

Still, commendable as Torn's work is, the Academy got this one right.

Nicholson's performance in Terms is not on the same level as his leading turns from the early '70s. It is, however, still awfully irresistible, one of the many exceptional parts of Brooks' picture. His presence and comic energy are absolutely vital to what is otherwise an often gut-wrenching film. He's enchanting from the moment he first hits the screen and his chemistry with MacLaine is dynamite.

As was the case in Easy Rider, Nicholson's supporting turn is the equivalent of a tornado ripping through town - you can't possibly keep your eyes off of him, even if it's a little lesser a role than his best.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

1. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2. Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II
3. George C. Scott, Patton
4. Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces
5. James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope
6. Al Pacino, Serpico
7. Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail
8. Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon
9. Jack Nicholson, Chinatown
10. Melvyn Douglas, I Never Sang for My Father
11. Dustin Hoffman, Lenny
12. Gig Young, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
13. James Whitmore, Give 'em Hell, Harry!
14. James Coco, Only When I Laugh
15. Jack Nicholson, Easy Rider
16. Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris
17. Jack Nicholson, Terms of Endearment
18. John Gielgud, Arthur
19. Rip Torn, Cross Creek
20. Ryan O'Neal, Love Story
21. Jack Nicholson, Reds
22. Walter Matthau, The Sunshine Boys
23. Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff
24. Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire
25. Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger
26. Elliott Gould, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
27. Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Ragtime
28. Art Carney, Harry and Tonto
29. Robert Redford, The Sting
30. John Lithgow, Terms of Endearment
31. Charles Durning, To Be or Not to Be
32. Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express
33. Rupert Crosse, The Reivers
34. Anthony Quayle, Anne of the Thousand Days
35. Maximilian Schell, The Man in the Glass Booth

Nicholson at the Oscars: 1981 ("Reds")

From 1969 to 1975, Jack Nicholson garnered five Oscar nods, only missing out on recognition in 1971 and 1972. Remarkably, over the six years following his victory for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Nicholson would not once surface on Oscar nominations morning.

To say Nicholson's filmography on the heels of Cuckoo's Nest was a mixed bag would be an understatement. The latter half of the 1970s found the actor largely missing in action from the silver screen. The few pictures Nicholson did grace were ambitious failures.

In 1976, Nicholson took on two projects with legendary directors - Arthur Penn's The Missouri Breaks and Elia Kazan's The Last Tycoon.

The Penn picture was plagued by a troubled production, with protests by the American Human Association over alleged horse mistreatment on the set and fellow leading man Marlon Brando driving all participants bananas. The western, despite its star wattage, was a resounding box office flop and, not long after the film's release, Nicholson ended up suing the film's producers over unpaid wages. The Missouri Breaks is decidedly not a celebrated film among fans of Nicholson's nor Brando's.

The Last Tycoon, Kazan's final feature film, also failed to resonate among audiences or critics. This project, however, found Nicholson in merely a supporting role, taking a backseat to headliner Robert De Niro.

Nicholson spent much of 1977 preparing for his second directorial effort, of all things another western. Goin' South, ultimately released in the fall of 1978, sported one hell of a cast, including John Belushi, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen and Danny DeVito, plus Nicholson himself in the lead, but proved polarizing among critics and too offbeat for a mainstream audience. It came and went from theaters in no time.

At last, in 1980, Nicholson found a project worthy of his talents.

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, while now widely regarded as one of the all-time great horror films, was actually greeted to a lukewarm critical response upon release in the summer of 1980. The film opened to merely decent box office receipts but maintained strong legs over the season, eventually reaping twice its budget domestically. It was not until the expansion of cable and rise of video stores that The Shining really took off and built the legacy it sports today.

In the spring of 1981, Nicholson followed up The Shining with another dark turn, this time in old pal Bob Rafelson's remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice. The film's steamy romance between Nicholson and leading lady Jessica Lange generated ample chatter in the lead-up to its release but, largely on account of poor reviews, the picture merely broke even at the box office.

Nicholson's other 1981 release hardly had 'surefire hit' written all over it.

Warren Beatty had spent nearly 20 years trying to get a motion picture about Russian Revolution journalist John Reed off the ground. By 1979, Beatty at last had enough pull in the industry to send Reds into production and, in November of 1981, more than two years since the start of filming and at this point sporting a mammoth $32 million budget, post-production was finally complete.

At a time when ambitious, big-budget failures were leaving the likes of Martin Scorsese (New York, New York), Steven Spielberg (1941), William Friedkin (Sorcerer), Peter Bogdanovich (At Long Last Love) and Michael Cimino (Heaven's Gate) wounded, Beatty's Reds was quite the gamble.

That December, Reds hit theaters to rave reviews and respectable box office receipts, a relief for Beatty, his co-stars (Nicholson and Diane Keaton) and Paramount Pictures. Oscar nomination #6 was at last on its way...

The 1981 Oscar nominees in Best Supporting Actor were...

James Coco, Only When I Laugh

Coco portrays Jimmy Perrino, struggling stage actor and best friend of Georgia (Oscar nominee Marsha Mason), a recovering alcoholic who has returned home after a stint in rehab. Jimmy is determined to keep life low-drama for Georgia as she avoids the bottle but his own personal troubles, including his firing from a play mere days before opening, makes this a tough task. This performance marked Coco's first and final Oscar nomination.

John Gielgud, Arthur

Gielgud portrays Hobson, longtime butler of New York City playboy Arthur (Oscar nominee Dudley Moore). The sharp-witted Hobson, who has been more a father figure to Arthur than Arthur's own dad, plays matchmaker when Arthur shares his feelings for Linda (Liza Minnelli), a working class waitress who the family would hardly approve of. This performance, which won him honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Circle, plus a Golden Globe, marked Gielgud's second and final Oscar nomination and first win.

Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire

Holm portrays Sam Mussabini, the renowned running coach who leads Cambridge University student Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) to glory at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Mussabini's involvement draws the ire of the snobbish (and anti-Semitic) Cambridge faculty, who criticize Abrahams for employing a professional trainer. This performance, which won him a BAFTA Award, marked Holm's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Jack Nicholson, Reds

Nicholson portrays Eugene O'Neill, the sad and cynical playwright who in 1916 befriends Louise Bryant (Oscar nominee Diane Keaton), an aspiring journalist who recently fled her life as a bored, married socialite. While colleague John Reed (Warren Beatty, who won an Oscar for directing the film) is away covering the Democratic Convention, O'Neill and Bryant become romantically involved. This performance, which won him honors from the National Board of Review and a BAFTA Award, marked Nicholson's sixth Oscar nomination.

Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Ragtime

Rollins portrays Coalhouse Walker, Jr., an African-American pianist who, after finding fame and fortune in a Harlem jazz band, travels upstate to be with his son and lover (Debbie Allen). Determined to marry the mother of his child, Coalhouse's quest is interrupted by racist local whites, inflamed that a black man could have such wealth and confidence. Coalhouse's vehicle is vandalized, drawing the pianist into a confrontation with law enforcement. This performance marked Rollins' first and final Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Len Cariou, The Four Seasons; Richard Crenna, Body Heat; Griffin Dunne, An American Werewolf in London; Denholm Elliott, Raiders of the Lost Ark; Edward Herrmann, Reds; John Lithgow, Blow Out; Richard Mulligan, S.O.B.; Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City; Donald Pleasance, Escape from New York; Robert Preston, S.O.B.; Christopher Walken, Pennies from Heaven

Won: John Gielgud, Arthur

Should've won: James Coco, Only When I Laugh

Damn, there were a ton of marvelous supporting male performances in 1981. The Academy's selections are respectable for sure but just, if not more stellar would be a line-up of Dunne, Elliott, Lithgow, Preston and Walken. Not that the likes of An American Werewolf in London or Blow Out were ever winning major Oscar nominations, of course.

This category is a tough, tough call - for me, there's not that much of a dip in quality from my favorite to least favorite of the fivesome. In fact, over the years, I know I've flip-flopped among two or three contenders as to who I would've voted for.

All along, however, I believe it's been Rollins at the back of the pack. Frankly, this is less a knock on Rollins, a very good actor (who was also terrific in Norman Jewison's A Soldier's Story, later in the decade), and more about my qualms with his picture.

Ragtime should've been one hell of a movie. The 1975 E.L. Doctorow novel is deliriously great, Milos Forman had just done Cuckoo's Nest and Hair and the ensemble, on paper at least, is downright salivating. Ultimately, however, the proceedings are too stylized and move like molasses - its two and a half hours feel more like three and a half. Elizabeth McGovern, who was so warm and wonderful in Ordinary People the year prior, is woefully miscast in the pivotal role of Evelyn Nesbit and James Cagney, in his first screen turn in two decades (and his final film role), looks bored and is underused as the New York police commissioner. Imagine if Robert Altman tackled this thing!

Aside from the production design and costumes, where the bulk of energies went on the film, Rollins is one of the better parts of Ragtime and, in a picture packed with nondescript characters, for sure gives the most memorable performance. There's a liveliness to his screen presence that brightens up much of the film early on and his rage later in the picture is plenty palpable. He also, for what it's worth, has the most screen time of the five nominees.

That said, is Rollins strong enough to make the exhausting endeavor that is Ragtime worthwhile? I'm not so sure. It's a fine feature film debut but it's also a performance that sadly gets a little lost in the picture's chaos.

A whole lot more satisfying a picture is Chariots of Fire, a film I actually very much support in Best Picture. The Vangelis score is deservedly legendary, David Watkins' cinematography is sublime and director Hugh Hudson, who inexplicably never made another great film after this, paces the proceedings just beautifully.

Holm, always a delight to watch (he should've won an Oscar for 1997's The Sweet Hereafter), isn't a huge presence in Chariots but, when he does grace the screen, he steals scenes with effortless precision. His portrayal of Mussabini is a pugnacious one - think Burgess Meredith in Rocky, albeit a little less overbearing - but Holm also has some immensely heartfelt moments toward the film's end, as Mussabini is just as overwhelmed as his student by the glory of victory. It's a strong supporting turn in a film too often cast aside in the echelon of Best Picture winners.

I've long viewed Reds as more a triumph in filmmaking and authenticity than the most powerful of acting showcases. My favorite part of the film, by far, is Vittorio Storaro's sumptuous cinematography and the costumes and set direction are aces too. With that said, while I'm most struck by Beatty's meticulous attention to detail in nailing the look and feel of the period, the performances are plenty commendable and I'm very much taken with the Nicholson scenes.

This is for sure one of the more subdued Nicholson turns. He convincingly captures O'Neill's brilliance and and unhappiness, without much of that usual Nicholson persona bubbling to the surface. You can feel O'Neill's inner turmoil, both the joy and pain he feels in romancing a woman who's taken. Like Rollins, Nicholson's performance ultimately gets a little swept away in such a lengthy, epic picture but it's still a very notable turn and frankly, among the last occasions in which the actor really disappeared into a role.

Here's where I find myself see-sawing between who should've prevailed. It's a bit of a head vs. heart conundrum.

My head says Gielgud's long overdue victory was richly deserved. Despite everything fabulous about Arthur (which is a lot), this thespian on many an occasion threatens to walk away with the entire picture. Not only is this an outrageously funny performance (also, of course, credit Steve Gordon's top-notch screenplay) but toward the film's end, Gielgud does a complete 180 and completely breaks your heart. It's a brilliant turn from a juggernaut of the stage and screen.

My heart, however, is with Coco, irresistibly sweet, sad and funny in Only When I Laugh, the best and most underappreciated Neil Simon movie. The film is the closest Simon ever came to matching the quality of Woody Allen. It's an insightful, plenty entertaining 'neurotic New Yorkers' dramedy with a quartet of fabulous performances from Coco, Mason, Joan Hackett and Kristy McNichol.

Coco's Jimmy is a jubilant presence in the film, so delightfully effervescent he all but pops off the screen. We could all only hope for a best friend as awesome and supportive as Jimmy.

Somehow, Coco's performance sports the notoriety of being one of two performances (the other is Amy Irving in Yentl) nominated for both Oscars and Razzie Awards. I find it downright unfathomable that Coco could be considered a 'Worst Supporting Actor' for his wonderful work here and frankly, have always had a rotten feeling it had something to do with his portrayal of an openly gay character. These were, after all, the same Razzies that "awarded" the incredible likes of Dressed to Kill and Cruising around this time.

Anyway, it's a very close call between Gielgud and Coco - and the other three are quite fine too - but my passion is just a tad more with the latter.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

1. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2. Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II
3. George C. Scott, Patton
4. Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces
5. James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope
6. Al Pacino, Serpico
7. Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail
8. Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon
9. Jack Nicholson, Chinatown
10. Melvyn Douglas, I Never Sang for My Father
11. Dustin Hoffman, Lenny
12. Gig Young, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
13. James Whitmore, Give 'em Hell, Harry!
14. James Coco, Only When I Laugh
15. Jack Nicholson, Easy Rider
16. Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris
17. John Gielgud, Arthur
18. Ryan O'Neal, Love Story
19. Jack Nicholson, Reds
20. Walter Matthau, The Sunshine Boys
21. Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire
22. Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger
23. Elliott Gould, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
24. Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Ragtime
25. Art Carney, Harry and Tonto
26. Robert Redford, The Sting
27. Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express
28. Rupert Crosse, The Reivers
29. Anthony Quayle, Anne of the Thousand Days
30. Maximilian Schell, The Man in the Glass Booth