A Year with Kate: On Golden Pond (1981)
Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 12:40AM Episode 45 of 52: In which Katharine Hepburn makes Oscars history by asserting that old people are interesting.
I’ll be honest: I’ve been really nervous to write about this movie. For the past few weeks, a storm has been brewing in the comments section regarding Kate’s final Oscar win. I’m not one to (intentionally) court controversy, so I’ve been debating all week how to best give a safe space to the righteous fury of the Oscars experts while also celebrating an important moment in Oscars history. Because whether you believe Kate deserved to win or not, this was a record-breaking win at the Academy Awards, and that shouldn’t go unappreciated.
Here’s my plan: we’ll speculate wildly for a bit on why Kate took home her fourth Academy Award (by “took home” I mean “still refused to accept in person”). Then you tell me who you think should have won. What follows is my list of...
POSSIBLE REASONS WHY KATHARINE HEPBURN WON BEST ACTRESS (in order from least likely to most)
5. Ernest Thompson's script was sweeter than mollases and twice as sticky - Let’s get this out of the way first. This is a bad script. This is a script so sickly sweet that reading more than two pages will give you a cavity. There are quirky old people, family drama, intergenerational bonding over fishing, and lots and lots of heavy-handed metaphors about loons (or as Kate calls them, “the loOOons”). That said, Ethel and Norman Thayer are two very meaty roles for older actors, which brings me to my next point.
4. Henry Fonda gave a good performance - Fonda gives the performance of his later career as the irascible octogenarian Norman Thayer, and his chemistry with Kate is the highlight of the film. Both actors elevate the material; grounding Ernest Thompson’s more egregiously cliche plot points in surprisingly natural affection. It is easy to believe that Norman and Ethel Thayer have been married over five decades. They speak with easy familiarity of partners who’ve already had almost every conversation already, but haven’t run out of things to say to each other yet. The best scenes in the film are between the Thayers as they needle, cajole, and love each other.
3. People like watching stars work through their issues onscreen - I’m going to disagree with some of you here. Kate’s performance in On Golden Pond is actually good. Enlivened by her curmudgeonly costar, Kate plays Ethel without whipping herself into stilted affectation or relying on blank movie star charisma. Instead she commits to Ethel’s Yankee optimism in the face of her husband’s decline, and plays Ethel's quieter moments with rare naturalism. Part of this may have to do with the way On Golden Pond so neatly mirrored into Kate’s own legend - Ethel’s constant support of her husband, whether by hauling firewood or by holding him through the pain (or by giving clunky speeches), fits nicely with her image as Spencer Tracy’s supportive partner. In fact, the film as a whole benefits from the meta-textual stories of its actors: Kate gets to play a happy onscreen version of her life with Spencer, and Jane Fonda gets to work with her father, Henry Fonda, before he passed away.
2. The Academy was feeling sentimental - 1981 was a good year for nostalgia. Chariots of Fire won Best Picture. The mean* age of the acting category winners was 70.5 years old. (Kate was 73, Henry Fonda was 76, John Gielgud was 77, and Maureen Stapleton was 56.) I don’t know if we’ve ever had an older group of winners. Blame Reagan, blame the recession, who knows? Even the Academy goes through sentimental cycles.
*Correction: this was originally mislabeled as "median." This error may explain my GRE scores, and further justifies my decision to pursue writing as a career instead of something math-based like engineering. Thank you Travis C. for pointing out the error.
1. Everyone really thought Kate was great - By 1981, the formerly publicity-shy actress was a media pro. She was on the cover of three magazines in the fall of 1981, including Time. She also gave interviews, the best undoubtedly being her disastrous TV interview with Barbara Walters. Kate was America’s favorite eccentric aunt. Her win was a chance for the Academy to celebrate its own legacy by smashing a record and rewarding one of its most highly decorated and longest-lasting stars. The appeal of that alone would be enough to convince some to vote for her.
As for the other best actress nominees in the 54th Academy Awards, I understand a little of the anger directed at Kate. Here were the nominees for Best Actress of 1981:
Katharine Hepburn - On Golden Pond
Diane Keaton - Reds
Marsha Mason - Only When I Laugh
Susan Sarandon - Atlantic City
Meryl Streep - The French Lieutenant’s Woman
That right there is an impressive list. So now I have two questions for you:
Who do you think should have won in 1981? If you could re-award Kate's four Oscars, what movies would you choose?
Previous Week: The Corn Is Green (1978) - In which Katharine Hepburn bids farewell to her lifelong friend and director, George Cukor.
Next Week: Grace Quigley (1984) - In which Katharine Hepburn makes a comedy about suicide with Nick Nolte because she's a living legend and she can do whatever she wants.
Reader Comments (51)
One of my favourite reviews from Roger Ebert is his review of ON GOLDEN POND where he gets to the root of why this simple, sweet, unfussy film is lovely and within it he writes this line: " They know each other very well. Hepburn, of course, knows Fonda better than he knows her -- or himself, for that matter." It's a simple line but within he gets to why Kate is so good here, without theatrics, without much that is overt we know and we believe that Ethel has known Norman for years and knows him better than anyone.
It's not flashy, and I'll admit on many a day I'm especially charmed by Diane Keaton who is fantastic in REDS (also Susan who is 2nd or 3rd depending on where I rank Kate) but I could never begrudge Kate this win, not because of just sentimental reasons but because it's a fine performance and it's such a good example of excellent acting by being simple and still but excellent. I know this is remembered most as Henry's shining beacon but Kate is going great things, just in a quieter way and she's so good in it.
I know ON GOLDEN POND is of a time of movie called "sentimental" used as a pejorative but I think its remembered more poorly than it is, the movie is charming and so lovely.
And how fantastic that THIS movie about old people was the #2 box office hit of the year (only beat by RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK). I suspect that didn't hurt Kate.
I think Keaton is my winner with a soft spot for whatever Marsha's doing so well in Only when I laugh my other noinees woulde be
Meryl
Sissy in Raggedy man
and don't laugh Jacqueline Bissett Rich and Famous.
I'd keep Hepburn as the winner - love this performance. Of the other nominees, I like Streep in French Lt.'s Woman best (though I know many don't) and I find Keaton in Reds to be completely off-putting - shrill and uneven.
I was going to re-watch the film for this but couldn't work up the enthusiasm. I don't hate it but I'm indifferent although I do think Henry Fonda is wonderful in it. The best parts are with he and Jane working out there issues for all the world to see.
As to Kate, like her work in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? she's fine but hardly Oscar worthy. I've always despaired that Jane and the other producers decided to go with her rather than Barbara Stanwyck who wanted the role very much and campaigned for it vigorously. Since Stanwyck had worked with both, the senior Fonda four times in their youth and Jane in Walk on the Wild Side, and Henry had often stated she was his favorite leading lady her casting would have added so much subtext to the film and perhaps won her that long elusive competitive Oscar.
I would rather the Oscar go to any of the other nominees over Kate but my first preference would be Susan Sarandon in Atlantic City.
I'm a little unsure if you're asking who we'd declare the winner for the four Oscars she won or which four of her performances we'd award her the Oscar for. I'll do both:
The four who I'd award instead:
1932-May Robson-Lady for a Day
1967-Anne Bancroft-The Graduate
1968-Barbra Streisand-Funny Girl-although here I'm good with the tie
1981-Susan Sarandon-Atlantic City
The four Kate should have won for:
1938-Holiday
1962-Long Day's Journey Into Night
1968-The Lion in Winter
I truly think those are the only three that warrant Oscars but if pressed Alice Adams in 1935 would be my fourth pick.
I'm curious about Grace Quigley next week. It's one of the few I haven't seen.
"Math teacher correction" alert - the median age of the four winners is actually 74.5. You may have meant the MEAN age, but even then you'd be incorrect (the mean in 70.5, which would round off to 71).
Numeracy aside..... I understand the (mainly sentimental) reasons for Kate winning, but it still means Mason lost, which is not right in my mind.
"Math teacher correction" alert - the median age of the four winners is actually 74.5. You may have meant the MEAN age, but even then you'd be incorrect (the mean in 70.5, which would round off to 71).
Numeracy aside..... I understand the (mainly sentimental) reasons for Kate winning, but it still means Mason lost, which is not right in my mind.
Thanks for asking, but I would really like to know your opinion about Kate's performance in this movie.
I know the popular answer is going to be Diane Keaton and at the same time I don't have the slighest problem in acknowledging that I love this movie and that I thinks is spectacular.
Oops! I posted my "unchecked" version.
I don't think I can be objective about this movie. This was the first Katharine Hepburn movie I ever saw, and I fell in love with her in it. (OK, I was a strange kid.) But even now, I think it's an amazing, lived-in performance. You really believe the long history and relationship between these two people.
I didn't realize the Oscar was controversial, or that the movie had a bad reputation. It's always been one of my favorite movies to re-watch. Perhaps the script is sentimental, but I think Hepburn and both Fondas play their roles with enough of an edge to keep the film from being cloying. I'm also not embarrassed by genuine sentiment (which to me is distinct from false sentimentality).
Thanks for this series, I always look forward to the latest installment, and am sad that we're nearing the end!
Travis C - Where were you when I took the GRE?? I would have done so much better on the math section.
Peggy Sue - Thanks for asking! I like ON GOLDEN POND. I watched it twice this week, and decided that my goal is to grow into as interesting in my old age as Ethel or Norman Thayer. I can't comment on whether Kate "deserved" the Oscar or not, since I've seen none of the other performances, but I am glad Kate won and will happily defend her record.
Travis C, nice to know I'm not the only math teacher that reads this blog. And Biggs, I feel everything about your post. Like you, not until I started Oscar watching (and throwing Oscar parties) did I even know that this was controversial.
I was waiting for this series to finally get to this movie. It was my first Hepburn movie and I was mesmerized by her. As an adult, I actually sought out many of the titles just based on my love her the On Golden Pond lady. And as a child of the 80s, I remember being amazed that the lady who played the daughter could also act and not just do workout videos. I had no clue as to the power of either one of these ladies. I saw this movie with my grandparents when I was 6. When VHS started booming, I saw it a ton of times. As a kid, I knew this movie as the one where Jane Fonda finally goes off the pier, I learned what a loon was (and was thrilled to finally see one in person in 2010), and everyone in my family thought the whole "If they're just like us, they're not middle-aged" rant was hilarious. I showed that clip to my now late 60s parents recently, and they didn't find it so amusing anymore. And I realized how time passes, and how the feeling about a movie changes over time. The music to this film still gives me goosebumps.
This math teacher brigade in the comments is adorable.
I hate to admit it, but I've seen none of the Best Actress nominees from this year either! I really need to correct that, else I'm made to hand in my badge.
Anne, I'm glad you liked it! I feared you didn't!
Focusing on the five nominees, my other favorite is Sarandon in a totally unsympathetic character. I think it was a miracle that she got in, considering she had no traction at all and that the Academy picked a few boring choices in a year with one of the best female debuts ever and a delicious performance like the one Bernadette did in Pennies from Heaven.
I would keep Kate as the winner & call me sentimental but I love this movie. The drama! The tears!! The hair!!! (Jane Im looking at you...). What is there NOT to like!!!!
it's a good lineup... though this is the only one of Streep's early nominations that I'm not into. i'm not *obsessed* with any of these performances.
I absolutely think Kathleen Turner (not nominated) should have won that year for BODY HEAT. But I am usually partial to Diane Keaton in this roundup (but don't have a clear favorite) and I so miss her in dramas. I like a whole bunch of non-oscary type turns hat year though: also l-o-v-e Karen Allen in Raiders of the Lost Ark too. Spielberg's best female lead? and Liza Minnelli in Arthur.
in fact, i should just say it: I like ON GOLDEN POND. It gets me in the place. *sniffle*
Nathaniel & Peggy Sue - You both bring up a point that's been tickling the back of my brain. That there were a lot of great performances from this year that weren't acknowledged. I was genuinely surprised that I hadn't seen any of the other nominees, just because I assumed BODY HEAT or PENNIES FROM HEAVEN would be nominated. Weird year.
I was a missionary overseas when this came out (don't ask) and I saw it a few years later. I have no problem at all with Kate winning her fourth Oscar, though it seems awfully generous for a (fantastic) actress who is not a chameleon.
I would have wanted Kate to win an Oscar for a comedy and the obvious one is The Philadelphia Story. I mean, I like Ginger well enough, but come on.
Of the other four actresses I would have wanted Marsha to win (looking back in hindsight) because she's the only one of this group who never did! Is it too early to demand Marsha's honorary Oscar?
I would've given it to Susan so Sharon Stone could've won for Casino.
As I noted a few days ago, I would not have nominated (at least) two of these performances, starting with Keaton and Hepburn. Within the five nominees, my ranking would be
1) Sarandon (adore this film & this performance)
2) Streep (baby Streep)
3) Mason (solid)
4) Hepburn (nice but I've never been a fan of the nice nominees)
5) Keaton (overwrought)
Among those snubbed that year, in my opinion, were Bernadette Peters in Pennies From Heaven, Isabelle Adjani in Quartet, Jacqueline Bisset in Rich and Famous, Hanna Schygulla in Lili Marleen and Sissy Spacek in Raggedy Man.
A moment of silence for Faye Dunaway's out-of-time, out-of-bounds, out-of-luck work in Mommie Dearest.
Anne Marie, I congratulate you for tackling this issue straight on and with a bit of humour.
Hepburn's performance is good, and seeing her with both Henry and Jane Fonda was a major draw at the time. It's a pleasure to see them all, but I remember being disappointed when Kate took home another gold statue. I wasn't surprised, I just liked a few other actresses more that year.
I was hoping for Meryl Streep or Susan Sarandon, as much as I love Diane Keaton I found her performance uneven and she had already won for Annie Hall. But I couldn't believe Kathleen Turner wasn't nominated, Body Heat was a sensation...
It's tough to understand why Turner and Bernadette Peters weren't nominated, that's just the quirks of the academy. I guess if they had to go sentimental you can't really quibble with a foursome that includes Henry Fonda, Kate Hepburn, John Gielgud, and Maureen Stapleton.
They may have been older but who can argue with that kind of talent.
kathleen turner was robbed but i can't be too annoyed by this win due to jane fonda's story that kate called her after the awards and crowed "you'll never catch me now!" (remember there was a time when jane was the likely successor to kate, not meryl?)
I remember what a surprise it was when Kate won (Including to Kate). No one expected it (I think Keaton was the expected as REDS!!! was the dog to beat).
I liked Reds, but it wasn't the second coming it was played up to be. No film ever is.
I wouldn't change any of the winners of any year, even Crash. We only learn from our mistakes if we can't forget them.
My favorite line from Golden Pond. "Let's suck face."
Turner would never have been nominated for Body Heat. It was her first lead in a film after a couple of years on a soap and she was playing a version of her soap character. Its a good performance, but wasn't seen as much of a stretch. If she was going to win, Prizzi's was the place along with Peggy Sue.
I don't know why Bernadette wasn't nommed. Pennies wasn't considered a hit so perhaps that was the reason. It was a bumper year for lead actresses and several were bound to be left out.
If you ask me, the number one reason Kate won the Oscar:
"After lunch, after we've gobbled up all those silly strawberries we'll take ourselves to the old town road. We've been there a thousand times. A thousand. And you'll remember it all. Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armour. Don't you forget it. You're gonna get back up on that horse and I'm gonna be right behind you holding on tight and away we're gonna go, go, go."
It's my favorite line reading of all time. I haven't seen the other '81 Actress nominees so I can't say for certain, but I can't imagine anyone topping that level of charm or emotion.
I've viewed the nominees for 1981 for a second time in the past few years, and I wasn't as impressed as I remembered being the first time I saw them. Streep was a particular disappointment. Mason, Sarandon, and Keaton were good and worthy of nomination. I found Hepburn better than I remembered, but I think others already mentioned in the discussion were more worthy of her nomination. I'd also add Kate Nelligan for Eye of the Needle into the mix as well.
As for Kate's other nominations, I think she definitely deserved to win for Lion in Winter and should have won for Alice Adams. There were other years where I think she was nominated against some tough competition, and if her film had fallen into a different year, she would have deserved to win (Summertime, Long Day's Journey Into Night).
A couple of things I would have mentioned have already been brought up in the earlier comments. I've always wished Barbara Stanwyck or Loretta Young could have landed the Golden Pond" gig. Both were still in full control of their formidable gifts in the early 80's. Stanwyck's no nonsense eloquence would have gone far towards neutralizing the script's treacly qualities. And Young's still fluid and nurturing incandescence would have, I'm sure, wowed audiences who' hadn't seen her for decades. Yes, Katharine Hepburn was never more popular than in her senior years. As a matter of fact, in those days she sometimes seemed impossible to escape -while both Barbara Stanwyck and Loretta Young (also a former colleague of Henry Fonda's) were rarely seen in the 80's. I just think the film would have been a more genuinely special event with Stanwyck or Young on board. Still, a few years later both demonstrated undiminished skills with widely applauded Golden Globe wins for TV appearances. I understand why they cast Hepburn - she was considered bankable and she was still a household word. But that last Oscar win was surely all about sentiment, not performance.
I agree with earlier posters about Bernadette Peters in "Pennies from Heaven". She'd have been my hands-down winner in '81. But the Academy couldn't even cough up a nomination.
I never bought into Meryl Streep's work in "French Lieutenant's Woman" (that's a part Sarah Miles should have had) but I certainly wouldn't quarrel with Streep's win the year after in "Sophie's Choice".
Other '81 performances I'd have nominated': Simone Signoret in "I Sent a Letter to My Love",
Karen Allen, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and that most unfairly maligned of 80's performances Faye Dunaway as"Mommie Dearest".
If I were picking Hepburn performances for Oscar recognition, I would only give her three:
1. Holiday (sorry, dear Bette, but Dangerous is not one of the reasons you should have four Oscars);
2. The Philadelphia Story (in a tie with Davis in The Letter);
3. The Lion in Winter.
I almost went with Long Day's Journey Into Night, but I have a hard time denying her fellow runner-up Remick.
It's strange for me to wrap my head around Susan Sarandon losing an Oscar to Katharine Hepburn. Since her actressing supernova happened in the 90's I don't associate them as being from an overlapping era at all. Keaton's about her age and yet somehow that makes more sense to me.
But that just goes to show you what a departure the 80's were. The 70's are contextually adjacent to Old Hollywood (especially as a reaction) in a way that movies never would be again.
Since I'm one of the victims of Kate's dubious win here, let me say I still can't forgive this movie for being so much this movie. It is really one of the worst examples of an Oscar-engineered film, right down to Jane Fonda saying in many interviews 90% of the motivation in making this film was getting her dad an Oscar. I watched it again earlier this year. The whole script is so calculated it hurts. I can't think of a better film that embodies "the problem" in prestige fare.
I wish I could say Kate rises above, but she speaks every line at about 150% of where it should be.
On Golden Pond was not only cloying but certainly not Oscar-worthy - performance- or film-wise.
I remembered watching the live Oscar telecast and was not too pleased when they announced Henry Fonda and Kate as best actor/actress. Both were no more than sentimental favourites if you were to ask me. Even Jane Fonda (whom I'm a big fan) was merely serviceable in that movie. I would pick Keaton and Streep in their respective films over Kate for sure.
I am glad kate won , she was great and the longevity of her career was amazing . I used to like other classic actresses more ( Bergman ,Davis ,Stanwyck , Lombard ) but i must say i was wrong about her . She was an acting god and one of a kind woman . If Kate had'nt won , I would have given the oscar to Diane Keaton for Reds .Sarandon's role was more a supporting one ,I always remember Burt Lancaster in that movie ,but i don't remember anything about her (EXCEPT THE FIRST SCENE ,YOU KOW WHAT I MEAN ) and Streep was awful ,if you ask me ,too mannered and unconvincing .The oscar went to the right person ,at least that year . I hope 2015 is one of these years (julianne moore ).
Best Actress of 1981:
1. Valeria D'Obici in „PASSIONE D'AMORE“ (Italy)
2. Bernadette Peters in „PENNIES FROM HEAVEN“ (USA)
3. Meryl Streep in „THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN“ (Great Britain)
4. Sissy Spacek in „RAGGEDY MAN“ (USA)
5. Fanny Ardant in „LA FEMME D'À CÔTÉ“ (France)
6. Marsha Mason in „ONLY WHEN I LAUGH“ (USA)
7. Barbara Sukowa in „LOLA“ (Germany)
8. Diane Keaton in „REDS“ (USA)
9. Judy Davis in „WINTER OF OUR DREAMS“ (Australia)
10. Hanna Schygulla in „LILI MARLEEN“ (Germany)
11. Ingrid Caven in „MALOU“ (Germany)
12. Isabelle Adjani in „POSSESSION“ (France)
13. Marília Pêra in „PIXOTE: A LEI DO MAIS FRACO“ (Brasil)
14. Eva Mattes in „CÉLESTE“ (Germany)
15. Barbara Sukowa in „DIE BLEIERNE ZEIT“ (Germany)
16. Isabelle Adjani in „QUARTET“ (Great Britain)
17. Angela Winkler in „LA PROVINCIALE“ (Switzerland)
18. Jutta Lampe in „DIE BLEIERNE ZEIT“ (Germany)
19. Isabelle Huppert in „COUP DE TORCHON“ (France)
20. Nathalie Baye in „LA PROVINCIALE“ (Switzerland)
21. Kathleen Turner in „BODY HEAT“ (USA)
22. Krystyna Janda in „CZLOWIEK Z ZELAZA“ (Poland)
23. Jessica Lange in „THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE“ (USA)
24. Tina Engel in „DAS BOOT IST VOLL“ (Switzerland)
25. Isabelle Huppert in „LA STORIA VERA DELLA SIGNORA DALLE CAMELIE“ (Italy)
26. Anouk Aimée in „LA TRAGEDIA DI UN UOMO RIDICOLO“ (Italy)
27. Katharine Hepburn in „ON GOLDEN POND“ (USA)
Nominations:
1. Susan Sarandon in „ATLANTIC CITY“ (Kanada) It is actually a Kanadian Movie from 1980. So I do not have Susan Sarandon in my 1981-List. But in Terms of Oscar she is my Number
2. Meryl Streep in „THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN“ (Great Britain)
3. Marsha Mason in „ONLY WHEN I LAUGH“ (USA)
4. Diane Keaton in „REDS“ (USA)
5. Katharine Hepburn in „ON GOLDEN POND“ (USA)
Katharine Hepburn should have won for:
1. Holiday" (1938)
2. "A long Days Journey into Night" (1962)
3. "The Lion in Winter" (1968)
Katharine Hepburn should have been nominated for:
1933: "Little Women"
1935: "Alice Adams"
1938: "Holiday"
1940: "The Philadelphia Story"
1942: "Woman of the Year"
1951: "African Queen"
1955: "Summertime"
1959: "Suddenly last Summer" (in supporting)
1962: "A long Days Journey into Night"
1968: "The Lion in Winter"
10 nominations and 3 wins: sounds good
I actually remember being in love with Streep in French Lieutenants, but I haven't seen it in like twelve years, so I would have to view it again to see if I could give it to her over Keaton.
I enjoyed On Golden Pond as a kid and I still like it now. My own parents have this very strong Ethel-Normal dynamic these days and I love observing them.
It was based on a play and Jane bought the rights as a peace offering gift to her dad. What's wrong with that? It's a beautiful gesture and more than Hollywood ever did with their greats. Just look at how some golden age stars ended their careers with lousy films.
It's true that Pennies failed miserably at the box office (shame!) and I guess voters considered Body Heat almost pornographic at that time, but's it's so interesting to contemporize the nominees specially during the 80s when voters were so predictable.
I love On Golden Pond very much as well as Katharine's petformance. She radiated so much warmth (maybe the soft lense and postcard-ready background helped too). I'm a sucker for sentimental movie :) They don't make I quite like this anymore.
Marsha Mason deserved the win. This is one of my all time favorite performances. She really runs the gamut here while walking a heartbreaking high-wire act. The work is both precise and completely natural and relatable. The loss is even more disappointing because she never got a role nearly this good.
Diane was terrific, but I'm not crazy about Streep's overly fussy performance at all. Actually, I think I would have taken her out to get in Turner.
Anne Marie, thank you for your diplomacy, graciousness and good humor throughout this article. It couldn't have been easy. I admire your lovely loyalty to Katherine, it's wonderful.
That year I wanted Streep or Sarandon to win, Hepburn would have been my third choice. Keaton was earnest and boring in Reds and Mason is one my least favorite actresses of all time.
I recently re-watched French Lieutenant's Woman and was underwhelmed. Streep had some magical moments but the film didn't do justice to one of the greatest novels ever!
If I were voting today I would give the Oscar to Sarandon. She's the one who should have three or four.
When this series wraps, what i will miss most will be those charming gif images that you put at the end of each column, Anne Marie. They always bring a smile to my face. :)
Santy & other Fan-Maries out there...
I am giving ANNE MARIE a month off come January for sure but she'll be back with a new series so she'll still be around.
I love Katharine in this. I would have given her the win over Keaton and Streep, both of whom I liked very much. Haven't seen the other two.
Oscars I'd give Kate:
- 1938, either Holiday or Bringing Up Baby would be my winner
- 1940, The Philadelphia Story
- 1959, Suddenly. Last Summer (though I need to see Room at the Top, so maybe not)
- 1968, The Lion in Winter (over Barbra, but I'm thrilled they tied)
- 1981, On Golden Pond
I wouldn't be surprised if Summertime was my favorite that year either (haven't seen enough), and I'd probably nominate her even more than the Academy. She'd need more to stay on top though - I know I'd have given Day-Lewis and Streep at least four each.
Santy - Thank you! I have a blast making the gifs, so I'm glad they're appreciated. This particular one has been very useful to me this week.
Wow! I love all of these well-argued opinions. Ms. Marsha Mason, my condolences for your loss. If it's any consolation, you can see that have a strong following in this comments section.
Yes, Anne Marie!!! I wonder whom a poll would crown the winner here. I actually might go for a very affecting Sarandon. I always thought Reds didn't work quite as well as it might have, and it never married Marxist social revolution and its love story as successfully as it was trying to. I blame Keaton for this somewhat -- she's too much of a mess for me to believe Beatty would be so interested. The Marxism works better, esp. Maureen Stapleton and the witnesses. But, yes, let me say that I think Only When I Laugh is Marsha's most nuanced and complicated performance of her 4 Oscar noms.
OGP is The Last Hurray for both Fonda & Hepburn. Thr's no doubt that both are sentimental wins. I guess the voters were in full "lets-honour-the-industry-veterans mood" that year.
Fonda was widely expected to win, which he shld hav for The Grapes of Wrath 41 yrs ago, so no surprise there, although IMO Lancaster deserves it more for his charming turn in Atlantic City (He won all the critics' prizes instead).
The real surprise here is Hepburn's record-making & controversial win. She certainly is the best thing in OGP, but this is far from her best performances. On oscar nite, Streep was actually the widely predicted winner, with Keaton running a close 2nd. So imagined every1's surprise or shock when Jon Voight annouced the winner.
the problem w OGP is what anne marie had so rightfully pointed out: sweeter than mollases and twice as sticky!! The voters are swayed by the fact that this is probably the last time they will see 2 great legends working together and turning in a good performance; and their sentiments won over their rationality.
Fonda's win I can still swallow, but Hepburn!! She already had three of these in her (paper) bag!! As much as I luv Kate, I think that the Oscar shld hav been given it to any of the 4 other actresses who certainly deserve it more.
Thr's a lotsa knocks on Streep in French Lt's Woman here. I thot she was wonderful in it!! I rem I was totally memserized by tt mysterious woman at the pier, just like Jeremy Irons, when i 1st saw it when I was 12 or 13. Kramer v Kramer might have won her her 1st Oscar. but this pic is the one that established Streep as the prima LEADING actress of our times. her win the following yr for Sophie's Choice cemented the status.
Actually, the best performance of 1981 is Kathleen Turner's sexy & confident femme fatale turn in Body Heat, a throwback to film noir of the 40s, w more frankness in the sexual depictions. I guess back in 1981. Body Heat was too bold & daring for the voters & they prefered sometink sweet & safe like OGP!! lol
I would probably gave the oscar to Streep, so as to free up her less deserving win for The Iron Lady in 2011, so that Michelle Williams or Viola Davis can win
I have the spot for this movie mainly because I loved the part of Jane Fonda's memoir when she talked about making it. She quoted "Kate, Remembered" when Kate spoke of Henry Fonda: "He was like a tough walnut that you couldn't crack. I just couldn't figure him out." Jane wrote, "Ain't that the truth!"
I took an interesting class in high school called Psych of Esteem and we watched this movie when we had to learn about aging and geriatric care.
Thank you, Evan. That's exactly the speech I always associate with this movie, and the nuances and poignancy with which Hepburn floods such simple lines is, for me, exactly why the movie lingers in my mind, and why Hepburn probably won #4. I've always meant to get around to "The French Lieutenant's Woman," but I certainly couldn't quibble with non-nominees Dunaway, Peters, Turner and Allen had they made the cut.
Mason's following is well deserved and she was so unlucky to have been oscar nominated in years when there were also Annie Hall, Norma Rae and Kate The Great....actually I think she would have been in 1974 a better winner than the actual one (Glenda Jackson for her second win) but still I'd have rooted for a second win by Babs that particular year!
Sidenote on Stanwych: Yes she did campaign for the role & Me tink she wld have been Marvelous in it & it will be a great justice for her to finally win a competitive oscar. Sadly, the producers (Miss Jane Fonda included) decided to go w a bigger star & a more bankable name. Had Kate turned it down, imagine what Stanwyck can bring to this role?....Its a shame she never won a competitive oscar (She was robbed in 1944 by Ingrid Bergman! lol), Oscar finally made up to her on the same nite w an hononary award when OGP won best actor/actress.
On Anne Marie's challenge on which 4 movies Kate shld've won the Oscars for, my take is:
She shld've been nom and won (denotes by **) for the following movies:
1) Little Women 1933 **
2) Alice Adams 1935 **
3) Holiday 1938
4) The Philadelphia Story 1940
5) Woman of the Year 1942
6) Adam's Rib 1949
7) The African Queen 1951
8) Summertime 1955 **
9) Suddenly, Last Summer 1959
10) Long Day's Journey into Night 1962
11) The Lion in Winter 1968 ** (tied w Streisand)
12) On Golden Pond 1981
I wld've incl Stage Door (1937) in the list, but I guess Miss Ginger NEEDS that nom more! lol
I wld replace Kate's nom for The Rainmaker (1956) w Monroe (Bus Stop) or Liz Taylor (Giant), & her nom for Guess Who's (1967) w Deneuve (Belle Du Jour) or Vanessa Redgrave (Camelot)
Lastly, I wld've incl Kate's iconic turn in The Phildadelphia Story as one o her wins, but I wld rather see Bette won for The Letter that yr rather than her make-up Oscar for Dangerous. So Kate beats Bette in 1935 & Bette beats Kate in 1940...even out the scores =)
Why did Kate in win '81? Well, the answer is obvious: she got more votes than the other nominees.
Seriously, I think it boiled down to a combination of sentiment and statistics. Remember, this is a five-way race. To win the Oscar®, you don't need to win a majority of all votes cast (50%+1), you need a plurality, or more votes than any other single nominee. It's possible to win an Oscar® with as few as 20% of the votes, plus one.
Hepburn probably got the majority of the older Academy voters, as well as a lot of people who weren't interested in, or simply didn't like, the other performances. There was probably a chunk of people who said, "Well, I'll vote for Hepburn, even though I know she won't get it." In a tight race, a few votes like that one way or the other, might have been decisive. Also, the film was a big success financially, which always helps. People do like to back winners.
I recall it being a surprise that she won, because I think it was considered a race between Streep and Keaton, but each of the nominees had some handicaps. Hepburn, of course, already had three Oscars®, and there was the usual "she always plays herself" bunch of detractors. Streep was riding high as the next big thing, but there may have been a backlash against all the hype, and the movie's reception was mixed. Keaton had the Oscar® already, and again, there were detractors to the movie and her performance, a feeling she'd bitten off more than she could chew. Mason's seriocomic role felt both Oscar®-batey and yet possibly too comic for serious consideration, and there was a feeling of, "Neil Simon writes another great part for his wife" (and you do have to wonder how her career would have gone without him). Sarandon was young, in a relatively little-seen film, and there were probably some voters going, "That girl from Rocky Horror? Really?"
Say what you want, it's an iconic performance and film.
On Golden Pond was probably my most-rewatched VHS, too, and my earliest gateway into Hepburn. I have nothing to add to every lovely thing Anne Marie and others have said about the film and its performances, even as I also see the need to make certain qualifications in that praise. It's a dear film to me, as to so many others here.
I'm not positive I'd want Stanwyck in this role (something I never say), if only because Hepburn's enough of a credible enabler that you believe she'd be this old before telling Chelsea to pull it together and start reaching out; surely Stanwyck would have parked these two at the kitchen table years ago and forced them to hash this stuff out?
I love Keaton, Mason, and Sarandon in these roles and am happy Hepburn was included. I agree Peters was robbed (as were Steve Martin, Jessica Harper, and Christopher Walken). If the world worked this way, Marilia Pera would have been a great nominee. Never have cottoned to French Lieutenant's Woman despite several tries.