Introducing the Smackdown Panel for '47
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 1:20PM We're excited to bring you a new super-sized season of the Supporting Actress Smackdown. We just celebrated 1981 with an awesome panel and we're not slowing down. 1947 is our current topic: we're talking the Best Picture winner Gentleman's Agreement, Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, the noir Crossfire, and the countrified comedy The Egg and I . We've gathered a panel of actors, industry types, and cinephiles for you. Ready? Let's meet the panel.
RETURNING TO THE SMACKDOWN ...
DANA DELANY
Dana Delany is a quarantined actor who finally has an excuse to stay home and watch old movies all day. Her 10 year old self would be thrilled. [Twitter]
ANGELICA JADE BASTIÉN
Angelica Jade Bastién is a cultural critic and essayist for New York Magazine's site, Vulture. She lives in Chicago with her two cats, Professor Butch Cassidy and Paul Newman. [Twitter]
AND PLEASE WELCOME
PATRICK VAILL
Patrick Vaill is a New York based actor most recently seen on Broadway as Jud in the Tony Award winning revival of Oklahoma! Later this year you can see him in Netflix's Dash & Lily and, when things come back, much more. [Twitter | Instagram ]
THOMAS MIZER
Thomas Mizer is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared on stages and screens of various sizes and shapes around the country. As a lyricist and librettist, he was awarded the Fred Ebb Award, one of the highest honors for excellence in theater songwriting, and was the recipient of a Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing — both for his musical collaborations with Curtis Moore. Their credits together include 5 original songs for the third season of the Emmy-winning series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He is currently working on four new pieces, including new musicals for Universal Theatrical Group and Grove/Whitman Commissions (producers of Fun Home & The Band’s Visit). [Official Site | Twitter]
You (the collective you) are the final panelist. Thanks for voting!
THE SMACKDOWN IS NOW PUBLISHED. Read, Listen, Share.
HOSTED BY...
NATHANIEL ROGERS
Nathaniel is the creator and owner of The Film Experience. He is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association ("Critics Choice") and The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics ("GALECA") and a longtime Oscar pundit here at TFE. His writing has also appeared at other publications including Vanity Fair, Vulture, Show-Score, Slate, Towleroad, Esquire, and Winq. Nathaniel regularly serves on international festival juries and has appeared as an on-air Oscar pundit for CNNi. [Twitter | Contact | Instagram]
Reader Comments (13)
All-star line up! Was the choice of year inspired by "Hollywood"?
Raul -- it was not actually. We had scheduled it before the series premiered. But the timing is interesting, yeah.
This makes waiting for the announcement of Seasons of Bette's return, which at this point is an open secret on the scale of Weinstein/Spacey creepiness and Cordon/DeGeneres tyranicall c*nt bosses, worth the wait! You sneaky boy! You may play faux humble with Delaney/Lynskey/Dowd, etc. in your email list, but we been knew gurl!
Patrick Vail! As someone who listens to the 2019 recording of Oklahoma! on a damn near day-to-day basis, this is very exciting. He has a beautiful voice. Man, I hate I missed seeing that show. Always great to see the people who participate in these panels and the folks that love the site just as much as I do. Thanks Nathaniel for this lovely place.
I have a huge crush on Dana Delany when I was growing up. She's truly magnetic in films like Live Nude Girls, Exit to Eden and Fly Away Home. It would be interesting to hear her takes on 1947's actresses.
And wow, Patrick Vaill is on board! I watched Oklahoma last January in the Circle in the Square Theatre and although Damon Daunno and Rebecca Naomi Jones were captivating, it was Vaill's heartbreakingly beautiful delineation of Jud Fry who commanded our attention and easily the show's MVP. Too bad some members of the audience left after the intermission. The show was polarising but my wife and I belonged to those who applaud the revisionist take of this classic (plus those chili and cornbread intended for the audience during intermission was a cute touch). Nevertheless I'd like to hear what Vaill has to say about 1947's nominated actresses.
What a cleverly curated lineup of panelists, thanks!
Fuck yeah!! This is such a great group! Love Dana Delaney’s commentary for 1973 (and as Lois Lane in the 90’s Superman cartoons). Can’t wait!
Oh, I can tell there will be some passionate feelings about these! (Being in the same paragraph as Dana Delany may be a career high point.)
So glad that Dana is back!! I believe Dana's favorite all time actress is Gloria Grahame (per an interview with Illeana Douglas).
Great lineup!! I'm really looking forward to this Smackdown since the 40's are my favorite film decade.
Omg Dana Delaney! An acting legend judging other actresses?! I’m so excited.
An impressive line up, and you seem to be fulfilling your original ambition of "casting director".
On Twitter you mentioned that there aren't many best supporting actress years left. When you do finally finish with the supporting category, my vote would be for best actress. So many actresses move freely back and forth between the categories anyway, so it gives more scope to discuss them.
Obviously her role in China Beach had something to do with it, but Dana Delany is a celebrity who has publicly championed the nursing profession long before it was fashionable to do so.
"Gentleman's Agreement" has aged very well