by Nathaniel R
Three afterthoughts about the 1957 Smackdown.
1. The reader ballots were quite interestingly divided though they were sparser than usual - are we doing too many Smackdowns or is it just that the films were harder to find this time? I was shocked to see that TFE readers who had seen The Bachelor Party weren't particularly fond of Carolyn Jones who, in my estimation, was the best of the nominees. Overall it was the lowest rated field of nominees I've ever seen for reader polling.
2. My own ballot for '57 would go like so...
- Marlene Dietrich, Witness for the Prosecution
- Carolyn Jones, The Bachelor Party
- Elsa Lanchester, Witness for the Prosecution
- Kay Thompson, Funny Face
- Isuzu Yamada, Throne of Blood
Though I reserve the right to ditch Lanchester and/or Thompson should I see something better. The speed of this summer's Smackdown schedule has made catching up or revisiting 'extra' films impossible. I definitely need to see Ruby Dee in Edge of the City as Nick suggested we all do. If you missed the 1957 podcast, it's right here at the bottom of this post for you listening pleasure or you can head to iTunes.
3. What was your 1957 takeaway? Mine was that I could probably watch Peyton Place again right this minute. It's not, maybe "good", but it's sooo watchable. And that ad campaign is a particular kitsch pleasure that I can't stop staring at.