Best Actress in WWII: An Alternative History

by Cláudio Alves

Greer Garson earned herself five consecutive Oscar nominations during WWII. For BLOSSMONS IN THE DUST (1941), MRS. MINIVER (1942), MADAME CURIE (1944), MRS. PARKINGTON (1944), and THE VALLEY OF DECISION (1945). She won the Best Actress trophy in 1942 for William Wyler's first Best Picture champion.

TIFF is almost upon us, so my Alternative Oscar History series will have to take a break. In the meantime, in this last post for a while, let’s look at the period between 1940 and 1945, the war Oscars and the actressing they should’ve honored.

After all, these are my picks, not the Academy’s, so don’t expect an avalanche of Greer Garson in the incoming ballots. The English star found an American home at MGM in the late 30s, just as WWII was breaking out in Europe with Hitler’s invasion of Poland, and was AMPAS’ most beloved star with five nominations and a victory to her name. In this, she edged out Bette Davis’ four nods in the same time span. Then again, though it’s impossible to talk about Hollywood in WWII without acknowledging Davis’ work in initiatives like the Hollywood Canteen, her relationship with the Academy was a rocky one. Famously, she became its first female president in January 1941, before resigning in March. I promise I won’t hold that against her in my votes. It might actually help her case, considering how little I tend to agree with Oscar’s choices…

Bette Davis played herself in HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN (1944), a musical comedy about the club she co-founded for service men and women during the war.

Some notes before we get to the good stuff. First, on Nathaniel’s advice, I’ll add a star (☆) to each person I mention who was actually nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. He's already edited the previous posts to reflect this.

It’s also important to assess, more seriously, how the war impacted cinema worldwide. Please listen to the WWII-themed season of the You Must Remember This podcast if you yearn for an in-depth, multi-hour dive into the topic. For my lineups’ sake, it’s worth noting how the import of foreign films fell dramatically, meaning most eligibility lists are almost exclusively American with the odd British title thrown in, a state of affairs that would, once again, reverse the minute WWII was over. When this series returns, there will be Rossellini’s war trilogy to consider, as well as Cocteau’s post-occupation reveries, or even Clouzot’s mid-occupation societal critiques, finally arriving in American theaters and Oscar voters’ consideration. 

But what about my Ineligible section – for more info on what this and other things mean, go back to the first post in the series – and its selection of world premieres that never made it into the Academy’s reminder lists? They’re going to feature a lot of propagandist cinema, from France right before the Nazis arrived in Paris and England throughout the conflict. I have also seen a fair number of Japanese films by directors who avoided military service – and thus avoided stains on their character like Ozu’s Manchurian war crimes – and, for the most part, made light fare, very conspicuously refusing to acknowledge the worldwide bloodbath to which their imperial powers dragged them into. Alas, I haven’t watched much cinema from Italy or Germany at this time, so, at least, you’ll be spared such iffy recommendations. 

Obsession is the exception, but Visconti’s debut feels like a miracle under Mussolini’s regime, being allowed to come into being mostly through the dictator’s son’s influence and favor. That didn’t stop the film from being rejected by fascists and effectively banned. Nowadays, it’s seen has having played a significant part in the nascent Neorealist movement and, sometimes, even as a European parallel to the film noir that was starting to take Hollywood by storm, with films like Huston’s The Maltese Falcon and Wilder’s Double Indemnity. In fact, the Americans made their own Obsession in 1946 with The Postman Always Rings Twice, adapted from the same James M. Cain novel that inspired Visconti.

Alas, that’s a matter for another time. Tune in after the festivals are over to see if I nominate that particular Lana Turner star turn. In the meantime, here are my Best Actress picks, from 1940 to 1945.

1940

Bette Davis, THE LETTER ☆
Katharine Hepburn, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY ☆
Vivien Leigh, WATERLOO BRIDGE
Rosalind Russell, HIS GIRL FRIDAY *winner*
Margaret Sullavan, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER

Honorable Mentions: Claudette Colbert in ARISE, MY LOVE, Irene Dunne in MY FAVORITE WIFE, Joan Fontaine in REBECCA ☆, Ginger Rogers in KITTY FOYLE ☆, Barbara Stanwyck in REMEMBER THE NIGHT.

Ineligible: Ingrid Bergman in JUNE NIGHT, Edwige Feuillère in FROM MAYERLING TO SARAJEVO.

On the Watchlist: Jean Arthur in TOO MANY HUSBANDS, Carole Lombard in THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WANTED, Myrna Loy in I LOVE YOU AGAIN, Eleanor Powell in THE BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940, Norma Shearer in ESCAPE.

1941

Jean Arthur, THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES
Mary Astor, THE MALTESE FALCON
Joan Crawford, A WOMAN'S FACE
Merle Oberon, THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING
Barbara Stanwyck, THE LADY EVE *winner*

Honorable Mentions: Mary Astor in THE GREAT LIE ☆, Bette Davis in THE LITTLE FOXES ☆, Marlene Dietrich in THE FLAME OF NEW ORLEANS, Barbara Stanwyck in BALL OF FIRE ☆ and MEET JOHN DOE.

Ineligible: Kinuyo Tanaka in ORNAMENTAL HAIRPIN, Hideko Takamine in HIDEKO, THE BUS CONDUCTOR.

On the Watchlist: Paulette Goddard in NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, Ida Lupino in LADIES IN RETIREMENT and OUT OF THE FOG, Margaret Sullavan in BACK STREET and SO ENDS THE NIGHT.

1942

Claudette Colbert, THE PALM BEACH STORY
Bette Davis, NOW, VOYAGER *winner* ☆
Carole Lombard, TO BE OR NOT TO BE
Ginger Rogers, THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR
Barbara Stanwyck, THE GREAT MAN’S LADY

Honorable Mentions: Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland in IN THIS OUR LIFE, Greer Garson in RANDOM HARVEST, Katharine Hepburn in WOMAN OF THE YEAR ☆, Anna May Wong in BOMBS OVER BURMA and LADY FROM CHUNGKING.

Ineligible: Edwige Feuillère in WICKED DUCHESS, Marie Lohr in WENT THE DAY WELL?, Fernanda Matos in ANIKI-BÓBÓ.

On the Watchlist: Lucille Ball in THE BIG STREET, Isabela Corona in PASSION ISLAND, Ida Lupino in MOONTIDE, Michéle Morgan in JOAN OF PARIS, Rosalind Russell in TAKE A LETTER, DARLING.

1943

Jean Arthur, THE MORE THE MERRIER *winner* ☆
Joan Fontaine, THE CONSTANT NYMPH ☆
Judy Garland, PRESENTING LILY MARS
Ida Lupino, THE HARD WAY
Ethel Waters, CABIN IN THE SKY

Honorable Mentions: Ingrid Bergman in CASABLANCA, Dolores del Río in FLOR SILVESTRE, Simone Simon in CAT PEOPLE, Barbara Stanwyck in LADY OF BURLESQUE, Teresa Wright in SHADOW OF A DOUBT.

Ineligible: Jean Brooks in THE SEVENTH VICTIM, Clara Calamai in OBSESSION, Frances Dee in I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, Renée Faure in ANGELS OF SIN.

On the Watchlist: Lucille Ball in DU BARRY WAS A LADY, Olivia de Havilland in PRINCESS O’ROURKE, Esther Fernández in SANTA, Gracie Fields in HOLY MATRIMONY, Gloria Marín in HOW BEAUTIFUL IS MICHOACAN!.

1944

Irene Dunne, A GUY NAMED JOE
Judy Garland, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
Betty Hutton, THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN’S CREEK
Barbara Stanwyck, DOUBLE INDEMNITY *winner* ☆
Margaret Sullavan, CRY ‘HAVOC’

Honorable Mentions: Tallulah Bankhead in LIFEBOAT, Ingrid Bergman in GASLIGHT ☆, Claudette Colbert in NO TIME FOR LOVE, Ida Lupino in IN OUR TIME, Gene Tierney in LAURA.

Ineligible: Barbara Britton in TILL WE MEET AGAIN, Ann Carter and Simone Simon in THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE.

On the Watchlist: Linda Darnell in SUMMER STORM, Deanna Durbin in CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, Signe Hasso in THE SEVENTH CROSS, Ella Rains in PHANTOM LADY, Ginger Rogers in I’LL BE SEEING YOU.

1945

Lauren Bacall, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
Joan Crawford, MILDRED PIERCE *winner* ☆
Judy Garland, THE CLOCK
Peggy Ann Garner, A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN
Gene Tierney, LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN ☆

Honorable Mentions: Tallulah Bankhead and Anne Baxter in A ROYAL SCANDAL, Joan Fontaine in THE AFFAIRS OF SUSAN, Dorothy McGuire in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, Barbara Stanwyck in CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT, Claire Trevor in MURDER, MY SWEET.

Ineligible: Gloria Marín in TWILIGHT, Googie Withers in PINK STRING AND SEALING WAX.

On the Watchlist: Joan Bennett in THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, Linda Darnell in HANGOVER SQUARE, Sally Eilers in STRANGE ILLUSION, Josiane Hegg in MARIE-LOUISE, Dorothy McGuire in THE ENCHANTED FOREST.

On Twitter, I have also paused my Best Actress posts, stopping at 1976. Please recommend me great actressing from 1977 onward for when I have more time to re-imagine AMPAS’ choices in their most important category. Best Picture’s got nothing on this diva race.

Comments

[Cláudio Alves]

I preemptively apologize to all Greer Garson fans. I promise I don't hate her. She'll even get a nomination from me in this series' next post, whenever that happens.

[Wes]

Fun series, Claudio! Some future performances to consider:

- Glenda Jackson, “Stevie” (1978)
- Barbara Harris, “The Seduction of Joe Tynan” (1979)
- Sissy Spacek, “Raggedy Man” (1981)
- Cher, “Mask” (1985)
- Maggie Smith, “The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne” (1987)
- Kate Maberly, “The Secret Garden” (1993)
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994)
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” (1994)
- Emma Thompson, “Carrington” (1995)
- Liesel Matthews, “A Little Princess” (1995)
- Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky” (2008)
- Essie Davis, “The Babadook” (2014)
- Toni Collette, “Hereditary” (2018)
- Alfre Woodard, “Clemency” (2019)
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths” (2024)

[Finbar McBride]

Surely the obvious omission is Greer Garson’s 1942 Oscar winning performance in Mrs. Miniver. Here in director William Wyler’s manipulative propaganda film, Garson never allows her character to slip into a rallying cry for the war effort. Rather, her choices are calculated and subtle to prompt the audience to a fervor.

My favorite moment in the film is when a desperate Nazi, stranded in the seashore village, busts into Mrs. Miniver’s kitchen. He makes offensive remarks about England. In her anger, Mrs. Miniver slaps him. A lesser actress would have walloped Helmut Dantine’s smug mug. Garson misses and just grazes the jawline. This missed opportunity infuriates the viewer. We want even more to smack him.

One has to wonder if Garson and Wyler created a moment that moved many Americans who were indifferent about the European conflict to feel more inclined to support those opposing the Nazi regime. Like so much of her work in the film, it’s that precision of thoughtful planning executed with such naturalism I find so admirable.

[Wae Mest]

Bette also had five consecutive noms, they weren't the same years as GG but they overlapped!!

[Wae Mest]

And let us not forget another major Italian wartime release, De Sica's heartbreaking THE CHILDREN ARE WATCHING US!

[TomG]

1940
Bette Davis- The Letter
Joan Fontaine- Rebecca (WINNER)
Greer Garson- Pride and Prejudice
Paulette Goddard- The Great Dictator
Margaret Sullavan- The Shop Around the Corner

Judith Anderson- Rebecca (WINNER)
Mary Boland- Pride and Prejudice
Ida Lupino- They Drive By Night
Gale Sondergaard- The Letter
Queenie Vasar- Primrose Path

1941
Mary Astor- The Maltese Falcon (WINNER)
Joan Fontaine- Suspicion
Bette Davis- The Little Foxes
Martha Scott- Cheers for Miss Bishop
Barbara Stanwyck- Meet John Doe

Dorothy Comingore- Citizen Kane (WINNER)
Joan Davis- Hold That Ghost
Paulette Goddard- Hold Back the Dawn
Rita Hayworth- Blood and Sand
Marsha Hunt- Blossoms in the Dust

1942
Claudette Colbert- The Palm Beach Story
Bette Davis- Now, Voyager (WINNER)
Greer Garson- Mrs. Miniver
Katharine Hepburn- Woman of the Year
Carole Lombard- To Be Or Not To Be

Mary Astor- The Palm Beach Story
Gladys Cooper- Now, Voyager (WINNER)
Elsa Janssen- The Pride of the Yankees
Agnes Moorehead- The Magnificent Ambersons
Teresa Wright- Mrs. Miniver

1943
Ingrid Bergman- Casablanca (WINNER)
Claudette Colbert-So Proudly We Hail
Jennifer Jones- The Song of Bernadette
Ethel Waters- Cabin in the Sky
Teresa Wright- Shadow of a Doubt

Gladys Cooper- The Song of Bernadette
Patricia Collinge- Shadow of a Doubt
Paulette Goddard- So Proudly We Hail
Lena Horne- Cabin in the Sky
Katina Paxinou- For Whom the Bell Tolls (WINNER)

1944
Tallulah Bankhead- Lifeboat
Ingrid Bergman- Gaslight
Judy Garland- Meet Me In St. Louis (WINNER)
Gene Tierney- Laura
Barbara Stanwyck- Double Indemnity

Judith Anderson- Laura
Mary Anderson- Lifeboat
Ethel Barrymore- None But the Lonely Heart
Jennifer Jones- Since You Went Away (WINNER)
Agnes Moorehead- Mrs. Parkington

1945
Ingrid Bergman- Spellbound
Bette Davis- The Corn is Green
Joan Crawford- Mildred Pierce
Dorothy Maguire- The Enchanted Cottage
Gene Tierney- Leave Her To Heaven (WINNER)

Eve Arden- Mildred Pierce
Ann Blyth- Mildred Pierce (WINNER)
Jeanne Crain- Leave Her To Heaven
Mildred Dunnock- The Corn is Green
Anne Revere- National Velvet

[Dave in Hollywood]

I am super impressed that Judy got three nominations in a row. Take that Greer Garson! ;-)

And I appreciate singling out Betty Hutton in MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK, the only Betty Hutton movie anyone would want to watch more than once. The exception proves the rule.

It's interesting how many great performances there were during this time. Maybe it's the lack of male stars during the war, but I find this era particularly rich.