Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Best Supporting Actress

Well, it’s Oscar season, the time of year when everyone complains about Academy Award nominees and Academy Award winners and political and social repercussions. To be honest, picking winners is a crap shoot and complaining about them is a fool’s paradise. However, most of us love the movies and love talking about them.

Last year, I made five lists of my five favorites in the acting and picture categories. This year, I am presenting my picks for who I thought should have won those categories in select years. My guidelines were: Do not choose the obvious ones that EVERYONE talks about and do not choose anything from the 2000’s. Just like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences makes their choices based on…whatever, these are simply my opinion. You are free to comment or add your own choices.

We are going to 1974 for the Best Supporting Actress Award. The nominees (winner with an asterisk) were:

*Ingrid Bergman – Murder on the Orient Express

Valentina Cortese – Day for Night

Madeline Kahn – Blazing Saddles

Diane Ladd – Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

Talia Shire – The Godfather Part II

The esteemed Swedish actress, Ingrid Bergman, won the award for playing…a Swedish missionary and former nanny. Her accent in the film was an almost comical stereotype. Among the great performances in that film, hers was some how singled out. Even upon accepting her award, she felt fellow nominee, Valentina Cortese, should have won.

Oscar has never been gracious toward comedy. But if you’re going to do a parody accent, Madeline Kahn’s reinterpretation of Marlene Dietrich was over-the-top hilarious. Her version of “I’m Tired” alone was enough to win the award. Bergman had two awards under belt and one of the greatest comedic talents of my youth went home empty handed.

What supporting actress do you think should have won?