 Oscar already, and this isn’t really a performance that’s gonna get her a second one. Especially in a category like this. It still comes down to Grace and Judy.
My Thoughts: We know it’s Kelly vs. Garland. But quickly, let’s eliminate everyone else. It’s pretty easy, actually. Audrey won the year before this. Out. Not a performance gonna win back-to-back. Wyman had an Oscar. Not something that requires a second Oscar here. Not in this category. And Dandridge — great, but not as good as Garland. I’d like to vote for her, but I’d vote for Judy first. So it’s really Judy vs. Grace.
Now — both were great, and in terms of performance, they’re hard to compare, since one is pure dramatic and one is musical. Everyone will always have their preference, so I’m honestly not even going to try to compare them. It’ll only lead to more opinions. Let’s just call them a dead heat, separated only by personal preference. You may prefer one over the other (I’d imagine most people would prefer Judy, which is totally expected), but they were both solid. And I honestly go back and forth between the two myself. All the time.
There were several factors that influenced my decision. I stress the my portion of that. This is simply how I came to my decision as to who I was going to vote for.
First was the fact that I love the original A Star is Born. Most people prefer this version, but I saw the original first and fell in love with it. So I hesitated slightly upon the thought of voting for a performance the second go-round (like I did with My Fair Lady, or with Heaven Can Wait if it factored into any of its categories, which it didn’t really). So that kind of kept me from voting for Garland, but on the other hand, I held back from voting for Kelly because I felt I’d catch a lot of flak for it. That is — I know there are people who vehemently feel that Judy should have won, and I knew that as soon as I voted for Grace, they’d be like, “All she did was take off her makeup and put on glasses! That wasn’t a performance. Judy was magical!” (I’ll probably still get that even with this explanation.) I understand that, she was magical. But, there’s this other complicating factor we have to deal with…
When I watched the performances for the first time (Judy first, Grace second if we’re keeping score), I said to myself, “I actually think Grace was better.” I was all set to vote for Judy. I was gung-ho. But I saw Grace’s performance and said, “I think she actually deserved this win.” Now, my opinions of the films may have factored into it slightly, but I don’t think it was enough to make that much of a difference. I did end up really getting pulled in by The Country Girl, while A Star is Born was a film I’d seen before, so to me it was basically watching it hit all the plot points. I wasn’t sure, so I watched the films again. Twice.
First time I rewatched them, I may have been feeling a bit too, “I need to even this out,” because after the first time, I thought I was pulling way too much for Grace (because it was months later, and I knew I’d have to write it up, and was worried about catching shit and not being able to back it up with reasoning), so when I watched them, I went in with the, “Well, she is kind of just wearing glasses,” mindset, and ended up switching over to Judy.
But then, I watched them again recently (in preparation for this article going up), and I honestly couldn’t make up my mind. The whole thing got muddled. Plus, I was thinking about logistics and stuff — all this stuff that writing the articles got me to thinking about — so I had a whole different mindset going on. And after all that, I decided to just do it like this, because I just couldn’t decide, and I wasn’t going to simply let personal opinion decide, because personal opinion will change too much the more I think about it:
I rank the performances even. Dead heat. (I don’t care about your personal opinion, don’t tell it to me. This is my article.) In that case, I go by careers to see if I can find a tiebreaker. That’s a dead heat too. They’re both great actresses who had distinguished careers. (If anything, Grace gets the edge there, since Judy won an Oscar for Wizard of Oz. It wasn’t competitive, but it was something.) But then, I went by — what else were they in this year?
Judy? She only did A Star is Born.
Grace, on the other hand? The Country Girl, plus The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Green Fire, Dial M For Murder, and a little film called Rear Window. All of that. One year.
Now, when two performances are that closely matched, and one actress not only delivered the one great performance, but four more this year, how can you say she didn’t deserve to win?
And since I can’t make up my mind, I’m using those five films to tip the scales in Grace’s favor (not to mention picking the person who won is just easier anyway), and am voting for her. That’s how we’re doing it, that’s how it makes sense to me. You can say Judy should have won (to each his own), but you can’t say Grace didn’t deserve it.
My Vote: Kelly
Should Have Won: Kelly, Garland
Is the result acceptable?: Yes. No need to embellish. Yes. It was.
Performances I suggest you see: If you haven’t seen A Star is Born, you’re dead to me.
I’m making The Country Girl essential, because not only is it a great film, but it’s big in this category, and if you want to put forth an opinion on it, you need to see it. That and, Grace Kelly, William Holden and (holy shit) Bing Crosby all delivering fantastic performances (Bing especially) — it’s essential. Just see it. It’s great.
Magnificent Obsession is pretty damn close to essential if it’s not. Douglas Sirk films are essential for anyone who loves cinema. That’s all there is too it. If you don’t watch this, you don’t really love movies.
Sabrina is a Billy Wilder film, and those I count as essential if you want to be friends with me. Plus — Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, William Holden — you don’t love movies if you don’t see this. That’s like having four aces in your hand and folding, if you don’t see this. Don’t be a schmuck.
Carmen Jones is a great film. If you don’t like opera (and many people don’t), this is a chance to see Carmen on film. It’s not exact, of course, but it’ll give you a chance to know the story. Plus it’s a damn fine film and great to watch. Highly recommended.
Rankings:
5) Dandridge
4) Wyman
3) Hepburn
2) Garland
1) Kelly
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That was one of the longest explanations I have ever read.
Made total sense though, how you tip the scale towards Kelly :)
January 2, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Am I dead to you if my #1 is actually Audrey?
January 16, 2014 at 10:04 am
Sorry, but no. I still have problems with this one.
March 7, 2014 at 12:07 am
Yes, Grace Kelly deserved to win the Oscar in 1954 but she should of won for her performance in “Rear Window” and not “The Country Girl” because she was basically too young for her part in “The Country Girl” and thus was miscast. Period. End Of Story.
December 29, 2017 at 12:07 amHe was born June 8, 2007, in Lincoln, Neb. He loved his WWE wrestling and loved playing with his wrestling toys. He loved playing outside with his trucks and cars. He liked the Minnesota Twins and Vikings.
He was a student at Impact Learning & Development. He loved being there and loved his school family. He excelled at everything he did in school.
Connor is survived by his parents, Clint and Jennifer Sheldon; his brother, Mikal Duncan; his sister, Hannah (Matt) Thomas; his grandparents, Rodney and Sarah Sheldon, and Delores Palmer; his uncles, Marty Sheldon, and John (Gloria) Palmer; his niece, Alana and many cousins.
Connor is predeceased by his grandfather, Oscar Palmer.
Visitation was held Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home in Hot Springs, and on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Rapid City, S.D.
Committal services were held Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at Evergreen Cemetery in Hot Springs, S.D.A Palmyra man was charged Thursday morning for allegedly