Best Supporting Actor 1950: Results

5. Jeff Chandler in Broken Arrow- Chandler is already miscast around actual Native Americans, and his dull performance never makes up for this problem.

4. Edmund Gwenn in Mister 880- Gwenn is properly sweet and charming in his part, but the part of the most benevolent of criminals is not much of one.

3. Erich von Stroheim in Sunset Blvd.- Stroheim is perfectly cast adding another layer to his character simply through his one background. He also is always proper in his role, but his performance never becomes that amazing for me. Max Meyerling is certianly an interesting character but still certianly a limited one.

2. Sam Jaffe in The Asphalt Jungle- In many years I sort of look forward to rarely talked about nominated performance which are ample in this category. I usually find out why they are rarely spoken of like Gwenn, and Chandler, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find Jaffe's incredibly strong work. Jaffe's performance is subtle even simple work at times, that is amazingly effective and very memorable.

1. George Sanders in All About Eve-Sanders simply could not be better in the role of Addison De Witt. He channels the snarky smug, yet incredibly intelligent and suave ways of the character. Sanders always makes his presence known with every single comment he makes, and to top it off he has one unforgettable scene that is just a magnificent piece of acting.

Deserving Performances:
Louis Calhern in The Asphalt Jungle
Alastair Sim in Stage Fright
Orson Welles in The Third Man (Since it was counted in the major category of Director, I guess I will include him here instead of 1949.)

Best Supporting Actor 1950: George Sanders in All About Eve

George Sanders won an Oscar from his only nomination for portraying Addison De Witt in All About Eve.

All About Eve is a well made, well written, and well acted drama about the aging theater actress Margo Channing  (Bette Davis) having her position of star of the stage being usurped by the manipulative Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter).

Addison De Witt is the most famous theater critic in the world at least according to himself, who is well known in the theater world for his sardonic wit, and criticism. Sanders seems simply the only person for this role. There is something about Sanders which he utilizes so well in this film, and that is he seems to be in a class of his own. Sanders just has this perfect quality that suggests he is simply functioning on some sort of different level which could not work better for Addison De Witt.

Sanders fully and brilliantly realizes his characters incredible wit, intelligence, and his overly classy way he acts and moves. Each movement he makes are always more fully amplify Addison way and nature. Sanders is not in the film overall actually that much, but he is always noticeable, and always brings the right amount of attention to himself. Sanders is just compulsively watchable in his performance, whether he is making a remark made as witty and sardonic as possible with Sanders' impeccable voice, or is reacting to another speak with his perfect reactions always dissecting them, and finding weakness or strength or what that say.

Sanders makes Addison the perfect pompous but incredibly intelligent critic, in this lively completely entertaining performance. A great performance in almost every moment he is in adding everything he can even in the smallest of moments, but he is also given one scene just for Sanders to be completely outstanding. This is of course his scene where he finally manipulates Eve, and shows her how things really are. Sanders is simply incredible as Addison destroys Eve's facade and breaks her down. He also shows a slight sensitivity breifly when Eve laughs at him, that Sanders quickly but perfectly weaves into the razor sharp edge of his character. Sanders holds no bars in this scene, and is chilling as he tells of Eve how she is now his. Sanders for this scene alone deserved an Oscar it is that good. With this incredible scene, and all of his other short but scene stealing moments this was an Oscar well deserved for George Sanders.

Best Supporting Actor 1950

And The Nominees Were:

Erich Von Stroheim in Sunset Blvd.

Edmund Gwenn in Mister 880

George Sanders in All About Eve

Jeff Chandler in Broken Arrow

Sam Jaffe in The Asphalt Jungle

Before I jump back to Best Actor and gain back my ability to relax as I review here is another Supporting year.