Best Actress

[ For full episode catalogue please subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/BestActress ] The year is 1938 and the nominees are: 1. Luise Rainer - The Good Earth 2. Irene Donne - The Awful Truth 3. Greta Garbo - Camille 4. Janet Gaynor - A Star is Born 5. Barbara Stanwyck - Stella Dallas - In 1938 Luise Rainer became the first performer to win back-to-back Oscars as well as the first performer to have two Academy Awards. Her first Oscar was won the year prior for The Great Ziegfeld. If you weren’t aware, this is perhaps one of the most controversial Oscar wins because Luise Rainer, a German born woman, is portraying a Chinese woman in yellow face in The Good Earth. A big part of her win for this Oscar was the major financial support from the MGM studio she was represented by. The other nominees gave career standouts in their respective films but were freelance actors and couldn’t campaign to the same lengths as a major studio. Luise Rainer was only in Hollywood for a total of 3 years before eventually leaving as a result of the lack of interest in “the glam” of movie stardom. Regardless, she set an Oscar record that has only been repeated (in leading roles) by Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and Tom Hanks. Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Chris as they discuss.

[ For full episode catalogue please subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/BestActress ] The year is 1985 and the nominees are: 1. Sissy Spacek - The River 2. Vanessa Redgrave - The Bostonians 3. Jessica Lange - Country 4. Judy Davis - A Passage to India 5. Sally Field - Places in the Heart - In 1985 Sally Field won her second Oscar playing a widow struggling to save her farm in Places in the Heart. This was an odd year in that there were 2 other similarly nominated roles for both Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek. Each of films portrayed a woman trying to keep her family and farm from being foreclosed by the bank. Honestly these films began to blur together while viewing. Oh this is also the famous year when Field said the famously misquoted quote, “I can’t deny the fact that you like me! Right now! You like me!” Judy Davis became a first time nominee for the David Lean epic in A Passage to India. This was Lean’s return to screen after a 14 year hiatus following the negative reviews from critics for the film Ryan’s Daughter. Finally, Vanessa Redgrave plays a suffragette in the extremely queer coded The Bostonians. Who do you think should have won? Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Dylan Mahaney as they discuss.

[ For full episode catalogue please subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/BestActress ] The year is 1945 and the nominees are: 1. Ingrid Bergman - Gaslight 2. Claudette Colbert - Since You Went Away 3. Bette Davis - Mr. Skeffington 4. Greer Garson - Mrs. Parkington 5. Barbara Stanwyck - Double Indemnity - In 1945 Ingrid Bergman won her first of three Oscars for a role that we currently use as a psychological term in Gaslight. Bergman plays a woman who becomes suspicious of goings-on in her home but is manipulated by her husband into doubting herself which leads her to question her own perceptions and behaviours; which we colourfully refer to these days as ‘gaslighting.’ I think her biggest competition this year came down to Claudette Colbert or Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck never won a competitive Oscar but Colbert had. Perhaps Stanwyck was the bigger competition. Each film was very enjoyable minus Mrs. Parkington. Of all the Garson performances this is not one of my fav’s. Who do you think should have won? Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Josh Murray as they discuss.

[ For full episode catalogue please subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/BestActress ] The year is 2019 and the nominees are: 1. Lady Gaga - A Star is Born 2. Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me? 3. Olivia Colman - The Favourite 4. Yalitza Aparicio 5. Glenn Close - The Wife - In 2019 Olivia Colman won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Favourite. Glenn-always-so-Close was the favourite to win for The Wife and her campaign narrative was basically, ‘it’s about time we give her her Oscar.’ She was visibly disappointed by Colman’s win in the telecast (frankly, give her an Oscar just for that reaction) and rightfully so. Colman even mentioned it in her speech. Very interesting year! Lady Gaga’s star was BORN (this way) with the 4th remake of ASIB. She may not have won for acting but she at least walked away with a statue for the film (Best Original Song). Yalitza Aparicio was nominated for her very first film (the dream) for Roma playing Alfonso Cuarón’s childhood nanny, Cleo. Melissa McCarthy redeemed her career (frankly) with Can You Ever Forgive Me? I feel like the title is asking for forgiveness for her string of terrible films directed by her husband Ben Falcone (Tammy, The Boss, Life of the Party). She even won worst actress at the Razzies for Life of the Party while simultaneously winning the ‘Redeemer Award’ for Can You Ever Forgive Me. As a comedian, I think that’s hilarious. Very interesting year! Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Robert Watson as they discuss.

[ For full episode catalogue please subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/BestActress ] The year is 1955 and the nominees are: 1. Grace Kelly - The Country Girl 2. Judy Garland - A Star is Born 3. Audrey Hepburn - Sabrina 4. Dorothy Dandridge - Carmen Jones 5. Jane Wyman - Magnificent Obsession - In 1955 Grace Kelly won her Oscar for The Country Girl shocking audiences around the world as she beat out the expected winner, Judy Garland. Garland was not present for the ceremony as she was giving birth to her third child but had an NBC crew waiting at the hospital to film her acceptance speech. This win for Kelly is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history. The other nominees included Audrey Hepburn for Sabrina, Jane Wyman for Magnificent Obsession, and Dorothy Dandridge who became the first black female to be nominated for a leading role for Carmen Jones. Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Dan Dillabough as they discuss. . . . . . . . . . . . . #bestactress #supporting #oscars #academyawards #hollywood #silverscreen #vintage #gay #queer #lgbtq #canada #losangeles #gaypodcast #robbed #snubbed #film #movie #podcast #supporting #lead #gracekelly #thecountrygirl #judygarland #astarisborn #audreyhepburn #sabrina #dorothydandridge #carmenjones #janewyman #magnificentobsession

[ For full episode catalogue please subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/BestActress ] The very first episode of Best Actress will be diving in to the always debated 1951 Oscar win for Judy Holliday. With Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson in the same category, it was a clash of the titans to see who would walk away with Oscar gold. Should Judy have won? Guest host Bil Antoniou (co-host of Bad Gay Movies Podcast) weighs in on our inaugural debate. Fasten your seatbelts it’s going to be a bumpy night!