It is one of my all-time favorite female performances. She nailed every nuance of the character and should have won the Oscar hands down. I believe she lost due to the unfathomable nepotism that exists in Hollywood then, now, and likely always. Liza, the real substance abuser vs Diana who played it to perfection. From things I've read, Hollywood was seemingly awarding the daughter of their 'Darling Judy Garland" who they helped to destroy by enabling her drug and alcohol abuse.
Liza Minelli, for me, ruins everything she's in. Most everyone loves Arthur, but imagine how much better it could have been with a more likable female lead.
And the beat goes on. Just this year alone we have Ron Howard's daughter in Jurassic World, Tom Hank's son Colin in Vacation, Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie in Ricki and the Flash, Bruce Paltrow's daughter Gwyneth in Mordecai, Clint Eastwood's son Scott in The Longest Ride, Arnold Schwarzenegger's son in THREE films this year, the list is endless.
And that's just a few big name actors.
Christian Slater's mommy was a successful casting agent who foisted her son on the film world.
In 1963, Sidney Poitier won the Oscar, beating out Albert Finney, Richard Harris, Rex Harrison, and Paul Newman.
James Earl Jones was nominated in 1970 and lost to George C Scott for Patton.
Paul Winfield was nominated also in 1972 and lost to Marlon Brando for The Godfather.
These are a few reasons I don't believe it was a race influenced loss for Diana Ross. Maybe the Academy was so stunned by a first time at bat home run, they just couldn't believe it. But my money remains on nepotism.
reply
share
Destinata
9 years ago
You're probably right about the nepotism -- and the "We'll make up for what we did to Judy by giving an award to Liza." The academy is ridiculous that way. My favorite is, "Oh. You're dying/dead? You deserve an Oscar!"
I get tired of seeing someone's talentless son or daughter in movies just because mummy or dada has pull. I get tired of seeing the same mummy and dada over and over again instead of equal or better talent. Do they really think there are only a handful of good actors or actresses in Hollywood?
BTW, for my money, the person who really got reamed in Lady Sings the Blues was Richard Pryor. His performance was scary good. I think he was up for best supporting actor, too. For me, that was the best first time at bat home run.
You will probably disagree. That's the nature of discussions -- they have two sides.
reply
share