"Actress In A Leading Role" 1969: My Ranking

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5. Genevieve Bujold in "Anne Of The Thousand Days"

- Bujold holds no emotional depth in her performance, never finding her way around the camera. She takes it all in stride, and manages to look hazy eyed and cute as the ill-fated Anne.

4. Maggie Smith in "The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie"

- A single woman tour-de-force if there has ever been one, Maggie Smith captures the feminist and dangerous spirit of Jean Brodie so beautifully, that it all looks seamlessly easy. Her haunting performance leaves me speechless and much as her students.

3. Jean Simmons in "The Happy Ending"

- Another single woman tour-de-force, Jean Simmons holds herself together no matter how many cliches the script wants to throw at her. She shows her character's despair, heartbreak, and finally failed rejuvenation throughout the entire experience.

2. Jane Fonda in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"

- Jane Fonda plays her deeply depressed character in a straight forward way, yet her performance is never on one-note. She is fantastic at showing her character's inner most demons that is are always apparent, but often forgotten - a true testament to her acting abilities.

1. Liza Minnelli in "The Sterile Cuckoo"

- In this fantastic year, it could go any four ways, but I go with Liza because her performance contains a freshness that is wonderful to rediscover. Her bittersweet humor, her constant ability to transform herself between comedy and drama is amazing.

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Honorable Omissions: Ruth Gordon in "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?", Patricia Wymer in "The Babysitter", and Geraldine Page in "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?".

Jane Fonda in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"

Jane Fonda received her first Oscar nomination for playing Gloria Beatty in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, as great a film as it is, suffers from an overall dull feeling. Which in a way, is saying something praise worthy because you feel like the people in the dance marathon: anxious of what's to come, but bored out of their minds. Everyone who is going to enter the dance marathon are there for one singular reason, it's the Depression and they need money. Some for a quick easy, some for dreams. I hope not to have my previous comment misinterpreted - I do think They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is a great film, just not a continuously entertaining film.

Gloria Beatty arrives at the dance marathon, expecting absolutely nothing. Life has cheated her and she feels the bitter taste of jade at every turn. Through flashbacks we learn she had ambitions of being an actress and just got out of the hospital over a suicide attempt. Gloria goes into it, maybe hoping she can finally get her life in order if she wins, and like everyone else, she'll do anything to win. It sounds somewhat wrong to say Jane Fonda is irresistible in the role of Gloria. Let me put it another way, it's hard to take your eyes off of Jane in the part. Gloria isn't exactly likable, but I wanted to know everything about her as soon as Fonda steps into the movie.

It's obvious Jane Fonda is trying to act up a storm in the role, and she succeeds in the best possible ways. If you're forced to watch a character for 2 hours, you end up caring for them, even if the character is despicable - but if you have a cynical, depressing character, you have to really work overdrive to make the audience care for him/her, and as I said, I wanted to know everything about Gloria and why she has had such a miserable life. There's something beautiful she keeps laying beneath her performance and that's the great mystery of her performance - she has been aged beyond her years by her ungrateful life. To say simply, Jane Fonda is excellent in the part is a bit of an understatement.

Risky and excellent, an easy combination for a pro, and she was just getting started! Jane Fonda is every superlative I can throw her way in the role of Gloria. A haunting, beautifully depressing performance.

Liza Minnelli in "The Sterile Cuckoo"

Liza Minnelli received her first Oscar nomination for playing Pookie Adams in The Sterile Cuckoo.

The Sterile Cuckoo is a wonderful, quirky, romantic movie about two opposites who fall in love during a bus trip to their neighboring colleges. The film is originally set up like some sort of buddy film, but eventually becomes a romance once the two kids starts becoming more and more passionate about each other. It follows Jerry, a straight laced college kid and Pookie, a very eccentric emotional girl who only wanted to get away from her home.

Being Liza's first big role, she had alot of challenges in the role of Pookie. First off, she has to portray a character that could easily have been over the top in the hands on really anyone. Second, she has to keep the same emotional connection with her character that she had, when her character starts to move in more dramatic territory. And finally third, she has to play down her "big" moments when her character is faced with emotional situations - incredibly Liza succeeds in every department.

She is funny without overdoing it, she is sad without being sympathetic - she makes the eccentrics of Pookie seem normal. Her wonderful, magnetic charisma on screen is perfect, every moment feels like you are watching something special happening without the actress trying to hard for the audience's attention. She shows perfect potential in the part, and not to mention she underplays Pookie's annoying habits!

This performance is often overlooked for Liza, and that's a shame. Because where she succeeds in the part of Sally Bowles, she triples herself even before then with the part of Pookie. It's an amazing feat of acting when a character can be twisted around every which way and still come out looking natural.

Jean Simmons in "The Happy Ending"

Jean Simmons received her last Oscar nomination for playing Mary Wilson in The Happy Ending.

The Happy Ending, as cliched as it may be, it still grand entertainment for me. I love these kind of movies where seemingly repressed women break out of their shells, and before there was a Lifetime that ruined the whole genre. This "bad" housewife film focuses on Mary, a woman who has been disillusioned by the morals of the 1950s. Approaching middle age, she is facing many problems in her life, including a b-o-r-i-n-g husband and a teenage girl who barely speaks to her unless she wants something. She turns to booze, pills, and classic romances to help her get through the days. Finally at the edge, she runaways to the Bahamas, only to find unexpected romance.

Jean Simmons has the cliched part and it's up to her to put her own spin on the character. Mary is not frumpy nor boring, but that's what everyone would like her to be. Especially considering how her family treats her, it's no wonder Mary has to retreat inside her mind until that's not enough. The Happy Ending is, without a doubt, intended to be a vehicle for Jean Simmons and she sure delivers. Emotional, vulnerable, yet strong and hopeful, even in the Italian gigolo (Bobby Darin?) romance, Simmons portrays Mary so brilliantly, with shades of heartbreak and ambiance.

It's both entertaining and sad, especially in the beginning when you know Mary is a horribly sad woman who wants so much more out of life. Simmons finds a connection with her that could have mishandled in someone elses hands. A special, haunting performance that left me moved and jilted. Yes, I will go that far - her performance is stirring without all the showiness that could cause over acting. Maybe it's just my own personal taste, but I think her performance is terrific.

Genevieve Bujold in "Anne Of The Thousand Days"

Genevieve Bujold received her only Oscar nomination for playing Anne Boylen in Anne Of The Thousand Days.

Anne Of The Thousand Days is a dreadfully boring movie only saved by hammy turn by Richard Burton and a very pretty musical score. Though I've seen many films about this era in England from The Private Lives Of Henry VIII all the way up to Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Anne Of The Thousand Days does have an interesting plot, the setup of how future heir Elizabeth I was born and her parents marriage. I suppose Anne isn't the first stop in one's quest to learn about England's history, but it would be alright to give it a chance.

Genevieve Bujold plays Anne - at first a wise beyond her years young girl to wife of the great king. Here's the first thing that bothers me about Bujold's performance, how she tries to turn amateur into wonderment. It doesn't work no matter how much she gazes into the screen in the beginning. Then, towards the latter half of the picture, her suddenly strong and morally ethical Anne doesn't fit the previous. Did Henry really change her life this much? Bujold doesn't know how to connect the two properly.

Another thing is how Genevieve plays with the emotions and complexities of Anne. In her most emotional moments, Bujold struggles to connect everything to the audience in a compassionate way. She borders on cold, when Anne should be played in a more loving, charming manner. It is an interesting choice that she does play it in this way, but I'm not trying to say it was good either. It's definitely a mixed performance, for the most part, one that's not entertaining or enlightening.

One or two nice moments does not qualify Genevieve Bujold an Oscar nomination in my opinion. Not a great complexion of her character and definitely mixes up Anne's emotions.

Maggie Smith in "The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie"

Maggie Smith won the Oscar for playing schoolteacher Jean Brodie in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.

The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie is a great film because it's just a one woman show. The film is full of interesting characters and performances, especially the one by Pamela Franklin. It tells the story of Jean Brodie - eccentric, extreme Scottish teacher who loves to put "old heads on young shoulders". She takes girls and tries to teach them a mixture of her own teaching method and her own personal beliefs. She wants to teach her students how to be like her: independent, dangerous, and confrontational. Through circumstances, Miss Brodie soon sees her life coming to new and unexpected places, and a student who could disrupt everything.

Maggie Smith inhabits the role of Jean, so naturally with confidence, it's impossible to always feel aware we are watching acting. She presents two sides: the overly confident, intelligent, caring Miss Brodie and Jean: a woman who feels like she is loosing her prime and giving up too quickly on things she always meant to do. Actually, it could be called a tour-de-force, because when it comes to the gauntlet of emotions, Maggie has to go through them all, and when she does it never looks overdone.

Jean is very theatrical at every turn, yet it never feels out of element or phony. And on top of that, Maggie makes it all wonderful! Everything is calculated, down to the way Jean is supposed to walk and handle herself, and Smith surely knew all of this when she took the character. It's very hard to make a theatrical character work and have people praise it, and yet, Maggie Smith was able to do that and beyond with the power loving Miss Brodie. For a brief 2 hours, Maggie Smith paints a portrait beautifully, without stepping out of the way along the way.

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1969

Moving right along to another year:

1969

And the Academy selected:

• Genevieve Bujold in Anne Of A Thousand Days
• Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
• Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo
• Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending
• Maggie Smith in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1954: My Ranking

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5. Dorothy Dandridge in "Carmen Jones"

- Dorothy sings and makes history. Unfortunately, her performance is so bland that a historic nomination seems utterly nonsensical. She bursts into the movie and never holds back, but everything is lacking, missing some sort of depth that would give this mess some light.

4. Grace Kelly in "The Country Girl"

- Lost and confused in most scenes, her deglam is what carries her for the most part. She doesn't do anything successfully: getting the characters complex emotions fully across, showing her quiet and reserved love for her husband, etc.

3. Audrey Hepburn in "Sabrina"

- All Audrey Hepburn really had to do was smile for the majority of her role and she does it quite nicely, but I'm not one to fall for her 'style' (?). Her act goes so far, and she wears it out very quickly, giving what seems like nothing to her scenes.

2. Jane Wyman in "Magnificent Obsession"

- Jane Wyman gives the oddest performance here, but a good one at that. Her best moments are surprising ones that I didn't expect and what seems like Sirk helping her. Still, there is some murky water floating in her performance that prevents it from ever being totally great.

1. Judy Garland in "A Star Is Born"

- I am hardly a fan...at all, but there is no denying Garland sticks out this year above the others. I don't care for her musical scenes and most of her emotional scenes show her seams as an actress, but their are some things to admire. Like how she can deliver lines like a pro and cry on cue - she does give a good performance, but not one I particularly like. She is my least favorite of my chosen winners.

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Honorable Omissions: None.

Dorothy Dandridge in "Carmen Jones"

Dorothy Dandridge received her only Oscar nomination for playing Carmen Jones.

Carmen Jones is one of the worst movies I've seen. The musical adaptation of the classic opera Carmen is just...awful. As far as musicals go, this is not a good showcase as the plot is nothing and the characters break out into song at any random moment, and songs that don't even necessarily go with the situations - the small story that is there is a vivacious young woman who is the desire of many men at an army base during WWII. After all of these men are after her, she falls for an engaged man. Enter countless numbers of songs, and you got a movie. It's a shame how much history a film like this made yet can be so terrible.

Dorothy Dandridge plays the updated Carmen, who can charm any man with her vivacious curves and sultry walk/talk. That's her storyline and she sticks to it - Carmen is already a one note character who can only be redeemed if Dandridge knows how to make this performance incredibly enjoyable, as their is no way it can be brilliantly done. But, unfortunately the filmmakers simply did not care and to top it, neither did Dandridge. I've heard the controversy surrounding her and the process of the filmmaking, but that's not going to change the fact I think she never did anything substantial with the role.

Horribly boring, mediocre acting, uncharismatic lipsyncing - yet, history making. She became the first African American actress to be nominated for Best Actress, and even though the politics should never be involved, when you watch Carmen Jones you can't help but think to yourself how much of an impact she actually made with this nomination. However, the performance is just exhausting and worthless.

Audrey Hepburn in "Sabrina"

Audrey Hepburn received her second Oscar nomination for playing Sabrina Fairchild in Sabrina.

Ah, another terrible movie - Sabrina has the boring tone and unbelievable plot that plagues the majority of the nominees this year. The characters were obviously hastily put together and the actors never bring the much needed depth to them to make them work; combined with the fact the word "Sabrina" is said about 500 times. The story of two brothers who are complete opposites - one is hard working, one likes to have fun. The daughter of their chauffeur has long been infatuated with the younger brother David, but he hardly ever noticed her because of her shyness. She goes off to Paris for 2 years for what seems an immaculate rebirth, and returns as Audrey Hepburn - charm Queen.

Audrey Hepburn was an actress who could simply skate by with audiences on her charm. For a role like Sabrina, the most Hepburn has to is twirl her eyes, smile big, and look positively radiant on screen. There is at least a background to her character, we know she hasn't always been this charming woman. She has suddenly become much more 'noticeable' and eloquent to the two brothers. Which begins a rift between them over the lovely Sabrina.

Even though their both equally terrible, the focus of the story is the rift between William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. Audrey Hepburn's biggest movie is too be charming on screen, there is nothing there. It's as simple and unfortunate as that. Her best moments come when Sabrina is being courted and all Audrey has to do is smile wide - it's bad when that is your biggest highpoint.

Jane Wyman in "Magnificent Obsession"

Jane Wyman received her last Oscar nomination for playing Helen Phillips in Magnificent Obsession.

Even though it's full of predictable cliches, Magnificent Obsession is easily one of the best films of that downer year of 1954. Douglas Sirk's films can be very unbearable with it's melodrama, but Magnificent Obsession plays rather surprisingly, always showing new and original situations. The story of a rich, arrogant good looking man who is involved in a tragic accident. He tries his best to console the life of the man who died as a result, and becomes involved with his widow. He slowly falls in love with the woman, but her life is too shattered to come to grips with love that easily.

Jane Wyman plays Helen Phillips, the bereaved widow. She was not exactly happy with her life beforehand, but it has become obvious she misses her husband unbearably. She is a bit emotionless, or maybe it's the way Jane Wyman played her. When her character becomes blind, it's a bit unbelievable, especially how the actors ended up handling it. Wyman is obviously much to old to be playing the romantic interest of Rock Hudson, but all the negative odds that seem apparent in her performance, she is able to overcome.

That emotionless facade that the character could or could not possess is enough to keep you interested in her throughout the entire ordeal of the movie. Her melodramatic approach fits Rock Hudson's bad acting perfectly - it's not exactly amazing, but it's still good. Wyman is an actress who doesn't really know how to hold a moment, but her Helen becomes a little wondrous with her emotions, especially after she becomes blind. Her performance still has it's lows, but overall it's a very entertaining performance that fits the movie very well.

Judy Garland in "A Star Is Born"

Judy Garland received her first Oscar nomination for playing Vicki Lester in A Star Is Born.

A Star Is Born is not a movie I'd like to see more then once - I know the plot like the back of my hand, but this version becomes more of a musical then anything else. Those countless, endless musical numbers are horrible - it might just be my own disdain for musicals that are endless, but had it not be for the strong pipes at hand, it could easily be fast forwarded through. The well known story of Ester Blodgett (Vicki Lester) who starts out as a dazzlingly singer, she is met by a drunken Norman Maine and he helps her become a sensation.

Judy Garland plays the classic role of Vicki Lester - Mrs. Norman Maine. She is a naive girl who has the talent, but needs that boast to become a huge star. She is immediately taken with Norman Maine as he is with her, the problem is mostly she needs something to boast her. As the film slowly progresses, she finally gets her moment and even a successful movie career + Oscar. However his drinking becomes more and more terrible and unbearable for himself, and Vicki.

In such a melodramatic, over the top musical, the melodramatic over the top performance of Judy Garland seems to fit. Her high pitched deep voice combined with her delicate appearance create a very strange performance - when Garland sings, we know everything we need to know, however her acting is less then satisfying. As I said, the melodrama of the film suits her wallowing performance fine, but in terms of great screen acting, it's not good. Her big moments like when she accepts the Oscar (irony?) or the big final confrontation between Norman and Vicki is very, very good. However, there is still that cloud hovering above the performance - just because Garland can reach an incredible high note in many endless musical sequences, doesn't mean that's going to save some of her mediocre acting.

Grace Kelly in "The Country Girl"

Grace Kelly won the Oscar for playing Georgie Elgin in The Country Girl.

The Country Girl began as a stage play, and it's painfully obvious in the film. Scenes go on and on and on, the writing becomes stilted and incredibly self-conscious after awhile & dreadfully boring. The story of a washed up alcoholic actor who finally gets a second chance is a good concept, but the film also has to focus on his dreadful director and his boring wife.

Grace Kelly (playing totally against type for the time) enters the story as Georgie Elgin, the drunk actor's wife. She is hardly dowdy, but looks as if she has no mind for dressing up, or maybe she doesn't want too? Kelly plays the facade of the character fine, but Georgie is meant to stay in the background, she should have made the viewer notice her and care for her more in the beginning, because once we get to her nervous, flashy scenes, we don't, or at least I didn't.

She is mostly a stone faced woman who knows how to support her husband and knows what is best for him. A long suffering wife, sort of speak. Grace Kelly plays Georgie very terribly, relying on overacting to save her in most instances. Her trusting scene to William Holden is amateur and makes you wonder how much experience Kelly actually had. Her best scenes come when Bing Crosby makes her look good, his performance is not incredible either but he knew exactly what tone to play the part on. The role is not emotional, and with a very unemotional actress who relies on cheap theatrics, there is nothing substantial about her performance.

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1954

Moving right along to another year:

1954

And the Academy selected:

• Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones
• Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina
• Judy Garland in A Star Is Born
• Grace Kelly in The Country Girl
• Jane Wyman in Magnificent Obsession

So will I agree with the upset or perhaps the most famous nominee of all time, or name one of the other actresses as the best of 1954?

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1953: My Ranking

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5. Deborah Kerr in "From Here To Eternity"

- Deborah Kerr has somewhat of alot to work with, but she squanders the performance by overdoing the whole icy aspect of her character. Exaggerated is a good word to describe her performance, as she seems lost and not knowing how to react on screen.

4. Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday"

- Audrey Hepburn has great casting in Roman Holiday, but it's hardly a great performance. She has the necessary charm that adds she adds the role quite perfectly, but there is close to no emotions, no depth, she's practically just there to be cute.

3. Maggie McNamara in "The Moon Is Blue"

- With perhaps another close to nothing character, Maggie McNamara is able to get the best out of the part. She has the charm of Audrey Hepburn, but she doesn't know how to handle the material all that closely. Her best moments come when she is most relaxed on camera.

2. Ava Gardner in "Mogambo"

- In perhaps the worst of movies, Ava Gardner has another thin character, but were the rest fail is where Gardner succeeds. She makes her character earthy and realistic, instead of 'too good to be true' and unbelievably charming. It also helps that she knows how to be extremely entertaining without overdoing it.

1. Leslie Caron in "Lili"

- Rivaling Ann-Margret in Tommy as the strangest performance ever nominated, Leslie Caron finds the right mix of weird and wonderful that impresses me despite the film's goofiness. She can be childlike, wise, funny, sad, it's really a tour-de-force trapped in a little girl's body.

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Honorable Omissions: None.

Deborah Kerr in "From Here To Eternity"

Deborah Kerr received her second Oscar nomination for playing Karen Holmes in From Here To Eternity.

I'm not necessarily a fan of From Here To Eternity, and there are alot of obvious problems with it (namely Frank Sinatra) but I still think it's a very good film. It's very 50s, whilst maintaining a strange sexual energy that is wonderfully hidden beneath many lines of dialogue. The two parallel stories of a soldier who has just been transferred to Hawaii and a Sergent who begins a torrid love affair with his captain's wife.

Deborah Kerr plays Karen - the wife of the captain. When we first meet her, she becomes immediately interesting; an icy, very stern woman, who loves to be with alot of men. This is really unlike any other thing Deborah Kerr every played and unfortunately she knew this. Every "sexy" situation Kerr must throw herself into it, it feels terribly offsetting and unnatural. From Here To Eternity never lets Karen become the character she's supposed to be. Or maybe it's better to say, they are both working against each other if that makes sense.

Kerr wants to play this man-eater very high and the script wants her to be much more subtle. It doesn't much help either that Kerr puts her disdain acting style on Karen - obvious acting moments, where she looks off in the distance or drags out a line for dramatic effect. The obvious bitterness she invested in the character is impressive, but Kerr never knows how to drag everything out from beginning to end. Once she finds the right balance of icy and sexy, she stops - never once crossing the line and giving us something surprising. Of course, the bitter acting is very well played and saves her from being a total mess. However, she never fully embraces the character or makes an impact on me as a viewer.

Leslie Caron in "Lili"

Leslie Caron received her first Oscar nomination for playing Lili Daurier in Lili.

Lili is certainly...strange. It's not to say it's bad, for the sheer value of strangeness, Lili is a terrific watch. It's seen as a children's film, but for a children's film, it has alot of dark overtones. Everything from pedophilia to rape to possible mental illness are at hand in Lili, and is subjected for kids to see. The more I think about it, the more I actually like Lili - it never completely turns into total ridiculousness. The story of a 16 year old French girl who leaves her home in the country after her father dies. She goes to a big city looking for a family friend, only to find he has died too - she begs for a job, and after a truly awful incident she decides suicide is the only answer. Suddenly puppets show up and begin to talk her out of it - leading Lili to a circus act.

Already in the first half of Lili, Leslie Caron has alot to do. Heartbroken, naive, hopeless, it's a very depressing character who only finds satisfaction in being comforted by the puppets. Caron at first perfectly shows this balance wonderfully - she's so sad and finally is brought to life again by the puppets. It's unimaginable, but the script of Lili hardly brings her down, the musical numbers do. There just awful and Leslie Caron cannot survive them.

However, she soon redeems herself in the latter half of the picture, when the film has incredibly psychedelic pre-acid trip sequences that will make your mouth fall on the floor. Leslie Caron is simply wonderful as being naive and sweet - her serious scenes are also very well handled, with natural ease. It's almost like she knew not to take herself too serious and all good things would come from it, and unbelievably enough, it did. Again, did Leslie Caron make the Earth move with this performance? Absolutely not. But as far as digging deeper and entertainment value go, she did a wondrous job that impressed me.

Ava Gardner in "Mogambo"

Ava Gardner received her only Oscar nomination for playing Eloise Kelly in Mogambo.

Mogambo is terrible - interesting for it's time, but terrible. There's some great looking technicolor, but as far as the story goes and the way it's executed, the film has no strength. The story of a game keeper in Africa who is torn between two ladies: a diva-like woman who is stuck there and the wife of a gorilla researcher.

Ava Gardner plays Eloise, or as she is referred to many times in the film, Honey Bear. She enters the story very smoothly, always keeping a keen eye on her surroundings. Right from the beginning, Gardner shows how Eloise is not a typical woman - she is full of life, yet all knowing and cynical, she is romantic, but not lusting after any man that comes her way. She is funny, yet knows when to keep her mouth closed; it's a huge task for an actress to pull off this part convincingly and for the most part Ava Gardner accomplishes this.

It's unique how realistic the character Eloise feels. In a ridiculously underwritten part, Gardner steals all the lines that could easily be unbelievable. She has a certain down to earth quality to her that shines through the diva facade that erupts into mind immediately when we see her gorgeously showering. But, one can only wonder how far this role can go; yes, she is realistic at what she is doing, and yes she is the only reason to watch it, making it fun and watchable, but is it a great performance? For the charm and uniqueness she portrays on screen, I think so, but again, how low is the bar set for material like Mogambo? And what exactly do we learn about this character in the end?

I'm torn by the performance because it is so unique in it's approach, but very underwritten and incomplete.

"I haven't given you my present yet, but I will now. I have an announcement to make...An announcement of life beginning.

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Maggie McNamara in "The Moon Is Blue"

Maggie McNamara received her only Oscar nomination for playing Patty O'Neill in The Moon Is Blue.

The material of The Moon Is Blue is much more interesting then the actual film. It feels lifeless, as if it's waiting for a huge moment that will set it off into another territory. The lines are utterly annoying, always moving a fast pace and never letting the charm settle. The story of a successful architect who meets a young actress on top of the Empire State Building. He invites her out to dinner, and what follows is romance and comedy.

For every Meryl Streep or Bette Davis nomination, there is always a Gladys George or a Margret Sullivan nomination; an actress who received one nomination but is hardly known by anyone today. Maggie McNamara certainly fits this profile like a glove. When one watches The Moon Is Blue, it's hard to even be interested in McNamara's acting abilities because her role is so thinly written and boring. Patty O'Neill is a naive woman who falls right into the arms of William Holden, there's no background or depth to the character to make her more interesting.

There are some nice moments in McNamara's performance. When Patty talks (what seems) endlessly about sex and being a virgin, it becomes sort of funny and entertaining. It is good that McNamara knew how to handle the "risque" parts of The Moon Is Blue, without making them overzealous or unbelievable. She found the right mix of logical and funny that holds her character together for the most part. But, still she can never overcome the fact that she is dreadfully boring and the material never gives her an opportunity to shine. Fine in some ways, but one can't help but wonder how it worked on the stage.