Like any good film fan, I’ve got a million opinions and I’ll be happy to share them with you whenever you’ve got the time. I’ve also got a million pet peeves and I’ll share those with you whether you’ve got the time or not. One of those pet peeves is the fact that far too many people, not just the Motion Picture Academy, but especially the Motion Picture Academy, focus far too much on good or great supporting performances in good or great films and not nearly enough on good or great supporting performances in not so great films. Or just outright bad films. Either way, I’ve got a list a mile long of small, supporting performances I love whose chances for recognition were sunk by the movies they were in before they even finished their first run. For the purpose of this post, I’ll focus on just three.
One of the most famous instances of this, familiar to most so I might as well get it out of the way, was the performance of Michael Moriarty in Q, The Winged Serpent. Now, it was a lead performance but it sums up my position here well. Critics were actually quite wowed by Moriarty while being considerably less than wowed by the movie surrounding him. Did Moriarty get an Oscar nomination, even though the movie stunk? Of course not. Why? Two reasons: One, the movie’s not very good. Two, it’s a movie about a winged serpent. Should either of those matter? Nope. Still, it’s always bothersome when good work goes unrecognized and Moriarty’s work in Q is quite good.
There are many cases like that all the time but as I said up top, I’ll stick to three and for one of these (I’ll announce clearly which one), I’m really going to go out on a limb. I hope you’ll understand. For the other two, I think the proof is in the pudding. Here’s the pudding:
First up, Capricorn One. I wouldn’t say it’s an outright bad movie but it’s not very good. It’s beyond silly, contains loads of bad science, has a horrible performance by O.J. Simpson, may all the more remarkably bad given how few lines he has, and fuels the fire of foolish conspiracy theories. But, man, oh man, is Hal Holbrook good in it! I mean, he’s fantastic. He delivers a speech to the would-be astronauts in the beginning of the movie that brings down the house. The man is sitting at a table in a drab government building and the way he delivers his speech is captivating. He should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor that year (he, of course, was not) and, in fact, perusing all five nominees, including the winner, Jason Robards for Julia, I’d say he should have won. Unfortunately, the Academy couldn’t see past the movie itself to that performance by Holbrook.
Next up in this narrowly viewed post, let’s go back only one year to 1976. Ever see the remake of King Kong? Probably didn’t think much of it, did you? I didn’t either. Despite some revisionist grumblings out there, it’s just not a very good movie (although, honestly, I think it’s better than Peter Jackson’s horribly overdone 2005 version). There are three things I do like about it, though. One, the score by John Barry. I think it’s a good one, as I always expected from Barry. Two, Rick Baker’s gorilla suit. Yes, he walks in it incorrectly, never dragging his knuckles, usually locking his knees, but the actual complexity of the suit and mask is quite impressive. Three, Charles Grodin. Oh man, I don’t care how cheesy some of the elements are of this movie, Grodin is a flat-out hoot! He is the only reason I stick around if I see this thing on television. He plays his role with such a brazen selfishness, coupled with a staggering insecurity, it’s almost hard to believe an actor would put that much effort into creating this character for this movie and yet he did! No one would have blamed him for phoning it in but, brother, he gives it all he’s got. To this day, I think it’s some of Grodin’s best work. Too bad it appears in this movie.
Finally, we come to the one where I’m going to perch myself precariously on a wisp of a limb, hanging on tightly and hoping you’ll understand my logic as I justify my choice. It’s not so much about a great performance because it isn’t one. It’s about an earnest performance, one that, under the circumstances, seems remarkable. Okay, here goes: Dudley Manlove in Plan 9 from Outer Space. Stick with me! Plan 9 from Outer Space is one of my comfort movies. Having owned it on VHS, DVD and streaming (i-tunes and Amazon), I can call it up whenever I like and often do. I’ve watched more times than I can remember and no matter how much I watch it, I can never not feel empathy for Dudley Manlove. That voice of his, that great voice, speaking those imbecilic lines, uttering those dreadful phrases, plodding through that wooden dialogue.
Now, I should explain a few things. One, I do not believe Plan 9 from Outer Space is the worst movie ever made. No movie that entertaining could be. Obviously it wasn’t written very well and director Ed Wood seemed to pay little attention to what was happening right in front of his eyes as he filmed, not doing further takes when it was clearly needed. But it’s not the worst. The worst is any movie you simply cannot make it through because it contains no entertainment value whatsoever. Plan 9 entertains me, even on its own terms. But it is also clear that many of the actors in the movie suck pretty damn hard when it comes to the craft. They are in desperate need of rehearsal and direction from a director that can provide it. Ed Wood is not that director. So when I see Dudley Manlove acting his heart out in every damn scene he’s in, I feel a sense of welling pride for hard working actors everywhere. Here he was, the voice of Lux soap, doing his damnedest to make that explanation of Solaranite work. And, seriously, he almost pulls it off. He doesn’t only because, well, Jesus, it’s just such a bad monologue. But he almost pulls it off. He almost makes you believe that “igniting the air” around us actually makes sense. For his bravery in the line of duty, I think Dudley shouldn’t have gotten a little more recognition than he did, or does.
Well, that’s it. I can’t really support Capricorn One, the 1976 remake of King Kong, or Plan 9 from Outer Space as enriching works of cinema but I can support the actors in them providing fantastic support to those around them. Three in particular: Hal Holbrook, Charles Grodin, and Dudley Manlove. Three cheers for three kings. Hip, hip, hooray!