The MONTIES (1948) - Olivia de Havilland makes history!

As promised, here I am with another edition of my Monties..and it's only been 4 weeks. The year is 1948 and a certain actress won yet another Montie to set her apart from her colleagues. Let's get to it shall we.

Add one more Montie for Livvy!

BEST FILM: 
Winner: The Snake Pit
Nominees: Easter Parade, Good Sam, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, The Red Shoes, State Of The Union, I Remember Mama, Johnny Belinda
Thoughts: I remember watching The Snake Pit during my teen years and was immediately captivated by this stirring drama with a knock-out performance by Olivia de Havilland. It's one of those films that is so good you're enthralled with it from the time the screen lights up with the opening credits. One of the best films ever made!

BEST DIRECTOR:
Winner: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes)
Nominees: John Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre); Anatole Litvak (The Snake Pit); Frank Capra (State Of The Union); George Stevens (I Remember Mama)
Thoughts: The combination of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in directing the fantastic film The Red Shoes edges out Anatole Litvak's The Snake Pit. They are terrific in crafting this dreamlike film that manages to take filmgoers to a wonderful place in terms of entertainment. 

BEST WRITER: 
Winner: Billy Wilder/Charles Brackett (A Foreign Affair)
Nominees: Frank Datros/Millen Brand (The Snake Pit); John Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre); Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes); Irmgard Van Cobel/Allen Vincent (Johnny Belinda)
Thoughts: The team of Wilder and Brackett grabbed their 2nd Montie for writing. The duo previously won for 1945's The Lost Weekend, which also netted a Best Director Montie for Wilder. 

A dream pairing of Marlene and Jean had some wonderful dialogue 

courtesy of Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett

BEST ACTOR: 
Winner: Spencer Tracy (State Of The Union)
Nominees: Gary Cooper (Good Sam); Humphrey Bogart (The Treasure of The Sierra Madre); John Wayne (Red River); Lew Ayres (Johnny Belinda)
Thoughts: Believe it or not, this is the first win for Spencer Tracy. Some would argue he gave better performances but I thought he was really quite good here as Presidential candidate Grant Matthews who entire life is put under the microscope. Co-starring Katharine Hepburn, they once again deliver the goods as expected.

First step..win a Montie..next win the Presidency!

BEST ACTRESS:
Winner: Olivia de Havilland (The Snake Pit)
Nominees: Vivien Leigh (Anna Karenina); Irene Dunne (I Remember Mama); Jane Wyman (Johnny Belinda); Katharine Hepburn (State Of  The Union); Moira Shearer (The Red Shoes); Judy Garland (Easter Parade)
Thoughts: Olivia picks up her 3rd Montie in the space of 8 years reaffirming her dominance of the 40's. She won previously for The Strawberry Blonde (1941) and The Dark Mirror (1946). And her performance here as Virginia Stuart Cunningham, a woman who winds up in a mental institution is another magnificent triumph. Just edging out Irene Dunne's equally amazing performance in I Remember Mama. This also makes Olivia the first actress to win three Monties and she ties Cary Grant, who has that distinction for the men.

This is starting to seem like old hat for Olivia..

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Winner: Barbara Bel Geddes/Ellen Corby (I Remember Mama) - tie
Nominees: Agnes Moorehead (Johnny Belinda); Marlene Dietrich (A Foreign Affair); Claire Trevor (Key Largo)
Thoughts: The fact that Bel Geddes and Corby were both nominated for Oscars shows how strong their performances were. I really couldn't pick one over the other so I decided to go with a split decision. They were both terrific as Katrin and Aunt Trina respectively.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Winner: Walter Huston (The Treasure of The Sierra Madre)
Nominees: Montgomery Clift (Red River); Melvyn Douglas (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House); Edward G. Robinson (Key Largo); Jose Ferrer (Joan Of Arc)
Thoughts: I love Walter's performance here in Sierra Madre..as the wild and woolly old prospector Howard who has seen it all and done it all and still wants to just enjoy doing some more.  He's awesome!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Winner: THE RED SHOES
Nominees: The Naked City, Joan Of Arc, A Foreign Affair
Thoughts: Jack Cardiff provided one of the best looking films ever in The Red Shoes and wins a Montie for his effort.

BEST FILM SCORE:
Winner: EASTER PARADE (Johnny Green/Roger Edens)
Nominees: Max Steiner (Johnny Belinda); Alfred Newman (The Snake Pit); Hugo Friedhofer (Joan Of Arc)
Thoughts: Easter Parade just dances off the screen thanks to the singing of Judy Garland, the dancing of Fred Astaire and Ann Miller and the great music score done by Johnny Green and Roger Edens.

There you have it..another edition of the Monties. Quite the mixed bag too. The Snake Pit, The red Shoes and I Remember Mama each won 2 Monties. Spencer Tracy finally broke through to win his first Montie while Olivia de Havilland picked up her 3rd one, tying Cary Grant as the star with most Monties. I'll be back next month with the 1949 edition.

THE MONTIES: 1947 - A little bit of something for everyone as the Monties get spread around

Wow, it's been 10 months since I last did a Monties post. Sorry about that. Been busy with work and actually doing more on my FB page for All Good Things than on here. Plus it gave me time to see more movies made for the year of 1947. So let's get started with a year that saw my Monties get spread around all over the place.

BEST FILM:
Winner: The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
Nominees: The Farmer's Daughter, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Gentlemen's Agreement, Black Narcissus, The Bishop's Wife, Smash-Up: The Story Of A Woman, Miracle on 34th Street, Out Of The Past
Thoughts: One of the most diverse years ever with comedies, dramas, and film noir all mixing it up. Now while Gentlemen's Agreement, Black Narcissus and Smash-Up are definitely the type of films that get the Academy's attention I went with one of my favorite comedies of all time, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. Seeing veterans Cary Grant and Myrna Loy do their screwball thing brought back memories of the great comedies of the 30's. I have seen this film a gazillon times and it's still funny and fresh as seeing it for the first time.

Smile Cary..your film just won another Montie!

BEST DIRECTOR:
Winner: Jacques Tourneur (Out Of The Past)
Nominees: George Cukor (A Double Life); Michael Powell (Black Narcissus); Elia Kazan (Gentlemen's Agreement); Joseph L. Mankiewicz (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir)
Thoughts: Tourneur crafted one of the best film noirs in history with the excellent Out Of The Past. The other four nominees were no slouches but I felt Tourneur was the man to beat.

Jacques lining up a shot 

BEST WRITER:
Winner: Moss Hart (Gentleman's Agreement)
Nominees: Sidney Sheldon (The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer); Valentine Davis (Miracle on 34th Street); Dorothy Parker (Smash-Up); Eleazar Lipsky (Kiss Of Death)

A happy Moss Hart

BEST ACTOR:
Winner: Robert Mitchum (Out Of The Past)
Nominees: Rex Harrison (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir); Gregory Peck (Gentlemen's Agreement); Ronald Colman (A Double Life); Danny Kaye (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty); Cary Grant (The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer)
Thoughts: Bobby Mitchum was terrific as the private eye involved in double crosses and corruption. He denies Cary Grant for what would have been Grant's 4th Montie.

The man of the hour..Robert Mitchum

BEST ACTRESS:
Winner: Gene Tierney (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir)
Nominees: Loretta Young (The Farmer's Daughter); Susan Hayward (Smash-Up); Dorothy McGuire (Gentlemen's Agreement); Jane Greer (Out Of The Past); Deborah Kerr (Black Narcissus)
Thoughts: Gene Tierney gets her first Montie after losing out two years ago for Leave Her To Heaven. Her performance as Lucy Muir in the Ghost and Mrs. Muir is a wonderful one, mixing romanticism, strong willingness, and determination. Kudos to Gene.

Gene Tierney wins her first Montie

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: 
Winner: Ava Gardner (The Hucksters)
Nominees: Jean Simmons (Black Narcissus); Celeste Holm (Gentleman's Agreement); Natalie Wood (Miracle on 34th Street); Shirley Temple (The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer)

Thoughts: Ava scores a Montie on her first nomination. She missed out last year being nominated as Kitty Collins in The Killers by a hair as that year was top heavy with lots of strong female performances but she would not be denied this year. I loved her performance here and she had wonderful chemistry with Clark Gable. They would re-team again for Mogambo.

As does Ava

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: 
Winner: Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street)
Nominees: Kirk Douglas (Out Of The Past); David Niven (The Bishop's Wife); Richard Widmark (Kiss Of Death); John Garfield (Gentleman's Agreement)
Thoughts: As good as Richard Widmark as crazed killer Tommy Udo in Kiss Of Death was, Edmund Gwenn was just awesome as the man named Kris Kringle who claims to be Santa with a sentimental and wonderful performance.

The delightful Edmund

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Winner: BLACK NARCISSUS
Nominees: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir; Sinbad the Sailor; Lady In The Lake
Thoughts: One beautiful looking film..period.

The beautiful looking Black Narcissus

BEST FILM SCORE:
Winner: Max Steiner (Life With Father)
Nominees: Miklos Rozsa (A Double Life); Hugo Friedhofer (The Bishop's Wife)
Thoughts: This is actually Steiner's first Montie as I didn't start recognizing film scores until just recently. So it is a given he would have won for Gone With The Wind, Casablanca and a few more. But as he was still scoring films thru the 60's I wager he will pick up one or two more.

Life With Father

So the final tally is really spread out as Out Of The Past is the only film to pick up multiple Monties, with two (Best Director and Best Actor). The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer became the 6th Cary Grant film to win Best Film. Wow! Cary also still has the most Monties with three Best Actor trophies. I was glad to see Ava Gardner and Gene Tierney pick up statues for their work and I won't be surprised if Ava wins another Montie before I'm done. And speaking of which I hope to be back with the 1948 edition much sooner than 11 months. 

THE MONTIES: 1946 - THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES is absolutely the best of the year!

Back for another round of Monties and another great year in 1946. And leading the way is the amazing film, The Best Years of Our Lives. So let's get started shall we...


BEST FILM:
Winner: The Best Years Of Our Lives
Nominees: The Razor's Edge; It's A Wonderful Life; The Big Sleep; The Dark Mirror; Notorious; The Strange Love of Martha Ivers; Gilda
Thoughts: An outstanding crop of films for this year but for me there was never really any doubt. I remember seeing The Best Years of our Lives for the first time when I was about 19 and it blew me away from the very first moment. I have watched it at least once a year now for over 15 years and it's still an amazing film. I easily award it a Montie for Best Film of 1946.

BEST DIRECTOR:
Winner: William Wyler (The Best Years Of Our Lives)
Nominees: Frank Capra (It's A Wonderful Life); Howard Hawks (The Big Sleep); Robert Siodmak (The Dark Mirror and The Killers)
Thoughts: William Wyler picks up his third Montie as Best Director for his superb work on The Best Years of our Lives. He previously won for These Three (1936) and Mrs. Miniver (1942)

William Wyler picks up his third Montie

BEST WRITER: 
Winner: Vladimir Pozner and Nunnally Johnson (The Dark Mirror)
Nominees: Raymond Chandler (The Blue Dahlia); Robert E. Sherwood (The Best Years Of Our Lives); Anthony Veiller (The Killers)
Thoughts: Top notch screenplay Johnson from an original story by Pozner for The Dark Mirror, a very well done film that a lot of people don't know about.

BEST ACTOR:
Winner: Fredric March (The Best Years Of Our Lives)
Nominees: Humphrey Bogart (The Big Sleep); John Garfield (The Postman Always Rings Twice); James Stewart (It's A Wonderful Life); Cary Grant (Notorious)
Thoughts: Fredric March picks up his first Montie for his terrific performance as Al Stephenson, a returning soldier from World War Two, who has trouble re-adjusting back to civilian life.

Congratulations honey on your well deserved Montie!

BEST ACTRESS:
Winner: Olivia de Havilland (The Dark Mirror)
Nominees: Myrna Loy (The Best Years Of Our Lives); Lana Turner (The Postman Always Rings Twice); Rita Hayworth (Gilda); Donna Reed (It's A Wonderful Life); Lauren Bacall (The Big Sleep), Barbara Stanwyck (The Strange Love of Martha Ivers)
Thoughts: While Olivia did win an Oscar for this year in another film, To Each His Own, which I haven't seen, I chose her for the film I did see her in, The Dark Mirror. Getting to play twins is an actor/actress dream as they get to give two different performances in one film. And boy does Olivia give two amazing performances. In the process, she picks up her second Montie!

See, it says right here...Best Actress winner

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Winner: Teresa Wright (The Best Years Of Our Lives)
Nominees: Cathy O'Donnell (The Best Years Of Our Lives); Martha Vickers (The Big Sleep); Lizabeth Scott (The Strange Love of Martha Ivers); Anne Baxter (The Razor's Edge)
Thoughts: As good as Anne Baxter was in The Razor's Edge, and believe me when I say she was amazing, I went with Teresa Wright's quiet but effective performance in The Best Years of Our Lives. Her role as Peggy, the daughter of Fredric March and Myrna Loy, falls in love with married Dana Andrews and it's a performance that is not showy but really, really good. And that gives her two Monties for Best Supporting Actress in the span of just four years.

Another wonderful performance yields another Montie for Teresa

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Winner: Harold Russell (The Best Years of Our Lives)
Nominees: Dana Andrews (The Best Years of our Lives); Claude Rains (Notorious); Clifton Webb (The Razor's Edge); William Conrad (The Killers)
Thoughts: Real life amputee Harold Russell first acting role came as a returning soldier who lost both hands in World War 2 and he was amazing. A natural performance that was just riveting to watch.

Harold celebrating his win with Hoagy Carmichael

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Winner: The Yearling
Nominees: It's A Wonderful Life; The Best Years Of Our lives; The Postman Always Rings Twice; The Razor's Edge
Thoughts: The Yearling is one of the most beautiful looking films I have ever seen. Just amazing to watch over and over again.

So beautiful

BEST FILM SCORE:
Winner: Hugo Friedhofer (The Best Years of Our lives)
Nominees: Lennie Hayton (The Harvey Girls); Miklos Rozsa (The Killers); Dimitri Tiomkin (It's A Wonderful Life)
Thoughts: From the opening scene of The Best Years where the music just swells so majestically, it is the clear choice for my favorite film score of 1946. Top notch work by Mr. Friedhofer.

My man Hugo

So the finally tally has The Best Years nearly sweeping the Monties with 6 awards. The Dark Mirror lands two awards and The Yearling picks up one. A huge tally for one of my all time favorite films. Be back next month with my picks of 1947.

THE MONTIES: 1945 - Christmas comes early for Barbara Stanwyck

So sorry for the delay in between posts on the Monties, my version of the Oscars. Just was so busy with work and a lot of the films and star performances I hadn't seen yet, so I really couldn't critique on any of them. That is until now. So let's get started shall we..


BEST FILM:
Winner: Christmas In Connecticut
Nominees: The Lost Weekend; Leave Her To Heaven; Mildred Pierce; Scarlet Street; Detour; They Were Expendable; A Tree Grows In Brooklyn; The Wicked Lady; And Then There Were None
Thoughts: 1945 was another solid year in film. With some notable star driven films like Mildred Pierce and Leave Her To Heaven. And some smaller films that caught everyone's attention like Detour and The Wicked Lady. But my pick for favorite film of 1945 is Christmas In Connecticut. Call me sentimental but this is my favorite Christmas movie ever and my favorite Stanwyck film as well. It's funny, romantic and a joy to watch. While The Lost Weekend may boast some stellar acting and a riveting story line, I have a soft spot for Christmas in Connecticut. I know I may take some heat on this one, but what can I say, this is my fave film of 1945.

Pure holiday joy with Barbara

BEST DIRECTOR:
Winner: Billy Wilder (The Lost Weekend)
Nominees: Fritz Lang (Scarlet Street); Rene Clair (And Then There Were None); Edgar G. Ulmer (Detour); Michael Curtiz (Mildred Pierce)
Thoughts: Billy Wilder may be more remembered for his wonderful comedies (Some Like It Hot, The Apartment) he was never better than directing The Lost Weekend. Talk about a taut gripping tale that doesn't pull any punches. And while it's my second favorite film from 1945, there is no denying the amazing job Wilder did as director.

BEST WRITER:
Winner: Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder (The Lost Weekend)
Nominees: Ranald MacDougall (Mildred Pierce); Frank Davis and Tess Slesinger (A Tree Grows In Brooklyn); Dudley Nichols (Scarlet Street)
Thoughts: Can't beat the dramatic and tense dialogue in Weekend crafted by Brackett and Wilder. Some really good stuff!


BEST ACTOR: 
Winner: Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend)
Nominees: Edward G. Robinson (Scarlet Street); Danny Kaye (Wonder Man); Tom Neal (Detour); James Mason (The Wicked Lady)
Thoughts: Without a doubt, Ray Milland gives the performance of the year. Heck it's the best performance of his career. As his life slowly spins out of control due to his addiction to alcohol, you feel his despair and keep thinking..this guy has hit rock bottom. Kudos to Milland.

"OK, quit playing Jane. Where's my Montie?"

 

BEST ACTRESS:
Winner: Barbara Stanwyck (Christmas in Connecticut)/Joan Bennett (Scarlet Street) TIE
Nominees: Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce); Gene Tierney (Leave Her To Heaven); Margaret Lockwood (The Wicked Lady); Donna Reed (They Were Expendable); Jane Wyman (The Lost Weekend); Ann Savage (Detour); Virginia Mayo (Wonder Man)
Thoughts: Now this is the category where I had the most trouble choosing from all the wonderful performances in what has to be a stellar one for women. And I really couldn't decide on just one, so we have a tie. And it was close to being a three way tie but I finally chose Stanwyck  and Bennett. As two totally opposite performances as you can get. Stanwyck was more of the comedic vein and she was wonderful. And no this is not a sentimental vote for her as this is my fave performance of hers and film. And Joan Bennett took it up a notch playing another femme fatale for Fritz Lang as the terrific Kitty March. The pair previously on The Woman in the Window, but I thought Joan's performance here was much better. And Gene Tierney came awfully close to making this a three way tie, but she just misses it by an inch.

Ok fellas, here we go! Fingers crossed I don't mess this up!

See I told ya, working with Fritz would eventually pay off Eddie!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Winner: Eve Arden/Ann Blyth (Mildred Pierce) TIE
Nominees: Jeanne Crain (Leave Her To Heaven); Vera-Ellen (Wonder Man); Anne Revere (National Velvet); Angela Lansbury (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
Thoughts: Another tie as I thought Eve Arden and Ann Blyth were both amazing in Mildred Pierce. Arden in another sidekick role was good as always and she picks up her second Montie, the first was for Stage Door (Best Supporting Actress...which she shared with Lucille Ball). And Blyth was really good as the daughter from hell, Veda. That girl could give you nightmares.

 

"Why no I didn't  have to pay Monty off to win...honest! Girl Scouts honor!"

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Winner: James Dunn (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)
Nominees: Dan Duryea (Scarlet Street); Jack Carson (Mildred Pierce); George Sanders (The Picture of Dorian Gray); Walter Huston (And Then There Were None)
Thoughts: James Dunn gives one of the best performances I have ever seen as the ne'er-do-well father who just can't seem to do right. In real life, Dunn would struggle years later with bouts with alcohol and his career would stall. But he will have this one great performance left as his legacy.

James is all smiles after receiving his first Montie

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Winner: Leave Her To Heaven
Nominees: The Picture of Dorian Gray; Anchors Aweigh; National Velvet; The Lost Weekend; Mildred Pierce
Thoughts: One of the most glorious looking films I have ever seen. I mean the color just leaps off the screen. Actresses Gene Tierney and Jeanne Crain look stunning. This was an easy choice for me.

Even Gene can't believe how beautiful the movie looks...

So final count has The Lost Weekend being the big winner with 3 Monties; followed by Christmas In Connecticut (2 Monties) and Mildred Pierce (2 Monties). I will be back with the 1946 edition soon. Hopefully it won't be as long a wait as this time was. Once again, sorry for the delay.


NOTABLE FILMS THAT I HAVE NOT SEEN FOR THIS YEAR:


SPELLBOUND
THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
SAN ANTONIO
THE CORN IS GREEN

THE MONTIES are coming back....

Just a quick post letting everyone know that I am close to wrapping up my latest Monties post. Should have it done and posted within a few days. For those who are new to my blog, the Monties are my version of the Oscars. The films I think are best in show for that particular year. The year I am working on now is 1945 and why it's taking me so long is that I hadn't seen quite a few of the nominees. And it is a particularly great year for actresses. I have a record 9 nominees vying for a Montie. I hope they will be civilized and not resort to cat fighting and bad mouthing each other in the press. But we'll see. Like I said expect the Monties post before the end of the week.

I hope my latest Monties can go off without a hitch...but with so many women vying for one, 

it might turn ugly real fast...

THE MONTIES: A slight delay, but they are coming back soon....

Hi everyone. I know it's been about a month since I did my last Monties. And it's going to be another week or two before I have completed watching films from the year of 1945. One of the main things going on that year was the unbelievable amount of great work by women. Right now I have nine performances in the Best Actress category that are all excellent work. This will be the toughest year yet for me to decide on. That's why I'm re-watching several films to look at those amazing performances again. So if you guys can just bear with me a little while longer, I should have a new edition of the Monties before the month is out. But I will at least list the nine nominees for Best Actress so you guys will have an idea what's going on.

DONNA REED (THEY WERE EXPENDABLE)

MARGARET LOCKWOOD (THE WICKED LADY)

                                    

 

BARBARA STANWYCK (CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT)

                          


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
JOAN BENNETT (SCARLET STREET)

                                               

 

GENE TIERNEY (LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN)

                                       
                                        

 

JOAN CRAWFORD (MILDRED PIERCE)

                                            



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
JANE WYMAN (THE LOST WEEKEND)

                                               

   ANN SAVAGE (DETOUR)                                      

VIRGINIA MAYO (WONDER MAN)

What an impressive list of nominees. It will make for a most difficult decision when it comes time to decides who will get a Montie for Best Actress of 1945. I will have the answer to that and to all the other categories in a few short weeks.

THE MONTIES: 1944 - Screwball comedy and film noir dominate this year...

For 1944, we have some veteran directors (Capra, Hawks, Sturges), top stars (Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert, Humphrey Bogart) and notable films (Double Indemnity, Since You Went Away, The Woman In The Window, Laura) competing for the top prize called the Monties.

BEST FILM
winner: Arsenic and Old Lace
nominees: To Have And Have Not; Double Indemnity; None But The Lonely Heart; The Woman In The Window; The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek; Laura; Lifeboat; Since You Went Away; Sunday Dinner For A Soldier; The Uninvited
Thoughts: The first Frank Capra film to win a Montie and it's one of my top ten favorite films of all time. Marks yet another Cary Grant film to land a Montie bringing that total to 5. As you can see, it was a nice mix of comedies, film noir and dramas to make the nomination list. Notably absent is the Oscar winner for 1944, Going My Way, as it is not one of my fave films.

Wait, say that again..slowly

BEST DIRECTOR
winner: Frank Capra (Arsenic and Old Lace)
nominees: Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity); Fritz Lang (The Woman in the Window); Preston Sturges (The Miracle of Morgan's Creek); Howard Hawks (To Have and Have Not)
Thoughts: The fourth time was the charm as Frank Capra finally wins his first Montie for directing. He was previously nominated for Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, You Can't Take It With You, and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. It was close, as he just edged out Preston Sturges who did an equally memorable directing turn for The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.

Frank feeling pretty good after winning his first Montie

BEST WRITER - new category
winner: Preston Sturges (The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek)
nominees: Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity); John Steinbeck (Lifeboat); Jules Furthman and William Faulkner (To Have and Have Not); J.H. Wallis and Nunnally Johnson (The Woman in the Window)
Thoughts: I decided to add writing as a category and 1944 yielded some top notch writing jobs. The other nominees were of the thriller and film noir variety but it was a screwball comedy that gets the Montie: Preston Sturges for his extremely hilarious Morgan's Creek.

Preston keeping his cool upon learning of his win

BEST ACTOR
winner: Humphrey Bogart (To Have And Have Not)
nominees: Cary Grant (None But The Lonely Heart); Edward G. Robinson (The Woman in the Window); Fred MacMurray (Double Indemnity); Eddie Bracken (The Miracle of Morgan's Creek)
Thoughts: Bogie wins his first Montie for his solid performance as the tough yet tender Harry Morgan. Yes I liked him here more than I did in Casablanca. This film allowed him to show his emotions on the outside and his chemistry with Lauren Bacall was perfection. Cary Grant did a wonderful job outside his normal safe comedy zone with None But The Lonely Heart but I think Bogie edges past him by a hair.

Now that you won a Montie, let's go celebrate

BEST ACTRESS
winner: Lauren Bacall (To Have And Have Not)
nominees: Joan Bennett (The Woman in the Window); Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity); Claudette Colbert (Since You Went Away); Betty Hutton (The Miracle of Morgan's Creek); Hedy Lamarr (Experiment Perilous)
Thoughts: What a film debut for 19-year old Lauren Bacall as Marie "Slim" Browning, the young woman who craves adventure and causes Bogie to fall head over heels in love with her. Out of all the categories for this year, this was the easiest choice to make. Bacall was amazing in her debut film performance.

Yeah I think this acting thing is going to work out nicely

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
winner: Diana Lynn (The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek)
nominees: Ethel Barrymore (None But The Lonely Heart); Ruth Hussey (The Uninvited); Jean Adair (Arsenic and Old Lace); Josephine Hull (Arsenic and Old Lace)
Thoughts: As the wise beyond her teen-ager years, Diana Lynn was awesome as Emmy Kockenlocker. Sister to Betty Hutton, she was able to dispense sound advice and keep her dad in check. A marvelous performance.

Cheer up girls...this is a festive occasion

OK, that's better Diana

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
winner: Edward G. Robinson (Double Indemnity)
nominees: Raymond Massey (Arsenic and Old Lace); Clifton Webb (Laura); William DeMarest (The Miracle of Morgan's Creek); Joseph Cotten (Since You Went Away)
Thoughts: The venerable Edward G. Robinson wins his first Montie with his strong performance as insurance investigator Barton Keyes, who really is the best thing in this superb film.

You two ain't fooling me...which one of you took my Montie?

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
winner: The Uninvited
nominees: Laura; Double Indemnity; Lifeboat; Meet Me In St. Louis; Home In Indiana
Thoughts: Another new category is cinematography. I know the academy Awards split this into two: color and black and white but I decided to make it just one. And while Home In Indiana is just a gorgeous film to look at in all that glorious color, I found The Uninvited to be just as fantastic with it's almost dreamlike world in black and white.

The beautifully shot film, The Uninvited

So that wraps up another Monties presentation. Would love to hear everyone's feedback on my selections and what did you think of the new categories I added. Will be back soon with the year that was 1945.

*Please note that I just found out while To Have And Have Not was a 1944 production, it was not released until January 1945. But I decided to keep it as part of 1944 anyway. I don't want to make things too technical here. Just keep things fun and light. Arsenic and Old Lace is an entirely different story. While filmed in 1941, it did not see the light of day until 1944.

NOTABLE FILMS THAT I HAVE NOT SEEN FOR THIS YEAR:

GASLIGHT
DRAGON SEED
MRS. PARKINGTON
CASANOVA BROWN
THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO
I'LL BE SEEING YOU