1938-1947 Best Actor Winners

[Big Magilla]

For me, it was a close one between Robert Donat and James Cagney, great performances by actors who were almost consistently great throughout their careers. Both are performances I've seen numerous times throughout my life. In the end, Donat's humble schoolteacher won out over Cagney's bombastic showman.

Other actors have played Mr. Chips and George M., but none, not even the great Peter O'Toole and Joel Grey (on stage), could touch the originals at the height of their respective careers. March was a close third, but I already chose him in the first decade.

I liked Tracy's Father Flanagan, the real-life founder of Boys Town quite a lot, but his truly great performances didn't come until the mid-1950s with Bad Day at Black Rock, followed by The Last Hurrah, Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg, and his curtain speech in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Stewart's makeup Oscar for The Philadelphia Story would be a supporting nomination a la Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood today, unthinkable at the time for an actor of his stature.

Cooper's WW I hero, Sgt. York, was the man of the moment as WW II loomed in real life, but he was better that year in both Meet John Doe and Ball of Fire.

Lukas and Milland were longtime actors each with the role of a lifetime, but they were roles that any good actor could have played.

Crosby was playing Crosby with a clerical collar, something he did better as an actor in the following year's The Bells of St. Mary's in which Ingrid Bergman brought him almost, but not quite, up to her level.

Colman won for his career, having missed out on nominations for his greatest roles in A Tale of Two Cities and Lost Horizon in more competitive years and having been nominated for Random Harvest in a year that was all about Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy and Cooper in The Pride of the Yankees.

[Mister Tee]

Ronald Colman is the only one of the bunch I view as a bum choice.

There are several others that are respectable, but not what I'd view as award level: Gary Cooper, Paul Lukas and Bing Crosby.

Yet others give perfectly strong performances, but weren't really the best of their years, and simply get aced out by stronger work both there and here -- Robert Donat (bested by Stewart that year), Jimmy Stewart (a better performance than most people credit, but not at Fonda's level), and Fredric March (also bested by Stewart).

James Cagney and Ray Milland gave the clear standout performances of their years, and are the two best on display here. It's very close when it comes to intangibles: The Lost Weekend is the better film of the two, but Cagney had the finest overall career. And when it comes to simply the performances, it's truly apples and oranges: a harrowing performance vs. one infused with joy. I could easily vote for either. Because, at least at the moment, Milland seems to be getting more support, I go for Cagney, to ensure he makes a showing.

[Reza]

I like 4 of the winning actors from this decade. Milland, Cagney, March and Lukas. In this order.

Tracy is one of my favorite actors. As brilliant and natural on screen as Jean Gabin - both so believable playing ordinary men. Have never liked either of Tracy's films for which he won - find him so hammy in Captains Courageous and while he is good in Boys Town the overall film is too cloying.

I agree with Mister Tee about the absurd notion that Bette Davis won for Dangerous because she was snubbed for Of Human Bondage. Both films and her performances are putrid and over the top. The makeup Oscar, however, applies to James Stewart - winning for The Philadelphia Story because he did not win for Mr Smith. Although if anyone deserved a nod for Philadelphia it was Cary Grant who the Academy continuously ignored. Better still Grant should have been nominated in 1940 for His Girl Friday. Although the Oscar that year should have gone to Henry Fonda.

I always found Gary Cooper to be limited as an actor - he always reminded me of a beautiful mannequin - and Sergeant York is a chore to sit through. The excessive patriotism in the film worked during the war years but its not one of Howard Hawks' good films.

Going My Way, Bing Crosby, the kids - a combo not my cup of tea..

Colman hams it up and clearly won for his long career.

Milland's stunning performance came out of nowhere. A handsome leading man who looked good opposite bigger female stars in countless screwball comedies did a complete turn around in a dramatic role.

I find March to be either awfully mannered (and self conscious) or hammy. He is both in his first Oscar winning role but is incredibly natural in his second. Has to be Wyler who reigned in his excessive traits. He is so natural as the ageing veteran returning to civilian life. Marvelous in his scenes with the boys and in particular with Loy as his wife and Wright as his daughter.

Lukas was in the year's most prestige production having played the part on Broadway. While Lillian Hellman's screenplay plays to the gallery in its bid to implore the United States to enter the war it is Lukas' subtle and moving performance that holds the film together. He is at his best in all his scenes opposite Bette Davis both easily conveying a long married couple still in love and hoping to make the world a better place. In any case it was a crime that Bogart lost for Casablanca - the best male performance that year

Cagney is delighful in a song and dance role. Years of playing tough gangsters and this fun role reversal made him really stand out.

[mlrg]

I was torn between Milland and March but ended up voting for March's very nuanced performance.

[gunnar]

There are a number of good choices here, but I ended up going with Milland for Lost Weekend.

[Big Magilla]

Tracy, Cooper, and Cagney won for playing real-life inspirational characters. Lukas, Crosby, and March won for playing fictional inspirational characters. Stewart won a makeup Oscar for playing an inspirational character the year before. Milland won for playing an alcoholic, and Colman won for strangling Shelley Winters.

Who was best?