1951 Alternate Oscars

Best Picture of 1951

Ace In The Hole a.k.a. The Big Carnival

★ The African Queen

✔ An American In Paris

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Diary Of A Country Priest

The Lavender Hill Mob

A Place In The Sun

Strangers On A Train

A Streetcar Named Desire

The Thing From Another World

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Best Actor of 1951

✔ Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen)

Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire)

★ Kirk Douglas (Ace In The Hole a.k.a. The Big Carnival and Detective Story)

Alec Guinness (The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man In The White Suit)

Alastair Sim (Scrooge a.k.a. A Christmas Carol)

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Best Actress of 1951

Setsuko Hara (Early Summer)

★ Katharine Hepburn (The African Queen)

✔ Vivien Leigh (A Streetcar Named Desire)

Patricia Neal (The Day The Earth Stood Still)

Eleanor Parker (Detective Story)

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Best Director of 1951

Robert Bresson (Diary Of A Country Priest)

★ Alfred Hitchcock (Strangers on a Train)

John Huston (The African Queen)

Elia Kazan (A Streetcar Named Desire)

✔ George Stevens (A Place in The Sun)

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Best Supporting Actor of 1951 (Poll Closed)

• Stanley Holloway (The Lavender Hill Mob)  7.41%  (6 votes)  
   
• Oscar Levant (An American In Paris)  2.47%  (2 votes)  
   
• ✔ Karl Malden (A Streetcar Named Desire)  39.51%  (32 votes)  
   
• Peter Ustinov (Quo Vadis)  3.7%  (3 votes)  
   
• ★ Robert Walker (Strangers on a Train)  46.91%  (38 votes)  
   

 

Total Votes: 81

 

Best Supporting Actress of 1951

Lee Grant (Detective Story)

✔ Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire)

Thelma Ritter (The Mating Season)

★ Jan Sterling (Ace In The Hole a.k.a. The Big Carnival)

Shelley Winters (A Place In The Sun)

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Special Award

T.E.B. Clarke (The Lavender Hill Mob) (original screenplay)

Raymond Chandler and Czenzi Ormonde, adaptation by Whitfield Cook, from the novel by Patricia Highsmith (Strangers on a Train) (adapted screenplay)

William H. Ziegler (Strangers on a Train) (film editing)

George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin (music & lyrics); Johnny Green & Saul Chaplin (music directors) (An American in Paris) (song score)

Bernard Herrmann (The Day the Earth Stood Still) (original score)

Fred Sersen (The Day The Earth Stood Still) (special effects)

Phil Brigandi and Clem Portman (The Thing From Another World) (sound)

James Arness (The Thing From Another World) (worst houseguest)

"I Got Rhythm" (An American In Paris) (best song and dance)

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My choices are noted with a ★. Historical Oscar winners are noted with a ✔.

My favorite movie of 1951 is actually The Thing From Another World — Katie-Bar-The-Door and I have seen it a hundred times — closely followed by The African Queen. But apparently neither of those movies connects with modern audiences the way they used to. Pity.

So I went with the equally excellent Strangers on a Train, the first time I've recognized Alfred Hitchcock with top honors despite five previous nominations. He's overdue.

I'm sure most of you will go with Vivien Leigh for best actress, as did the Academy, but I prefer Katharine Hepburn here. The African Queen was the beginning of Hepburn's third act and one of the greatest performances of her extraordinary career. Plus she wrote a beloved behind-the-scenes memoir about the experience.

But that's just my take on it. You must do what you must do.