As they say timing is everything. Born Yesterday was released in late December 1950 in order to qualify for the Oscars. So if had waited for release until 1951 Judy Holliday would have had to compete against Vivien Leigh in a Streetcar Named Desire who won in 1951 and I don't think she would have won, and Gloria Swanson would have likely won for Sunset Boulevard. All in all I think the Academy made the right choice when they picked Judy Holliday in 50
Anne Baxter and Bette Davis both shined in All About Eve, and carried the film. There is likely vote splitting caused by two co-stars nominated together. On top of that, Gloria Swanson and Bette Davis delivered such a electrifying performance that it cancelled out each other. That just leaves the field clear for Judy Holiday to win.
@@jimreeves5212 That was a tough one to choose. All should have won. I have watched the movie Caged over and over last month on movies digital channel. What caught my attention was Eleanor Parker's performance in the movie. She aced that role terrific acting. If they wasn't going to vote for Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard then they should have chosen Eleanor Parker.
Anne was never considered a real contender for best actress in 1950. If you've seen the film it could almost be considered a supporting role, even though Anne Baxter plays the title role plus Baxter disappears for half the film. The battle in 1950 was always between Judy Holliday, Swanson and Bette Davis.
Judy Holliday and Gloria Swanson were sitting at the same table that night, waiting for the results. Gloria was for the most part gracious about her loss that night, although she supposedly said to Judy later on “My dear, if you had to win, why did it have to be this year? You have a whole career ahead of you, but this was my last shot.” If the story is true, little did Gloria know this would be Judy’s only nomination and her life was all-too-brief.
@@laurajones1773 i know right. Just didn’t understand why Oscar at that time chose Mrs. Holliday as the winner. There was a rumor with Oscar’s decision chose her because they wanted to be “neutral” by teared up the competition. So there would be no beef between Swanson and Davis, and their fans.
This is the Gwyneth Paltrow win of the Golden Age of Hollywood. One of the worst acting Oscar wins ever. Judy Holliday is super annoying in Born Yesterday. Gloria Swanson delivered a masterful performance in Sunset Boulevard and should have won instead. Bette Davis and Anne Baxter from All About Eve were also much better than Judy Holliday. Gloria Swanson losing to Judy Holliday is the equivalent to Cate Blanchett losing to Gwyneth Paltrow back in the late 90s.
