For all those confused, Alice Ghostley was a friend of Maggie and accepted the award on her behalf, which should have been explained by an announcer that night. Maggie wasn’t in attendance because she and husband Robert Stephens were appearing under contract in "Beaux Stratagem" at the National Theatre in London. Maggie flew to NY for one day in April to present a special Tony award to Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Lauren Bacall presented Maggie with the Oscar at the Tony ceremony.
One of the finest Best Actress performances ever. People were surprised at the win as the picture was released very early in 1969 and many people felt it was forgotten by Oscar time. But as Shirley MacLean said at the time "they voted for talent".
+mmalmec No it's not just you. In his day Cliff Robertson was one of the HOTTEST guys out there. It's just back in those days they did not 'make over a guy like they would a woman. Guys did not have all that sex appeal. Ha Ha Ha Things have certainly changed haven't they!
This movie is when I first fell in love with Maggie Smith. The performance is so vibrant, so devious, so touching, so warm, so cunning. So everything. That was the complexity of Miss Jean Brodie. Her slide show scene is unforgettable. It's surprising to see how many posts mention Genevieve Bujold as the preferred winner. I loved her Anne Boleyn, but at the time she was not favored. Jane Fonda and Liza Minnelli both were highly acclaimed for their respective films. But Maggie's reception was virtually unanimous. She earned the honor.
Bujold won the Golden Globe for Anne, so I would say she was far from being the darkhorse (that most likely would have been Simmons). I think she for sure would have been a strong contender here.
Jane Fonda had won the New York Film Critics Award for her superb work in They Shoot Horses so many observers thought she would win. (Nobody said anything about Ms Bujold being a "dark horse.") Jean Simmons' striking performance in The Happy Ending is not as well remembered as the other four but is one of her best.
Oh come on Esmeralda!! You could have at least started your speech with _It is with great honour I kindly accept this award on behalf of the talented Maggie Smith..._
@@steveprice2718 I laughed at your Jane Fonda comment, although it is true. I think she has mellowed (a little) over the years. Also, have to say she was excellent in "Horses".
What are the odds we would both see and notice this withing 48 hours of each other? I knew that was Alice Ghostley (a great actress, herself) just from the face and the voice. I would have killed to live next to her. Bernice on "Designing Women" is one of the best characters of all time. Oh! As others have mentioned, Cliff was HOT, too.
First of all, with her name, were you ever not going to love her? And, as a Southern woman, Berniece as the face of We Don't Hide Our Crazy is an icon.
Who would have thought that this same person would still be a cinema star over 4 decades later with the success of the Harry Potter novels made into movies. Now that is one hell of a resume for anyone!!!
One of the greatest actresses in the world. She can do just about anything and be wonderful. THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE made Maggie Smith more widely known to film audiences, although she had already stolen THE VIPs from Elizabeth Taylor a few years previously, and been a great Desdemona to Olivier's Othello. To theater audiences, she was already known and respected for well over a decade. Her performance in JEAN BRODIE is absolutely stunning, a tour-de-force. That year, the only performance that approched hers was Jean Simmons' in THE HAPPY ENDING. I remember being disappointed for Simmons, but was awed by Smith when I finally saw her film.
I agree . In the VIP's, she steals the movie. The last scene with her and Burton is priceless. it makes watching the previous 2.5 at times tedious hours worthwhile.
SHE is an actress. She shows how it's done. No pretense, no calling attention to HOW she's doing it, just plain doing it. Every time. She is one of the greats.
Genevieve Bujold was fantastic as Anne Boleyn, but I think the film wasn't critically acclaimed at the time. She carries the film, honestly, and out-acts Richard Burton.
If you want to know how great an actress Maggie Smith is watch her performance in the 1987 film ' The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne'. It is superior to both of her Oscar winning performances yet she wasn't even nominated. She should easily have won a 3rd Oscar for that role. It is a greater performance than any of the five women nominated that year and especially better than Cher's Oscar winning role in Moonstruck.
This was the first year that I ever watched The Academy Awards when I was 12 and I remember that Maggie Smith was not present but I couldn't remember who accepted it for her. Alice Ghostley was an odd choice to accept the award for her. I've always said that this was one if the hardest years to pick the Best Actress Award because all of the women that year were exceptional and all 5 of them are my favorites. Maggie Smith was brilliant in the role of Jean Brodie. Her scene with Pamela Franklin near the end of the movie (where she accuses Pamela of being an assassin ) is a master class in film acting. An unforgettable performance. And so I think Maggie was a fine choice for Best Actress.
Smith and Ghostley had been friends since 1956 when they appeared on broadway together. I'm pretty sure Smith requested Ghostley to accept of her behalf.
The director was "Ronald Neame", otherwise this would have been a perfect acceptance speech by Alice Ghostly [who accepted Maggie Smith's Oscar with dignity]. This was a very great list of Best Actress Contenders -- but Maggie Smith's win was richly deserved.
A beautiful film. Alice Ghostly (colleague and friend of Maggie Smith) accepted for Maggie Smith. I wish Celia Johnson had been nominated as the headmistress. I felt she was missing from Oscar's winning circle and certainly would have been worthy against the other nominees in the supporting category.
In addition to giving one of the best performances ever filmed, it's a tribute to Smith's Oscar that she won out over the established Hollywood families of Jane Fonda and Liza Minnelli's. And, Fonda and Minnelli were damn good in their roles this year. Sometimes, the system works.
My favorite best actress winning performance, and lovely to see her great friend Alice Ghostley accept on Maggie's behalf. Alice misspoke, however; the director of the film for which Maggie won was Ronald Neame. Credit where it is due, you know.
I hope some day someone will post footage of Alice Ghostley winning her 1965 Tony Award for "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window". What a great and humble actress. Thank goodness she landed the role of Esmeralda on "Bewitched" or the memories of her and all her performances might have been lost forever like so many others who were just as talented but not fortunate enough to have been bestowed the same kind of exposure.
Maggie Smith & Alice Ghostly became friends when they worked together in "New Faces of 1956". Miss Smith asked Alice Ghostly to accept on her behalf. I felt Ms. Ghostly was quite dignified and most likely nervous as well giving her speech, since she erred to mention Ronald Neame as the director. Robert Fryer co-produced the film with James Cresson. Richard Zanuck was the head of 20th Century Fox. Maggie Smith deserved her Oscar for one of the greatest performances ever on film!
Maggie Smith and Alice Ghostley appeared on Broadway together in "The New Faces of Broadway" in 1956. They remained friends until Ghostley's death. Paul Lynde was in that group as well.
The director of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was Ronald Neame who also directed 1972s The Poseidon Adventure. AG mentioned Robert Fryer? as the director
and Jean Simmons (one of the best actress nominees) was sitting behind jane fonda (you can see during the best actress names when the camera shows fonda) however cliff r. states the two who were not believed to be in attendace (simmons and smith) first on the list of the 5 noms; jean simmons must have arrived late, so not expecting her to be present during the name/nom announcement, she was included with smith in the first two names, and then the noms there were announced(minelli,bujold&fonda)
If you'd watched the entire clip you would have heard her comment on Maggie's "magnificent performance". Or would have mentioning that part weakened your implication that Ms Ghostley was being sexist?
@@torontomame i watched it all miss thing. don't try it. it's my opinion that if i saw someone give credit to everyone else, all men, before getting around to me, id be annoyed. it is sexist. it was fucking hollywood, mame! sexism was also super internalized in 1970... it is what it is. don't get mad at me for calling it out. also don't reply, cuz i don't give a fuck.
They starred on Broadway in New Faces of 1956. That's Alice's husband, Felice Orlandi, who walks halfway up the aisle with her. Hope you post John & Juliet Mills speeches from the next year.
+crazzi-j north. I believe she was appearing in a play that night. Also, nominees often missed the ceremony in those days probably because travel was more difficult.
She got to send Alice Ghostly to pick up her Oscar, but that changed after Marlon Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather. Now, it's "The Academy congratulates Sir Anthony and accepts the award on his behalf."
This year was a difficult one for just the right actress to receive the award…all were good performances, but several of them were odd, disturbing caricatures rather than genuinely interesting roles for women (Smith, Fonda, Minnelli). Simmons was spot on and wonderful. Bujold was magnificent, but had made an enemy of Elizabeth Taylor, who (so it was rumored at the time) waged a major undercover campaign against her. Bujold was already internationally known and was named Golden Globe winner for ANNE(1969) and Best Actress in Canada (for ISABEL). Bujold is beautiful here and today one of the French speaking world's best actresses. Jean Simmons or Genevieve Bujold would have been better choices for that particular year, a mon avis (IMO). In the Hollywood columns of the day (1970) critics kept reminding Academy Members not to forget about Maggie Smith…it worked.
The Critics were quite wise back then. I know one very wise Critic back then, Clyde Gilmour, who felt Dame Celia Johnson would win Best Supporting Actress (but she was not even nominated).
+Philip Boleyn "odd, disturbing caricatures"? You picked the three most acclaimed of the five to describe that way. Taking nothing away from Simmons or Bujold, both excellent in their respective roles, but Smith earned that award rather decisively.
Note to self: If I ever have to accept an award on someone's behalf, introduce myself IMMEDIATELY instead of launching into a long speech that only 30 seconds in makes mention of the fact that I am not the person being honored
Maggie Smith is also in the Harry Potter movies as well as Sister Act , she was the Mother Superior she's one of my faves we're both from Scotland, and I love this movie
Just because I watch one video about the making of a movie from 1960's does not mean I want to see every single thing about every single old-time actor or actress.
@zim83 - I've seen all of these performances save Jean Simmons and they were all great . While I loved Smith's turn in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", it struck me as a bit shrill and overwrought in parts...on the otherhand, I was really taken with Minelli's performance in "The Sterile Cuckoo"...both performance were remarkable, but I might have gone for Minelli over Smith.
Thank you. Can you make a video about my favourite British actress (and biological female!) to win two Oscars ... Glenda Jackson. For some reason her name seems to be forgotten in any list about Oscar wins. More please.
