1930-31 – Adolphe Menjou
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Every time I see a film with Adolphe Menjou in it, I like him more and more. In this movie, he played a devious, fast-talking, die-hard newspaper man. The movie is a true example of a screwball comedy. The jokes, the quips, the insults, and the lies and misdirections, were all delivered at break-neck speed, and Menjou was fastest talker of them all. When he got going, he delivered his dialogue faster than an auctioneer. But as fast as he spoke, you can hear every word clearly if you listen.
There was only one place where he flubbed a line, but he immediately picked it up again and kept going like a professional. He was trying to say, “I’m going to get Sipperdy to make up a prayer for our fair city…” but he got caught up on the name Sipperdy, repeating the first syllable. That was the only time I caught him with a slightly twisted tongue. In other words, he was brilliant. And more than that, he made the character, who was really an ass, likeable at the same time, and I bet that wasn’t exactly easy to do.
The only problem I have with the Best Actor nomination has nothing to do with Manjou’s performance. You see, I don’t think the roll of Walter Burns was the male lead of the film. That honor belonged to Pat O’Brien, playing the part of Hildy Johnson. But, of course, the Best Supporting Actor category was still a few years away from existing. However, he did get top billing, and his acting earned the movie one of its three Oscar nominations, though it won none. Menjou lost his Oscar to Lionel Barrymore in A Free Soul, and it’s kind-of hard to argue with that.
To his credit, Menjou had a wonderful sense of comedic timing, and the quick and complicated dialogue must have been a particular challenge, but the role was a little one-note. The script, and the nature of screwball comedies, in general, don’t demand as much emotional depth or range as a good drama. However, I have to mention that I’ve seen Menjou in dramatic films, in which he showed just how good of an actor he really was. I’m not saying he didn’t deserve the Best Actor nomination. On the contrary, I think the nomination was well-deserved. But I can understand why he didn’t win, and it wasn’t his fault.