31 days of Oscar: day 6

We meant to start this last week, but better late than never. This month, Turner Classic Movies celebrates movies and the Academy Awards by presenting 31 Days of Oscar. Each Day from Feb.1 through March 3, a different category of the awards will be the theme of the day; featuring films that were nominated or won in that category. The Shelf will be joining in the celebration by giving you our Oscar pick of the Day!

Today's category is Best Supporting Actor- Winners. The interesting thing about today's selections are the number of westerns included and that all of the films span a wide range of years from 1936 all the way to 1996. Here's the schedule (all times are EST):

6:00 AM Sweet Bird of Youth (’62)
8:15 AM A Thousand Clowns (’65)
10:15 AM The Barefoot Contessa (’54)
12:30 PM Come and Get It (’36)
2:15 PM The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (’48)
4:30 PM Stagecoach (’39)
6:15 PM The Westerner (’40)
8:00 PM The Big Country (’58)
11:00 PM They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (’69)
1:15 AM Jerry Maguire (’96)
3:45 AM The Last Picture Show (’71)

And our Oscar pick goes to... Stagecoach. With some great films in today's rotation (and personal favorites) it's difficult to choose. Luckily you really don't have, just sit back and enjoy as many as you want. Stagecoach defintily deserves a viewing, especially if you have never seen one of the best of the early collaborations between Director John Ford and John Wayne. This was the film that broke John Wayne out of the "B" and "C" Western status and helped to put him on a path to becoming one of America's most beloved stars. The movie also marked a new chapter in the Ford/Wayne relationship, and one that led to a strong and enriching professional output.
The film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Director. It won for Best Music (Score) and a well deserved win for Best Supporting Actor (today's category) for Thomas Mitchell and his portrayal of the sympathetic druck Dr. Josiah Boone. Mitchell was one of my favorite all time character actors and is perhaps best remembered for his role of Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life.
You can see Stagecoach today on TCM, or you can order it here as a great two-disc special edition, or as part of the fantastic John Wayne/ John Ford Box Set. For more information on TCM's 31 Days of Oscar, visit the Turner Classic Movies website.



I'm not only a philosopher, sir, I'm a fatalist. Somewhere, sometime, there may be the right bullet or the wrong bottle waiting for Josiah Boone. Why worry when or where?