They Were Robbed! Jane, Joan, Deborah, & Shirley

As you can see, I still haven't recovered from my Oscar fever. Here are four more brilliant actresses who were robbed of the coveted Academy Award statue.

Jane Greer, Out Of The Past (1947)

Loretta Young won the Oscar in 1947 for the mundane comedy The Farmer's Daughter. But major award thievery was committed when Jane Greer in the great noir Out Of The Past wasn't even nominated--supposedly because her film co-starring Robert Mitchum was an RKO programmer, and films like that simply did not get nominated. Which is too bad as critics now think that Jane Greer's Kathie is one of the great femme fatale bad girls in film history.

Jane was not only gorgeous, she created a truly memorable monster in this seminal '40s classic.

Joan Fontaine, Letter From An Unknown Woman (1948)

Jane Wyman won the Oscar for her endearing portrayal of a deaf mute in Johnny Belinda. But Joan Fontaine (again, not nominated) gave the performance of her life in the now classic Letter From An Unknown Woman.

Directed by the great Max Ophuls, Letter was not a success when it was released, even with the sexy Louis Jourdan as a co-star. Rediscovered by film critics (mostly British ones), this film is now considered not only Ophul's greatest film but the pinnacle of Fontaine's career. Playing the lovestruck Lisa from age 15 to her death, Fontaine is radiant and gives a performance that lifts the film into the realm of true tragedy. Don't get me wrong, Fontaine is great in her Hitchcock films, but this is the zenith.

Deborah Kerr, The Sundowners (1960)
Shirley MacLaine, The Apartment (1960)

In 1960 the late Elizabeth Taylor won her first Oscar. The film, which Taylor later said stunk, was Butterfield 8. My choice for best performance of the year by an actress would go to either Deborah Kerr or Shirley MacLaine.

Deborah Kerr in the last of her six nominations richly deserved the award for her fine work in Fred Zinnemann's The Sundowners. As the poor sheep herder's wife, Kerr was heartbreaking opposite an equally deserved Robert Mitchum.

Shirley MacLaine meanwhile could also have won for her great work in Billy Wilder's Oscar winning The Apartment. MacLaine gives a a truly modern performance as Fran Kubelik. This was MacLaine at the height of her talents and popularity. She made Fran not only funny but extremely touching. MacLaine and co-star Jack Lemmon were a great movie team. And Shirley MacLaine has never looked sexier or more beautiful on film.