Nominated but no Oscar: Actresses Quiz

Answer: Double Indemnity

Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990) was an American actress who received four Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. The nominations were for performances in the following movies: "Stella Dallas" (1937); "Ball of Fire" (1941); "Double Indemnity" (1944) and "Sorry, Wrong Number" (1948). "Double Indemnity" is considered a classic movie as Barbara Stanwyck plays the role of a wife who wishes to have her husband killed so that she can claim the double insurance upon his death. "Double Indemnity" was nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1945 but did not take any Oscars. Barbara did receive an Honorary Academy Award in 1982.

Answer: Romance

Great Garbo (1905-1990) was a Swedish born American actress who was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her nominations were for her portrayals in "Romance" (1930), "Camille" (1936) and "Ninotchka" (1939). She did receive an Academy Honorary Award in 1954. "Romance" tells the story of a old bishop who tells his grandson, via flashback, of how he fell in love with an Italian opera star, Rita Cavellini (Greta Garbo).

Answer: A Star is Born

Judy Garland (1922-1969) was an American actress and singer. She received two Academy Award nominations, the first for Best Actress being in the American musical of 1954 "A Star Is Born". The second nomination was for Best Supporting Actress in the 1961 court room drama "Judgement at Nuremberg".

She did receive an Academy Juvenile Award for her roles in the two movies in "The Wizard of OZ" and "Babes in Arms" in 1940. "A Star Is Born" is a story of an up and coming singer (Judy Garland) and a former matinee idol (James Mason) who, through their challenges, eventually marry. Both Mason and Garland were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress but were unsuccessful.

Answer: The Sundowners

Deborah Kerr (1921-2007) was a Scottish actress who was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Some consider this to be her best acting performance as Ida Carmody in the 1960 movie "The Sundowners", opposite Robert Mitchum and Peter Ustinov.

Her other nominations for Best Actress were in "Edward, My Son" (1949), "From Here to Eternity" (1953), "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" (1957), "Separate Tables" (1958) and "The King and I" (1956). "The Sundowners" is set in the Australian outback during the 1920s. Robert Mitchum plays the role of Paddy Carmody, the husband of Ida.

He is a sheep herder who does not want to settle down to a permanent job against the wishes of his wife and son.

Answer: Sunset Boulevard

Gloria Swanson (1899-1983) was an American actress during the silent era who then moved to talking movies, radio and television. She received three Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in "Sadie Thompson" (1928), "The Trespasser" (1929) and "Sunset Boulevard" (1950).
In "Sunset Boulevard", Gloria pays the role of an aging silent film star who desperately wants to resurrect her career and return to the silver screen. The movie received eleven Oscar nominations, winning three. The four acting roles were nominated but were unsuccessful.

Answer: Auntie Mame

Rosalind Russell (1907-1976) was an American actress, singer and comedian. During her career from 1929-1972 she received four Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. Those being in "My Sister Eileen" (1942), "Sister Kenny" (1946), "Mourning Becomes Electra" (1947) and "Auntie Mame" (1958). In "Auntie Mame" which is a comedy film, Rosalind plays the role of Mame Dennis, a flamboyant and free spirited woman. When her brother dies her young nephew is placed in her care. She losses her investments in the 1929 stock market crash and has to take some menial jobs.

Answer: Birdman of Alcatraz

Thelma Ritter (1902-1969) was an American actress who normally played middle class characters. Thelma received six Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. In "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962) she played the mother of Robert Stroud (Burt Lancaster) the convicted killer who spent much of his life in prison taking care of birds.

His mother, Elizabeth Stroud (Thelma Ritter) runs a campaign to have his death sentence commented to life in prison. Burt Lancaster, Thelma Ritter and Telly Savalas were all nominated for acting Oscars.

Her other nominations were "All About Eve" (1950), "The Mating Season" (1951), "With a Song in My Heart" (1952), "Pickup on South Street" (1953) and "Pillow Talk" (1959).

Answer: Rebel Without a Cause

Natalie Wood (1938-1981) was an American actress who received three Academy Award nominations before the age of 25. She received one nomination for Best Supporting Actress in "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955) and two for Best Actress being "Splendor in the Grass" (1961) and "Love with the Proper Stranger" (1963). In "Rebel Without a Cause", Natalie plays the role of a delinquent (Judy) who meets and befriends Jim Stark (James Dean). The movie depicts the challenges and conflicts of middle class teenagers and their parents and the previous generation.

Answer: Love Affair

Irene Dunne (1898-1990) was an American actress and singer. During the 1930s and 1940s she received five Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. Those being "Cimarron" (1931), "Theodora Goes Wild" (1936), "The Awful Truth" (1937), "Love Affair" (1939) and "I Remember Mama" (1948). "Love Affair" is a romantic movie with Irene Dunne (Terry MacKay) as a singer who meets Charles Boyer (Michel Marnet) a French painter on a liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

They are both engaged to other partners but they fall in love with each other.

They plan to meet six months later in New York at the Empire State Building.

Answer: Johnny Belinda

Agnes Moorehead (1900-1974) was an American actress of radio, stage, film and television spanning the years 1933-1974. She received four nominations for Best Supporting Actress but sadly was not successful in taking home an Oscar. Her nominations were for "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942), "Mrs. Parkington" (1944), "Johnny Belinda" (1948) and "Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (1964).

In "Johnny Belinda", Jane Wyman won the Oscar for Best Actress. In "Johnny Belinda", Agnes Morrehead plays the role of auntie (Aggie MacDonald) to Jane Wyman (Belinda MacDonald) who is a deaf-mute who is raped and becomes pregnant by one of men of the town.

She gives birth to a baby boy who she names Johnny. Between Aggie and Belinda they try to run the farm after Black MacDonald (Belinda's father) is killed.