Best Supporting Actor 1967: Michael J. Pollard in Bonnie and Clyde

Michael J. Pollard received his only Oscar nomination so far for portraying C.W. Moss in Bonnie and Clyde.

Michael J. Pollard plays C.W. Moss a gas station attendant who Bonnie and Clyde come across and due to his skills as a mechanic invite him to join their gang. C.W. is rather impressionable as well as not exactly a deep thinker. He basically does what he is told as an eager fan would, and becomes quite sad when he fails to meet their expectations. He is not the brains or the life of the gang, but really just basically an extra gun when it comes to where he stands in the group.

Pollard is very good in just being this impressionable boy of sorts. There is always a certain naivety as well as an unremarkable quality to his performance that absolutely is right for C.W. There is not a single scene where he takes command of the scene, nor should there be since all C.W. really does do is follow orders that are given to him. Pollard most certianly does make C.W. just as he should be a not too notable fellow.

I will say that because of this I really did not notice Pollard during a great of the film. He really is just there in a non too special way. Pollard really does not do anything to make you pay attention to him in scenes with the gang, something that co-nominee Gene Hackman was able to do marvelously. It is not that Pollard is bad he just really does not stand out most of the time.

Pollard though does have some very brief moments that focus on C.W. They are most certainly not substantial in the least, and in fact they really are just silent reaction shots that happen to only show Pollard. In these short moments though Pollard is good such as when being chewed out by Clyde for messing up a robbery as well as when he realizes the situation he is for a brief moment after a very violent shoot out. Pollard in these moments shows just how little C.W. realizes what he is doing.

Besides these small moments there is not much to C.W. besides just being part of the gang other than his spinelessness which certianly becomes important when at the end of the film he becomes pushed around even more by his father, and reacts in just the one he should. Pollard really is just as he should be in the role although he is most certianly the least memorable of the main cast it is most certainly a performance that is as it should be.

Posted in: 1967 Best Supporting Actor, Michael J. Pollard