Best Supporting Actor 1946: Results

5. William Demarest in The Jolson Story- Demarest has a simple role as a supportive mentor, he is properly supportive but little is asked of him.

4. Clifton Webb in The Razor's Edge- Webb has a simple role as a pompous snob, which is portrays with proper snobbishness but again like Demarest little is asked of him.

3. Charles Coburn in The Green Years- Coburn's gives an entertaining and warm performance. He realizes his particular character quite well that only succeeds in adding to his film.

2. Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives- Harold Russell gives a terrific heartbreaking performance that never fails to be moving.

1. Claude Rains in Notorious- Good prediction RatedRStar. The top two of this year are both absolutely terrific heartbreaking performances. What I find amazing about Rains though is that his character never had to be heartbreaking to begin with since he portrays a villain. Rains is astounding in his ability to give both a chilling villainous performance as well as give a sympathetic portrait and turns his character into almost a tragic man.

Deserving Performances:
Henry Travers in It's a Wonderful Life
Lionel Barrymore in It's a Wonderful Life

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Best Supporting Actor 1946: William Demarest in The Jolson Story

William Demarest received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Steve Martin in The Jolson Story.

William Demarest portrays Steve Martin a vaudevillian cellist who discovers Al Jolson. They eventually work together for awhile until Jolson becomes far more successful leading Jolson to go on his own, but he eventually brings Martin back as his manager. The part of Martin is thin, just as the whole film is that is far more interested in reenacting various Jolson musical numbers more than really developing any of its characters to a fuller extent.

William Demarest has a nice warm presence on screen as Steve Martin who acts a mentor to Jolson. There really is not much to his part though other than either giving Jolson supportive talks, or trying to convince that he should probably try to take it easier. Demarest does all of this well enough. He is supportive as he should be, and as mentory as he should be, but none of what he does is amazing.

Demarest really though does gives my favorite performance in the film although that is not saying much. He does his best with his character with the limited amount he is given which only lessens as the film continues on. It is not a great performance just one that is as it should be. There are no special moments, but Demarest is consistently competent throughout.

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Best Supporting Actor 1946

And the Nominees Were:

Claude Rains in Notorious

Charles Coburn in The Green Years

Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives

Clifton Webb in The Razor's Edge

William Demarest in The Jolson Story

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