1938 – Fay Bainter
Jezebel
This was Fay Bainter’s second Oscar nomination, but her first in a supporting role. For some reason, in my mind, I am constantly confusing her with Spring Byington, and have sometimes made the joke that they must be the same person, since you never see them on the screen at the same time. But here, that theory is debunked. Bainter’s performance as Miss Julie’s Aunt Belle was more than competent, and she stood out, even against the accomplished Byington.
The character of Aunt Belle, to be honest, was a little one note. For the most part, her job was to stand in the background and look worried because of how horrible Julie was being. But she did have a few moments, especially in the latter half of the movie, where she showed a deeper side. She showed some fear when the rumors of Yellow Fever began to circulate. She has a scene where she was horrified at the idea of Preston being taken to a leper colony, observing that he would have no chance of survival there.
So, Bainter played the character of Julie’s Aunt, but the film never explained where her parents were. Julie was described as spoiled, so I have to think that it was Aunt Belle who did the spoiling. She certainly did nothing to discipline the girl, but granted, at the time the movie takes place, Julie was old enough that she was beyond being disciplined, though it might have indicated an indulgent upbringing.
So was it Aunt Belle’s fault that Julie was so spoiled? Maybe. Could Aunt Belle have put her foot down and insisted that Julie wear white to the Olympus Ball? Possibly. Should she then have been at least a little bit responsible for the catastrophe that followed? And did these things come through, even a little bit, in Bainter’s performance? I think maybe they did. I think there was a little shame in the constant worry, and that was what Fay Bainter brought to the character.
So, I found Bainter’s performance good, but not great. It was clear that this wasn’t her first rodeo, but I’m not certain if the performance was strong enough for an Oscar win. I’ll have to watch the other nominees, and judge for myself.