1940 – Ruth Hussey
The Philadelphia Story
I was thoroughly delighted with Ruth Hussey’s performance in this movie. It was a smart script in which nearly every character was intelligent and witty. The main cast consisted of a quartet of characters. A lesser known actress, Hussey had to contend with three powerhouses, Carey Grant, James Stewart, and Katharine Hepburn, and I think she held her own quite well. She was just as quick with the fast dialogue, the perfect comedic timing, and the slight emotional drama.
Hussey played the part of Liz Imbrie, a photographer for Spy Magazine, who is assigned to cover a wealthy socialite’s wedding. The magazine’s editor uses blackmail to get her and the writer, played by Stewart, into the home, but they have to use their own wiles to stay there. Hers was most definitely a supporting role. She doesn’t have a lot of screen time, but she seemed to make the most of every second she got. She was often in the background, observing a lot of the action, but she frequently chimed in with little comedic zingers that was perfectly delivered, making her a rather memorable character.
But she wasn’t in the background all the time. She had her own little subplot which gave Hussey the ability to create a fairly fleshed-out character. She clearly had romantic feelings for Mike, played by Stewart, which were not completely returned. The unrequited love angle gave Hussey the opportunity to throw a bit of light drama into the mostly silly romantic comedy. I really enjoyed her calm, no-nonsense attitude when speaking about her feelings for Mike.
And there’s no doubt that she was beautiful, though not in the same haughty and aloof way as Hepburn, so she didn’t overshadow the film’s lead actress. She had more of a common, comfortable beauty with an attraction that was all its own. And there was an intelligence that could be clearly seen in her face that wasn’t just part of the character. It came from the actress, and was a natural part of her. It makes me wonder what else Hussey has done, and whether she typically played supporting roles, or if she generally played lead roles. I’ll have to do a little reading. Either way, I think she totally deserved her Oscar nomination.