1938 – Beulah Bondi
Of Human Hearts
It’s a good thing I’m judging this based on Bondi’s excellent performance, and not the ridiculous script. I’m sorry, but Abraham Lincoln, in the middle of the Civil War, had more important things do to than illegally threaten to court-marshal an army medic for being a dick to his mother, though according to legend, that actually might have happened, or something close to it.
His mother, played by Bondi, was listed as a supporting character, and I agree with that assessment. But since her relationship with her ungrateful son was really the central theme of the film, put next to the boy’s relationship with his father, I’d have understood a Best Actress nod instead. She arguably had the most screen time of the entire cast. And she embodied the central theme of the movie, which was that nobody should ever take their parents for granted, especially their mothers.
Bondi played Mary Wilkins, a woman who was used to a somewhat affluent life, but who agreed to take on a life of poverty because of her husband’s calling and work as a preacher in an impoverished rural community. But her rebellious son did not appreciate her sacrifices, and constantly asks for more and more money. And because she loves her son, she sells everything she can, becoming the poorest of the poor, to give him everything he asks for. She does so without complaint, with no thought of herself. She only wants her boy to be happy.
But when her son joins the Union Army, and fails to even write to her, casting doubt in her mind whether or not he is even alive, Beulah’s talent as a wonderful actress was really given a chance to shine. Keeping in line with the character, who was humble to a fault, she played the part in such a way as to not draw attention to herself. But the character of Mary Wilkins was written so as to keep her in the forefront of the narrative, shouldering most of the emotional drama of the film. There was a subtle gravitas about her that was unmistakable. She was a long-suffering wife and mother who didn’t seem to mind her suffering. And she handled the scene where her husband died particularly well. There’s no doubt that she was a skilled actress, and I’m glad that she was once again recognized for her work.