The Snubbed By the Oscars Awards...The Results Are In!

Earlier this month, the Cafe's staff selected twenty performers snubbed by the Oscars and placed them in categories based on one of their most famous performances. We then asked classic film fans to vote in an online poll to select the winners of our first-ever Snubbed By the Oscars Awards!

We'd like to thank everyone who took the time to complete their ballots. To our surprise, we reached the maximum number of votes allowed by our (free) survey software in less than two weeks. Our accountants tell us we can't provide the voting percentages for each performer in each category. However, we will state that Best Supporting Actor was by far the most competitive category.

Without further discussion, here are the winners:

Robert Mitchum showing "love."

Best Actor

Richard Burton, Becket

Kirk Douglas, Ace in the Hole

Cary Grant, Notorious

Robert Mitchum, Night of the Hunter

Peter O’Toole, Lawrence of Arabia

Best Actress

Greta Garbo, Ninotchka

Deborah Kerr, The Innocents

Marilyn Monroe, Some Like It Hot

Barbara Stanwyck, Double Indemnity

Gene Tierney, Leave Her to Heaven

Lansbury as cinema's worst mother.

Best Supporting Actress

Margaret Hamilton, The Wizard of Oz

Elsa Lanchester, Witness for the Prosecution

Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate

Agnes Moorehead, The Magnificent Ambersons 
Thelma Ritter, Rear Window

Best Supporting Actor

Sydney Greenstreet, The Maltese Falcon

Vincent Price, Laura

Edward G. Robinson, Double Indemnity

Peter Sellers, Dr. Strangelove

Eli Wallach, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Is "The Court Jester" the Best Classic Movie Comedy?

I recently watched The Court Jester (1955) for perhaps the tenth time--and laughed just as much as the first time. I realize comedy is very subjective as some folks prefer broad laughs and others opt for dark humor. But I'm hard pressed to think of a classic film comedy that's as nearly perfect as The Court Jester.

For the uninitiated, it's a medieval tale in which the Black Fox (a sort of Robin Hood) plots to restore the rightful heir to the throne: a royal baby with a purple pimpernel birthmark on his posterior. Danny Kaye plays Hawkins, a minor member of the Black Fox's gang, who is given the mission of smuggling the baby into the palace and getting the key to a secret passageway to the Black Fox. Of course, Hawkins is not entrusted with this mission alone; he is accompanied by Jean (Glynis Johns), one of the Black Fox's senior officers.

En route to the palace, Hawkins and Jean encounter the new royal jester Giacomo ("King of jesters and jester of kings"). Learning that no one in the king's court has ever seen Giacomo, they hatch a quick scheme that has Hawkins assuming the identity of the jester.

Danny Kaye and Basil Rathbone: "Get it? Got it. Good!"

They don't know, of course, that the villainous Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone) has hired Giacomo to assassinate three of the king's advisors. Nor could they anticipate that Princess Gwendolyn's lady-in-waiting, Griselda, has promised that a handsome stranger will rescue the princess from an undesirable marriage. To ensure that Hawkins/Giacomo meets the princess's expectations, Griselda (Mildred Natwick) hypnotizes him into thinking he's the medieval version of Rudolph Valentino.

Cecil Parker and Angela Lansbury.

Written and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, The Court Jester is a textbook example of how to tailor a film to fit its star's skills. Danny Kaye's physicality, quick delivery of dialogue, and exaggerated facial expressions are masterfully exploited in at least five classic comic routines. The most famous, of course, is the "Chalice from the Palace", but almost equally as funny are: Hawkins portraying an old man who is hard of hearing; the romancing of Princess Gwendolyn as Hawkins snaps in and out of his hypnotic trance; Hawkins' "get it, got it, good" exchanges with Ravenhurst, and the climatic sword fight. Simply put, it's the best part ever for the multi-talented Kaye.

Glynis Johns as Jean.

When I think of movies in which every role is ideally cast, three films come to mind: The Wizard of Oz, The Adventures of Robin Hood...and The Court Jester. It should come as no surprise that marvelous actors such as Lansbury, Rathbone, Natwick, and Johns possess impeccable comic timing. But it's also apparent that care was put into casting even the smaller parts. Cecil Parker is a delight as the king whose principal focus is on selecting wenches for a feast. Even Robert Middleton, who played his share of villains, generates laughs as Sir Griswold as he tries to remember which goblet contains the pellet with the poison.

Danny Kaye and Mildred Natwick.

Naturally, even the best comedians can falter without a funny script, so it's fortunate that The Court Jester was written (and directed) by Frank and Panama. Their greatest accomplishment is with how they incorporate the aforementioned laugh-out-loud gags into a carefully crafted spoof of costume adventures such as Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. The two writers, who met while students at the University of Chicago, worked together for three decades and penned the scripts for films such as Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, The Road to Utopia (the finest Road picture), and White Christmas (Danny Kaye's second-best film).

It's not all perfect. The opening musical number, while clever and lively, goes on too long. (Still, it serves the purpose of introducing Hawkins' acrobatic friends, which become important later.) Once Hawkins assumes the guise of Giacomo, The Court Jester rolls along at a frolicking pace. From that point on, it may produce the most laughs per minute of any comedy (only A Shot in the Dark comes close). And I must say that my wife and I have never shown The Court Jester to anyone who didn't have a grand time.

So is it the best classic movie comedy? I honestly can't think of a better one, so I'll say yes! Get it? Got it. Good!


This review is part of the Adoring Angela Lansbury Blogathon hosted by Realweegiemidget Reviews.

Below is the scene where a hypnotized Hawkins is sent to woo Princess Gwendolyn. It's the fourth most-watched clip (out of over 100) on the Cafe's YouTube channel.

Seven Things to Know About Glynis Johns

1. Stephen Sondheim wrote "Send in the Clowns" specifically for Glynis Johns, whose husky voice worked best with short phrasing. She sang it in the original 1973 stage production of  A Little Night Music and won a Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.

2. Glynis Johns received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The Sundowners (1960), Fred Zinneman's saga of an Australian family. She lost the Oscar to Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry. Deborah Kerr was also nominated, as Best Actress, for The Sundowners; Kerr and Johns appeared together 15 years earlier opposite Robert Donat in Perfect Strangers (aka Vacation from Marriage).

Johns and Danny Kaye--in disguise--in
The Court Jester.

3. She once said: "I would sooner play in a good British picture than in the majority of American pictures I have seen." Ironically, it was an American picture--the 1955 comedy classic The Court Jester--that provided her with one of her most fondly-remembered roles.

4. In 1963, she starred as an author who dabbled in crime-solving in her own American sitcom Glynis. The series was created by Jess Oppenheimer, one of the masterminds behind I Love Lucy, and was produced by Desilu. Keith Andes played Glynis' husband. Alas, the series was cancelled after 13 episodes--though a similar premise worked quite well years later for Johns' Court Jester co-star Angela Lansbury. Interestingly, Johns guest-starred in a 1985 episode of Muder, She Wrote called "Sing a Song of Murder."

As Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins.

5. Glynis Johns and Angela Lansbury share two other connections. Lansbury was also Tony-nominated for A Little Night Music. She appeared in a 2009 Broadway revival, playing the mother of Johns' character. Johns and Lansbury also appeared in Disney musicals about magical child caregivers. Glynis Johns portrayed Mrs. Banks opposite Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins  (1964), while Angela Lansbury starred as an apprentice witch in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).

Rudy Vallee and Glynis Johns.

6. Johns played villain Lady Penelope Peasoup on the Batman TV series. She teamed up with Rudy Vallee, who portrayed Lord Marmaduke Ffogg.

7. She played a flirtatious mermaid curious about humans in Miranda (1948) and its belated 1954 sequel Mad About Men. The first film was one of the biggest British boxoffice hits of the year. In the second film, Glynis Johns played double roles: Caroline, a school teacher who takes a vacation in Cornwall, and Miranda, a mermaid and distant relative to Caroline.

Julie Adams Chats with the Café about James Stewart, the Gill Man, Elvis, and Her Autobiography

Julie Adams' amazing career as a film and television actress has spanned six decades. She worked with screen legends such as James Stewart, Rock Hudson, Angela Lansbury, William Powell, and even Elvis Presley. Her most famous leading man was the tall, 
silent--and wet--type, the Creature from the Black Lagoon. In 2011, she wrote her autobiography, with son Mitchell Danton, The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon. Ms. Adams is currently on a book tour, but took time out of her schedule to talk with the Café.

Café: You co-starred with James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, and Rock Hudson in one of the finest Westerns of the 1950s: Bend of the River. What was it like working with that all-star cast and director Anthony Mann?

Julie Adams and Arthur Kennedy in
Bend of the River.

Julie Adams: Some of my fondest Hollywood memories came from acting in Bend of the River. Working with James Stewart was an incredible learning experience for me; he was such a fine screen actor. Arthur Kennedy was also a real pro. He had a great deal of stage experience and that brought a unique acting style to the ensemble. Rock Hudson and I became pals and later co-starred in another one of my favorites, The Lawless Breed. I also became friends with Lori Nelson, a lovely young actress. Today, we share a bond through the Creature trilogy of films. Lori played the Gill Man's object of desire in the second movie, Revenge of the Creature. I also loved working with director Anthony Mann, who had great energy. It was an action picture, so his upbeat nature brought a good tempo. We all enjoyed working with him. There was a sense of unity in trying to make the movie good.

Café: Nineteen years later, you played James Stewart's wife on the television sitcom The Jimmy Stewart Show. How did you come to be cast in that role?

James Stewart and Julie Adams
in The Jimmy Stewart Show.

JA: As I recall, a lot of women read for the role of Martha Howard, the wife of Professor James K. Howard (Jimmy Stewart). The day I tested for the part with Jimmy, I brought into play my genuine friendship and admiration I had for him as a person. I think that came through on the screen; we had nice chemistry together. After the screen test, he gave me a little nod and as I walked back to my dressing room I thought: "I think I have this part!" I was so thrilled. The show was not a success, and only lasted 24 episodes. But, as I've often said: "My idea of heaven was going to work with Jimmy Stewart every day for six months." 

Café: You're probably asked this a lot, but what do you remember most fondly about Creature from the Black Lagoon?

One of the most famous stills
in 1950s science fiction cinema.

JA: I think it was all of the creative people who worked on the movie. Jack Arnold did a magnificent job directing, making a fantastic story believable. Makeup artists Bud Westmore and Jack Kevan were great friends and so very talented. The look of the Creature still captivates audiences today. I also became good friends with Ben Chapman and Ricou Browning, the men who portrayed the Creature on land and underwater. Of course, Richard Carlson and Richard Denning are compelling as two of the lead scientists on the expedition. The astonishing afterlife of this film never ceases to amaze me. I'm proud that it has entertained so many movie fans for so long.

Café: You began your career while there was still a "studio system" that groomed stars. Do you think the demise of the studio system was a good thing or a bad thing?

JA: I know several actors who had varied experiences with the "studio system." For me, it was a chance to work a lot and establish a name for myself in the movies. I had virtually no contacts when I came to Hollywood, and having a home base at Universal was a wonderful thing for me. I got to work with movie stars that I never would have even met were it not for the studio system. I'm not sure if its demise was a good or bad thing. Personally, I think it's harder for newcomers to establish themselves these days without the resources of a major studio behind them.

Julie Adams and Elvis Presley
in Tickle Me.

Café: You starred opposite Elvis Presley in Tickle Me (1965), once describing the plot as "the reverse of a boss chasing the secretary around the desk." What was your impression of Elvis as an actor? 

JA: Despite his status as a superstar singer and stage performer, Elvis took his acting very seriously. He was always prepared, and did a good job in the roles he was given. When he did his musical numbers in Tickle Me, sometimes walking from table to table in a nightclub set, he did them perfectly in one take! 

Café: You guest-starred in some of the most memorable TV series of the 1960s, from Perry Mason to Alfred Hitchcock Presents to 77 Sunset Strip. If you had to name one favorite, what would it be?

JA: I loved working on all of them, but the one that stands out for me is Perry Mason. I guest-starred in four episodes between 1963 and 1965. Fans still remember one of my episodes vividly: "The Case of the Deadly Verdict," which is said to be the only case Perry Mason ever lost. I've gotten a lot of fan mail about that one, which is wonderful. I also thought Raymond Burr was one of the finest actors on television at that time, so working with him was always a pleasure.

Adams as Eve Simpson in
Murder, She Wrote.

Café: You played real estate agent Eve Simpson in several episodes of Murder, She Wrote. What was it like working on that show with Angela Lansbury?

JA: My character, Eve, was quite eccentric. She liked money and she liked men, and I had a lot of fun playing her. Eve would often say something outlandish that would leave Angela's character, Jessica Fletcher, speechless. Of course, Angela was a joy to work with. Playing comedy with an actress of her caliber was like driving in a fast car without the danger. I felt like I always had to be at the top of my game when I was playing a scene with her. I feel blessed to have had an opportunity to play a part on her hit show, Murder, She Wrote.

Café: How would you describe the experience of writing your autobiography The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon?

JA: It was a lot of work putting my life story into words, but I enjoyed reliving the memories from my long career. Working with my son on the book was a lot of fun. He helped me research some of the lesser known projects I was involved with. The book is also filled lots of photographs that help bring the story to life for the reader. It has been rewarding that people who have read the book have enjoyed it. That is the greatest gift of all!

Café: John Wayne, William Powell, Rock Hudson, Tyrone Power--you've worked with many of the most famous actors of the classic film era. Excluding James Stewart (we know he's a favorite), what actors did you most enjoy working with and why?

Rock Hudson and Adams in
The Lawless Breed.

JA: Rock Hudson and Tyrone Power were so great, each in their own way. Rock and I were about the same age, and many of the leading men I worked with were a decade or more older than me. So when Rock and I got to star in a movie together, The Lawless Breed, it was like the kids had taken over the candy store. I must confess that we goofed around a bit between takes, but I think our friendship and fondness for each other came though on the screen. Tyrone was a thrill to work with on The Mississippi Gambler. He was a real movie star, and when he walked on the set, it was as if a row of flood lights had been turned on. He just radiated charm and charisma. Despite being such a big star, he made everyone on the set feel at ease, which was so wonderful. We lost both of these handsome and talented leading men much too soon.

Piper Laurie, Tyrone Powers, and Julie
Adams in The Mississippi Gambler.

Café : You keep a busy schedule with your appearances at movie conventions and signing copies of your book. Are there any upcoming events you'd like to share with our readers?

JA: These events come out of the blue sometimes, but two that I've booked months in advance are the San Jose Super Toy and Comic Book Show (August 17) and Spooky Empire in Orlando, Florida (October 25-27). Ricou Browning (who portrayed the Creature underwater) will be at Spooky Empire as well, which should be exciting for fans of Creature from the Black Lagoon.

You can learn about Julie Adams and order signed (or unsigned) copies of The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon at www.julieadams.biz. You can also "friend" Julie on her Facebook page.

Murder, She Wrote: How to Solve a Murder with Jessica Fletcher

Some detectives sit in a cramped, gloomy office, and a murder investigation is triggered by a dame walking through the door and demanding help. Others are plainclothes police offers, on the clock and awaiting a crime scene. For mystery novel writer turned amateur detective J.B. Fletcher (Jessica, to her friends) of Murder, She Wrote, which premiered on CBS in 1984, murder seems to follow her wherever she goes. The author’s knowledge and adeptness is derived from hours of research, concocting various ways in which a person(s) can be murdered. She’s so thorough, in fact, that, when working a case, she’s occasionally been named a suspect, often an unscrupulous way to glean information that she’s stockpiled on her own. (She’s also been arrested, such as the Season 5 premiere, “J.B., as in Jailbird”, but that had more to do with the fact that she was standing over a dead body.)

Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is a modern day Miss Marple, Agatha Christie’s popular female sleuth. Like Jessica, Miss Marple is an older woman working as an amateur gumshoe (though Jessica is considerably younger). Both women work alone or without a regular partner, and while Miss Marple was never married, Jessica is a widow and lives in a small cottage in Cabot Cove, Maine. (Keep in mind that, while Jessica was often paired in the course of the investigation with characters such as Sheriff Amos, played by Tom Bosley, such characters worked as a counterbalance, their superficial view of a crime or suspect invariably proven wrong by Jessica.)

Though Jessica Fletcher did not go looking for murder, it always managed to find her. Whether she was visiting relatives (nieces, nephews and the like, as she and her late husband had no children), attending conferences or events related to her books, or simply staying at home, dead bodies seem to fall at her very doorstep (that almost happens in the series’ second episode, “Deadly Lady”, when a stranger shows up at her door looking for work and winds up dead -- though somewhere else, not at her door). Wherever Jessica was, or whomever the victim, there was a basic pattern to solving murder mysteries, and the novelist followed fundamental steps, much like a story’s outline.

1. Ingratiate oneself with the local authorities. Jessica typically deals with two types of authority figures. While most of the detectives or cops are familiar with her and/or her novels, they either consider her a nuisance or are gushing fans. If the investigating detective was a fan (e.g., the French inspector, played by Fritz Weaver, in “A Fashionable Way to Die”, who jokingly calls her Watson), Jessica was at a major advantage, with firsthand details of the ongoing case. But a cop who doesn’t appreciate her presence or respect her work creates another obstacle for the author. In any case, the best way seems to be working with the lead investigator, and not against -- unless, of course, said authority is suspect, like in Season 3’s “Cemetery Vote”.

2. The most effective way to prove an innocent person’s innocence is to expose the real killer. Generally the police lock onto a suspect or two, and Jessica may have doubts. Establishing someone as beyond suspicion is a nearly impossible feat, as the only real way to erase all residue of guilt is to throw it all onto the guilty party. Whether or not the unjustly accused is Jessica’s friend or a family member, the novelist will take a step back, gather all the clues and allow them to lead her to -- hopefully -- someone else.

3. Obtain a confession by any means available -- trickery, proof of deceit, etc. -- but always be prepared. On the road to the killer’s identity, Jessica often finds herself face-to-face with a person whom she’s confident (or, at least, fairly certain) is a murderer. She may remind said person of a spoken untruth or an inconsistency in his/her story, or she may intentionally cause a person to blunder, but what Jessica does nearly every time is arrive with backup. This functions as another set of ears if a killer confesses but, more than that, it’s simply protection from a person whose desperation may prove fatal. Sometimes it all comes to a head in a room full of suspects, which is preferable by offering additional witnesses and more limbs to restrain a murderer.

4. In the course of the investigation, lying or manipulation may be a necessary evil. There are occasions when Jessica flatly misleads someone or does not rectify a misunderstanding. One such example is from Season 4’s “Witness for the Defense”, when Jessica leads a suspect to believe that she’s an ambitious small-town reporter so that he will feed her further details of a murder.

5. Let the resolution happen naturally. In a number of episodes, Jessica has all the pieces she needs and doesn’t quite know how everything fits. It’s often when she’s discussing or considering another topic that a connection is made, and she can move from there to a solution.

Not every episode followed a formula. Season 3’s “Murder in a Minor Key”, as a for instance, was an interesting change of course. Jessica speaks directly to her audience, introducing and recapping (following what would have been the commercial breaks) the story of one of her novels -- the episode’s title. Perusing the plot, however, one sees familiar terrain: a law student (Shaun Cassidy) works as a novice sleuth, determined to prove that a friend did not commit a murder and ultimately extracting a confession from the person truly responsible. It seems that Jessica’s life provided the basis for her novels -- or were her books the inspiration for her investigatory process?

“Murder in a Minor Key” acted as almost a precursor to what became known as “bookend episodes” in Seasons 6 and 7. With the assumption that Lansbury would be departing after the fifth season, executive producer and writer Peter S. Fischer scripted a series finale, which had to be reworked at the eleventh hour when Lansbury signed on for two additional seasons (though she stuck around for even more). Part of her agreement was a reduced workload, which was handled by sporadic episodes throughout a season in which Jessica would only appear to introduce and/or close a story. Examples included another of her novels (“Good-Bye Charlie”), and episodes featuring her crime-solving friends, such as MI6 agent Michael Haggerty (Len Cariou), football player turned P.I. Bill Boyle (Ken Howard), and insurance investigator and former thief/conman Dennis Stanton (Keith Mitchell). There was a notable drop in ratings during these two seasons, which seemed to affirm that viewers tuned in not for the murders but for the bright and beguiling Jessica Fletcher. It was a drastic change to watch, for instance, Dennis solve a crime (Mitchell’s character starred in one of the bookend episodes in Season 6 and all five of them in 7). His method was a diametrical difference, as he sought to prove guilt, intentionally agitated law enforcement, and identified fabricated accounts from others in lieu of manipulating them (an interesting approach from an ex-conman).

Angela Lansbury was topnotch as Jessica Fletcher. She made the character immensely charismatic, sweet like a grandmother, nimble like a dancer, and elegant like a queen. She was a lady whom anyone would wish to know, although only from afar, considering the track record for her wrongfully accused family and friends. For her portrayal, Lansbury was nominated for 12 Emmys (a nomination per season) and 10 Golden Globe awards. Shockingly, she never won an Emmy, but she did walk away with four Golden Globes. The versatile actress has been nominated and won awards for her work in film, TV and theatre, including an Academy Award nomination for her 1944 film debut, Gaslight, also starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, and five Tony Awards.

Though Lansbury was the only regular, there were several recurring characters. William Windom played Dr. Seth Hazlitt, Cabot Cove’s doctor. Windom actually debuted on the series as another character (a murder suspect!) in the Season 1 finale, “Funeral at Fifty-Mile”. Seth first appeared in the second season. Tom Bosley was Sheriff Amos Tupper. Bosley left the series after Season 4 for the lead in Father Dowling Mysteries. Though Bosley’s departure was disappointing, he was replaced by Ron Masak as Sheriff Mort Metzger, a warm and favorable character on par with Sheriff Amos. Masak, like Windom, first starred on Murder, She Wrote as a different character (two, actually, in Seasons 1 and 3) before becoming the sheriff. Michael Horton also made frequent appearances as Jessica’s long-suffering nephew, Grady. He has been accused of murder a few times, including the pilot. A body is discovered soon after announcing his engagement to Donna (Debbie Zipp, who is married to Horton in real life) and another on the couple’s wedding day. In Season 6 (“The Szechuan Dragon”), a corpse makes its way into Jessica’s living room while Grady and a pregnant Donna are house sitting (Jessica still solves that one, over the phone and 3,000 miles away in London).

Jessica’s ingenuity and knack for solving murder mysteries is undisputed. The sheriffs of Cabot Cove were intelligent men, but their reliance on Jessica is clear, and, though they may not admit it, detectives and cops of other cases may never have found the real killer if not for the author. And if not for the crossover episode, who would have helped Magnum, P.I. (Tom Selleck) prove his innocence? My favorite part of Murder, She Wrote is Jessica’s moment of revelation, which happened in most episodes. It was that subtle jaw drop, the eyes a little wide, and her frozen, immobile state that lasts for a couple of seconds. She’d usually run from the room, sometimes thanking the person she’s with, the person clueless as to what she’s deduced. There are times when I know why Jessica had her reaction, and many times I don’t. But it’s always a welcome sight.

This Week's Poll: Who's Your Mommie Dearest?

This week we're taking a look at monstrous moms. While most of my blogs have featured good mothers - Emma Newton in Shadow of a Doubt, Anna Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis, Martha Hanson in I Remember Mama - it's time now to shine the spotlight on some of the nastier moms on film (with a nod to the great actresses who portrayed them). Which of these lethal ladies would you least like to tuck you in at night?

Mrs. Henry Vale (Gladys Cooper) in Now, Voyager (1942)

Tyrannical Mrs. Vale is matriarch of "the Boston Vales," an extremely wealthy, well-established WASP family. The granite-jawed dowager has her daughter, ugly-duckling Charlotte, firmly in her iron grip - treating her, by turns, as child or servant. Autocratic and manipulative, Mrs. Vale has all but devoured the young woman. Enter Dr. Jaquith, eminent psychiatrist, who meets with Charlotte and declares, "My dear Mrs. Vale, if you had deliberately and maliciously planned to destroy your daughter's life, you couldn't have done it more completely." Unruffled, she imperiously snaps back, "How, by having exercised a mother's rights?"

Later in the game, Mrs. Vale is not above faking a tumble down the stairs in a determined last-ditch effort to regain her hold over her daughter.

Madame Sebastian (Leopoldine Konstantin) in Notorious (1946)

Madame Sebastian and her son, Alex, are part of a post-war Nazi enclave in Brazil involved in a vague but fiendish plot. Thanks to the Madame, Alex is something of a movie anomaly - a Nazi mama's boy. Ice-cold and demeaning, Madame Sebastian verbally bludgeons Alex whenever he seems to be straying from her steely domination. When he asks that she at least smile occasionally at the woman he will marry, his mother retorts, "Wouldn't it be a little too much if we both grinned at her like idiots?"

Alex later discovers his new wife is a spy and tells his mother. She grimly lights a cigarette, inhales and takes charge: "Let me arrange this one." And she plots to slowly poison her daughter-in-law to death, something we suspect she's wanted to do all along.

Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn) in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

A mother written by Tennessee Williams is bound to be a piece of work, and Mrs. Venable is surely that. A wealthy New Orleans widow, she has recently lost her son Sebastian. He met his death while abroad with his cousin Cathy. Mrs. Venable is now seeking a lobotomy for Cathy who is talking too much about Sebastian and how he died. Though it becomes clear that Sebastian was gay, his mother seems to have been oblivious...she recalls a conversation with him when she was his travelling companion: "...what a lovely summer it's been. Sebastian and Violet. Violet and Sebastian. Just the two of us. Just the way it's always going to be. Oh, we are lucky, my darling, to have one another and need no one else ever." It's not surprising that Mrs. Venable has a Venus Flytrap in her garden.

Mrs. John Iselin (Angela Lansbury) in The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Mrs. Iselin, the brains behind her dim, rabble-rousing U.S. Senator husband, is also the mother of 'war hero'/assassin Raymond Shaw. A skilled demagogue, she easily controls others. But she inspires little love, as evidenced by her son's words: "My mother...is a terrible, terrible woman...You know... it's a terrible thing to hate your mother. But I didn't always hate her. When I was a child I only kind of disliked her." Mrs. Iselin's manipulations are part of a larger plan; she's out for world domination and has sacrificed Raymond's soul as well as the lives of his wife and others in her quest. She has stage-managed everything, from the sentence that will cue an assassination, to its desired aftermath. All she has schemed for is about to become hers...but Mrs. Iselin may have overplayed her hand at Solitaire...

Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) in The Graduate (1967)

Mrs. Robinson suffers from a bad case of Affluenza; her life is comfortable but unsatisfying. Though she and her husband are living the good life and their daughter is away at college, the marriage is dead and she's an alcoholic who habitually seduces young men - including Benjamin, son of her husband's law partner. While Mrs. Robinson's attitude toward Benjamin and their liaison has been cavalier, she comes unhinged when he succumbs to family pressure and takes her daughter, Elaine, on a date. Mrs. R instantly transforms into a vengeful virago and, when Ben and Elaine hit it off, she begins a vicious campaign to derail their romance, bring her daughter back in line and eviscerate Ben in doing so...coo coo ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson...

Cast your vote for one of these five nefarious nominees at the sidebar to the right...