The Five Best Shirley MacLaine Performances

1. The Apartment (1960) - While Shirley MacLaine often played strong, independent women later in her career, her finest performance was as the vulnerable, lonely, and borderline-desperate Fran Kubelik in Billy Wilder’s classic comedy-drama. Fran is smart enough to guess that the slimy business executive, played by Fred MacMurray, has no intention of leaving his wife. Yet, the scene where she admits this to herself is poignant and tragic. It helps, too, that MacLaine and Jack Lemmon make a near-perfect onscreen couple, with her cynicism evenly balanced by his earnestness.

2. Terms of Endearment (1983) - After four previous Best Actress nominations, Shirley MacLaine won the Oscar for playing an independent-minded mother opposite an equally feisty daughter (Debra Winger) in James L. Brooks' popular hit. MacLaine has called Terms a "singularly difficult experience" in which "maybe the shooting circumstances contributed to its artistic success." She is referring, of course, to her on-set friction with Debra Winger. The on-screen result is an incredibly natural mother-daughter relationship that allows MacLaine to show the full range of her acting talent as a dramatic actress and (especially in her scenes with Jack Nicholson) as a comedienne.

Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine.

3. The Children's Hour (1961) - William Wyler's underrated drama stars Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine as two teachers who are accused of being in a lesbian relationship by a student. While it is untrue, MacLaine's character harbors unspoken love for her colleague and friend. The scene is which she openly admits her feelings for the first time is the most emotionally-wrenching scene in MacLaine's career.

4. Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) - I suspect many readers consider this is an odd choice. The reality, though, is that Shirley MacLaine may have been Clint Eastwood's best female co-star. She is certainly tough enough to go toe to toe with him and their interplay is the highlight of the film. Director Don Siegel once said that Shirley was "a hard, hard woman." Although she now speaks highly of Eastwood, MacLaine and Siegel routinely clashed on the set. Perhaps, this is another case of off-screen friction leading to on-screen success.

In one of her "roles" in Gambit.

5. Gambit (1966) - This may seem like another offbeat selection, but hear me out. It makes the list because it features what amounts to two delightful Shirley MacLaine performances. In the first half of the film, con man Michael Caine imagines a heist that features Shirley as an accomplice who doesn't have a word of dialogue. MacLaine's acting consists solely of facial expressions and gestures--and she's marvelous. In the film's second half, she plays a talkative accomplice who's much smarter than Caine's character. Her performances are masterful examples of light comedy and serve as a reminder she could have been a much bigger star if that was her goal.

Honorable Mentions: The Turning Point, Irma La Douce, Some Came Running, and Steel Magnolias.

The Five Best James Garner Performances

Yes, I know, the "Five Best" lists were supposed to end in August, but that was before I saw a James Garner movie last weekend. Surprisingly, I wasn't always a James Garner fan. It took me awhile to appreciate his unique blend of easygoing charm, toughness, comic timing, and--when required--subtlety. But he has become a favorite actor over the years...and hence I offer my picks for his five best performances:

1. The Americanization of Emily (1964) - This complex comedy-drama about a self-confessed "practicing coward" during World War II has about as many detractors as fans. That's not unusual with screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky's films from the 1960s and 1970s. Count me as a fan, thanks in large part to Garner's skillful performance as Naval officer Charlie Madison, whose flippant approach to the war creates conflict with the woman he loves (Julie Andrews). Ultimately, Charlie realizes the right thing to do--even if he's convinced to do something else.

2. The Children's Hour (1961) - I know many film buffs favor These Three (1936), William Wyler's earlier version of Lillian Hellman's stage play. But I much prefer Wyler's second attempt, which benefits from carefully-nuanced performances from Audrey Helpburn, Shirley MacLaine, and Garner. His role is strictly a supporting one as Audrey's lover. Still, contrast the scenes of Hepburn and Garner at the film's beginning with their poignant last scene together--it's a heartbreaking comparison, right down to the look of defeat on Garner's face.

3. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) - More than any other of his films, this Western comedy captures the spirit of Garner's hit TV series Maverick. Garner plays a stranger with a quick draw who cleans up a rowdy gold mine town in typically unconventional fashion. When one of the townsfolk asks why a man with such a fast gun isn't better known, Garner's character remarks (as only he can): "What would I want with a reputation? That's a good way to get yourself killed."

4. Murphy's Romance (1985) - Garner earned a Best Actor nomination as a small-town pharmacist in the twilight of his life who falls in love with a 33-year-old single mother (Sally Field). For me, it's a film that gets better with age, thanks mostly to how it charts the evolving relationship between Garner's and Field's characters. Some sources states that Marlon Brando was the front-runner for the male lead until Field and director Martin Ritt insisted on Garner. Yeah for them!

5. The Great Escape (1963) - In an ensemble piece where Steve McQueen gets many of the memorable scenes, Garner makes an impact as an American aviator who participates in a large-scale breakout from a German POW camp. As "the scrounger," Garner gets his share of amusing scenes. It was a breakout performance for the former TV star, whose previous roles were supporting in nature or as lead in modest efforts (e.g., the underrated Cash McCall).

Honorable Mentions:  The Thrill of It All (his first pairing with Doris Day); 36 Hours (a nifty Mission: Impossible thriller); Marlowe (an interesting take on Raymond Chandler's private eye); Victor Victoria (his "comeback" film after The Rockford Files ended); and They Only Kill Their Masters (a quirky small-town mystery).

Okay, James Garner fans, what are your picks?