Sunday, December 03, 2006
Bewitching Performances
As I watch "Johnny Belinda," I realize why Agnes Moorehead was a four-time Oscar nominee and how ironic it is that she'll be remembered for playing Endora on the "Bewitched" TV series. She never won - always a bridesmaid, but the Academy was nominated her work as supporting actress in "Magnificent Ambersons (pictured top)," "Johnny Belinda," "Mrs. Parkington" and "Hush, Hush Sweet Charolette (pictured second)."
She generally played hardscrabble spinsters and, memorably, she played the impoverished mother of the title character in "Citizen Kane." In "Johnny Belinda" she's a hard-as-nails rural maiden aunt who shows an unexpected reserve of tenderness and decency - her range is remarkable. "Johnny" was nominated for 12 Oscars, but only won for Jane Wyman's astounding work as the ill-fated deaf-mute girl of the title. Wyman was married to future President Ronald Reagan at the time, forty years later became a television icon as the tyricannical matriarch of "Falcon Crest." It remains unconfirmed as to whether, despite two long marriages, she was indeed a lesbian. Here's more about her life and career. At left is Moorehead dolled up in her Sunday best.this entry's permalink
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