Poll Results II: Joan Fontaine

The tie breaker for the June Poll is over. The majority of you think that Joan Fontaine should have won the 1940 Academy Award for Best Actress. The votes:

Joan Fontaine, Rebecca: 14 (60%)

Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story: 9 (39%)

What happened to all the Kate Hepburn fans? The Philadelphia Story was her big comeback part and yet she couldn't compete with Olivia DeHavilland's little sister! Rebecca was that year's Best Picture winner (Hitchcock's only) and while I'm not a Joan Fontaine fan, I can see how her role in this beautiful movie could have won. It's probably her defining performance, though she would win her Oscar the next year for Suspicion, another Alfred Hitchcock film. The lady was at her career peak, and yet she barely registers among the general public when appraisals of Golden Age actresses are made. It's difficult to get past the Barbara-Bette-Joan-Kate quartet, but whatever it is about Fontaine that her fans like, she delivers it full tilt in Rebecca. I'd love for anyone reading this to do a guest post here on why they love this film and Fontaine as they do. Consider it an open invitation...

Poll Results: It's a Tie!

The June poll question: “Who should have won the 1940 Best Actress Oscar?” has ended in a tie! Both Joan Fontaine (Rebecca) and Katharine Hepburn (The Philadelphia Story) received 15 votes. However, I don’t believe in ties, so there will be a one-week runoff to determine the winner. If by week’s end there is still no victor, I will break the tie and declare the champ. The poll has been reset with just Fontaine and Hepburn. Here are the results of the voting, with 47 votes cast.

Joan Fontaine: 15 (31%)
Katharine Hepburn: 15 (31%)
Ginger Rogers: 10 (21%)
Bette Davis: 7 (14%)
Martha Scott: 0 (‘nuff said!)