Missing Guest At The Oscars: The Late, Great Ann Sothern

There was no clip of the late, great Ann Sothern during the memorial montage in Sunday night's Oscarcast; perhaps Ann's death 10 days earlier didn't leave enough time for inclusion. But one hopes that she won't be forgotten during next year's A.A. festivities. It isn't the first time she has been given short shrift by the industry, whatever the reason. Sothern was one of those always dependable, always first-rate, classy ladies who, year in and year out, made ordinary movies look superb and made good movies look superior. During her 58 years in films (1929-87), she had three conspicuous links to Oscar: She was a nominee in 1987 as best supporting actress in what turned out to be her last film, producer Mike Kaplan's "The Whales of August"; earlier, in 1941's "Lady Be Good," she introduced on film the Kern-Hammerstein song "The Last Time I Saw Paris," which went on to win that year's A.A. for best song; further, she co-starred in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1949 "A Letter to Three Wives," which went on to win a double whammy via statuettes for Mankiewicz's direction and screenplay. Most of the time, however, she didn't get within a mile of an Oscar — not because of her talent, which was immense, but because of her opportunities. Sothern could take any piece of material and make it dazzle; so her home studio, MGM, assigned her to weak stories, which her talent would strengthen. Still, there are many gems in her portfolio, including the 10 "Maisie" movies she made and 1940's "Brother Orchid" with Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart, in which Ann S. plays a witty drunk scene that Lucille Ball always said was one of the funniest performances she had ever seen in a film. Rarely, however, was she offered great material — except once. A few days into filming "Zorba the Greek" in 1963, co-star Simone Signoret pulled out, and a call went to Sothern's agents: Could she come immediately and take over? No, was the agents' reply, not until she had a chance to read the script and approve the clothes. So "Zorba" forged ahead with Lila Kedrova in the aged-prostitute role that brought her an Oscar. Sometime after, "Zorba" star Anthony Quinn ran into Sothern at a party and told her how much he wished she had taken the chance and done the film. Sothern was astounded. "It's the first I'd heard of the offer," she told him. "I would have jumped at it!" It was, she later said, "the heartbreak of my career."