A Woman Robbed: Deborah Kerr and Joan Crawford

·24 min·2 clips

Why did Joan Crawford and Deborah Kerr top a list of 15 overlooked 1960s Oscar performances, beating out Ingrid Bergman and Audrey Hepburn?

The episode begins with host Kevin Jacobsen introducing the series theme: actresses who came close to Oscar nominations but were overlooked. He presents a list of 15 notable 1960s performances that weren't nominated, with Joan Crawford and Deborah Kerr as the top vote-getters from patrons. Guest Matt Duffy, host of 'The Real Gold' and 'The Rundown' TikTok channel, joins to discuss these choices. The hosts first contextualize the 1960s as a turning point in Hollywood, noting the clash between old and new styles, the decline of the Hays Code, and the rise of foreign films. They highlight how this era allowed for darker, more psychological roles for women, particularly in horror. The analysis then focuses on Deborah Kerr in 'The Innocents,' directed by Jack Clayton. Kerr played Miss Giddens, a governess caring for two children in a possibly haunted manor. The hosts note that Kerr was 40 when cast, defying Hollywood norms as the character was written as 20. They discuss Kerr's ability to convey naivete and matronly qualities simultaneously, with Duffy praising her for walking a 'tightrope between sanity and insanity.' Specific scenes are examined, such as Kerr's reactions to seeing ghosts, her interactions with the children, and a tense sequence where she walks with a candelabra while hearing voices. The hosts emphasize Kerr's expressive eyes and subtle modulation of fear. They also touch on the film's ambiguity, leaving viewers to decide if the horrors are real or imagined. The episode briefly mentions Joan Crawford's performance in 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?' as another overlooked contender, though detailed analysis is cut off in the preview. Throughout, the hosts reflect on the Academy's historical reluctance to nominate horror performances, suggesting this may have contributed to Kerr and Crawford's omissions. The episode ends with a promo for the Patreon subscription to access full content.

As heard by us

Kevin and Matt Duffy consider how Deborah Kerr keeps The Innocents open to more than one reading.

Deborah Kerr's performance in The Innocents gives Kevin and returning guest Matt Duffy plenty to work through in this A Woman Robbed discussion.

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Want to reconsider Deborah Kerr's unnerving work in The Innocents through an Oscar lens?

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