Full video of Angela Lansbury's tribute at the 2000 Kennedy Center Honors

[Will42]

Posted: 8/18/13 at 4:10pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ExY29cvOxM

God, the woman is a true national treasure! Where the hell is her Honorary Oscar?

Introduction:
Glenn Close (who should get a Kennedy Center Honor of her own, by the way)

Performers:
Donna Murphy - There's a Parade In Town (Anyone Can Whistle)
Karen Ziemba - That's How Young I Feel (Mame)
Marin Mazzie - I Don't Want to Know (Dear World)
Nathan Lane - You'll Never Get Away From Me (Gypsy) and The Worst Pies in London (Sweeney Todd)
Len Cariou and Ensemble - Mame

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/18/13 at 5:53pm

Thanks for posting! Never seen the full thing.

As for an honorary Oscar? Never happening. Yes, she was nominated twice in her [very early career]. Yes, she's had a handful of truly memorable screen performances early in her career. But she has, as she's said in more than one interview, had a rather mixed career on screen. For every great film like The Manchurian Candidate, there are three or four second-rate forgettable films. You're gonna have to face the fact that today, this wonderful woman is first and foremost a legendary Broadway star and a highly recognized and beloved television personality who, you know, used to be in films.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/18/13 at 7:37pm

Oh my goodness, I almost teared up when that huge men's chorus started singing. You could tell that Angela was extremely moved. Nathan Lane did a decent rendition of his song. Lovely trip down memory lane.

Updated On: 8/19/13 at 07:37 PM

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 8/19/13 at 3:12am

Thanks for sharing this! Still a little sad I missed my chance to see her in A Little Night Music several years back.

[Will42]

Posted: 8/19/13 at 2:48pm

I respectfully disagree.

While Ms. Lansbury never got the chance to play film roles she was able to play on stage and TV, but it doesn't mean her film career is unworthy of an Honorary Oscar.

Yes, she a the queen of Broadway and TV icon, but she's also one of the greatest character actresses in Hollywood history with over 50 film credits under her belt.

She's been nominated for an Oscar on three occasions, not twice. And God knows she should've won for The Manchurian Candidate (1962) - Patty Duke's win has to be one of the biggest upsets in Best Supporting Actress category considering that Lansbury was thought to be a shoo-in for the win and won both the Golden Globe and the NBR Award that year.
Her first two consecutive Oscar nominations made her the youngest 2-time Oscar nominee ever - a record she still holds 70 years later.

In addition to her Oscar nominated work Ms. Lansbury gave us a plethora of great performances in such classics like The Harvey Girls (1946), Frank Capra's State of the Union (194, Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949), The Court Jester (1955), The Long, Hot Summer (195, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960), All Fall Down (1962), The World of Henry Orient (1964), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Death on the Nile (197. Not to mention her voiceover work in The Last Unicorn, Beauty and the Beast, Anastasia.

She was also excellent in Harold Prince's cult classic Something for Everyone (1970), The Company of Wolves (1984) and musical The Pirates of Penzance (1983).

Her theater and TV work may eclipse her film career, but she shouldn't be punished for achieving great success in all 3 mediums.

After all both Eli Wallach and James Earl Jones had far more impressive careers on stage than in film, but it didn't stop the Academy from presenting them with an Honorary Oscar in in 2010 and 2011.

Bonus track: Angela Lansbury sings Open a New Window at the 1971 Tony Awards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM6jvMXzcPk (I wish it was It's Today or If He Walked Into My Lifeinstead)

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/19/13 at 4:15pm

It's not that I don't think Lansbury "deserves" an honorary Oscar it's that I don't think it's in the cards for her. It would be absolutely lovely to see her get this honor, but when was the last time someone (who didn't have an Angela Lansbury avatar) talked about Angela Lanbsury's film career? I don't think this would happen without some serious campaigning and a great deal of schmoozing, hand-shaking, baby-kissing events in L.A. I get the feeling that Ms. Lansbury would prefer to spend her time working in the theatre now rather than campaigning for awards.

I read Lansbury's authorized biography several years ago. She was rather candid -- as she has been in many interviews -- about the fact that her film career was a mixed bag and that the studios rarely knew what to with her. I remember her saying that she was sick of playing peoples mothers and "bitches on wheels". I'm sure that must have been frustrating for her. Still, wouldn't it be great to see her get one last great screen role in which she brings, well, the bitch back? I'd love to see her as a rather dark character.

Oh, and, thank you for the correction. I forgot that she had three nominations -- all well deserved.

As for James Earl Jones -- a great actor, no doubt -- but he would not have received that honorary Oscar had he not played Darth Vader, perhaps the single most iconic movie villain ever.
I think if she had one role like that -- a truly iconic, instantly recognizable film role -- the fact that her the best of her film career happened 40-60+ yrs ago wouldn't be such a detriment. And, yes of course I've seen (and love) The Manchurian Candidate, but in terms of cultural influence/relevance, there's no comparison between Darth Vader and Eleanor Iselin.

[Will42]

Posted: 8/19/13 at 4:36pm

Oh, with that I agree. Although she'd be a very deserving candidate the chances of her ever getting the honor are second to none. Especially considering that the award went to a woman only on 9 occasions in 86 years.
Surprisingly though, whenever there is poll on who should get the honor Angela Lansbury always wins by a large margin (Doris Day usually comes in second).

Too bad she she was forced to withdraw from Wes Anderson's next film The Grand Budapest Hotel due to scheduling problems with her Driving Miss Daisy tour (for same reasons she had to decline to play Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier on NBC's Hannibal - Gillian Anderson was cast instead). Who knows, maybe it could have been her Oscar nod #4 or even a win?

Ms. Lansbury has said numerous times that she dreams of a one more great film role, and I'm still hoping she will get that chance.

Here's another great Kennedy Center Honors tribute, this time celebrating the legendary Bette Davis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEktlZ0gc0g