10 Greatest Ever Oscar Shocks
3. Art Carney Beats The Greats
Albert Finney, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Art Carney. One of those is not like the others. It was a surprise in 1975 when Carney took home the best actor prize for Harry And Tonto, in which he plays a widower travelling across America with his pet cat. In 2020, it seems frankly mad.
Carney is brilliant in the somewhat-forgotten road movie, bringing a lifetime of experience to a wonderfully written role. But to say he’s up against some heavyweights is to seriously undersell the situation. Not only are the actors giants, some of the roles are humongous, too.
Nicholson at a then-career best as Jake Gittes in Chinatown. Pacino reprising - and bettering - his performance as Michael Corleone. Finney and Hoffman play Hercule Poirot and Lenny Bruce respectively. It’s not a knock on Carney, but perhaps the Serious Actor In An Important Role vote was split, allowing the veteran to sneak in with his gentle and warm turn.
Harry And Tonto has not stood the test of time like some of the other films mentioned, and the other actors (save Finney, outrageously) would eventually taste Oscar gold. It’s a good thing, then, that Art Carney got his moment, even if it still seems very, very odd.