[ For full episode catalogue please subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/BestActress ] The year is 1959 and the nominees are:

1. Susan Hayward - I Want to Live!
2. Deborah Kerr - Separate Tables
3. Shirley MacLaine - Some Came Running
4. Rosalind Russell - Auntie Mama
5. Elizabeth Taylor - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
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In 1959 Susan Hayward won the Oscar for her portrayal of alleged murder accomplice Barbara Graham and her eventual execution in a gas chamber. Hayward was known for delivering top shelf performances dealing with dark subject matter and she does not disappoint in, I Want to Live! Baby Shirley MacLaine received her first Oscar nomination for Some Came Running playing an uneducated naive girl from Chicago who falls in love with Frank Sinatra. Deborah Kerr gave a brief but memorable performance in Separate Tables, one of two films this year that had to be adjusted for the Hollywood Production code as to avoid discussing topics of homosexuality (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof being the second). Rosalind Russell delivers an amazing performance as the eccentric aunt (perhaps a precursor to Travels with my Aunt with Maggie Smith) known for her quirky lifestyle and outgoing personality. Finally, Elizabeth Taylor plays Paul Newman’s wife desperately trying to get him to love her again (even physically (same girl)) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Who do you think should have won?

Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Joe Arsenal as they discuss.