Bob Martin question

[leefowler]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:03pm

Bob Martin was nominated today for best actor in a musical, in addition to being nominated for best book of a musical. Has anyone ever done this before?

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:32pm

Anthony Newley---Stop the World...

[Barihunk]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:34pm

I think he is the first to score multiple nominations in this particular combo. Tommy Tune of course was triple nominated in 1983 (Actor, Director, Choreograhy) for "My One and Only", winning both Actor and Choreograhy. Bill Irwin was also nominated in 1989 for Actor, Choreography and Best Play for "Largely New York" (he lost all three).

[FrontRow]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:35pm

I have an even better Bob Martin related question. Okay, Tonys geeks, tell me:

Has anyone other than Martin ever been nominated for Leading Actor in a Musical without singing or dancing in that musical?
Updated On: 5/16/06 at 01:35 PM

[Barihunk]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:37pm

Good for you Best12! Of course Anthony Newley ...

[Barihunk]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:39pm

Thomas Mitchell 1953 - Hazel Flagg

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:41pm

Right, Barihunk. Thomas Mitchell was not only nominated, but he WON the Tony for a non-singing, non-dancing performance in a musical.

...And who you callin' a Tony Geek, FrontRow?

Updated On: 5/16/06 at 01:41 PM

[FrontRow]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:44pm

I meant it as a compliment. Seriously, I didn't know if this had ever happened before but figured someone among the BWW message boarders would.

What was that Thomas Mitchell show and role about?

[Someday]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:50pm

A technicality, perhaps, but Bob does sing in the show. It's in the final number, “I Do, I Do in the Sky.” It's true that, for a nominee for Best Actor in a Musical, he doesn't sing much, but at least his voice sounds good when he does.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 2:17pm

Have you ever seen the '30s screwball comedy "Nothing Sacred" with Carole Lombard and Fredric March? "Hazel Flagg" is based on that movie.

It's a story about a small town New England girl who meets a newspaper reporter at the same time she (mistakenly) learns that she's dying of a terminal disease. The reporter decides to turn her sad story into a media event to save his own floundering career, and she becomes the darling of NYC: Keys to the city, the red carpet treatment wherever she goes, etc. Everything's fine until she discovers that she's NOT really dying. She's kinda stuck playing the martyr and trapped in all the whirlwind glamour of being a "tragic figure." It's very funny! Plus, of course, she's falling in love with the reporter the whole time.

Thomas Mitchell played the hometown doctor (Dr. Downer), who makes the mistake of diagnosing her as terminal. He switches her chart with that of a cow's since he's also the local vet. So it's the COW that's actually dying, not Hazel. This part was played by Charles Winninger in the movie. It's a funny role, but I would consider it a nice "supporting role" by today's standards. But because Thomas Mitchell was billed above the title for this musical (he was a big star back then), he was considered in the leading Tony category. Those were the rules.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 2:22pm

Thomas Mitchell is probably most widely remembered today for playing Scarlett O'Hara's dad in "Gone with the Wind".

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 2:28pm

'Tis true. And he also won an Oscar that same year for "Stagecoach." And he was Uncle Billy in "It's a Wonderful Life," (among many other memorable film roles).

But, he was a huge theatre star in the '30s - '50s, starring in, and directing, many plays.
Thomas Mitchell on IBDb.com