Dick Van Dyke won Best Featured Actor for Bye Bye, Birdie

[Miss B. L. T. Down]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 4:28pm

Yes I'm 40+ years behind the times, but I had no idea until I was browsing the Tony's website last night. How could they justify putting him in the featured category? Yeah, I know. It's all about billing but he is clearly lead. His win in that category is even more headscratching than Daisy Eagan's win for featured actress in 1991 when she was clearly lead.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 4:36pm

The same way they justified giving Tammy Grimes the Featured Actress Tony for playing Molly Brown in The Unsinkable Molly Brown the same year. Or, the year before, giving Tom Bosley the Featured Actor Tony for playing the title role in Fiorello.

At the time there was no way for producers to petition to have performers put in the appropriate category. if you were above the title, you were a lead. Below the title, you were featured. I think it was in the 70's that the petitioning started (I feel like I read somewhere that Donna McKechnie in A Chorus Line was the first person to be put in the lead category even though she was billed below the title, anyone know for sure?).

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 4:48pm

In 1969 William Daniels was nominated for Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as John Adams in 1776, and he immediately refused the nomination because he said played the lead. And everyone agreed.

He was taken off the ballot (and a sure win no doubt), and there were three nominees in the category that year instead of the usual four. Ron Holgate also in 1776 but in a genuine featured role, won.

The next year was the first that size of role determined the category with Len Cariou nominated for Lead Actor for Applause when he was below the title. It has taken quite a few years to iron out irregularities (and those still occur) but the situation is a lot better than it was.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 4:49pm

Dick Van Dyke shared 'under title' billing with that Chita Rivera woman:

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 5:50pm

Oh, that Chita Rivera woman. Who does she think she is?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 5:57pm

Chita was also nominated for Best Featured Actress for a role that would inevitably be considered leading if a revival were to happen.
Same as Yul Brynner winning a Tony as Best Featured Actor for THE KING & I, or Barbara Cook winning Best Featured Actress for THE MUSIC MAN when she was the female lead.
Carol Lawrence was also nominated as Featured Actress for playing Maria in WEST SIDE STORY.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 7:40pm

Also, you can add Isabel Bigley, who won the "featured" award for playing Sarah Brown in Guys & Dolls. Edie Adams won "featured" for playing Daisy Mae in Li'l Abner.

Carlin Glenn and Henderson Forsythe won the featured awards for playing Miss Mona and the Sheriff in "Best Little Whorehouse..." and that was as late as 1979.

The rule is actually still in place, but producers can petition the nominating committee to have an actor or actress placed in a different category (which didn't start until the mid-'70s with Donna McKechnie's leading win in A Chorus Line). That doesn't mean they'll agree to it, but if the names aren't submitted they are automatically categorized by billing: Above-the-title actors are in the leading category, and below-the-title actors are in the "featured" category. Whenever you see a nomination that doesn't follow this rule, it's because the committee was petitioned and accepted the switch.

It works both ways too. You might remember that Audra McDonald was billed above the title in Ragtime, but the producers petitioned to have her compete in the "featured" category, presumably to avoid having her in direct competition with Marin Mazzie as Mother... in addition to the fact that her character Sarah dies at the end of Act I, and has only a brief appearance in Act II.

This (to me) is when the semantics game comes up. Technically "featured" and "supporting" aren't the same thing. But you'll never convince the general public, though, and you'll never convince the actors or producers of it, either.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 7:44pm

'That Chita woman!' WHAT DO YOU MEAN???

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 8:09pm

I completely forgot about Isabel Bigley and Carlin Glynn (who would have lost to Angela Lansbury had she been placed in the Leading Actress category).
A recent case of the above-the-title billing not working happened in the '96-97 season when CHICAGO opened. Joel Grey being an Oscar/Tony-winning actor was billed above the title though he was playing Amos Hart. The Weisslers forgot to petition him for the Featured Actor category (I believe it has to be done within the first two weeks of opening night, or something to that effect), and so he remained in the ballot as leading. Needless to say he didn't get a nomination that year, had he been placed in the Featured category he could've won over Chuck Cooper.

Updated On: 8/26/07 at 08:09 PM

[wiggum2]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 8:11pm

Tom Bosley won in supporting for his lead in Fiorillo! He didn't want to compete with Jackie Gleason that year

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 11:47pm

If you would have read the thread before posting, you would have seen that your comment had already been mentioned.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 12:01am

It was a joke. Settle. I worship Chita.

[Fagin' it]

Posted: 8/25/07 at 11:32pm

Actually Ray, Carlin Glynn (Whorehouse) would've lost to Angela Lansbury (Sweeney Todd) that year, '79.
I only know this as I was looking up "Whorehouse" a few weeks ago on IBDB.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 5:14am

"Tom Bosley won in supporting for his lead in Fiorillo! He didn't want to compete with Jackie Gleason that year"



He wouldn't have had any choice in the matter. This "petitioning" didn't start until the mid-'70s. Before that time, it was strictly by billing, like it or not.

(...and William Daniels did NOT like it, and he publicly declined his featured nomination for 1776 back in 1969, which started the discussions for this new petitioning system)

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 7:49am

Fagin' you're right, I'll edit my post. Thanks for the correction :)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 8:42am

Don't forget little Daisy Eagan in The Secret Garden. She won for Featured Actress as well. Her acceptance speech is still one of my favorites.