There's always that one performance I see by actor in a film that just hooks me on and intrigues me to seek out there other works, their biography, their life, etc. It's the performance that remains their seminal one for me, and it just so happens that such is the case with a truly gifted comedic performer by the name of....
...Madeline Kahn in Paper Moon (1973)
Madeline Kahn plays Trixie Delight, a floozy dame during the Depression-era who crosses paths with two con artists with whom she ends up traveling with.
The character swoops into the film when Moze "meets" her at a local carnival and offers she and her maid Imogene (a hilarious, and sadly unnominated P.J. Johnson) a ride as he and Addie are on "vacation" from there con tricks.
The role of Trixie is used to set the film to roll in a new direction for the last third, and although she may seem as just some plot device, both Kahn and director Peter Bagdonavich let us see something beyond that. But the role requires Kahn to be brash, sweet, funny, and enduring, and its no surprise that Kahn hits each note perfectly. In this already delightful film Kahn's Trixie is another welcoming entry into the narrative, and its her presence which gives the film its curve into something a little deeper.
Trixie's been a nomad of some sorts who's been pulling tricks and doing whatever she can to get by, and Kahn lets us see Trixie's genuine happiness of having Moses Pray and the protection she gets from him by beside her. Kahn is simply a riot -- whether she's talking about going "winky-tinky" all the time, or being embarrassed by her maid, or babbling on about the importance of bone structure. She allows Trixie to be both slightly stubborn and arrogant, but she never lays it to think and subtley lays the foundation for the character's big scene.
It comes when the gang has a little picnic on a grassy hill and o'course Trixie has to go winky tinky (its never really explained why but due to the character being who she is, I'm thinking maybe an STD or something) so she suggests that they get a move on. But Addie refuses to let her passenger seat be taken by some "cow", and she will not go back into the car until she gets the spot she believes to be rightfully hers.When Moze tries to reason with her it just simply doesn't do any good, so he asks Trixie to try and talk her down.
Kahn passes through three main, nuanced registers in this scene: she's at first friendly and sweet, then slides into frustration when Addie doesn't budge, then turns back around and drops it all. She realizes that fighting and using her weak affectations just won't work, at least not with Addie. She turns around and lets us see what's really going on inside, and in a quietly touching monologue, Kahn's Trixie talks to this child like an adult, and the first time truly realizes what's she's up against. She knows that this little girl is capable of "wiping her out" and she backs down in fear that she really will be. In what is the character's most genuine moment of being, Trixie explains the pattern of her life and how the appearances, scenery and suitors pass but she is never able to change and get out of the loop. Kahn gives the character subtley, rich and textured shades of sadness; giving us a humane glimpse into this flaky caricature's private pain.
But what I most admire about Kahn's performance is how she builds an entire inner and outer life for Trixie; conveying an entire sad history of mishaps, regrets, and failed dreams for her backstory. These true feelings come from within and they wash across Kahn's face and are infused in her voice. Kahn lets us in on that she is no better or worse than Addie and Moze, all three are looking for the next big thing in their lives, but Trixie has to do what she does to survive in this oppressed world, thus lending the film depth and feeling which counterbalances what eventually befalls Moze and Addie. With another actress, this character may have come off as flat out shrill and grating; all stupid laughs/stunts, and nothin' else. But here, the actress makes the character her own, and it results in a colorfully touching performance.
Its simplistic, finely tuned, memorable work that's the true supporting actress performance in the film. Madeline Kahn's is a more than worthy nomination and its all thanks to her actorly/comedic skills....and one incredibly genuis line reading that gathers both empathy and humor...
"...Now how 'bout it honey,
just for a little while...
let 'ol Trixie sit up front with her big tits..."
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