Like my fellow blogger (and Supporting Actress fan) Joe Burns, I have come to admire and appreciate almost every little bit this brilliant category has to offer. Whether it be a small nominated performance or a popular big winner, we both like to find the best in the golden goodies we are rewarded with (as do many others). But when a particular performance beat out my favorite (Leigh in Psycho), I couldn't think of anything but "how dare she!". Though I was very wrong to pass judgement, especially when it comes to the sparkling, underrated work by...
Shirley Jones plays Lulu Bains, the sexy, saucy hooker who's got somewhat of a past with charming con man Elmer Gantry (Burt Lancaster).
Lulu's history is tied together with Gantry and his story which eventually develops to find Lulu at a time in her life when the wounds of the past were beginning to heal. It seems her old beau is becoming increasingly popular in the world of religion/media; gathering fame and fortune, and living a conniving dream life. Lulu on the other hand is simply a "five buck hooker" who once had a set path in the world before hopes became dashed. Now living in a sleazy brothel, Lulu is remembered of a time when she and and a unknown Elmer were just two lovers who shared more than just fun kicks. But also isn't forgetting that Gantry is the main reason she is living the way she is.
On the outside, we see the blonde beauty with a sharp tongue and a bod for sin, who's clearly got the goods and the brains to make her way around, and to get what she truly desires.
But what does Lulu desire? Is it sex? Money? Fame? She isn't really quite sure, and Jones maintains a void within Lulu while making her each moment on screen as colorful and vibrant as any screen performance can be. She's a visually stunning enigma who's got the appeal and confidence, as well as a whole detailed interior that matches the luminous surface.
Then everything seems to fall into place for Lulu when Gantry's righteousness leads him to invading and destroying the brothel...
...and when Lulu's gaze awkwardly meets his, she finally comes to the realization of just how much revenge driven power she is capable of.
The character of Lulu is introduced to basically provide a large narrative turn and to create an essential character point opposite Lancaster's Elmer; a palpably feminine one, creating a nice contrast to the he-man Elmer. The role on page is a surprisingly nice package for an actress who is up for the task; with a simple yet layered backstory, some snappy dialogue, and a character who is much more than a blonde bombshell. And -- thankfully -- Ms. Jones is more than up for lifting the character past the flat page.
Because of what he's done to her, Lulu cooks up a a plan to simply get back at Elmer for playing a part in breaking her previous life apart. Her idea is to get things hot 'n heavy between the two during a "secret" late night meeting, while some sleazy photographers can capture the framed moment to destroy Gantry's dignified reputation.
The meeting starts as a casual, "long time no see" interaction....
...before Lulu pulls out all stops on Elmer and turns the whole thing around so it's all his fault. This scene, Jones' longest -- with the camera mostly always focused on here -- draws out everything about Lulu, her past, and what's happening to her now as a result of what's been through. This extended scene requires Lulu to oscillate between anger, regret, desperation, and forgiveness, and all within only a few minutes.
Jones accomplishes all of this and more with easy going charm and fluidity, at one moment playing the interrogator, and the next playing the victim of a charity case. But what makes this scene really work is that Jones actually makes every moment a genuinely poignant one, even as Lulu acts as the real backstabber; she way she talks of her abandonment by Elmer, losing love and protection, and being left in the dirt by her minister father who wants nothing to do with her. Jones' Lulu is just trying to get by without letting Elmer get by without some good 'ol fashion payback. And even as Lulu puts on somewhat of an act for the hidden camera men, she lends the real camera a glimpse of the woman behind her conniving exterior.
When she begs Elmer to stay, it's mainly done as a ploy to win him over, but with Jones' playing it also reads as a sad, real call for everything she once had and lost. In the hands of another actress, who might have just played the surface (without any insight beyond the written page) the moment wouldn't have registered in the way it does when Jones gives Lulu Bains a fully functioning reality outside of the narrative.
What makes Lulu not only appealing, but compelling, is that she's much more than just some device or accessory to the story; one who might have just provided some light relief or distraction to complicate Lancaster's Elmer's story. She's not held down by the narrative/plot even though it doesn't revolve around her, but Jones is able to maneuver her stock character (an Oscar favorite) within the film and provide her with a sharp, distinctive independence.
All of this becomes even more clear when Lulu's revenge plan works as she had intended,
but at the same time falls through to her heart; to the man who truly gave her something she had never felt.
As the revival gets shaken and stirred, so does Lulu's emotions as a selfish smirk flashes and fades to regret, washing across her face. She runs off into the night trying to leave everything behind her.
Though her deceit catches up to her when she's caught in the bitch-slapping hands of the greedy photographer, before being rescued by Elmer once again.
What Shirley Jones does with her stock character is both memorable and unique for her detailed characterization that doesn't lose sight of her striking emotional simplicity and glimmering charisma. It's a genuine, rich, luminous performance in every sense -- no wonder Joe fell in love with her at first sight; she's a truly deserving winner in the best category Oscar has to offer.
Shirley Jones plays Lulu Bains, the sexy, saucy hooker who's got somewhat of a past with charming con man Elmer Gantry (Burt Lancaster).
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