Okay, sometimes they get it wrong. Oscar certainly did. They gave the gong to a piece of cheese like High Hopes whilst completely ignoring the gorgeous ballad from the same stable (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) and the same (this one) movie, namely All My Tomorrows which Sinatra sings over the opening credits. They also got it wrong with the choice of director, Frank Capra. Indisputably a great director in the thirties and forties but out of touch with the modern world. And did they really think that Beatniks were here to stay in 1959. What was a great role and a great performance by Carolyn Jones in 1959 is now embarrassing to watch. Okay, Sinatra's charisma can get him through a role like this standing on his head but his style is totally at odds with Eddie Robinson as his brother-in-law (they would appear in the same film fifteen years later but on that occasion Robinson's cameo was self-contained in the first reel and they never shared a screen). There's very little attempt to 'open out' what began as a stage play and we have to wait almost one hour before Eleanor Parker appears. E for Effort and that's about it.
Review of A Hole in the Head
