Why did Hattie McDaniel win best supporting actress in GWTW in 1939 insteqd of Olivia de Havilland?
I think because the Melanie part wasn’t really “supporting” but more a main role, as you say. They determine that by number of minutes on screen, number of lines, etc. and it can change as the film is edited from when it’s originally shot. But the role of Mammy was ALWAYS supporting and in all fairness, Hattie McDaniel did a fabulous job. She was funny, and admirable, and did great with what was essentially a two dimensional character. Melanie flat-out bored people, even the critics. She was written boring and perfect and that is how she was played by de Havilland. All the above is just my humble opinion.
I’d have to agree with Answerers 1 and 4, although second-guessing is difficult. (Clark Gable didn’t win Best Actor either, yet how many people know who did? [Robert Donat, from “Goodbye Mr. Chips”…]) Certainly there had to be some Hollywood liberalism at work–the chance to make a positive statement about an actor of color at a time when their screen time was limited and their characters were mostly stereotypes. Even so, McDaniel was terrific–playing a character who basically has no name and is saddled with lines like “I done tole ya and tole ya…”, she endures everything Scarlett does, and has a strength and moral core that nearly steal every scene she’s in. If you want a direct comparison, watch the scene late in the movie after Bonnie dies, and Mammy summons Melanie to the house to ask her to talk to Rhett. McDaniel takes it clean away from DeHavilland.
