

And the Runner-Up Is
Kevin Jacobsen
"And the Runner-Up Is" is the Oscar history podcast that highlights past races at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Host Kevin Jacobsen and special guests break down why winners won, why losers lost, and which films and contenders were the likely runners-up, falling just short of taking home the gold.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 27, 2021 • 22min
On Second Thought: American Graffiti (1973)
Listen to this PREVIEW of the 45th episode of On Second Thought, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! On Second Thought is a series in which Kevin is joined by TWO special guests in breaking down another Best Picture nominee not reviewed on the regular show that could have still been the runner-up. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Charlie Bright and Lauren LaMagna about George Lucas's "American Graffiti," the possible runner-up that lost Best Picture to "The Sting" in 1973. This episode includes a review of the film itself, its awards run, and another fun quiz! You can listen to the full episode of On Second Thought by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Charlie Bright on Twitter: @charlesbright Follow Lauren LaMagna on Twitter: @laurenlamango Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Music featured in this episode: "Rock Around the Clock" - Bill Haley & His Comets

Oct 20, 2021 • 1h 43min
1932-33 Best Actress (feat. Cláudio Alves)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes Cláudio Alves of The Film Experience to discuss the 1932-33 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Katharine Hepburn won for her performance in "Morning Glory," beating May Robson in "Lady for a Day" and Diana Wynyard in "Cavalcade." We discuss all of these nominated performances and discuss why the confirmed runner-up was the runner-up. 0:00 - 8:56 - Introduction 8:57 - 28:35 - May Robson 28:36 - 49:54 - Diana Wynyard 49:55 - 1:04:59 - Katharine Hepburn 1:05:00 - 1:35:06 - Why Katharine Hepburn won / Twitter questions 1:35:07 - 1:42:42 - Why was ____ the runner-up? Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Cláudio Alves on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Oct 13, 2021 • 1h 23min
1931-32 Best Actress (feat. Samantha Ellis)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes Samantha Ellis of Ticklish Business and Classic Movie Hub to discuss the 1931-32 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Helen Hayes won for her performance in "The Sin of Madelon Claudet," beating Marie Dressler in "Emma" and Lynn Fontanne in "The Guardsman." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Hayes. 0:00 - 11:55 - Introduction 11:56 - 30:00 - Marie Dressler 30:01 - 45:00 - Lynn Fontanne 45:01 - 1:00:45 - Helen Hayes 1:00:46 - 1:13:02 - Why Helen Hayes won / Twitter questions 1:13:03 - 1:22:47 - Who was the runner-up? Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Samantha Ellis on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Oct 6, 2021 • 1h 59min
1930-31 Best Actress (feat. Chelsea Eichholz)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes Chelsea Eichholz of The Community Rewatch Podcast and Untitled Cinema Gals to discuss the 1930-31 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Marie Dressler won for her performance in "Min and Bill," beating Marlene Dietrich in "Morocco," Irene Dunne in "Cimarron," Ann Harding in "Holiday," and Norma Shearer in "A Free Soul." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Dressler. 0:00 - 9:05 - Introduction 9:06 - 30:23 - Marlene Dietrich 30:24 - 47:23 - Irene Dunne 47:24 - 1:01:27 - Ann Harding 1:01:28 - 1:18:30 - Norma Shearer 1:18:31 - 1:30:28 - Marie Dressler 1:30:29 - 1:52:13 - Why Marie Dressler won / Twitter questions 1:52:14 - 1:59:00 - Who was the runner-up? Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Chelsea Eichholz on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Sep 29, 2021 • 19min
On Second Thought: Lenny (1974)
Listen to this PREVIEW of the 44th episode of On Second Thought, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! On Second Thought is a series in which Kevin is joined by TWO special guests in breaking down another Best Picture nominee not reviewed on the regular show that could have still been the runner-up. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Erik Anderson and Joey Gentile about Bob Fosse's "Lenny," the possible runner-up that lost Best Picture to "The Godfather Part II" in 1974. This episode includes a review of the film itself, its awards run, and another fun quiz! You can listen to the full episode of On Second Thought by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Erik Anderson on Twitter: @awards_watch Follow Joey Gentile on Twitter: @JoeyGentile1992 Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Clips featured in this episode from "Lenny" - United Artists

Sep 22, 2021 • 16min
On Second Thought: Nashville (1975)
Listen to this PREVIEW of the 43rd episode of On Second Thought, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! On Second Thought is a series in which Kevin is joined by TWO special guests in breaking down another Best Picture nominee not reviewed on the regular show that could have still been the runner-up. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Tom O'Brien and Daniel Howat about Robert Altman's "Nashville," the possible runner-up that lost Best Picture to "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1975. This episode includes a review of the film itself, its awards run, and another fun quiz! You can listen to the full episode of On Second Thought by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Tom O'Brien on Twitter: @thomaseobrien Follow Daniel Howat on Twitter: @howatdk Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Music featured in this episode: "I'm Easy" - Keith Carradine

Sep 15, 2021 • 1h 50min
1929-30 Best Actress (feat. Cody Dericks)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes Cody Dericks of Next Best Picture and Halloweeners: A Horror Movie Podcast to discuss the 1929-30 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Norma Shearer won for her performance in "The Divorcee," beating Nancy Carroll in "The Devil's Holiday," Ruth Chatterton in "Sarah and Son," Greta Garbo in "Anna Christie" and "Romance," Gloria Swanson in "The Trespasser," and herself(!) in "Their Own Desire." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Shearer. 0:00 - 10:44 - Introduction 10:45 - 21:11 - Nancy Carroll 21:12 - 30:42 - Ruth Chatterton 30:43 - 53:06 - Greta Garbo 53:07 - 1:03:30 - Gloria Swanson 1:03:31 - 1:25:30 - Norma Shearer 1:25:31 - 1:43:45 - Why Norma Shearer won / Twitter questions 1:43:46 - 1:50:23 - Who was the runner-up? Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Cody Dericks on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Sep 8, 2021 • 1h 39min
1928-29 Best Actress (feat. Nicole Ackman)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes Nicole Ackman of Next Best Picture and Petticoats and Poppies to discuss the 1928-29 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Mary Pickford won for her performance in "Coquette," beating Ruth Chatterton in "Madame X," Betty Compson in "The Barker," Jeanne Eagels in "The Letter," Corinne Griffith in "The Divine Lady," and Bessie Love in "The Broadway Melody." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Pickford. 0:00 - 11:21 - Introduction 11:22 - 27:27 - Ruth Chatterton 27:28 - 31:00 - Betty Compson 31:01 - 44:46 - Jeanne Eagels 44:47 - 57:21 - Corinne Griffith 57:22 - 1:06:45 - Bessie Love 1:06:51 - 1:16:30 - Mary Pickford 1:16:57 - 1:31:58 - Why Mary Pickford won / Twitter questions 1:31:59 - 1:38:51 - Who was the runner-up? Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Nicole Ackman on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Sep 1, 2021 • 1h 35min
1927-28 Best Actress (feat. Andrew Carden)
In the season premiere of And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes The Awards Connection and AwardsWatch writer Andrew Carden to discuss the 1927-28 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Janet Gaynor won for her three performances in "7th Heaven," "Street Angel," and "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans," beating Louise Dresser for "A Ship Comes In" and Gloria Swanson for "Sadie Thompson." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Gaynor. 0:00 - 12:10 - Introduction 12:11 - 28:14 - Louise Dresser 28:15 - 47:35 - Gloria Swanson 47:41 - 1:07:57 - Janet Gaynor 1:07:57 - 1:26:48 - Why Janet Gaynor won / Twitter questions 1:26:49 - 1:34:49 - Who was the runner-up? Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Andrew Carden on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley

Jul 21, 2021 • 17min
Best Actress - Introduction
It's time for a new era of And the Runner-Up Is! On this episode, Kevin is joined by Sebastian Gronback in breaking down what you can expect for the upcoming Best Actress series, revealing the premiere date, the episode rollout, how the structure of the show will change, and more! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Sebastian Gronback on Twitter: @sebasgronback Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Theme/End Music is "The Virtue" by Jonathan Adamich


