The OSCARS Page (continued)

1969 No year so vehemently illustrates the Academy's occasional practice of awarding the Oscars for the wrong reasons than 1969-70. It was a fairly good year for films with the likes of Pendulum; If It's Tuesday This Must Be Belgium; Easy Rider; Downhill Racer; The Comic; Where Eagles Dare plus the Oscar nominees showing quality work. BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Midnight Cowboy My Choice = Anne of the Thousand Days BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = John Wayne (True Grit) My Choice = Dustin Hoffman (Midnight Cowboy) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Maggie Smith (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) My Choice = Genevieve Bujold (Anne of the Thousand Days) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Gig Young (They Shoot Horses Don't They?) My Choice = Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Goldie Hawn (Cactus Flower) My Choice = Sylvia Miles (Midnight Cowboy) OTHER AWARDS Cinematography = Anne of the Thousand Days Art Direction = Anne of the Thousand Days Best (Original) Music Score = Georges Delerue (Anne of the Thousand Days) It was blatantly obvious that John Wayne was awarded a "career Oscar" as True Grit was one of his more mediocre roles. Unusual also was the fact that an X-rated film won the Best Picture award but it was later given an R-rating. Easy Rider made Nicholson a star! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1968 1968-69 was nothing special as far as movies go. Among the films of quality and substance that year were: Counterpoint; Planet of the Apes; Where Angels Go Trouble Follows; The Odd Couple; Bullitt; Oliver!; Isadora; The Lion in Winter and Romeo and Juliet. Oscar winners were: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Oliver! My Choice = Oliver! BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Cliff Robertson (Charly) My Choice = Peter O'Toole (The Lion in Winter) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Tie: Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl) & Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter) My Choice = Vanessa Redgrave (Isadora) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Jack Albertson (The Subject Was Roses) My Choice = Jack Wild (Oliver!) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Ruth Gordon (Rosemary's Baby) My Choice = Kay Medford (Funny Girl) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Other Media) = Neil Simon (The Odd Couple) Best Song = Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Special Visual Effects = Ice Station Zebra I have to admit that I'm very biased towards the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. I don't think Oliver! was the best film of 1968 either, merely the best choice of the nominees. I think I'd select The Odd Couple as Best Picture of 1968. As in most years, my choices were not even considered. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1967 I was not impressed much by the movies of 1967. Some were good but very few were great. The Dirty Dozen; Wait Until Dark; Camelot; Cool Hand Luke and To Sir With Love were good. Among the better films were Bonnie and Clyde and Two For the Road. One film that falls into the "camp" category was Hot Rods to Hell, a film that was so bad it was hilarious. The Academy chose to honor: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = In the Heat of the Night My Choice = Bonnie and Clyde BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night) My Choice = Warren Beatty (Bonnie and Clyde) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Katharine Hepburn (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?) My Choice = Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = George Kennedy (Cool Hand Luke) My Choice = Cecil Kellaway (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Estelle Parsons (Bonnie and Clyde) My Choice = Estelle Parsons (Bonnie and Clyde) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde) Best Cinematography = Camelot Best Song = The Look of Love Many of these films are quite "dated" now but that's true of many films of the past. They reflect the times or era in which they were filmed. Period pieces, like Bonnie and Clyde, stand the 'test of time' much better. To their credit the Academy did recognize the quality films of 1967. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1966 In 1966-67's films you can see the diversity of my tastes. Among the films I liked were: The Trouble With Angels; Nevada Smith; Fantastic Voyage; The Bible; The Sand Pebbles; The Naked Prey; Hawaii and A Man For All Seasons, the latter a major Oscar nominee. The Academy gave Oscars to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = A Man For All Seasons My Choice = A Man For All Seasons BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Paul Scofield (A Man For All Seasons) My Choice = Paul Scofield (A Man For All Seasons) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Elizabeth Taylor (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) My Choice = Lynn Redgrave (Georgy Girl) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Walter Matthau (The Fortune Cookie) My Choice = Mako (The Sand Pebbles) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Sandy Dennis (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) My Choice = Jocelyn Lagarde (Hawaii) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Original) = C. Johnston & D. Peters (The Naked Prey) Cinematography (Black & White) = Seconds Sound Effects = Fantastic Voyage The Best Song race was tight with Born Free and Georgy Girl, two very catchy tunes, vying against each other. Though Born Free won, I'd have been satisfied had Georgy Girl taken the Oscar as both were equally deserving in my opinion. In 1966 separate awards were given in Costuming, Art Direction and Cinematography for Black & White and Color films for the last time. Black & White films were beginning to disappear! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1965 There were some pretty good films in 1965. It was a productive year and among the quality fare were: 36 Hours; The Sound of Music; The Cincinnati Kid; A Patch of Blue; Sands of the Kalahari; The Train; The Agony and the Ecstasy and The Flight of the Phoenix which I consider to be the best film of 1965! It was not even considered, save for a supporting actor nod. Here are the winners: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = The Sound of Music My Choice = The Sound of Music BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Lee Marvin (Cat Ballou) My Choice = Cat Ballou BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Julie Christie (Darling) My Choice = Elizabeth Hartman (A Patch of Blue) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Martin Balsam (A Thousand Clowns) My Choice = Ian Bannen (The Flight of the Phoenix) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Shelley Winters (A Patch of Blue) My Choice = Shelley Winters (A Patch of Blue) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Other Media) = W. Newman & F. Pierson (Cat Ballou) Best Song = What's New Pussycat? Best (Original) Music Score = A Patch of Blue Costume Design (Color) = The Agony and the Ecstasy Again the Best Song race was tight with all 5 nominees deserving. My choice for Best Actor would have been James Stewart in Flight of the Phoenix with nominations going to Burt Lancaster in The Train, Charlton Heston in The Agony and the Ecstasy and Steve McQueen in The Cincinnati Kid. Their co-stars (Richard Attenborough, Rex Harrison, Edward G. Robinson and the entire cast of Flight of the Phoenix) were also deserving of Supporting Actor nods. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1964 This was one of those rare years like 1939 & 1995 with so many great films that I can't list them all. Among 1964's crop were: Charade; Seven Days in May; Fail Safe; The Best Man; two great Bond films: From Russia With Love and Goldfinger; Becket and a neat little film with the unlikely title Robinson Crusoe on Mars. Still, the Academy chose others to honor: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = My Fair Lady My Choice = Becket BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady) My Choice = Peter O'Toole (Becket) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) My Choice = Debbie Reynolds (The Unsinkable Molly Brown) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Peter Ustinov (Topkapi) My Choice = Lee Tracy (The Best Man) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Lila Kedrova (Zorba the Greek) My Choice = Gladys Cooper (My Fair Lady) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Peter Glenville (Becket) Cinematography (Color) = Becket Art Direction (Color) = Becket Best (Original) Music Score = Dmitri Tiomkin (Fall of the Roman Empire) Costume Design (Color) = Becket My choice of Best Picture would have been the non-nominated film Charade. Audrey Hepburn certainly deserved a nomination for Charade, one of her best roles and why did the Academy always overlook Cary Grant? His roles were too frivolous for the Academy's "image"! They did a poor job in 1964-65. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1963 What a mixed bag 1963-64 brought. Films such as: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World & How the West Was Won (both Cinerama productions); Jerry Lewis' best film The Nutty Professor; Bob Hope's last good film Call Me Bwana; Ray Harryhausen's best film Jason and the Argonauts; The Great Escape; Cleopatra; Hud; Dr. No and The Cardinal were among the best. The Academy chose to honor: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Tom Jones My Choice = How the West Was Won BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field) My Choice = Paul Newman (Hud) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Patricia Neal (Hud) My Choice = Patricia Neal (Hud) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Melvyn Douglas (Hud) My Choice = John Huston (The Cardinal) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Margaret Rutherford (The V.I.P.'s) My Choice = Margaret Rutherford (The V.I.P.'s) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Otto Preminger (The Cardinal) Screenplay (Other Media) = I. Ravetch & H. Frank (Hud) Best Song = Charade (Charade) Best (Original) Music Score = A. Newman (How the West Was Won) How strongly do I feel about Patricia Neal as Best Actress, I feel it was the best performance ever by an actress. Music Score? I have the CD of How the West Was Won and owned the vinyl LP also. This was the era of great movie music. Elmer Bernstein's score for The Great Escape was ignored. I also felt that John Huston was as good an actor as he was a director...and that's indeed high praise. Melvyn Douglas was a most deserving winner however! The other categories were well chosen and awarded in 1963 including shorts and documentaries. The Academy did well in this year. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1962 Few years have as many quality films produced as 1962. There are so many that I can list only part of my favorites: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; Satan Never Sleeps; The Miracle Worker; Lolita; The Music Man; the last of the Hope & Crosby Road pictures Road to Hong Kong; Birdman of Alcatraz; a fairly good low budget film 300 Spartans; A Taste of Honey and Lawrence of Arabia. These made the Academy's choices really tough. BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Lawrence of Arabia My Choice = Lawrence of Arabia BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Gregory Peck (To Kill A Mockingbird) My Choice = Burt Lancaster (Birdman of Alcatraz) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker) My Choice = Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Ed Begley (Sweet Bird of Youth) My Choice = Telly Savalas (Birdman of Alcatraz) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker) My Choice = Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Other Media) = W. Gibson (The Miracle Worker) Costume Design (B&W) = The Miracle Worker I would have settled for Peter O'Toole as Best Actor and Victor Buono (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane) as Best Supporting Actor as both were most deserving. Who could argue with the choice of Lawrence of Arabia but still it was a difficult year to decide who was best and I only wish every year offered such quality on film. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1961 Unlike much of the 60s, 1961 offered few films of quality. There are only a handful of films that I felt were worthwhile: Splendor in the Grass; The Devil at 4 O'Clock; 101 Dalmatians; The Guns of Navarone; Mr. Sardonicus; Mysterious Island; El Cid; The Great Impostor and Greyfriar's Bobby. The others were so so! The Academy nominated: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = West Side Story My Choice = The Guns of Navarone BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Maximilian Schell (Judgment at Nuremberg) My Choice = Maximilian Schell (Judgment at Nuremberg) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Sophia Loren (Two Women) My Choice = Natalie Wood (Splendor in the Grass) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = George Chakiris (West Side Story) My Choice = George C. Scott (The Hustler) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Rita Moreno (West Side Story) My Choice = Rita Moreno (West Side Story) OTHER AWARDS Art Direction (B&W) = La Dolce Vita Art Direction (Color) = El Cid Costume Design (Color) = (Pocketful of Miracles) My true choice for Best Picture would have been Splendor in the Grass. Pat Hingle (Splendor in the Grass) should have received a Supporting Actor nod. Spencer Tracy (Devil at 4 O'Clock), Charlton Heston (El Cid) and Tony Curtis (The Great Impostor) should all have been nominated. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1960 Elmer Gantry; Tunes of Glory; The Unforgiven; Hitchcock's masterpiece Psycho; The Apartment; Inherit the Wind; The Crowded Sky; Conspiracy of Hearts; The Time Machine and Spartacus were among my favorite films of 1960. The Academy chose to honor a few of them. Their choices were: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = The Apartment My Choice = The Apartment BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry) My Choice = Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Elizabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8) My Choice = Melina Mercouri (Never on Sunday) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Peter Ustinov (Spartacus) My Choice = Peter Ustinov (Spartacus) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Shirley Jones (Elmer Gantry) My Choice = Janet Leigh (Psycho) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho) Screenplay (Other Media) = J. Kennaway (Tunes of Glory) Cinematography (B&W) = Psycho Music Score = E. Bernstein (The Magnificent Seven) Film Editing = Spartacus With the major awards the Academy did well but the technical awards were questionable. Spartacus; Psycho and Tunes of Glory deserved Best Picture nominations. How The Alamo and The Sundowners were chosen is beyond me. I also wonder why separate categories (B&W and Color) are designated for Cinematography, Art Direction and especially Costume Design? Does anyone know? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1959 Two of the best films ever made were produced in 1959: Ben Hur and Hitchcock's North by Northwest. Also released that year were: Diary of Anne Frank; The Hanging Tree; Bob Hope's hilarious Alias Jesse James; Some Like it Hot; The Nun's Story; Porgy and Bess; Anatomy of a Murder; Imitation of Life; the entertaining Journey to the Centre of the Earth and one of the worst movies ever made: Plan 9 From Outer Space. A tough year for decisions but some big films were ignored. BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Ben Hur My Choice = Ben Hur BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Charlton Heston (Ben Hur) My Choice = Charlton Heston (Ben Hur) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Simone Signoret (Room at the Top) My Choice = Audrey Hepburn (The Nun's Story) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Hugh Griffith (Ben Hur) My Choice = Hugh Griffith (Ben Hur) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Shelley Winters (Diary of Anne Frank) My Choice = Juanita Moore (Imitation of Life) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Other Media) = K. Tunberg (Ben Hur) Screenplay (Original) = E. Lehman (North by Northwest) I feel North by Northwest should have been nominated for Best Picture and other awards. Bernard Herrmann's music score was magnificent and he was so often denied by the Academy. Ben Hur collected a record 11 Oscars and deserved every one, in fact I'd have given them a 12th. This record means even more than Titanic's 11 in 1998 as the competition was much stiffer and some categories Ben Hur would have won, (e.g. Makeup, Sound, Sound Effects Editing) had not yet been created. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1958 What a year for memorable films 1958 was, not so much for quality but for films you really remember. I Accuse; The Young Lions; The Vikings; The Cowboy; South Pacific; Vertigo; The Old Man and the Sea; The 7th Voyage of Sinbad; The Defiant Ones; the best film of the Titanic disaster A Night to Remember and South Pacific were a few of the better films. 1958 was also the year of the horror film with many of the Hammer Films horror flicks and The Fly; The Blob; Rodan and many others. The Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Gigi My Choice = The Defiant Ones BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = David Niven (Separate Tables) My Choice = Spencer Tracy (The Old Man and the Sea) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Susan Hayward (I Want to Live) My Choice = Susan Hayward (I Want to Live) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Burl Ives (The Big Country) My Choice = Burl Ives (The Big Country) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Wendy Hiller (Separate Tables) My Choice = Peggy Cass (Auntie Mame) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Stanley Kramer (The Defiant Ones) Screenplay (Other Media) = N. Giddings & D. Mankiewicz (I Want to Live) Cinematography (Color) = South Pacific Best (Musical) Score = South Pacific Best Editing = Cowboy These are by no means my first choices, but merely my picks of the nominated films. I feel that The Old Man and the Sea; I Accuse and A Night to Remember deserved Best Picture nominations and what about 7th Voyage of Sinbad for a Special Effects nod. Ray Harryhausen was a pioneer in stop-motion animation. So many films and people are overlooked by the Academy that it's ludicrous. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1957 1957 was another of those all too rare years when a majority of quality films were produced making the Academy's choices really tough. Among films of 1957-58 were: Paths of Glory; Witness for the Prosecution; 12 Angry Men; Abandon Ship; Bridge on the River Kwai; Bachelor Party; Sayonara; The Spirit of St. Louis and Heaven Knows Mr. Allison. Also, but of lesser quality, were: The Incredible Shrinking Man; Old Yeller; All Mine to Give; Johnny Tremain; Man of a Thousand Faces and 20 Million Miles to Earth. What a year for the movies! BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = The Bridge on the River Kwai My Choice = The Bridge on the River Kwai BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Alec Guinness (The Bridge on the River Kwai) My Choice = Alec Guinness (The Bridge on the River Kwai) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Joanne Woodward (The Three Faces of Eve) My Choice = Deborah Kerr (Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Red Buttons (Sayonara) My Choice = Sessue Hayakawa (The Bridge on the River Kwai) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Miyoshi Umeki (Sayonara) My Choice = Miyoshi Umeki (Sayonara) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Original) = R. Wheelright; R. Wright Campbell; I. Goff & B. Roberts (Man of a Thousand Faces) Best Song = April Love Acting choices were tough. Who could fault Red Buttons in Sayonara. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a masterpiece. The Best Song category again was tough. All songs were deserving. Had there been a Makeup category, Man of a Thousand Faces would have won an Oscar. The bottom line is that the Academy chose well in 1957-58. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1956 When discussing the 1950s, one doesn't think of the decade as one full of great achievements in film, yet in researching the Oscars year by year I find many great films were indeed produced in the 50s. In 1956-57 alone: The King and I; The Ten Commandments; Moby Dick; Friendly Persuasion; Lust for Life; Invasion of the Body Snatchers; The Court Jester; The Searchers and Forbidden Planet were just a few of the top films. Another difficult year for deciding the Oscars. BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Around the World in 80 Days My Choice = The Ten Commandments BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Yul Brynner (The King and I) My Choice = Kirk Douglas (Lust for Life) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Ingrid Bergman (Anastasia) My Choice = Ingrid Bergman (Anastasia) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Anthony Quinn (Lust for Life) My Choice = Anthony Quinn (Lust for Life) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Dorothy Malone (Written on the Wind) My Choice = Eileen Heckart (The Bad Seed) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Walter Lang (The King and I) Screenplay (Other Media) = N. Corwin (Lust for Life) Cinematography (Color) = The Ten Commandments Costume Design (B&W) = Seven Samurai Of the 5 nominees for Best Picture, Around the World in 80 Days would've been my last choice..in fact, I would not have nominated it. The Ten Commandments, which reeked of overacting and melodramatics, is still a wonder to watch. It holds up well. DeMille was not nominated as Best Director. His direction was overblown, probably a result of his Silent film days. Yul Brynner was excellent as the King of Siam, but Kirk Douglas was even better as Van Gogh in Lust for Life. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1955 In 1955 James Dean, Cinerama, Abbott & Costello movies, Davy Crockett and teenage space and horror films were hot! Among the better films of that year were: Blackboard Jungle; The Desperate Hours; Marty; The Seven Year Itch; Oklahoma; Mister Roberts; Battle Cry; To Catch A Thief; Lady and the Tramp and Bad Day at Black Rock. The Academy chose: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Marty My Choice = Marty BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Ernest Borgnine (Marty) My Choice = Ernest Borgnine (Marty) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Anna Magnani (The Rose Tattoo) My Choice = Katharine Hepburn (Summertime) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts) My Choice = Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Jo Van Fleet (East of Eden) My Choice = Betsy Blair (Marty) OTHER AWARDS Cinematography (B&W) = Blackboard Jungle Cinematography (Color) = Oklahoma Costume Design (Color) = The Virgin Queen In fairness, I must admit I have not seen Anna Magnani's appearance in Rose Tattoo or Jo Van Fleet in East of Eden, still Hepburn and Blair were quite exceptional in their respective roles. It boggles my mind that The Desperate Hours did not receive any nominations. Surely Frederic March, Bogart and Robert Middleton deserved consideration for superb acting. Marty was an excellent choice, though, for Best Picture in a fairly mediocre year for films. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1954 Nostalgia was the word for 1954-55. The Bowery Boys, Robert Wagner as Prince Valiant, Ma & Pa Kettle, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Danny Kaye movies and other very familiar titles were popular that year. Among the better films were: On the Waterfront; Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; Rear Window; The Caine Mutiny; Ulysses; Them!; A Star is Born; White Christmas; Sabrina; The High and the Mighty; Magnificent Obsession and comedies like The Long, Long Trailer and Bob Hope's Casanova's Big Night. Movies were thriving in 1954. Oscar chose to honor: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = On the Waterfront My Choice = Seven Brides for Seven Brothers BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront) My Choice = James Mason (A Star is Born) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Grace Kelly (The Country Girl) My Choice = Judy Garland (A Star is Born) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Edmond O'Brien (The Barefoot Contessa) My Choice = Karl Malden (On the Waterfront) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront) My Choice = Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Alfred Hitchcock (Rear Window) Screenplay (Other Media) = J.M. Hayes (Rear Window) Screenplay (Original) = V. Davies & O. Brodney (The Glenn Miller Story) Cinematography (Color) = Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Special Effects = Them! Another rare year for movies, 1954 was quite prolific. Acting choices were quite tough for the Academy. Most of the actors were quite deserving. One has to ask, though, why was the great director, Alfred Hitchcock, so often overlooked and ignored by the Academy. Rear Window was certainly a better film than The Country Girl and Three Coins in the Fountain. No director evoked quality like Hitchcock. His name on the film was more of a draw than the actors; a rare phenomenon indeed! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1953 Kids of the 1950s spent a lot of time at the neighborhood theatre's Saturday Matinee. For 20 cents to a quarter they saw 15 color cartoons, a short or a weekly serial and a feature film...geared towards kids of course. The movies, for the first time, were competing with a new "craze" ...Television. Gimmicks were created to compete such as the 3D movie (House of Wax, It Came From Outer Space). The films of 1953 included: Disney's Peter Pan; Calamity Jane; From Here to Eternity; The Robe; Lili; Stalag 17; War of the Worlds; Roman Holiday; The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms; Shane; Houdini; Niagara; Escape from Fort Bravo and Salome to name just a few. There was certainly no shortage of movies. BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = From Here to Eternity My Choice = The Robe BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = William Holden (Stalag 17) My Choice = William Holden (Stalag 17) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday) My Choice = Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Frank Sinatra (From Here to Eternity) My Choice = Robert Strauss (Stalag 17) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity) My Choice = Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Billy Wilder (Stalag 17) Screenplay (Other Media) = I.M. Hunter & J. Dighton (Roman Holiday) Cinematography (B&W) = Roman Holiday Cinematography (Color) = Lili Best Song = That's Amore Best Score (Musical) = Calamity Jane Editing = War of the Worlds The Academy did fairly well on the acting honors but the Best Picture and technical awards were a bit questionable. The music score category was quite confusing as it offered two and then three sets of nominees: Best Score Drama or Comedy (which was divided into 2 awards later down the line) and Best Scoring of a Musical. These changed often over the years. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1952 Esther Williams, Abbott & Costello, Francis the talking mule, Cinerama and animated cartoons were in their heyday in 1952. The quality and quantity of films was down. Among the films of 1952-53 were: Hans Christian Andersen; Ivanhoe; DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth; Come Back, Little Sheba; High Noon; Moulin Rouge; Singin' in the Rain; The Big Sky; The Quiet Man; Scaramouche; two excellent anthology films O. Henry's Full House and We're Not Married; Disney's The Story of Robin Hood and Son of Paleface equally as hilarious as its predecessor. Honored by the Academy were: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = The Greatest Show on Earth My Choice = The Quiet Man BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Gary Cooper (High Noon) My Choice = Jose Ferrer (Moulin Rouge) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Shirley Booth (Come Back, Little Sheba) My Choice = Shirley Booth (Come Back, Little Sheba) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Anthony Quinn (Viva Zapata!) My Choice = Arthur Hunnicutt (The Big Sky) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Gloria Grahame (The Bad and the Beautiful) My Choice = Gloria Grahame (The Bad and the Beautiful) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Other Media) = F.S. Nugent (The Quiet Man) Cinematography (B&W) = The Big Sky Art Direction (B&W) = Rashomon Score (Musical) = Hans Christian Andersen Editing = Moulin Rouge The Quiet Man has stood the test of time better than any of the films of 1952. Many would argue that Singin' in the Rain, one of the best musicals of all time, should have been nominated for Best Picture. The acting nominees offered a difficult choice. Gary Cooper was probably awarded a "career Oscar" as he was better in most of his other films. Why was John Wayne ignored in one of his best roles (The Quiet Man)? Burt Lancaster in Come Back, Little Sheba also deserved consideration. Some weak choices were made by the Academy in 1952-53! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1951 1951 offered fare like: A Streetcar Named Desire; Alice in Wonderland; Quo Vadis; Showboat; The African Queen; An American in Paris; The Red Badge of Courage; The Well; The Day the Earth Stood Still; The Mudlark; Hitchcock's fascinating Strangers on a Train and a horror classic The Thing. It absolutely boggles my mind when I look at the list of Best Picture nominees! None of which I feel deserved even to be nominated. The Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = An American in Paris My Choice = Quo Vadis BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen) My Choice = Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Vivien Leigh (A Streetcar Named Desire) My Choice = Katharine Hepburn (The African Queen) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Karl Malden (A Streetcar Named Desire) My Choice = Leo Genn (Quo Vadis) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire) My Choice = Mildred Dunnock (Death of a Salesman) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = John Huston (The African Queen) Screenplay = J. Agee & J. Huston (The African Queen) Story & Screenplay = C. Greene & R. Rouse (The Well) Music Score (Drama) = M. Rozsa (Quo Vadis) Music Score (Musical) = P. Adler & J. Green (The Great Caruso) Editing = The Well Costume Design (B&W) = The Mudlark Costume Design (Color) = Quo Vadis The fact that The African Queen did not receive a Best Picture nod is ridiculous. Its director did. Also deserving of Best Picture nods were Strangers on a Train; The Well and The Red Badge of Courage rather than the slate the Academy chose. Bad choices by the Academy in 1951-52! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1950 In the 1950s my family attended a lot of movies at the neighborhood theatre. So many of the titles, good or not, are very nostalgic. 1950-51's movies included: The Third Man; Sunset Boulevard; Disney's Cinderella; Caged; Cyrano de Bergerac; King Solomon's Mines; Father of the Bride; Winchester '73; All About Eve; Cheaper by the Dozen and Born Yesterday. Laurel & Hardy's last film Atoll K (aka Utopia) was released that year. It was, sadly, not up to par for the screen's greatest clowns. The Academy honored: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = All About Eve My Choice = Sunset Boulevard BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Jose Ferrer (Cyrano de Bergerac) My Choice = William Holden (Sunset Boulevard) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Judy Holliday (Born Yesterday) My Choice = Eleanor Parker (Caged) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = George Sanders (All About Eve) My Choice = Erich von Stroheim (Sunset Boulevard) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Josephine Hull (Harvey) My Choice = Hope Emerson (Caged) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard) Screenplay = Father of the Bride Best Song = Bibbidy-Bobbidi-Boo Editing = The Third Man The competition was stiff in 1950 and the choices were tough to make. My acting choices are close to "toss-ups." The Best Actress category was extremely tough, either Eleanor Parker, Bette Davis or Gloria Swanson, the very strong favorite, could have won it and deservedly so. I felt that Parker's characterization was more complex than the others. The Best Song category was again a difficult one with tough choices. The Third Man and Cyrano de Bergerac deserved Best Picture nods. I was happy to see the film Caged included among the nominees. It was a low budget film but high in quality. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1949 1949 was a terrific year for the movies! There were so many good ones that you may not see your favorite listed here. The Joe Palooka, Boston Blackie and Francis the Talking Mule series were in full swing as were the multi-episode movie serials. Among the year's better films were: White Heat; Battleground; A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court; She Wore A Yellow Ribbon; Battleground; The Heiress; A Letter to Three Wives; Champion; The Farmer's Daughter; Mighty Joe Young; I was a Male War Bride; The Hasty Heart; So Dear to My Heart; The Red Pony; Sands of Iwo Jima and one of my favorite serials King of the Rocket Men. Very tough choices for the Academy and they chose: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = All the King's Men My Choice = Battleground BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Broderick Crawford (All the King's Men) My Choice = Richard Todd (The Hasty Heart) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Olivia de Havilland (The Heiress) My Choice = Olivia de Havilland (The Heiress) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Dean Jagger (12 O'Clock High) My Choice = James Whitmore (Battleground) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Mercedes McCambridge (All the King's Men) My Choice = Ethel Waters (Pinky) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = William Wellman (Battleground) Screenplay (Writing) = V. Kellogg (White Heat) Best Song = Lavender Blue Editing = Battleground The entire cast of Battleground should have been nominated for acting honors. Van Johnson (Battleground) and James Cagney (White Heat) were "robbed" by not being nominated in the Best Actor category. I should mention that I have no qualms regarding Broderick Crawford's Oscar...he was terrific! Margaret Wycherly (White Heat) also should have received a Best Supporting Actress nomination. I am grateful that Ray Harryhausen's work on Mighty Joe Young was awarded an Oscar! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1948 The decade of the 1940s ended with flair. Among the great films that year were: Treasure of the Sierra Madre; One of Bob Hope's funniest Paleface; Red River; Easter Parade; Sorry, Wrong Number; Sitting Pretty; The Snake Pit; A Portrait of Jennie; Key Largo; Johnny Belinda; I Remember Mama; Call Northside 777; The Boy With Green Hair and All My Sons. Honored by the Academy were: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Hamlet My Choice = Treasure of the Sierra Madre BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Laurence Olivier (Hamlet) My Choice = Clifton Webb (Sitting Pretty) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Jane Wyman (Johnny Belinda) My Choice = Jane Wyman (Johnny Belinda) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Walter Huston (Treasure of the Sierra Madre) My Choice = Walter Huston (Treasure of the Sierra Madre) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Claire Trevor (Key Largo) My Choice = Claire Trevor (Key Largo) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Story) = B. Chase (Red River) Cinematography (B&W) = Johnny Belinda Music Score (Drama) = A. Newman (The Snake Pit) Editing = Red River A really competitive year brought difficult choices but all in all a great job was done by the Academy. The Best Actor category was the weakest and Humphrey Bogart (Treasure of the Sierra Madre), John Wayne (Red River) and James Stewart (Call Northside 777) should have been nominated. The Academy's bias towards comedy negated Paleface and Sitting Pretty's chances. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1947 Tweety Pie was born in 1947 at Warner Brothers. Very popular were film series like: Philo Vance; The Lone Wolf; The Thin Man; Dick Tracy and Blondie. Films that were released in 1947-48 were: Gentleman's Agreement; Odd Man Out; Great Expectations; Life With Father; The Unconquered; Ma & Pa Kettle's debut in The Egg and I; The Bachelor and the Bobby-soxer; Song of the South; Miracle on 34th Street; The Ghost and Mrs. Muir; Kiss of Death; the great prison movie Brute Force; one of my favorite Bogart movies Dark Passage; Dead Reckoning and The Road to Rio. A mixed bag indeed. The Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Gentleman's Agreement My Choice = Miracle on 34th Street BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Ronald Colman (A Double Life) My Choice = William Powell (Life With Father) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Loretta Young (The Farmer's Daughter) My Choice = Loretta Young (The Farmer's Daughter) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street) My Choice = Richard Widmark (Kiss of Death) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Celeste Holm (Gentleman's Agreement) My Choice = Marjorie Main (The Egg and I) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = David Lean (Great Expectations) Cinematography (Color) = Life With Father Art Direction (Color) = Life With Father Editing = Odd Man Out Time after Time and Chiquita Banana were actually eligible for Best Song nominees but were ignored. Still, no song could have beat the winner Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. Great Expectations was a great movie too, but to me Miracle on 34th Street is more memorable and that's my criteria. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1946 Even though 1946 had few great films, there was never a more difficult choice for the Academy members; even when they had to choose between Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. Among the better films in 1946-47 were: The Jolson Story; Duel in the Sun; The Best Years of Our Lives; The Yearling; The Stranger; My Darling Clementine; It's A Wonderful Life; The Killers; The Big Sleep; Anna and the King of Siam; Notorious; The Green Years; Song of the South and The Ziegfeld Follies. The Academy chose: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = The Best Years of Our Lives My Choice = It's A Wonderful Life BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Frederic March (The Best Years of Our Lives) My Choice = James Stewart (It's A Wonderful Life) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Olivia de Havilland (To Each His Own) My Choice = Jane Wyman (The Yearling) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Harold Russell (The Best Years of Our Lives) My Choice = Harold Russell (The Best Years of Our Lives) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Anne Baxter (The Razor's Edge) My Choice = Gale Sondergaard (Anna and the King of Siam) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Frank Capra (It's A Wonderful Life) Screenplay (Original) = N. Panama & M. Frank (The Road to Utopia) Sound Recording = It's A Wonderful Life Two of my all time favorite films were in competition with each other: It's A Wonderful Life and The Best Years of Our Lives. In almost any other year I'd have chosen The Best Years of Our Lives as it's a magnificent film about one of my favorite eras...post World War II. The message of ...Wonderful Life is so positive and so strong that there is no other choice! I'd have nominated many of its cast also: Lionel Barrymore; Donna Reed; Thomas Mitchell and more. Seldom will one see such a powerful film. Shame on the Academy for its "shutout" of ...Wonderful Life! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1945 Things were really "rolling" in 1945-46. The Three Stooges were filming shorts, Casper the Friendly Ghost was born (or died?), WWII films were still quite "hot" but shorter on propaganda. Some of the films of 1945-46 were: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; Spellbound; The Bells of St. Mary's; National Velvet; Keys of the Kingdom; The Lost Weekend; To Have and Have Not with Bogie & Bacall; Mildred Pierce; hilarious comedies like Murder He Says and The Road to Utopia; A Bell For Adano; Picture of Dorian Gray; Back to Bataan and Objective Burma. Oscar winners were: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = The Lost Weekend My Choice = The Bells of St. Mary's BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) My Choice = Bing Crosby (The Bells of St. Mary's) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce) My Choice = Ingrid Bergman (The Bells of St. Mary's) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = James Dunn (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) My Choice = James Dunn (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Anne Revere (National Velvet) My Choice = Anne Revere (National Velvet) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Leo McCarey (The Bells of St. Mary's) Screenplay (Other Media) = F. Davis & T. Slesinger (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) Cinematography (Color) = National Velvet Best Song = Accentuate the Positive The music nominations were not limited and there were 14 Best Song nominees, 21 music score (drama) nominees and 12 music score (musical) nominees. I couldn't begin to choose let alone remember all of those scores. For best song the one I remember the best is my choice. The Bells of St. Mary's was one sequel that I, personally, liked better than the original (Going My Way). The quality of all the nominees means one cannot fault the Academy for its choices in 1945-46. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1944 Charlie Chan; the Falcon and Henry Aldrich were all popular series in 1944. The War was winding down and movies were rolling out in force. The films of 1944 included: The Adventures of Mark Twain; Arsenic and Old Lace; Double Indemnity; Gaslight; Going My Way; Laura; Jane Eyre w/Joan Fontaine & Orson Welles; The Lodger and the following WWII related films: The Bridge of San Luis Rey; The Fighting Sullivans; Hollywood Canteen; I'll Be Seeing You; The Seventh Cross; The Purple Heart; The Fighting Seabees and Since You Went Away. The Academy chose to honor: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Going My Way My Choice = Going My Way BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Bing Crosby (Going My Way) My Choice = Bing Crosby (Going My Way) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight) My Choice = Claudette Colbert (Since You Went Away) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Barry Fitzgerald (Going My Way) My Choice = Barry Fitzgerald (Going My Way) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Ethel Barrymore (None But the Lonely Heart) My Choice = Jennifer Jones (Since You Went Away) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Alfred Hitchcock (Lifeboat) Screenplay (Original Story) = J. Steinbeck (Lifeboat) Cinematography (B&W) = The White Cliffs of Dover Interior Decoration (Art Design) (B&W) = The Adventures of Mark Twain Music Score (Musical) = Meet Me in St. Louis Again there were multiple music category nominees without limitation. The Academy chose well. Swingin' on a Star as Best Song and Since You Went Away as Best Score. Unusual this year was Barry Fitzgerald's double nomination for the same role in both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories. I feel that Lifeboat should have received a Best Picture nod and Tallulah Bankhead a Best Actress nod for the same film. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1943 The quality continued on in 1943-44. As the War raged in Europe and Asia, Hollywood kept cranking out films. Among the films of 1943 were: Stage Door Canteen; Howard Hughes' The Outlaw; The Song of Bernadette; Sahara; The Oxbow Incident; Heaven Can Wait; This is the Army; Casablanca; For Whom the Bell Tolls; Shadow of a Doubt; Cabin in the Sky; Destination Tokyo; Watch on the Rhine; Madame Curie; Lassie Come Home; The Immortal Sergeant; Mr. Lucky; My Friend Flicka; Guadalcanal Diary and even Tarzan against the Nazis in Tarzan Triumphs. In 1943 there were 10 movies nominated for Best Picture. The Academy selected: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Casablanca My Choice = The Song of Bernadette BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Paul Lukas (Watch on the Rhine) My Choice = Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Jennifer Jones (The Song of Bernadette) My Choice = Jennifer Jones (The Song of Bernadette) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Charles Coburn (The More the Merrier) My Choice = J. Carrol Naish (Sahara) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Katina Paxinou (For Whom the Bell Tolls) My Choice = Anne Revere (The Song of Bernadette) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Henry King (The Song of Bernadette) Screenplay = G. Seaton (The Song of Bernadette) Cinematography (Color) = Lassie Come Home Editing = The Song of Bernadette Again multiple song nominees but for me the race was between That Old Black Magic and the winner, You'll Never Know, both classics. Yes, I did favor Song of Bernadette. It had such a reverence to it and, in spite of its length, amazingly it held one's interest and attention. Casablanca was a good film but to me no more than an average love story. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1942 Again in 1942 there were 10 nominees for Best Picture. Dr. Kildare and Sherlock Holmes films were very popular. Laurel & Hardy were winding down their careers under the control of other studios (Fox & MGM) and the results were low quality films. The major films of 1942 were: Yankee Doodle Dandy; Mrs. Miniver; Hitchcock's The Saboteur; Kings Row; Now Voyager; Pride of the Yankees; Talk of the Town; Gentleman Jim; Holiday Inn; Flying Tigers; Road to Morocco and The Jungle Book. BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Mrs. Miniver My Choice = Pride of the Yankees BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = James Cagney (Yankee Doodle Dandy) My Choice = James Cagney (Yankee Doodle Dandy) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Greer Garson (Mrs. Miniver) My Choice = Teresa Wright (Pride of the Yankees) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Van Heflin (Johnny Eager) My Choice = Henry Travers (Mrs. Miniver) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Teresa Wright (Mrs. Miniver) My Choice = Teresa Wright (Mrs. Miniver) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Original Story) = I. Berlin (Holiday Inn) Screenplay (Original) = F. Butler & D. Hartman (The Road to Morocco) Cinematography (Color) = The Jungle Book Interior Decoration (B&W) = The Magnificent Ambersons Interior Decoration (Color) = The Jungle Book Music Score (Musical) = R. E. Dolan (Holiday Inn) The categories in these days were set up quite differently especially writing, music, art direction and cinematography (with the latter two categories including B&W and Color). Teresa Wright was nominated in two categories for different roles. In my opinion, she deserved both. I feel The Saboteur; The Jungle Book and Holiday Inn deserved Best Picture nods. They were better than other nominated films. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1941 Ellery Queen, the Lone Wolf and the Saint were popular film series in 1941-42. One of my favorite serials was 1941's The Adventures of Captain Marvel, a well-crafted serial. The films of that year included: Citizen Kane; Dumbo; The Philadelphia Story; The Maltese Falcon; How Green Was My Valley; Here Comes Mr. Jordan; Sergeant York; Fantasia; Meet John Doe; High Sierra; Penny Serenade; Suspicion; The Wolf Man and They Died With Their Boots On. The honored films were: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = How Green Was My Valley My Choice = How Green Was My Valley BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Gary Cooper (Sergeant York) My Choice = Cary Grant (Penny Serenade) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Joan Fontaine (Suspicion) My Choice = Joan Fontaine (Suspicion) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Donald Crisp (How Green Was My Valley) My Choice = Donald Crisp (How Green Was My Valley) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Mary Astor (The Great Lie) My Choice = Sara Allgood (How Green Was My Valley) OTHER AWARDS Screenplay (Other Media) = P. Dunne (How Green Was My Valley) Sound Recording = How Green Was My Valley Best Song = Chattanooga Choo Choo Music Score Drama = How Green Was My Valley Special Effects = Topper Returns I yield the Editing Oscar to its winner Sergeant York as the turkey hunt scene earned it. I cannot argue with the Academy's choices as all winners were most deserving and I'll argue How Green Was My Valley over Citizen Kane anytime. I feel that Irene Dunne not only should have received a Best Actress nomination for Penny Serenade, but that she should have won! Edgar Buchanan and Beulah Bondi also deserved consideration for Penny Serenade. It was Cary Grant's most dramatic role and he should have won the Oscar also. Still, one cannot fault the Academy's choices in 1941-42! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1940 As the 1940s began, Flash Gordon was busy saving the universe, Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges were making us laugh. The films of 1940-41 included: Kitty Foyle; My Favorite Wife; The Grapes of Wrath; Chaplin's The Great Dictator; Abe Lincoln in Illinois; Young Tom Edison & Edison the Man; Pinocchio; Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent; Northwest Passage; Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet; Laurel & Hardy's A Chump at Oxford & Saps at Sea; The Philadelphia Story; Knute Rockne, All-American; and Rebecca. It was a good year for films and the Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Rebecca My Choice = The Grapes of Wrath BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story) My Choice = Henry Fonda (The Grapes of Wrath) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Ginger Rogers (Kitty Foyle) My Choice = Joan Fontaine (Rebecca) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Walter Brennan (The Westerner) My Choice = Walter Brennan (The Westerner) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Jane Darwell (The Grapes of Wrath) My Choice = Jane Darwell (The Grapes of Wrath) OTHER AWARDS Writing (Original Story) = H. Butler & D. Schary (Edison the Man) Writing (Original Screenplay) = C. Bennett & J. Harrison (Foreign Correspondent) Writing (Screenplay) = N. Johnson (The Grapes of Wrath) Cinematography (B&W) = Foreign Correspondent Cinematography (Color) = Northwest Passage No arguments with the other winners. The writing categories in those days were ultra confusing. The Best Song of 1940-41 was the memorable When You Wish Upon A Star from my favorite Disney film Pinocchio. It was the first movie I ever saw. The Academy really made a mistake by choosing the mediocre The Philadelphia Story over the moving Grapes of Wrath. What were they thinking? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1939 1939 is known as "The Golden Year" in films. So many classic films were produced in that year it earns the title. It also created a dilemma for the Academy: choose between The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind as Best Picture! Other great films of the "Golden Year" were: Beau Geste; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Wuthering Heights; Drums Along the Mohawk; Golden Boy; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Gunga Din; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Hound of the Baskervilles; Intermezzo; The Man in the Iron Mask; Of Mice and Men; The Roaring Twenties; Stanley and Livingstone; DeMille's Union Pacific; Tarzan Finds A Son; Young Mr. Lincoln and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Gone With the Wind My Choice = Gone With the Wind BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Robert Donat (Goodbye, Mr. Chips) My Choice = James Stewart (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Vivien Leigh (Gone With the Wind) My Choice = Vivien Leigh (Gone With the Wind) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Thomas Mitchell (Stagecoach) My Choice = Brian Donlevy (Beau Geste) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Hattie McDaniel (Gone With the Wind) My Choice = Edna May Oliver (Drums Along the Mohawk) OTHER AWARDS Interior Decoration = The Wizard of Oz Original (Music) Score = Gone With the Wind Editing = Goodbye, Mr. Chips Special Effects = The Wizard of Oz My theory is that Wizard had no chance as it was too "frivolous" for the Academy's staid tastes. Still, GWTW is a masterpiece. In any other year, Wizard could have beat any film. Can you believe it didn't even win the Special Effects Oscar? Every category had stiff competition, but none more than Best Supporting Actress. Really tough choices! Hattie McDaniel was most deserving as was Edna May Oliver in a terrific role. It was indeed the "Golden Year"! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1938 1938 was not much of a year to crow about for movies but the following year the industry would go from famine to feast. Perhaps the films of the "Golden Year" were in the planning or editing stages in 1938. The films of that year included: You Can't Take It With You; Angels With Dirty Faces; Marie Antoinette; Jezebel; Dawn Patrol; Boys Town; The Adventures of Robin Hood; Pygmalion; Shirley Temple in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Little Miss Broadway; Eisenstein's Aleksandr Nevsky; Kentucky and the great comedies Bringing Up Baby; Room Service; Swiss Miss and Block-Heads. Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = You Can't Take It With You My Choice = The Adventures of Robin Hood BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Spencer Tracy (Boys Town) My Choice = James Cagney (Angels With Dirty Faces) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Bette Davis (Jezebel) My Choice = Norma Shearer (Marie Antoinette) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Walter Brennan (Kentucky) My Choice = Robert Morley (Marie Antoinette) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Fay Bainter (Jezebel) My Choice = Fay Bainter (Jezebel) OTHER AWARDS Best Director = Michael Curtiz (Angels With Dirty Faces) Writing (Original Story) = R. Brown (Angels With Dirty Faces) Best Song = Jeepers Creepers Flynn's Robin Hood was and is a terrific film. Angels With Dirty Faces still remains a classic. Unusually, a comedy won the Best Picture Award. Korngold's Score for Robin Hood still is quite stirring. Laurel & Hardy were in their prime as were the Marx Brothers. Shirley Temple was still America's Darling. Those were the days! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1937 Throughout the 1930s the Little Rascals/Our Gang were producing popular shorts; Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films were quite popular also. Two of the best films of 1937 were produced at Hal Roach Studios: Way Out West and Topper. Also among 1937's films were: The Plainsman; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Stella Dallas; In Old Chicago; The Lost Horizon; The Prisoner of Zenda; Heidi; The Life of Emile Zola; Stage Door; A Day at the Races; Captains Courageous; The Awful Truth; Saratoga; Seventh Heaven; Dead End; San Quentin and Wee Willie Winkie. Among the honored films were: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = The Life of Emile Zola My Choice = Dead End BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Spencer Tracy (Captains Courageous) My Choice = Spencer Tracy (Captains Courageous) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Luise Rainer (The Good Earth) My Choice = Barbara Stanwyck (Stella Dallas) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Joseph Schildkraut (The Life of Emile Zola) My Choice = Roland Young (Topper) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Alice Brady (In Old Chicago) My Choice = Alice Brady (In Old Chicago) OTHER AWARDS Interior Decoration = Dead End Best (Music) Score = Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Editing = Captains Courageous Dance Direction = Busby Berkeley (Variety Show) There were two new awards in 1937, Assistant Director and Dance Direction due, most likely, to the prominence of large casts and musical films. I feel that Topper, Way Out West and Heidi deserved Oscar nods but they, again, were too "frivolous" for the Academy's tastes. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1936 Lots of good movies were produced in 1936. Among them were: My Man Godfrey; Green Pastures; Mr. Deeds Goes to Town; Camille; Modern Times; Trail of the Lonesome Pine; San Francisco; The Petrified Forest; The Great Ziegfeld; Dodsworth; Bohemian Girl; Anthony Adverse; Little Lord Fauntleroy; Charge of the Light Brigade; The Country Doctor; Swing Time; Lloyds of London; Our Relations; A Tale of Two Cities; Captain January; Things to Come; Rose Marie and The Prisoner of Shark Island. All topnotch productions. The Academy honored: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = The Great Ziegfeld My Choice = A Tale of Two Cities BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Paul Muni (The Story of Louis Pasteur) My Choice = Gary Cooper (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Luise Rainer (The Great Ziegfeld) My Choice = Gladys George (Valiant Is the Word for Carrie) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar Winner = Walter Brennan (Come and Get It) My Choice = Mischa Auer (My Man Godfrey) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Gale Sondergaard (Anthony Adverse) My Choice = Gale Sondergaard (Anthony Adverse) OTHER AWARDS Interior Decoration = Lloyds of London Best Song = Pennies From Heaven Music Score = Max Steiner (Charge of the Light Brigade) Dance Direction = Busby Berkeley (Gold Diggers of 1937) This was the first year Supporting Actors were honored. They were cranking out great musicals and songs in the 1930s. I've Got You Under My Skin and the winner, The Way You Look Tonight, were among the nominees. Competition was quite stiff. Missing, but deserving, Best Picture candidates were: Little Lord Fauntleroy; Charge of the Light Brigade and Lloyds of London. It was a great year for movies! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1935 The 1930s were a great period for the movie industry. They were producing terrific short films, classic cartoons, great serials and wonderful film series like Charlie Chan, Shirley Temple, Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers. In 1935 the top films included: David Copperfield; A Midsummer Night's Dream; Mutiny on the Bounty; Les Miserables; Top Hat; Captain Blood; The Informer; Naughty Marietta; Bonnie Scotland; The Bride of Frankenstein; The 39 Steps; Alice Adams; The Crusades; The Ruggles of Red Gap and Call of the Wild. Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Mutiny on the Bounty My Choice = Alice Adams BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Victor McLaglen (The Informer) My Choice = Victor McLaglen (The Informer) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Bette Davis (Dangerous) My Choice = Katharine Hepburn (Alice Adams) BEST DIRECTOR Oscar Winner = John Ford (The Informer) My Choice = Frank Lloyd (Mutiny on the Bounty) OTHER AWARDS Writing (Screenplay) = T. Jennings & C. Wilson (Mutiny on the Bounty) Cinematography = The Crusades Sound Recording = The Bride of Frankenstein Dance Direction = Busby Berkeley (Gold Diggers of 1935) Short Subjects (Comedy) = Tit for Tat The Supporting Acting categories were not given prior to 1936. I enjoyed Alice Adams immensely although Mutiny on the Bounty was a great film. Sometimes a small film with fabulous characters and good writing can eclipse an epic film with great production values. Again the Best Song category was tough with Cheek to Cheek versus Lullaby of Broadway; hard choices. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1934 Among the films of 1934-35 were quite a mixed bag. A few classics some hilarious comedies and some epic films. They included: Babes in Toyland; Treasure Island; Our Daily Bread; The Barretts of Wimpole Street; Of Human Bondage; Little Miss Marker; It Happened One Night; Viva Villa!; It's A Gift; Imitation of Life; Cleopatra; The Scarlet Pimpernel; Anne of Green Gables; The Count of Monte Cristo; The Lost Patrol and The Merry Widow. Oscars were awarded to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = It Happened One Night My Choice = Imitation of Life BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Clark Gable (It Happened One Night) My Choice = William Powell (The Thin Man) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night) My Choice = Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night) BEST DIRECTOR Oscar Winner = Frank Capra (It Happened One Night) My Choice = W.S. Van Dyke (The Thin Man) OTHER AWARDS Writing (Adaptation) = F. Goodrich & A. Hackett (The Thin Man) Sound Recording = Viva Villa! Best Song = Love in Bloom Music Score = Max Steiner (The Lost Patrol) Shirley Temple received a Special Oscar in this year and deservedly so. She was America's Darling. There were 12 Best Picture Nominees but every other category, including acting, had only three nominees. Wallace Beery deserved a nod as Best Actor in Viva Villa! Laurel & Hardy's superior shorts were ignored in the Short Subject category. Still, quality work was rewarded in 1934. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1932-1933 1932-33 was the last year that eligibility for Oscar nominees ran for films released from August thru July. The films of 1932-33 were honored in 1934. The eligible films included: She Done Him Wrong; Queen Christina; Laurel & Hardy's classic Sons of the Desert; Little Women; King Kong; Morning Glory; The Invisible Man; Gold Diggers of 1933; Duck Soup; Flying Down to Rio; 42nd Street; Dinner at Eight; Tugboat Annie; the star-studded Alice in Wonderland; 20,000 Years in Sing Sing; The Private Life of Henry the VIII and Cavalcade. The Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Cavalcade My Choice = I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry VIII) My Choice = Paul Muni (I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Katharine Hepburn (Morning Glory) My Choice = Katharine Hepburn (Morning Glory) BEST DIRECTOR Oscar Winner = Frank Lloyd (Cavalcade) My Choice = George Cukor (Little Women) OTHER AWARDS Writing (Original Story) = C. MacArthur (Rasputin and the Empress) Cinematography = Sign of the Cross When you consider the films of 1932-33, one stands out as a perennial classic: King Kong, yet it was not nominated nor was the great comedy Sons of the esert. We can see that the Academy's staid, somber image goes back to its inception. Again, however, quality work was awarded. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1931-1932 The Oscars of 1931-1932 were awarded in 1933. The films of 1931-32 included many of the horror genre and were: Scarface; The Big Broadcast; Dr. X; Frankenstein; Grand Hotel; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Million Dollar Legs; The Miracle Man; Murders in the Rue Morgue; Red Dust; Tarzan the Ape Man; The Champ; Freaks; Last of the Mohicans and Arrowsmith. The honored films were: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Grand Hotel My Choice = The Champ BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Wallace Beery (The Champ) & Frederic March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) My Choice = Wallace Beery (The Champ) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Helen Hayes (The Sin of Madelon Claudet) My Choice = Marie Dressler (Emma) BEST DIRECTOR Oscar Winner = Frank Borzage (Bad Girl) My Choice = King Vidor (The Champ) OTHER AWARDS Cinematography = Arrowsmith Interior Decoration = Arrowsmith Laurel & Hardy won a well-deserved Oscar for their short The Music Box. I felt Tarzan the Ape Man deserved a Best Picture nomination but again it was too frivolous for the Academy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1930-1931 In 1930-31 gangster films were becoming quite popular, Jackie Cooper, Wallace Beery and Charlie Chaplin were box office draws. The popular films were: Little Caesar; City Lights; Cimarron; The Front Page; The Public Enemy; Morocco; Min and Bill; Skippy; The Dawn Patrol; Dracula; Holiday; Trader Horn and Svengali. The Oscars went to: BEST PICTURE Oscar Winner = Cimarron My Choice = Cimarron BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Lionel Barrymore (A Free Soul) My Choice = Richard Dix (Cimarron) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Marie Dressler (Min and Bill) My Choice = Marie Dressler (Min and Bill) BEST DIRECTOR Oscar Winner = Norman Taurog (Skippy) My Choice = Wesley Ruggles (Cimarron) OTHER AWARDS Writing (Original Story) = J. Bright & K. Glasmon (The Public Enemy) Cinematography = Cimarron Interior Decoration = Svengali This was the year that young Jackie Cooper fell asleep during the Oscar ceremony. I feel that Min and Bill along with The Public Enemy deserved Oscar nominations for Best Picture. To be honest, I have not viewed many films of this decade but many classics were considered so the Academy was on the right track. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1929-1930 Lots of classics in 1929-30's films. Laurel & Hardy's only color film, Rogue Song, was produced...copies no longer exist. Garbo, the Marx Brothers and George Arliss were hot! Among the films of 1929-30 were: Disraeli; All Quiet on the Western Front; Hallelujah!; The Vagabond King; The Love Parade; Animal Crackers; Anna Christie; The Big House; Hell's Angels; The Cocoanuts; The Green Goddess; Bulldog Drummond and The Divorcee. The Awarded films were: BEST PRODUCTION Oscar Winner = All Quiet On the Western Front My Choice = All Quiet On the Western Front BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = George Arliss (Disraeli) My Choice = George Arliss (Disraeli) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Norma Shearer (The Divorcee) My Choice = Greta Garbo (Anna Christie) BEST DIRECTOR Oscar Winner = Lewis Milestone (All Quiet On the Western Front) My Choice = Lewis Milestone (All Quiet On the Western Front) OTHER AWARDS Cinematography = All Quiet On the Western Front All Quiet On the Western Front remains as powerful today as the day it was released. It is an anti-war film of the first degree as it illustrates in human terms the horrors of war. The quality of the nominees this year made the choices tough. The Academy chose well in 1929-30. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1928-1929 The beginning of the sound era in films produced many films of quality. Technically the sound quality was poor in those initial years but it would improve. Among the films of 1928-29 were: The Wedding March; West of Zanzibar; Hollywood Revue; Applause; Dynamite; Broadway Melody; The Iron Mask; The Patriot; Madame X; Coquette; In Old Arizona; The Bridge of San Luis Rey; The Letter; Sweet Angel and Alibi. Oscars were awarded to: BEST PRODUCTION Oscar Winner = Broadway Melody My Choice = In Old Arizona BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Warner Baxter (In Old Arizona) My Choice = Warner Baxter (In Old Arizona) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Mary Pickford (Coquette) My Choice = Jeanne Eagels (The Letter) BEST DIRECTOR Oscar Winner = Irving Cummings (In Old Arizona) OTHER AWARDS Cinematography = In Old Arizona Interior Decoration = The Iron Mask This was the first year the entire Academy was allowed to vote on the final nominees. After a controversial year in which the Academy's Board of Governors chose the winners, the rules were changed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1927-1928 Silent films competed with sound films in the Academy's first year. The categories were a bit different and the Board of Governors did the voting for the final nominees. Among the films of 1927-28 were: Metropolis; London After Midnight; Wings; The Jazz Singer; The Tempest; Devil Dancer; Seventh Heaven; Sadie Thompson; My Best Girl; Laugh, Clown, Laugh; The Last Command; The Circus; Sunrise; The Crowd and The Way of all Flesh. The first Oscar went to a Silent film: BEST PRODUCTION Oscar Winner = Wings My Choice = Seventh Heaven ARTISTIC QUALITY OF PRODUCTION Oscar Winner = Sunrise My Choice = Sunrise BEST ACTOR Oscar Winner = Emil Jannings (The Last Command & The Way of all Flesh) My Choice = Richard Barthelmess (The Noose & The Patent Leather Kid) BEST ACTRESS Oscar Winner = Janet Gaynor (Seventh Heaven & Sunrise) My Choice = Gloria Swanson (Sadie Thompson) BEST DIRECTOR Oscar Winner = Frank Borzage (Seventh Heaven) My Choice = Frank Borzage (Seventh Heaven) OTHER AWARDS None Controversy started from day one of the Oscars. Many felt the Board of Governors pulled favoritism in their choices. Best Production went to the crowd pleasing, popular Wings while the more artistic Sunrise was awarded Best Artistic Quality of Production. This would be comparable to 1993's Awards going to Jurassic Park (Best Production) and Schindler's List (Best Artistic Quality of Production). Warner Brothers was awarded a Special Award for The Jazz Singer the first talking picture. Charlie Chaplin also received a Special Oscar for Artistic Achievement. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Back to: The OSCAR Page PLEASE SIGN MY GUESTBOOK ON THE HOME PAGE or Let me know what you think about my page. Send mail by clicking here. 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