1941 Oscars 13th Academy Awards

1941 Oscars 13th Academy Awards

  • The 13th Academy Awards were celebrated on February 27, 1941, at the Biltmore Bowl in the Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles.
  • Walter Wanger took on the hosting duties for the evening.
  • The focus of the ceremony was on films released in the eligibility year of 1940.

Significant Moments:

  • Rebecca, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, took home the Best Picture trophy.
  • James Stewart grabbed Best Actor for his performance in The Philadelphia Story.
  • John Ford received Best Director for The Grapes of Wrath, while Jane Darwell won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the same movie.
  • Rebecca had 11 nominations.
  • David O. Selznick was the first to produce two consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners.

A Sprinkle of Trivia:

  1. This was Alfred Hitchcock’s only Best Picture win; he never won for Best Director.
  2. The Best Original Song category featured “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio, which not only won but later became Disney’s anthem.
  3. Hattie McDaniel, who had won the previous year, was a presenter this year—a first for an African American.
  4. This was the first year that the winners were secret until they were announced. Price Waterhouse was hired to count the ballots, after the Los Angeles Timesleaked voting results in 1939.

1941 Oscar Nominees and Winners

Outstanding Production:
Rebecca – David O. Selznick for Selznick International and United Artists (WINNER)
All This, and Heaven Too – Jack L. Warner, Hal B. Wallis, and David Lewis for Warner Bros.
Foreign Correspondent – Walter Wanger for Walter Wanger Productions and United Artists
The Grapes of Wrath – Darryl F. Zanuck and Nunnally Johnson for 20th Century Fox
The Great Dictator – Charlie Chaplin for Charlie Chaplin Productions and United Artists
Kitty Foyle – David Hempstead for RKO Radio
The Letter – Hal B. Wallis for Warner Bros.
The Long Voyage Home – John Ford for Argosy Films, Walter Wanger Productions, and United Artists
Our Town – Sol Lesser for Sol Lesser Productions and United Artists
The Philadelphia Story – Joseph L. Mankiewicz for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Director:
John Ford – The Grapes of Wrath (WINNER)
Sam Wood – Kitty Foyle
William Wyler – The Letter
George Cukor – The Philadelphia Story
Alfred Hitchcock – Rebecca
Best Actor:
James Stewart – The Philadelphia Story as Macaulay “Mike” Connor (WINNER)
Charlie Chaplin – The Great Dictator as The Barber/Adenoid Hynkel
Henry Fonda – The Grapes of Wrath as Tom Joad
Raymond Massey – Abe Lincoln in Illinois as Abraham Lincoln
Laurence Olivier – Rebecca as Maximilian de Winter
Best Actress:
Ginger Rogers – Kitty Foyle as Kitty Foyle (WINNER)
Bette Davis – The Letter as Leslie Crosbie
Joan Fontaine – Rebecca as the second Mrs de Winter
Katharine Hepburn – The Philadelphia Story as Tracy Samantha Lord
Martha Scott – Our Town as Emily Webb
Best Supporting Actor:
Walter Brennan – The Westerner as Judge Roy Bean (WINNER)
Albert Bassermann – Foreign Correspondent as Van Meer
William Gargan – They Knew What They Wanted as Joe
Jack Oakie – The Great Dictator as Benzino Napaloni
James Stephenson – The Letter as Howard Joyce
Best Supporting Actress:
Jane Darwell – The Grapes of Wrath as Ma Joad (WINNER)
Judith Anderson – Rebecca as Mrs. Danvers
Ruth Hussey – The Philadelphia Story as Elizabeth Imbrie
Barbara O’Neil – All This, and Heaven Too as Francoise “Fanny” Sebastiani de-Praslin
Marjorie Rambeau – Primrose Path as Mamie Adams
Best Original Screenplay:
The Great McGinty – Preston Sturges (WINNER)
Angels Over Broadway – Ben Hecht
Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet – Norman Burnstine, Heinz Herald, and John Huston
Foreign Correspondent – Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison
The Great Dictator – Charlie Chaplin
Best Screenplay:
The Philadelphia Story – Donald Ogden Stewart, based on the play by Philip Barry (WINNER)
The Grapes of Wrath – Nunnally Johnson, based on the novel by John Steinbeck
Kitty Foyle – Dalton Trumbo, based on the novel by Christopher Morley
The Long Voyage Home – Dudley Nichols, based on the plays The Moon of the Caribees, In the Zone, Bound East for Cardiff, and The Long Voyage Home by Eugene O’Neill
Rebecca – Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier
Best Original Story:
Arise, My Love – Benjamin Glazer and John S. Toldy (WINNER)
Comrade X – Walter Reisch
Edison, the Man – Hugo Butler and Dore Schary
My Favorite Wife – Leo McCarey, Samuel Spewack, and Bella Spewack
The Westerner – Stuart N. Lake
Best Live Action Short Subject, One-Reel:
Quicker’n a Wink – Pete Smith and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
London Can Take It! – Warner Bros.
More About Nostradamus – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Siege – RKO Radio
Best Live Action Short Subject, Two-Reel:
Teddy, the Rough Rider – Warner Bros.
Eyes of the Navy – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Service with the Colors – Warner Bros.
Best Short Subject – Cartoons:
The Milky Way – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (WINNER)
Puss Gets the Boot – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
A Wild Hare – Leon Schlesinger and Warner Bros.
Best Original Score:
Pinocchio – Leigh Harline, Paul Smith and Ned Washington (WINNER)
Arizona – Victor Young
Dark Command – Victor Young
The Fight for Life – Louis Gruenberg
The Great Dictator – Meredith Willson
The House of the Seven Gables – Frank Skinner
The Howards of Virginia – Richard Hageman
The Letter – Max Steiner
The Long Voyage Home – Richard Hageman
The Mark of Zorro – Alfred Newman
My Favorite Wife – Roy Webb
North West Mounted Police – Victor Young
One Million B.C. – Werner R. Heymann
Our Town – Aaron Copland
Rebecca – Franz Waxman
The Thief of Bagdad – Miklós Rózsa
Waterloo Bridge – Herbert Stothart
Best Scoring:
Tin Pan Alley – Alfred Newman (WINNER)
Arise, My Love – Victor Young
Hit Parade of 1941 – Cy Feuer
Irene – Anthony Collins
Our Town – Aaron Copland
The Sea Hawk – Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Second Chorus – Artie Shaw
Spring Parade – Charles Previn
Strike Up the Band – Georgie Stoll and Roger Edens
Best Original Song:
“When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio – Music by Leigh Harline; Lyrics by Ned Washington (WINNER)
“Down Argentine Way” from Down Argentine Way – Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon
“I’d Know You Anywhere” from You’ll Find Out – Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
“It’s a Blue World” from Music in My Heart – Music and Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright
“Love of My Life” from Second Chorus – Music by Artie Shaw; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
“Only Forever” from Rhythm on the River – Music by James V. Monaco; Lyrics by Johnny Burke
“Our Love Affair” from Strike Up the Band – Music and Lyrics by Roger Edens and Arthur Freed
“Waltzing in the Clouds” from Spring Parade – Music by Robert Stolz; Lyrics by Gus Kahn
“Who Am I?” from Hit Parade of 1941 – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Walter Bullock
Best Sound Recording:
Strike Up the Band – Douglas Shearer (WINNER)
Behind the News – Charles L. Lootens
Captain Caution – Elmer Raguse
The Grapes of Wrath – E. H. Hansen
The Howards of Virginia – Jack Whitney
Kitty Foyle – John O. Aalberg
North West Mounted Police – Loren L. Ryder
Our Town – Thomas T. Moulton
The Sea Hawk – Nathan Levinson
Spring Parade – Bernard B. Brown
Too Many Husbands – John P. Livadary
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White:
Pride and Prejudice – Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse (WINNER)
Arise, My Love – Hans Dreier and Robert Usher
Arizona – Lionel Banks and Robert Peterson
The Boys from Syracuse – John Otterson
The Dark Command – John Victor Mackay
Foreign Correspondent – Alexander Golitzen
Lillian Russell – Richard Day and Joseph C. Wright
My Favorite Wife – Van Nest Polglase and Mark-Lee Kirk
My Son, My Son! – John DuCasse Schulze
Our Town – Lewis J. Rachmil
Rebecca – Lyle R. Wheeler
The Sea Hawk – Anton Grot
The Westerner – James Basevi
Best Art Direction, Color:
The Thief of Bagdad – Vincent Korda (WINNER)
Bitter Sweet – Cedric Gibbons and John S. Detlie
Down Argentine Way – Richard Day and Joseph C. Wright
North West Mounted Police – Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White:
Rebecca – George Barnes (WINNER)
Abe Lincoln in Illinois – James Wong Howe
All This, and Heaven Too – Ernest Haller
Arise, My Love – Charles Lang
Boom Town – Harold Rosson
Foreign Correspondent – Rudolph Maté
The Letter – Tony Gaudio
The Long Voyage Home – Gregg Toland
Spring Parade – Joseph Valentine
Waterloo Bridge – Joseph Ruttenberg
Best Cinematography, Color:
The Thief of Bagdad – Georges Périnal (WINNER)
Bitter Sweet – Oliver T. Marsh and Allen Davey
The Blue Bird – Arthur C. Miller and Ray Rennahan
Down Argentine Way – Leon Shamroy and Ray Rennahan
North West Mounted Police – Victor Milner and W. Howard Greene
Northwest Passage – Sidney Wagner and William V. Skall
Best Film Editing:
North West Mounted Police – Anne Bauchens (WINNER)
The Grapes of Wrath – Robert L. Simpson
The Letter – Warren Low
The Long Voyage Home – Sherman Todd
Rebecca – Hal C. Kern
Best Special Effect:
The Thief of Bagdad – Photographic Effects: Lawrence W. Butler; Sound Effects: Jack Whitney (WINNER)
The Blue Bird – Photographic Effects: Fred Sersen; Sound Effects: Edmund H. Hansen
Boom Town – Photographic Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie; Sound Effects: Douglas Shearer
The Boys From Syracuse – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Bernard B. Brown and Joe Lapis
Dr. Cyclops – Photographic Effects: Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings
Foreign Correspondent – Photographic Effects: Paul Eagler; Sound Effects: Thomas T. Moulton
The Invisible Man Returns – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Bernard B. Brown and William Hedgcock
The Long Voyage Home – Photographic Effects: R. T. Layton and Ray Binger; Sound Effects: Thomas T. Moulton
One Million B.C. – Photographic Effects: Roy Seawright; Sound Effects: Elmer A. Raguse
Rebecca – Photographic Effects: Jack Cosgrove; Sound Effects: Arthur Johns
The Sea Hawk – Photographic Effects: Byron Haskin; Sound Effects Nathan Levinson
Swiss Family Robinson – Photographic Effects Vernon L. Walker; Sound Effects: John O. Aalberg
Typhoon – Photographic Effects: Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings; Sound Effects Loren L. Ryder
Women in War – Photographic Effects: Howard J. Lydecker, William Bradford and Ellis J. Thackery; Sound Effects: Herbert Norsch

Academy Honorary Awards:
Bob Hope “in recognition of his unselfish services to the Motion Picture Industry.”

Colonel Nathan Levinson “for his outstanding service to the industry and the Army during the past nine years, which has made possible the present efficient mobilization of the motion picture industry facilities for the production of Army Training Films.”

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