1946 Oscars 18th Academy Awards

1946 Oscars 18th Academy Awards

  • Winners Announced: March 7, 1946
  • Venue: Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, California
  • Hosts: Jimmy Stewart and Bob Hope
  • Eligibility Year: Films released in 1945

Major Wins:

  • The Lost Weekend claimed Best Picture, and its lead, Ray Milland, won Best Actor
  • Joan Crawford took home Best Actress for her role in Mildred Pierce

Directing & Screenplay:

  • Billy Wilder didn’t just win for directing The Lost Weekend; he also shared the Best Screenplay win with Charles Brackett
  • The adapted screenplay award went to The Lost Weekend as well

Additional Info:

  • The year 1946 marked the introduction of the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories, won by James Dunn for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Anne Revere for National Velvet
  • This was the first year that the awards were broadcast on the radio coast-to-coast
  • Bing Crosby was the first actor to be nominated twice for playing the same character in two films, Father Chuck O’Malley.
  • This was the first year every film nominated for Best Picture won at least one Oscar.
  • The Bells of St. Marys had 8 Nominations and won 1 Oscar.
  • The Lost Weekend had seven nominations and won 4 Oscars.
  • National Velvet had five nominations and won 2.

1946 Oscar Nominees and Winners

Best Motion Picture:
The Lost Weekend – Charles Brackett for Paramount Pictures (WINNER)
Anchors Aweigh – Joe Pasternak for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Bells of St. Mary’s – Leo McCarey for RKO Radio Pictures
Mildred Pierce – Jerry Wald for Warner Bros.
Spellbound – David O. Selznick for United Artists
Best Director:
Billy Wilder – The Lost Weekend (WINNER)
Leo McCarey – The Bells of St. Mary’s
Clarence Brown – National Velvet
Jean Renoir – The Southerner
Alfred Hitchcock – Spellbound
Best Actor:
Ray Milland – The Lost Weekend as Don Birnam (WINNER)
Bing Crosby – The Bells of St. Mary’s as Father Chuck O’Malley
Gene Kelly – Anchors Aweigh as Joseph “Joe” Brady
Gregory Peck – The Keys of the Kingdom as Father Francis Chisholm
Cornel Wilde – A Song to Remember as Frédéric Chopin
Best Actress:
Joan Crawford – Mildred Pierce as Mildred Pierce Beragon (WINNER)
Ingrid Bergman – The Bells of St. Mary’s as Sister Mary Benedict
Greer Garson – The Valley of Decision as Mary Rafferty
Jennifer Jones – Love Letters as Singleton/Victoria Morland
Gene Tierney – Leave Her to Heaven as Ellen Berent Harland
Best Supporting Actor:
James Dunn – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as Johnny Nolan (WINNER)
Michael Chekhov – Spellbound as Dr Alexander “Alex” Brulov
John Dall – The Corn Is Green as Morgan Evans
Robert Mitchum – The Story of G.I. Joe as Lt/Cpt. Bill Walker
J. Carrol Naish – A Medal for Benny as Charley Martin
Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Revere – National Velvet as Mrs Araminty Brown (WINNER)
Eve Arden – Mildred Pierce as Ida Corwin
Ann Blyth – Mildred Pierce as Veda Pierce Forrester
Angela Lansbury – The Picture of Dorian Gray as Sibyl Vane
Joan Lorring – The Corn Is Green as Bessie Watty
Best Original Screenplay:
Marie-Louise – Richard Schweizer (WINNER)
Dillinger – Philip Yordan
Music for Millions – Myles Connolly
Salty O’Rourke – Milton Holmes
What Next, Corporal Hargrove? – Harry Kurnitz
Best Screenplay:
The Lost Weekend – Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder from The Lost Weekend by Charles R. Jackson (WINNER)
Mildred Pierce – Ranald MacDougall from Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain
Pride of the Marines – Albert Maltz from Al Schmid, Marine by Roger Butterfield
The Story of G.I. Joe – Leopold Atlas, Guy Endore and Philip Stevenson from Brave Men and Here Is Your War by Ernie Pyle
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Frank Davis and Tess Slesinger (posthumous nomination) from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Best Motion Picture Story:
The House on 92nd Street – Charles G. Booth (WINNER)
The Affairs of Susan – László Görög and Thomas Monroe
A Medal for Benny – John Steinbeck and Jack Wagner
Objective, Burma! – Alvah Bessie
A Song to Remember – Ernst Marischka
Best Short Subject – Cartoons:
Quiet Please! (WINNER)
Donald’s Crime
Jasper and the Beanstalk
Life with Feathers
Mighty Mouse in Gypsy Life
The Poet and Peasant
Rippling Romance
Best Documentary Feature:
The True Glory (WINNER)
The Last Bomb
Best Documentary Short Subject:
Hitler Lives (WINNER)
Library of Congress
To the Shores of Iwo Jima
Best Live Action Short Subject, One-Reel:
Stairway to Light – Herbert Moulton and Jerry Bresler (WINNER)
Along the Rainbow Trail – Edmund Reek
Screen Snapshots’ 25th Anniversary – Ralph Staub
Story of a Dog – Gordon Hollingshead
White Rhapsody – Grantland Rice
Your National Gallery – Joseph O’Brien (posthumous nomination) and Thomas Mead
Best Live Action Short Subject, Two-Reel:
Star in the Night – Gordon Hollingshead (WINNER)
A Gun in His Hand – Chester Franklin
The Jury Goes Round ‘N’ Round – Jules White
The Little Witch – George Templeton
Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture:
Spellbound – Miklós Rózsa (WINNER)
The Bells of St. Mary’s – Robert Emmett Dolan
Brewster’s Millions – Lou Forbes
Captain Kidd – Werner Janssen
The Enchanted Cottage – Roy Webb
Flame of Barbary Coast – Dale Butts and Morton Scott
G. I. Honeymoon – Edward J. Kay
Guest in the House – Werner Janssen
Guest Wife – Daniele Amfitheatrof
The Keys of the Kingdom – Alfred Newman
The Lost Weekend – Miklós Rózsa
Love Letters – Victor Young
The Man Who Walked Alone – Karl Hajos
Objective, Burma! – Franz Waxman
Paris Underground – Alexandre Tansman
A Song to Remember – Miklós Rózsa and Morris Stoloff
The Southerner – Werner Janssen
The Story of G.I. Joe – Louis Applebaum and Ann Ronell
This Love of Ours – H. J. Salter
The Valley of Decision – Herbert Stothart
The Woman in the Window – Hugo Friedhofer and Arthur Lange
Best Scoring of a Musical Picture:
Anchors Aweigh – Georgie Stoll (WINNER)
Belle of the Yukon – Arthur Lange
Can’t Help Singing – Jerome Kern (posthumous nomination) and H. J. Salter
Hitchhike to Happiness – Morton Scott
Incendiary Blonde – Robert Emmett Dolan
Rhapsody in Blue – Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner
State Fair – Charles Henderson and Alfred Newman
Sunbonnet Sue – Edward J. Kay
The Three Caballeros – Edward H. Plumb, Paul J. Smith and Charles Wolcott
Tonight and Every Night – Marlin Skiles and Morris Stoloff
Why Girls Leave Home – Walter Greene
Wonder Man – Lou Forbes and Ray Heindorf
Best Original Song:
“It Might as Well Be Spring” from State Fair – Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II (WINNER)
“Accentuate the Positive” from Here Come the Waves – Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
“Anywhere” from Tonight and Every Night – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
“Aren’t You Glad You’re You” from The Bells of St. Mary’s – Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke
“The Cat and the Canary” from Why Girls Leave Home – Music by Jay Livingston; Lyrics by Ray Evans
“Endlessly” from Earl Carroll Vanities – Music by Walter Kent; Lyrics by Kim Gannon
“I Fall in Love Too Easily” from Anchors Aweigh – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
“I’ll Buy That Dream” from Sing Your Way Home – Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyrics by Herb Magidson
“Linda” from The Story of G.I. Joe – Music and Lyrics by Ann Ronell
“Love Letters” from Love Letters – Music by Victor Young; Lyrics by Edward Heyman
“More and More” from Can’t Help Singing – Music by Jerome Kern (posthumous nomination); Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg
“Sleighride in July” from Belle of the Yukon – Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke
“So in Love” from Wonder Man – Music by David Rose; Lyrics by Leo Robin
“Some Sunday Morning” from San Antonio – Music by Ray Heindorf and M. K. Jerome; Lyrics by Ted Koehler
Best Sound Recording:
The Bells of St. Mary’s – Stephen Dunn (WINNER)
Flame of Barbary Coast – Daniel J. Bloomberg
Lady on a Train – Bernard B. Brown
Leave Her to Heaven – Thomas T. Moulton
Rhapsody in Blue – Nathan Levinson
A Song to Remember – John P. Livadary
The Southerner – Jack Whitney
They Were Expendable – Douglas Shearer
The Three Caballeros – C. O. Slyfield
Three Is a Family – W. V. Wolfe
The Unseen – Loren L. Ryder
Wonder Man – Gordon E. Sawyer
Best Art Direction – Interior Decoration, Black-and-White:
Blood on the Sun – Art Direction: Wiard Ihnen; Interior Decoration: A. Roland Fields (WINNER)
Experiment Perilous – Art Direction: Albert S. D’Agostino and Jack Okey; Interior Decoration: Darrell Silvera and Claude E. Carpenter
The Keys of the Kingdom – Art Direction: James Basevi and William S. Darling; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little and Frank E. Hughes
Love Letters – Art Decoration: Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson; Interior Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Hans Peters; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, John Bonar and Hugh Hunt
Best Art Direction – Interior Decoration, Color:
Frenchman’s Creek – Art Direction: Hans Dreier and Ernst Fegté; Interior Decoration: Samuel M. Comer (WINNER)
Leave Her to Heaven – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Maurice Ransford; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little
National Velvet – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Urie McCleary; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Mildred Griffiths
San Antonio – Art Direction: Ted Smith; Interior Decoration: Jack McConaghy
A Thousand and One Nights – Art Direction: Stephen Goosson and Rudolph Sternad; Interior Decoration: Frank Tuttle
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White:
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Harry Stradling (WINNER)
The Keys of the Kingdom – Arthur C. Miller
The Lost Weekend – John F. Seitz
Mildred Pierce – Ernest Haller
Spellbound – George Barnes
Best Cinematography, Color:
Leave Her to Heaven – Leon Shamroy (WINNER)
Anchors Aweigh – Robert Planck and Charles P. Boyle
National Velvet – Leonard Smith
A Song to Remember – Tony Gaudio and Allen M. Davey (posthumous nomination)
The Spanish Main – George Barnes
Best Film Editing:
National Velvet – Robert J. Kern (WINNER)
The Bells of St. Mary’s – Harry Marker
The Lost Weekend – Doane Harrison
Objective, Burma! – George Amy
A Song to Remember – Charles Nelson
Best Special Effects:
Wonder Man – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Arthur Johns (WINNER)
Captain Eddie – Photographic Effects: Fred Sersen and Sol Halperin; Sound Effects: Roger Heman Sr. and Harry M. Leonard
Spellbound – Photographic Effects: Jack Cosgrove
They Were Expendable – Photographic Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie, Donald Jahraus and R. A. MacDonald; Sound Effects: Michael Steinore
A Thousand and One Nights – Photographic Effects: Lawrence W. Butler; Sound Effects: Ray Bomba
Academy Honorary Awards:
Walter Wanger “for his six years service as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”
The House I Live In tolerance short subject; produced by Frank Ross and Mervyn LeRoy; directed by Mervyn LeRoy; screenplay by Albert Maltz; song “The House I Live In”, music by Earl Robinson, lyrics by Lewis Allan; starring Frank Sinatra; released by RKO Radio.
Republic Studio, Daniel J. Bloomberg and the Republic Sound Department “for the building of an outstanding musical scoring auditorium which provides optimum recording conditions and combines all elements of acoustic and engineering design.
Academy Juvenile Award:
Peggy Ann Garner
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