1953 Oscars 25th Academy Awards

1953 Oscars 25th Academy Awards

  • Winners Announced: March 19, 1953
  • Venue: RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California and NBC International Theatre, New York City, New York
  • Hosts: Conrad Nagel (emcee), Bob Hope (Hollywood), Fredric March (New York City)
  • Eligibility Year: Films released in 1952

Major Wins:

  • The Greatest Show on Earth won Best Picture, a controversial pick still debated by film buffs.
  • Gary Cooper earned Best Actor for High Noon.
  • Shirley Booth claimed Best Actress for Come Back, Little Sheba.

Directing & Screenplay:

  • John Ford snatched Best Director for The Quiet Man.
  • The Bad and the Beautiful got Best Story and Screenplay.

Additional Info:

  • Anthony Quinn won Best Supporting Actor for Viva Zapata!.
  • Gloria Grahame won Best Supporting Actress for The Bad and the Beautiful.

Trivia:

  • Ronald Reagan Announcer for the 25th Academy Awards.
  • John Ford’s fourth win for Best Director set a record for the most wins in that category.
  • The Bad and the Beautiful won five awards, the most wins ever for a film not nominated for Best Picture.
  • It was the first Academy Awards ceremony to be televised, on NBC.
  • The Greatest Show on Earth is considered one of the weakest Best Picture winners, according to critics.
  • High Noon won four Academy Awards but missed out on Best Picture and Best Director.

1953 Oscar Nominees and Winners

Best Motion Picture:
The Greatest Show on Earth – Cecil B. DeMille for Paramount Pictures (WINNER)
High Noon – Stanley Kramer for United Artists
Ivanhoe – Pandro S. Berman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Moulin Rouge – John Huston for United Artists
The Quiet Man – John Ford and Merian C. Cooper for Republic Pictures
Best Director:
John Ford – The Quiet Man (WINNER)
Joseph L. Mankiewicz – Five Fingers
Cecil B. DeMille – The Greatest Show on Earth
Fred Zinnemann – High Noon
John Huston – Moulin Rouge
Best Actor:
Gary Cooper – High Noon as Marshall Will Kane (WINNER)
Marlon Brando – Viva Zapata! as Emiliano Zapata
Kirk Douglas – The Bad and the Beautiful as Jonathan Shields
José Ferrer – Moulin Rouge as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec/Comte Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec
Alec Guinness – The Lavender Hill Mob as Henry “Dutch” Holland
Best Actress:
Shirley Booth – Come Back, Little Sheba as Lola Delaney (WINNER)
Joan Crawford – Sudden Fear as Myra Hudson
Bette Davis – The Star as Margaret “Maggie” Elliot
Julie Harris – The Member of the Wedding as Frankie Addams
Susan Hayward – With a Song in My Heart as Jane Froman
Best Supporting Actor:
Anthony Quinn – Viva Zapata! as Eufemio Zapata (WINNER)
Richard Burton – My Cousin Rachel as Philip Ashley
Arthur Hunnicutt – The Big Sky as Zeb Calloway
Victor McLaglen – The Quiet Man as Squire “Red” Will Danaher
Jack Palance – Sudden Fear as Lester Blaine
Best Supporting Actress:
Gloria Grahame – The Bad and the Beautiful as Rosemary Bartlow (WINNER)
Jean Hagen – Singin’ in the Rain as Lina Lamont
Colette Marchand – Moulin Rouge as Marie Charlet
Terry Moore – Come Back, Little Sheba as Marie Burkholder
Thelma Ritter – With a Song in My Heart as Clancy
Best Story and Screenplay:
The Bad and the Beautiful – Charles Schnee from “Tribute to a Badman” by George Bradshaw (WINNER)
Five Fingers – Michael Wilson from Operation Cicero by Ludwig Carl Moyzisch
High Noon – Carl Foreman from “The Tin Star” by John W. Cunningham
The Man in the White Suit – Roger MacDougall, John Dighton and Alexander Mackendrick from The Man in the White Suit by Roger MacDougall
The Quiet Man – Frank S. Nugent from “Green Rushes” by Maurice Walsh
Best Screenplay:
The Lavender Hill Mob – T. E. B. Clarke (WINNER)
The Atomic City – Sydney Boehm
Breaking the Sound Barrier – Terence Rattigan
Pat and Mike – Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin
Viva Zapata! – John Steinbeck
Best Story:
The Greatest Show on Earth – Fredric M. Frank, Theodore St. John and Frank Cavett (WINNER)
My Son John – Leo McCarey
The Narrow Margin – Martin Goldsmith and Jack Leonard
The Pride of St. Louis – Guy Trosper
The Sniper – Edna Anhalt and Edward Anhalt
Best Short Subject – Cartoons:
Johann Mouse (WINNER)
Little Johnny Jet
Madeline
Pink and Blue Blues
The Romance of Transportation in Canada
Best Documentary Feature:
The Sea Around Us (WINNER)
The Hoaxters
Navajo
Best Documentary Short Subject:
Neighbours (WINNER)
Devil Take Us
The Garden Spider
Man Alive!
Best Live Action Short Subject, One-Reel:
Light in the Window (WINNER)
Athletes of the Saddle
Desert Killer
Neighbours
Royal Scotland
Best Live Action Short Subject, Two-Reel:
Water Birds (WINNER)
Bridge of Time
Devil Take Us
Thar She Blows!
Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture:
High Noon – Dimitri Tiomkin (WINNER)
Ivanhoe – Miklós Rózsa
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima – Max Steiner
The Thief – Herschel Burke Gilbert
Viva Zapata! – Alex North
Best Scoring of a Musical Picture:
With a Song in My Heart – Alfred Newman (WINNER)
Hans Christian Andersen – Walter Scharf
The Jazz Singer – Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner
The Medium – Gian Carlo Menotti
Singin’ in the Rain – Lennie Hayton
Best Song:
“The Ballad of High Noon (“Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darlin'”)” from High Noon – Music by Dimitri Tiomkin; Lyrics by Ned Washington (WINNER)
“Am I in Love?” from Son of Paleface – Music and Lyrics by Jack Brooks
“Because You’re Mine” from Because You’re Mine – Music by Nicholas Brodszky; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
“Thumbelina” from Hans Christian Andersen – Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
“Zing a Little Zong” from Just for You – Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Leo Robin
Best Sound Recording:
Breaking the Sound Barrier – London Films Sound Department (WINNER)
The Card – Pinewood Studios Sound Department
Hans Christian Andersen – Gordon E. Sawyer
The Quiet Man – Daniel J. Bloomberg
With a Song in My Heart – Thomas T. Moulton
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White:
The Bad and the Beautiful – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Edward Carfagno; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and F. Keogh Gleason (WINNER)
Carrie – Art Direction: Hal Pereira and Roland Anderson; Set Decoration: Emile Kuri
My Cousin Rachel – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and John DeCuir; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott
Rashomon – Art Direction: So Matsuyama; Set Decoration: H. Matsumoto
Viva Zapata! – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Leland Fuller; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Claude Carpenter
Best Art Direction, Color:
Moulin Rouge – Art Direction: Paul Sheriff; Set Decoration: Marcel Vertès (WINNER)
Hans Christian Andersen – Art Direction: Richard Day and Antoni Clavé; Set Decoration: Howard Bristol
The Merry Widow – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Arthur Krams
The Quiet Man – Art Direction: Frank Hotaling; Set Decoration: John McCarthy Jr. and Charles Thompson
The Snows of Kilimanjaro – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and John DeCuir; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White:
The Bad and the Beautiful – Robert Surtees (WINNER)
The Big Sky – Russell Harlan
My Cousin Rachel – Joseph LaShelle
Navajo – Virgil Miller
Sudden Fear – Charles Lang
Best Cinematography, Color:
The Quiet Man – Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout (WINNER)
Hans Christian Andersen – Harry Stradling
Ivanhoe – F. A. Young
Million Dollar Mermaid – George Folsey
The Snows of Kilimanjaro – Leon Shamroy
Best Costume Design, Black-and-White:
The Bad and the Beautiful – Helen Rose (WINNER)
Affair in Trinidad – Jean Louis
Carrie – Edith Head
My Cousin Rachel – Charles LeMaire and Dorothy Jeakins
Sudden Fear – Sheila O’Brien
Best Costume Design, Color:
Moulin Rouge – Marcel Vertès (WINNER)
The Greatest Show on Earth – Edith Head, Dorothy Jeakins and Miles White
Hans Christian Andersen – Antoni Clavé, Mary Wills and Barbara Karinska
The Merry Widow – Helen Rose and Gile Steele (posthumous nomination)
With a Song in My Heart – Charles LeMaire
Best Film Editing:
High Noon – Elmo Williams and Harry W. Gerstad (WINNER)
Come Back, Little Sheba – Warren Low
Flat Top – William Austin
The Greatest Show on Earth – Anne Bauchens
Moulin Rouge – Ralph Kemplen
Academy Honorary Awards:
George Alfred Mitchell “for the design and development of the camera which bears his name and for his continued and dominant presence in the field of cinematography.”

Joseph M. Schenck “for long and distinguished service to the motion picture industry.”

Merian C. Cooper “for his many innovations and contributions to the art of motion pictures.”

Harold Lloyd “master comedian and good citizen.”

Bob Hope “for his contribution to the laughter of the world, his service to the motion picture industry, and his devotion to the American premise.”

Plymouth Adventure for Best Special Effects.

Best Foreign Language Film:
Forbidden Games (France)
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award:
Cecil B. DeMille
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