1939

The 11th Academy Awards | 1939
Biltmore Bowl of the Biltmore Hotel
Thursday, February 23, 1939
Honoring movies released in 1938
Highlights
Memorable Moments

Winners & Nominees

Actor

Winner

Spencer Tracy

Boys Town

Nominees

Charles Boyer

Algiers

James Cagney

Angels with Dirty Faces

Robert Donat

The Citadel

Leslie Howard

Pygmalion

Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner

Walter Brennan

Kentucky

Nominees

John Garfield

Four Daughters

Gene Lockhart

Algiers

Robert Morley

Marie Antoinette

Basil Rathbone

If I Were King

Actress

Winner

Bette Davis

Jezebel

Nominees

Fay Bainter

White Banners

Wendy Hiller

Pygmalion

Norma Shearer

Marie Antoinette

Margaret Sullavan

Three Comrades

Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner

Fay Bainter

Jezebel

Nominees

Beulah Bondi

Of Human Hearts

Billie Burke

Merrily We Live

Spring Byington

You Can't Take It with You

Miliza Korjus

The Great Waltz

Art Direction

Winner

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Carl J. Weyl

Nominees

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Lyle Wheeler

Alexander's Ragtime Band

Bernard Herzbrun, Boris Leven

Algiers

Alexander Toluboff

Carefree

Van Nest Polglase

The Goldwyn Follies

Richard Day

Holiday

Stephen Goosson, Lionel Banks

If I Were King

Hans Dreier, John Goodman

Mad about Music

Jack Otterson

Marie Antoinette

Cedric Gibbons

Merrily We Live

Charles D. Hall

Cinematography

Winner

The Great Waltz

Joseph Ruttenberg

Nominees

Algiers

James Wong Howe

Army Girl

Ernest Miller, Harry Wild

The Buccaneer

Victor Milner

Jezebel

Ernest Haller

Mad about Music

Joseph Valentine

Merrily We Live

Norbert Brodine

Suez

Peverell Marley

Vivacious Lady

Robert de Grasse

You Can't Take It with You

Joseph Walker

The Young in Heart

Leon Shamroy

Directing

Winner

You Can't Take It with You

Frank Capra

Nominees

Angels with Dirty Faces

Michael Curtiz

Boys Town

Norman Taurog

The Citadel

King Vidor

Four Daughters

Michael Curtiz

Film Editing

Winner

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Ralph Dawson

Nominees

Alexander's Ragtime Band

Barbara McLean

The Great Waltz

Tom Held

Test Pilot

Tom Held

You Can't Take It with You

Gene Havlick

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

Winner

Hal B. Wallis

Nominees

Samuel Goldwyn

Joe Pasternak

David O. Selznick

Hunt Stromberg

Walter Wanger

Darryl F. Zanuck

Music (Original Score)

Winner

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Nominees

Army Girl

Victor Young

Block-Heads

Marvin Hatley

Blockade

Werner Janssen

Breaking the Ice

Victor Young

The Cowboy and the Lady

Alfred Newman

If I Were King

Richard Hageman

Marie Antoinette

Herbert Stothart

Pacific Liner

Russell Bennett

Suez

Louis Silvers

The Young in Heart

Franz Waxman

Music (Scoring)

Winner

Alexander's Ragtime Band

Alfred Newman

Nominees

Carefree

Victor Baravalle

Girls' School

Morris Stoloff, Gregory Stone

The Goldwyn Follies

Alfred Newman

Jezebel

Max Steiner

Mad about Music

Charles Previn, Frank Skinner

Storm over Bengal

Cy Feuer

Sweethearts

Herbert Stothart

There Goes My Heart

Marvin Hatley

Tropic Holiday

Boris Morros

The Young in Heart

Franz Waxman

Music (Song)

Winner

The Big Broadcast of 1938

Thanks For The Memory in "The Big Broadcast of 1938" Music by Ralph Rainger; Lyrics by Leo Robin

Nominees

Mannequin

Always And Always in "Mannequin" Music by Edward Ward; Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright

Carefree

Change Partners in "Carefree" Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

The Cowboy and the Lady

The Cowboy And The Lady in "The Cowboy and the Lady" Music by Lionel Newman; Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer

Under Western Stars

Dust in "Under Western Stars" Music and Lyrics by Johnny Marvin

Going Places

Jeepers Creepers in "Going Places" Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Merrily We Live

Merrily We Live in "Merrily We Live" Music by Phil Charig; Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer

The Lady Objects

A Mist Over The Moon in "The Lady Objects" Music by Ben Oakland; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

That Certain Age

My Own in "That Certain Age" Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Harold Adamson

Alexander's Ragtime Band

Now It Can Be Told in "Alexander's Ragtime Band" Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

Outstanding Production

Winner

You Can't Take It with You

Columbia

Nominees

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Warner Bros.-First National

Alexander's Ragtime Band

20th Century-Fox

Boys Town

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The Citadel

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Four Daughters

Warner Bros.-First National

Grand Illusion

Realization D'Art Cinematographique

Jezebel

Warner Bros.

Pygmalion

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Test Pilot

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Short Subject (Cartoon)

Winner

Ferdinand the Bull

Walt Disney, Producer

Nominees

Brave Little Tailor

Walt Disney, Producer

Good Scouts

Walt Disney, Producer

Hunky and Spunky

Paramount

Mother Goose Goes Hollywood

Walt Disney, Producer

Short Subject (One-reel)

Winner

That Mothers Might Live

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Nominees

The Great Heart

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Timber Toppers

20th Century-Fox

Short Subject (Two-reel)

Winner

Declaration of Independence

Warner Bros.

Nominees

Swingtime in the Movies

Warner Bros.

They're Always Caught

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Sound Recording

Winner

The Cowboy and the Lady

United Artists Studio Sound Department, Thomas T. Moulton, Sound Director

Nominees

Army Girl

Republic Studio Sound Department, Charles L. Lootens, Sound Director

Four Daughters

Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, Nathan Levinson, Sound Director

If I Were King

Paramount Studio Sound Department, Loren L. Ryder, Sound Director

Merrily We Live

Hal Roach Studio Sound Department, Elmer A. Raguse, Sound Director

Suez

20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department, Edmund H. Hansen, Sound Director

Sweethearts

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department, Douglas Shearer, Sound Director

That Certain Age

Universal Studio Sound Department, Bernard B. Brown, Sound Director

Vivacious Lady

RKO Radio Studio Sound Department, John Aalberg, Sound Director

You Can't Take It with You

Columbia Studio Sound Department, John Livadary, Sound Director

Special Award

Winner

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Special Award

Spawn of the North

Special Award

Sweethearts

Special Award

Writing (Original Story)

Winner

Boys Town

Dore Schary, Eleanore Griffin

Nominees

Alexander's Ragtime Band

Irving Berlin

Angels with Dirty Faces

Rowland Brown

Blockade

John Howard Lawson

Mad about Music

Marcella Burke, Frederick Kohner

Test Pilot

Frank Wead

Writing (Screenplay)

Winner

Pygmalion

Screenplay and Dialogue by George Bernard Shaw; Adaptation by W. P. Lipscomb, Cecil Lewis, Ian Dalrymple

Nominees

Boys Town

John Meehan, Dore Schary

The Citadel

Ian Dalrymple, Frank Wead, Elizabeth Hill

Four Daughters

Julius J. Epstein, Lenore Coffee

You Can't Take It with You

Robert Riskin
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A
The Adventures of Robin Hood
4 Nominations, 3 Wins
* Art Direction - Carl J. Weyl
* Music (Original Score) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
* Film Editing - Ralph Dawson
Outstanding Production - Warner Bros.-First National
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
1 Nomination
Art Direction - Lyle Wheeler
Alexander's Ragtime Band
6 Nominations, 1 Win
Outstanding Production - 20th Century-Fox
Film Editing - Barbara McLean
Art Direction - Bernard Herzbrun, Boris Leven
Writing (Original Story) - Irving Berlin
Music (Song) - Now It Can Be Told in "Alexander's Ragtime Band" Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
* Music (Scoring) - Alfred Newman
Algiers
4 Nominations
Art Direction - Alexander Toluboff
Actor - Charles Boyer in "Algiers"
Actor in a Supporting Role - Gene Lockhart in "Algiers"
Cinematography - James Wong Howe
Angels with Dirty Faces
3 Nominations
Actor - James Cagney in "Angels with Dirty Faces"
Directing - Michael Curtiz
Writing (Original Story) - Rowland Brown
Army Girl
3 Nominations
Cinematography - Ernest Miller, Harry Wild
Sound Recording - Republic Studio Sound Department, Charles L. Lootens, Sound Director
Music (Original Score) - Victor Young
B
The Big Broadcast of 1938
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Music (Song) - Thanks For The Memory in "The Big Broadcast of 1938" Music by Ralph Rainger; Lyrics by Leo Robin
Block-Heads
1 Nomination
Music (Original Score) - Marvin Hatley
Blockade
2 Nominations
Writing (Original Story) - John Howard Lawson
Music (Original Score) - Werner Janssen
Boys Town
5 Nominations, 2 Wins
* Writing (Original Story) - Dore Schary, Eleanore Griffin
* Actor - Spencer Tracy in "Boys Town"
Writing (Screenplay) - John Meehan, Dore Schary
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Directing - Norman Taurog
Brave Little Tailor
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Cartoon) - Walt Disney, Producer
Breaking the Ice
1 Nomination
Music (Original Score) - Victor Young
The Buccaneer
1 Nomination
Cinematography - Victor Milner
C
Carefree
3 Nominations
Music (Song) - Change Partners in "Carefree" Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Art Direction - Van Nest Polglase
Music (Scoring) - Victor Baravalle
The Citadel
4 Nominations
Writing (Screenplay) - Ian Dalrymple, Frank Wead, Elizabeth Hill
Directing - King Vidor
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Actor - Robert Donat in "The Citadel"
The Cowboy and the Lady
3 Nominations, 1 Win
Music (Original Score) - Alfred Newman
Music (Song) - The Cowboy And The Lady in "The Cowboy and the Lady" Music by Lionel Newman; Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer
* Sound Recording - United Artists Studio Sound Department, Thomas T. Moulton, Sound Director
D
Declaration of Independence
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Short Subject (Two-reel) - Warner Bros.
F
Ferdinand the Bull
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Short Subject (Cartoon) - Walt Disney, Producer
Four Daughters
5 Nominations
Actor in a Supporting Role - John Garfield in "Four Daughters"
Writing (Screenplay) - Julius J. Epstein, Lenore Coffee
Directing - Michael Curtiz
Sound Recording - Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, Nathan Levinson, Sound Director
Outstanding Production - Warner Bros.-First National
G
Girls' School
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Morris Stoloff, Gregory Stone
Going Places
1 Nomination
Music (Song) - Jeepers Creepers in "Going Places" Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
The Goldwyn Follies
2 Nominations
Music (Scoring) - Alfred Newman
Art Direction - Richard Day
Good Scouts
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Cartoon) - Walt Disney, Producer
Grand Illusion
1 Nomination
Outstanding Production - Realization D'Art Cinematographique
The Great Heart
1 Nomination
Short Subject (One-reel) - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Great Waltz
3 Nominations, 1 Win
* Cinematography - Joseph Ruttenberg
Actress in a Supporting Role - Miliza Korjus in "The Great Waltz"
Film Editing - Tom Held
H
Holiday
1 Nomination
Art Direction - Stephen Goosson, Lionel Banks
Hunky and Spunky
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Cartoon) - Paramount
I
If I Were King
4 Nominations
Actor in a Supporting Role - Basil Rathbone in "If I Were King"
Art Direction - Hans Dreier, John Goodman
Sound Recording - Paramount Studio Sound Department, Loren L. Ryder, Sound Director
Music (Original Score) - Richard Hageman
J
Jezebel
5 Nominations, 2 Wins
* Actress - Bette Davis in "Jezebel"
* Actress in a Supporting Role - Fay Bainter in "Jezebel"
Cinematography - Ernest Haller
Music (Scoring) - Max Steiner
Outstanding Production - Warner Bros.
K
Kentucky
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Actor in a Supporting Role - Walter Brennan in "Kentucky"
L
The Lady Objects
1 Nomination
Music (Song) - A Mist Over The Moon in "The Lady Objects" Music by Ben Oakland; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
M
Mad about Music
4 Nominations
Music (Scoring) - Charles Previn, Frank Skinner
Art Direction - Jack Otterson
Cinematography - Joseph Valentine
Writing (Original Story) - Marcella Burke, Frederick Kohner
Mannequin
1 Nomination
Music (Song) - Always And Always in "Mannequin" Music by Edward Ward; Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright
Marie Antoinette
4 Nominations
Art Direction - Cedric Gibbons
Music (Original Score) - Herbert Stothart
Actress - Norma Shearer in "Marie Antoinette"
Actor in a Supporting Role - Robert Morley in "Marie Antoinette"
Merrily We Live
5 Nominations
Actress in a Supporting Role - Billie Burke in "Merrily We Live"
Art Direction - Charles D. Hall
Sound Recording - Hal Roach Studio Sound Department, Elmer A. Raguse, Sound Director
Music (Song) - Merrily We Live in "Merrily We Live" Music by Phil Charig; Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer
Cinematography - Norbert Brodine
Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Cartoon) - Walt Disney, Producer
O
Of Human Hearts
1 Nomination
Actress in a Supporting Role - Beulah Bondi in "Of Human Hearts"
P
Pacific Liner
1 Nomination
Music (Original Score) - Russell Bennett
Pygmalion
4 Nominations, 1 Win
Actor - Leslie Howard in "Pygmalion"
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Actress - Wendy Hiller in "Pygmalion"
* Writing (Screenplay) - Screenplay and Dialogue by George Bernard Shaw; Adaptation by W. P. Lipscomb, Cecil Lewis, Ian Dalrymple
S
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Special Award - Special Award
Spawn of the North
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Special Award - Special Award
Storm over Bengal
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Cy Feuer
Suez
3 Nominations
Sound Recording - 20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department, Edmund H. Hansen, Sound Director
Music (Original Score) - Louis Silvers
Cinematography - Peverell Marley
Sweethearts
3 Nominations, 1 Win
Music (Scoring) - Herbert Stothart
Sound Recording - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department, Douglas Shearer, Sound Director
* Special Award - Special Award
Swingtime in the Movies
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Two-reel) - Warner Bros.
T
Test Pilot
3 Nominations
Writing (Original Story) - Frank Wead
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Film Editing - Tom Held
That Certain Age
2 Nominations
Music (Song) - My Own in "That Certain Age" Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Harold Adamson
Sound Recording - Universal Studio Sound Department, Bernard B. Brown, Sound Director
That Mothers Might Live
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Short Subject (One-reel) - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
There Goes My Heart
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Marvin Hatley
They're Always Caught
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Two-reel) - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Three Comrades
1 Nomination
Actress - Margaret Sullavan in "Three Comrades"
Timber Toppers
1 Nomination
Short Subject (One-reel) - 20th Century-Fox
Tropic Holiday
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Boris Morros
U
Under Western Stars
1 Nomination
Music (Song) - Dust in "Under Western Stars" Music and Lyrics by Johnny Marvin
V
Vivacious Lady
2 Nominations
Sound Recording - RKO Radio Studio Sound Department, John Aalberg, Sound Director
Cinematography - Robert de Grasse
W
White Banners
1 Nomination
Actress - Fay Bainter in "White Banners"
Y
You Can't Take It with You
7 Nominations, 2 Wins
* Outstanding Production - Columbia
* Directing - Frank Capra
Sound Recording - Columbia Studio Sound Department, John Livadary, Sound Director
Film Editing - Gene Havlick
Cinematography - Joseph Walker
Writing (Screenplay) - Robert Riskin
Actress in a Supporting Role - Spring Byington in "You Can't Take It with You"
The Young in Heart
3 Nominations
Music (Scoring) - Franz Waxman
Music (Original Score) - Franz Waxman
Cinematography - Leon Shamroy