
	Year index
	1937 index
	list of titles
	list of movies only
	top grossing movies
	by total votes
	by average vote
	academy awards
	births
	deaths
	marriages
	IMDb sections
	by country
	by language
	by release date
	common countries
	common genres
	world events


	1936
	1938

Academy Awards, USA: 1938

Oscar

Date:	10 March (banquet)
Host:	Bob Burns (I)
Location:	Biltmore Bowl, Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, California, USA
Notes:	The ceremony is postponed one week because of heavy rainfall. From 1935 to 1938 best score is considered a music department achievement and the award is given to the department head instead of to the composer(s).

Best Picture


Winner:
	Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Warner Bros.
Other Nominees:
	Awful Truth, The (1937) - Columbia Captains Courageous (1937) - M-G-M Dead End (1937) - Samuel Goldwyn Productions Good Earth, The (1937) - M-G-M In Old Chicago (1937) - 20th Century Fox Lost Horizon (1937) - Columbia One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) - Universal Stage Door (1937) - RKO Radio Star Is Born, A (1937) - Selznick International Pictures

Best Actor in a Leading Role


Winner:
	Captains Courageous (1937) - Spencer Tracy
Other Nominees:
	Conquest (1937) - Charles Boyer (I) Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Paul Muni (I) Night Must Fall (1937) - Robert Montgomery (I) Star Is Born, A (1937) - Fredric March

Best Actress in a Leading Role


Winner:
	Good Earth, The (1937) - Luise Rainer
Other Nominees:
	Awful Truth, The (1937) - Irene Dunne Camille (1936) - Greta Garbo Star Is Born, A (1937) - Janet Gaynor (I) Stella Dallas (1937) - Barbara Stanwyck

Best Actor in a Supporting Role


Winner:
	Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Joseph Schildkraut
Other Nominees:
	Awful Truth, The (1937) - Ralph Bellamy Hurricane, The (1937) - Thomas Mitchell (I) Lost Horizon (1937) - H.B. Warner Topper (1937) - Roland Young (I)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role


Winner:
	In Old Chicago (1937) - Alice Brady - Alice Brady's trophy was swiped by an impostor who came onstage to accept the award on the absent actress' behalf. It has never been never recovered and the imposter could never be tracked down. Before the Academy could do justice and issue a copy of the award, Alice Brady passed away.
Other Nominees:
	Dead End (1937) - Claire Trevor Night Must Fall (1937) - Dame May Whitty Stage Door (1937) - Andrea Leeds Stella Dallas (1937) - Anne Shirley

Best Director


Winner:
	Awful Truth, The (1937) - Leo McCarey
Other Nominees:
	Good Earth, The (1937) - Sidney Franklin (I) Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - William Dieterle Stage Door (1937) - Gregory La Cava Star Is Born, A (1937) - William A. Wellman

Best Assistant Director


Winner:
	In Old Chicago (1937) - Robert D. Webb
Other Nominees:
	Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Russell Saunders (I) Lost Horizon (1937) - Charles C. Coleman Souls at Sea (1937) - Hal Walker (I) Star Is Born, A (1937) - Eric Stacey (I)

Best Writing, Original Story


Winner:
	Star Is Born, A (1937) - William A. Wellman; Robert Carson (VI)
Other Nominees:
	Black Legion (1937) - Robert Lord (I) In Old Chicago (1937) - Niven Busch Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Heinz Herald; Geza Herczeg One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) - Hanns Kräly

Best Writing, Screenplay


Winner:
	Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Heinz Herald; Geza Herczeg; Norman Reilly Raine
Other Nominees:
	Awful Truth, The (1937) - Viña Delmar Captains Courageous (1937) - Marc Connelly; John Lee Mahin; Dale Van Every Stage Door (1937) - Morrie Ryskind; Anthony Veiller Star Is Born, A (1937) - Alan Campbell (I); Robert Carson (VI); Dorothy Parker (I)

Best Cinematography


Winner:
	Good Earth, The (1937) - Karl Freund
Other Nominees:
	Dead End (1937) - Gregg Toland Wings Over Honolulu (1937) - Joseph A. Valentine

Best Art Direction


Winner:
	Lost Horizon (1937) - Stephen Goosson
Other Nominees:
	Conquest (1937) - Cedric Gibbons; William A. Horning Damsel in Distress, A (1937) - Carroll Clark Dead End (1937) - Richard Day (I) Every Day's a Holiday (1937) - Wiard Ihnen Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Anton Grot Manhattan Merry-Go-Round (1937) - John Victor Mackay Prisoner of Zenda, The (1937) - Lyle R. Wheeler Souls at Sea (1937) - Hans Dreier; Roland Anderson Vogues of 1938 (1937) - Alexander Toluboff Wee Willie Winkie (1937) - William S. Darling; David S. Hall (I) You're a Sweetheart (1937) - Jack Otterson

Best Sound, Recording


Winner:
	Hurricane, The (1937) - Thomas T. Moulton (United Artists SSD)
Other Nominees:
	Girl Said No, The (1937) - A.E. Kaye (Grand National SSD) Hitting a New High (1937) - John Aalberg (RKO Radio SSD) In Old Chicago (1937) - Edmund H. Hansen (20th Century-Fox SSD) Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Nathan Levinson (Warner Bros. SSD) Lost Horizon (1937) - John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD) Maytime (1937) - Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD) One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) - Homer G. Tasker (Universal SSD) Topper (1937) - Elmer Raguse (Hal Roach SSD) Wells Fargo (1937) - Loren L. Ryder (Paramount SSD)

Best Film Editing


Winner:
	Lost Horizon (1937) - Gene Havlick; Gene Milford
Other Nominees:
	Awful Truth, The (1937) - Al Clark (I) Captains Courageous (1937) - Elmo Veron Good Earth, The (1937) - Basil Wrangell One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) - Bernard W. Burton

Best Music, Original Song


Winner:
	Waikiki Wedding (1937) - Harry Owens - For the song "Sweet Leilani"
Other Nominees:
	Artists & Models (1937) - Friedrich Hollaender (music); Leo Robin (I) (lyrics) - For the song "Whispers in the Dark" Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937) - Harry Warren (I) (music); Al Dubin (lyrics) - For the song "Remember Me" Shall We Dance (1937) - George Gershwin (music); Ira Gershwin (lyrics) - For the song "They Can't Take That Away from Me" Vogues of 1938 (1937) - Sammy Fain (music); Lew Brown (I) (lyrics) - For the song "That Old Feeling"

Best Music, Score


Winner:
	One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) - Charles Previn (head of department); Universal Studio Music Department - No composer credit.
Other Nominees:
	Hurricane, The (1937) - Alfred Newman (head of department); Samuel Goldwyn Studio Music Department - Score by Alfred Newman. In Old Chicago (1937) - Louis Silvers (I) (head of department); 20th Century-Fox Studio Music Department - No composer credit. Life of Emile Zola, The (1937) - Leo F. Forbstein (head of department); Warner Bros. Studio Music Department - Score by Max Steiner (I). Lost Horizon (1937) - Morris Stoloff (head of department); Columbia Studio Music Department - Score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Make a Wish (1937) - Hugo Riesenfeld (musical director); RKO Radio - Score by Hugo Riesenfeld. Maytime (1937) - Nat W. Finston (head of department); M-G-M Studio Music Department - Score by Herbert Stothart. Portia on Trial (1937) - Alberto Colombo (I) (head of department); Republic Studio Music Department - Score by Alberto Colombo (I). Prisoner of Zenda, The (1937) - Alfred Newman (musical director); Selznick International Pictures Music Department - Score by Alfred Newman. Quality Street (1937) - Roy Webb (I) (musical director); RKO Radio Studio Music Department - Score by Roy Webb (I). Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - Leigh Harline (head of department); Walt Disney Studio Music Department - Score by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith (III). Something to Sing About (1937) - C. Bakaleinikoff (musical director); Grand National Studio Music Department - Score by Victor Schertzinger. Souls at Sea (1937) - Boris Morros (head of department); Paramount Studio Music Department - Score by W. Franke Harling and Milan Roder. Way Out West (1937) - Marvin Hatley (head of department); Roach Studio Music Department - Score by Marvin Hatley.

Best Short Subject, Cartoons


Winner:
	Old Mill, The (1937) - Walt Disney
Other Nominees:
	Educated Fish (1937) - Paramount Little Match Girl, The (1937) - Charles Mintz

Best Short Subject, Two-reel


Winner:
	Torture Money (1937) - M-G-M
Other Nominees:
	Deep South (1937) - RKO Radio Should Wives Work? (1937) - RKO Radio

Best Short Subject, One-reel


Winner:
	Private Life of the Gannets, The (1934) - Educational
Other Nominees:
	Night at the Movies, A (1937) - M-G-M Romance of Radium (1937) - Pete Smith (I)

Best Short Subject, Color


Winner:
	Penny Wisdom (1937) - Pete Smith (I)
Other Nominees:
	Man Without a Country, The (1937) - Warner Bros. Popular Science (1937/I) - Paramount

Best Dance Direction


Winner:
	Damsel in Distress, A (1937) - Hermes Pan - For "Fun House"
Other Nominees:
	Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937) - Sammy Lee (I) - For "Swing Is Here to Stay". Day at the Races, A (1937) - Dave Gould (I) - For "All God's Children Got Rhythm". Ready, Willing and Able (1937) - Bobby Connolly - For "Too Marvelous for Words" Thin Ice (1937) - Harry Losee - For "Prince Igor Suite". Varsity Show (1937) - Busby Berkeley - For "The Finale" Waikiki Wedding (1937) - LeRoy Prinz - For "Luau".

Honorary Award


Awarded to:
	Museum of Modern Art Film Library - For its significant work in collecting films dating from 1895 to the present and for the first time making available to the public the means of studying the historical and aesthetic development of the motion picture as one of the major arts (certificate). Edgar Bergen - For his outstanding comedy creation, Charlie McCarthy (wooden statuette). Mack Sennett - For his lasting contribution to the comedy technique of the screen, the basic principles of which are as important today as when they were first put into practice, the Academy presents a special award to that master of fun, discoverer of stars, sympathetic, kindly, understanding comedy genius, Mack Sennett. Star Is Born, A (1937) - W. Howard Greene - For the color photography of A Star Is Born. (plaque) - This award was recommended by a committee of leading cinematographers after viewing all the color pictures made during the year.

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award


Awarded to:
	Darryl F. Zanuck

Academy Award of Merit


Winner:
	Agfa Ansco Corp. - For Agfa Supreme and Agfa Ultra Speed pan motion picture negatives.

Scientific and Engineering Award


Winners:
	Eastman Kodak Co. - For two fine-grain duplicating film stocks. Walt Disney Prods. Ltd. - For the design and application to production of the Multi-Plane Camera. Farciot Edouart; Paramount Pictures, Inc. - For the development of the Paramount dual screen transparency camera setup. Douglas Shearer; M-G-M Studio Sound Dept. - For a method of varying the scanning width of variable density sound tracks (squeeze tracks) for the purpose of obtaining an increased amount of noise reduction.

Technical Achievement Award


Winners:
	RCA Manufacturing Co. Inc. - For the introduction of the modulated high-frequency method of determining optimum photographic processing conditions for variable width sound tracks. John Arnold (I); M-G-M Studio Camera Dept. - For their improvement of the semi-automatic follow focus device and its application to all of the cameras used by the M-G-M Studio. John P. Livadary (director of Sound Recording for Columbia Pictures Corp.) - For the application of the biplanar light valve to motion picture sound recording. Thomas T. Moulton; United Artists SSD - For the application to motion picture sound recording of volume indicators which have peak reading response and linear decibel scales. Joseph E. Robbins; Paramount Pictures, Inc. - For an exceptional application of acoustic principles to the soundproofing of gasoline generators and water pumps. Douglas Shearer; M-G-M SSD - For the design of the film drive mechanism as incorporated in the ERPI 1010 reproducer.