The 19th Academy Awards were held on March 13, 1947, honoring the best in film of 1946. The top awards portion of the ceremony was hosted by Jack Benny.
The Best Years of Our Lives won seven of its eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and both male acting Oscars. The academy awarded Harold Russell—a World War II veteran who had lost both hands in the war—an Honorary Academy Award for "bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans" for his role as Homer Parrish, believing that, as a non-actor, he would not win the Best Supporting Actor award for which he was nominated. Russell also won the competitive award, making him the only person in Academy history to receive two Oscars for the same performance.
When Olivia de Havilland won the Best Actress Oscar, her sister, Joan Fontaine, attempted to shake her hand, but she refused the handshake, saying "I don't know why she does that when she knows how I feel."
This was the first time since the 2nd Academy Awards that every category had, at most, five nominations.
Winners and nominees
Awards Nominees were announced on February 9, 1947. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.
The Best Years of Our Lives – Samuel Goldwyn for RKO Radio PicturesHenry V – Laurence Olivier for United Artists It's a Wonderful Life – Frank Capra for RKO Radio Pictures The Razor's Edge – Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox The Yearling – Sidney Franklin for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|William Wyler – The Best Years of Our Lives David Lean – Brief Encounter Frank Capra – It's a Wonderful Life Robert Siodmak – The Killers Clarence Brown – The YearlingFredric March – The Best Years of Our Lives as Platoon Sergeant Al Stephenson Laurence Olivier – Henry V as King Henry V of England Larry Parks – The Jolson Story as Al Jolson Gregory Peck – The Yearling as Ezra "Penny" Baxter James Stewart – It's a Wonderful Life as George BaileyOlivia de Havilland – To Each His Own as Miss Josephine "Jody" Norris Celia Johnson – Brief Encounter as Laura Jesson Jennifer Jones – Duel in the Sun as Pearl Chavez Rosalind Russell – Sister Kenny as Elizabeth Kenny Jane Wyman – The Yearling as Ora BaxterHarold Russell – The Best Years of Our Lives as Petty Officer 2nd Class Homer Parrish Charles Coburn – The Green Years as Alexander Gow William Demarest – The Jolson Story as Steve Martin Claude Rains – Notorious as Alexander Sebastian Clifton Webb – The Razor's Edge as Elliott TempletonAnne Baxter – The Razor's Edge as Sophie MacDonald Ethel Barrymore – The Spiral Staircase as Mrs Warren Lillian Gish – Duel in the Sun as Laura Belle McCanles Flora Robson – Saratoga Trunk as Angelique Buiton Gale Sondergaard – Anna and the King of Siam as Lady ThiangVacation From Marriage – Clemence Dane The Dark Mirror – Vladimir Pozner The Strange Love of Martha Ivers – Jack Patrick The Stranger – Victor Trivas To Each His Own – Charles BrackettThe Seventh Veil – Muriel Box and Sydney Box The Blue Dahlia – Raymond Chandler Children of Paradise – Jacques Prévert Notorious – Ben Hecht Road to Utopia – Norman Panama and Melvin Frank The Best Years of Our Lives – Robert E. Sherwood from Glory For Me by MacKinlay Kantor Anna and the King of Siam – Sally Benson and Talbot Jennings from Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon Brief Encounter – Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean and Ronald Neame from Still Life by Noël Coward The Killers – Anthony Veiller from "The Killers" by Ernest Hemingway Rome, Open City – Sergio Amidei and Federico Fellini Open City on 19th Oscars website from a story by Sergio Amidei and Alberto ConsiglioSeeds of Destiny – United States Department of War Atomic Power – The March of Time Life at the Zoo – Artkino Paramount News Issue#37 – Paramount Traffic with the Devil – Herbert MorganFacing Your Danger – Gordon Hollingshead Dive-Hi Champs – Jack Eaton Golden Horses – Edmund Reek Smart as a Fox – Gordon Hollingshead Sure Cures – Pete SmithA Boy and His Dog – Gordon Hollingshead College Queen – George B. Templeton Hiss and Yell – Jules White The Luckiest Guy in the World – Jerry BreslerThe Cat Concerto – Fred Quimby John Henry and the Inky-Poo – George Pal Musical Moments from Chopin – Walter Lantz Squatter's Rights – Walt Disney Walky Talky Hawky – Edward SelzerThe Best Years of Our Lives – Hugo Friedhofer Anna and the King of Siam – Bernard Herrmann Henry V – William Walton Humoresque – Franz Waxman The Killers – Miklós RózsaThe Jolson Story – Morris Stoloff Blue Skies – Robert Emmett Dolan Centennial Summer – Alfred Newman The Harvey Girls – Lennie Hayton Night and Day – Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" from The Harvey Girls – Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer "All Through the Day" from Centennial Summer – Music by Jerome Kern (posthumous nomination); Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II "I Can't Begin to Tell You" from The Dolly Sisters – Music by James V. Monaco (posthumous nomination); Lyrics by Mack Gordon "Ole Buttermilk Sky" from Canyon Passage – Music by Hoagy Carmichael; Lyrics by Jack Brooks "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song" from Blue Skies – Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin "This Is Always" from Three Little Girls in Blue – Music by Harry Warren and Lyrics by Mack Gordon (nomination revoked)The Jolson Story – John P. Livadary The Best Years of Our Lives – Gordon E. Sawyer It's a Wonderful Life – John O. AalbergAnna and the King of Siam – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and William S. Darling; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little and Frank E. Hughes Kitty – Art Direction: Hans Dreier and Walter Tyler; Interior Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer The Razor's Edge – Art Direction: Richard Day and Nathan H. Juran; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little and Paul S. FoxThe Yearling – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis Caesar and Cleopatra – Art Direction and Interior Decoration: John Bryan Henry V – Art Direction and Interior Decoration: Paul Sheriff and Carmen DillonAnna and the King of Siam – Arthur Miller The Green Years – George J. FolseyThe Yearling – Charles Rosher, Leonard Smith and Arthur Arling The Jolson Story – Joseph WalkerThe Best Years of Our Lives – Daniel Mandell It's a Wonderful Life – William Hornbeck The Jolson Story – William Lyon The Killers – Arthur Hilton The Yearling – Harold F. Kress Blithe Spirit – Tom Howard A Stolen Life – William C. McGann; Special Audible Effects: Nathan Levinson
Special awards
To Laurence Olivier for his outstanding achievement as actor, producer and director in bringing Henry V to the screen. To Harold Russell for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives. To Ernst Lubitsch for his distinguished contributions to the art of the motion picture. To Claude Jarman, Jr., outstanding child actor of 1946.
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award Samuel Goldwyn
Presenters and performers
Presenters
(in order of appearance)
Jean Hersholt (Presenter: Academy Honorary Award to Laurence Olivier) Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Presenter: Short Subject & Scientific & Technical Awards) Rex Harrison (Presenter: Production Awards) Lana Turner (Presenter: Scoring Awards) Greer Garson (Presenter: Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration) Ann Sheridan (Presenter: Best Cinematography) Van Johnson (Presenter: Best Original Song) Robert Montgomery (Presenter: Writing Awards) Shirley Temple (Presenter: Academy Juvenile Award to Claude Jarman Jr. and Academy Honorary Award to Harold Russell) Mervyn LeRoy (Presenter: Academy Honorary Award to Ernst Lubitsch) Ronald Reagan (Presenter: Academy Cavalcade of Past Oscar Winners and Academy Parade of Stars) Billy Wilder (Presenter: Best Director) Eric Johnston (Presenter: Best Motion Picture) Donald Nelson (Presenter: Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Samuel Goldwyn) Anne Revere (Presenter: Best Supporting Actor) Lionel Barrymore (Presenter: Best Supporting Actress) Joan Fontaine (Presenter: Best Actor) Ray Milland (Presenter: Best Actress)
Performers Hoagy Carmichael (who was accidentally introduced by Sam Goldwyn as Hugo Carmicheal) Dick Haymes Andy Russell Dinah Shore
Multiple nominations and awards
+ Films with multiple nominationsNominationsFilm8 The Best Years of Our Lives7 The Yearling6 The Jolson Story5 Anna and the King of Siam It's a Wonderful Life 4 Henry V The Killers The Razor's Edge 3 Brief Encounter2 Blue Skies Centennial Summer Duel in the Sun The Green Years The Harvey Girls Notorious To Each His Own
+ Films with multiple awardsAwardsFilm7 The Best Years of Our Lives 2 Anna and the King of Siam The Jolson Story The Yearling
See also 4th Golden Globe Awards 1946 in film 1st Tony Awards
References