The 20th Academy Awards were held on March 20, 1948, to honor the films released in 1947. There was no host for this ceremony.

Rosalind Russell was highly favored—particularly in a poll from the Daily Variety—to win Best Actress for her performance in Mourning Becomes Electra, but Loretta Young won instead for The Farmer's Daughter.

James Baskett received an Academy Honorary Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in Song of the South, which made him the first African-American man, and the first actor in a Disney film, to win an Academy Award for acting.

Winning Best Supporting Actor at age 71, Edmund Gwenn became the oldest Oscar winner, taking the record from Charles Coburn, who was 66 at the time of his win in 1943 for The More the Merrier.

Darryl F. Zanuck, bitter over the failure of the 1944 biopic Wilson to win Best Picture, accepted the prize for Gentleman's Agreement by saying, "this award will make up for previous disappointments."

Winners and nominees

Awards Nominees were announced on February 13, 1948. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Gentleman's Agreement – Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox The Bishop's Wife – Samuel Goldwyn for RKO Radio Pictures Crossfire – Adrian Scott for RKO Radio Pictures Great Expectations – Ronald Neame for Universal Studios and General Film Distributors, Ltd. Miracle on 34th Street – William Perlberg for 20th Century Fox | style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|

Elia Kazan – Gentleman's Agreement Henry Koster – The Bishop's Wife Edward Dmytryk – Crossfire George Cukor – A Double Life David Lean – Great Expectations Ronald Colman – A Double Life as Anthony John John Garfield – Body and Soul as Charlie Davis Gregory Peck – Gentleman's Agreement as Philip Schuyler Green William Powell – Life with Father as Clarence Day Sr. Michael Redgrave – Mourning Becomes Electra as Orin Mannon Loretta Young – The Farmer's Daughter as Katie Holstrom Joan Crawford – Possessed as Louise Howell Susan Hayward – Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman as Angie Evans Dorothy McGuire – Gentleman's Agreement as Kathy Lacey Rosalind Russell – Mourning Becomes Electra as Lavinia Mannon Edmund Gwenn – Miracle on 34th Street as Kris Kringle Charles Bickford – The Farmer's Daughter as Joseph Clancy Thomas Gomez – Ride the Pink Horse as Pancho Robert Ryan – Crossfire as Montgomery Richard Widmark – Kiss of Death as Tommy Udo Celeste Holm – Gentleman's Agreement as Anne Dettrey Ethel Barrymore – The Paradine Case as Lady Sophie Horfield Gloria Grahame – Crossfire as Ginny Tremaine Marjorie Main – The Egg and I as Ma Kettle Anne Revere – Gentleman's Agreement as Mrs Green Miracle on 34th Street – Valentine Davies A Cage of Nightingales – Georges Chaperot and René Wheeler It Happened on 5th Avenue – Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani Kiss of Death – Eleazar Lipsky Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman – Dorothy Parker and Frank Cavett The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer – Sidney Sheldon Body and Soul – Abraham Polonsky A Double Life – Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin Monsieur Verdoux – Charlie Chaplin Shoeshine – Sergio Amidei, Adolfo Franci, Cesare Giulio Viola and Cesare Zavattini Miracle on 34th Street – George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies Boomerang! – Richard Murphy from a Reader's Digest article by Anthony Abbot Crossfire – John Paxton from The Brick Foxhole by Richard Brooks Gentleman's Agreement – Moss Hart from Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Z. Hobson Great Expectations – David Lean, Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Design for Death – Sid Rogell, Theron Warth, and Richard Fleischer Journey into Medicine – United States Department of State Office of Information and Educational Exchange The World Is Rich – Paul Rotha First Steps – United Nations Division of Films and Visual Information Passport to Nowhere – Frederic Ullman, Jr. School in the Mailbox – Australian News & Information Bureau Goodbye, Miss Turlock – Herbert Moulton Brooklyn, U.S.A. – Thomas Mead Moon Rockets – Jerry Fairbanks Now You See It – Pete Smith So You Want to Be in Pictures – Gordon Hollingshead Climbing the Matterhorn – Irving Allen Champagne for Two – Harry Grey Fight of the Wild Stallions – Thomas Mead Give Us the Earth – Herbert Morgan A Voice Is Born: The Story of Miklos Gafni – Ben Blake Tweetie Pie – Edward Selzer Chip an' Dale – Walt Disney Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse – Fred Quimby Pluto's Blue Note – Walt Disney Tubby the Tuba – George Pal A Double Life – Miklós Rózsa The Bishop's Wife – Hugo Friedhofer Captain from Castile – Alfred Newman Forever Amber – David Raksin Life with Father – Max Steiner Mother Wore Tights – Alfred Newman Fiesta – Johnny Green My Wild Irish Rose – Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner Road to Rio – Robert Emmett Dolan Song of the South – Daniele Amfitheatrof, Paul J. Smith and Charles Wolcott "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Song of the South – Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyrics by Ray Gilbert "A Gal in Calico" from The Time, the Place and the Girl – Music by Arthur Schwartz; Lyrics by Leo Robin "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" from The Perils of Pauline – Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser "Pass That Peace Pipe" from Good News – Music and Lyrics by Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin and Roger Edens "You Do" from Mother Wore Tights – Music by Josef Myrow; Lyrics by Mack Gordon The Bishop's Wife – Gordon E. Sawyer Green Dolphin Street – Douglas Shearer T-Men – Jack Whitney Great Expectations – Art Direction: John Bryan; Set Decoration: Wilfred Shingleton The Foxes of Harrow – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Maurice Ransford; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox Black Narcissus – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Alfred Junge Life with Father – Art Direction: Robert M. Haas; Set Decoration: George James Hopkins Great Expectations – Guy Green The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – Charles Lang Green Dolphin Street – George J. Folsey Black Narcissus – Jack Cardiff Life with Father – Peverell Marley and William V. Skall Mother Wore Tights – Harry Jackson Body and Soul – Francis D. Lyon and Robert Parrish The Bishop's Wife – Monica Collingwood Gentleman's Agreement – Harmon Jones Green Dolphin Street – George White Odd Man Out – Fergus McDonell Green Dolphin Street – Special Visual Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe; Special Audible Effects: Douglas Shearer and Michael Steinore Unconquered – Special Visual Effects: Farciot Edouart, Devereux Jennings, Gordon Jennings, Wallace Kelley and Paul Lerpae; Special Audible Effects: George Dutton

Special awards To James Baskett for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and storyteller to the children of the world in Walt Disney's Song of the South. To Bill and Coo, in which artistry and patience blended in a novel and entertaining use of the medium of motion pictures. To Shoeshine (Italy)—The high quality of this motion picture, brought to eloquent life in a country scarred by war, is proof to the world that the creative spirit can triumph over adversity. To Colonel William N. Selig, Albert E. Smith, Thomas Armat, and George K. Spoor, (one of) the small group of pioneers whose belief in a new medium and whose contributions to its development blazed the trail along which the motion picture has progressed, in their lifetime, from obscurity to worldwide acclaim.

Presenters and performers

Presenters +List of presenters, in order of appearanceNameRoleGeorge Murphypresented the awards for Motion Picture Story and Original ScreenplayRobert Montgomerypresented the Scientific and Technical AwardsShirley Templepresented the Documentary and Short Subject AwardsLarry Parkspresented the awards for Best Special Effects, Best Musical Score and Best Sound RecordingDonald Crisppresented the awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best DirectorOlivia de Havillandpresented the award for Best ActorDinah Shorepresented the award for Best Original SongDick Powellpresented the award for Best Art DirectionJean Simmonsaccepted the Best Art Direction award on behalf of J. Arthur RankJean Hersholtpresented the Honorary AwardsIngrid Bergmanpresented the Honorary Award to James BaskettAgnes Mooreheadpresented the awards for Best CinematographyAnne Baxterpresented the awards for Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Film EditingFredric Marchpresented the awards for Best Actress and Best Picture

Performers +List of musical performances, in order of appearanceArtistSongGordon MacRae"A Girl in Calico"Dennis Day"I Wish I Didn't Love You So"Dinah Shore"Pass That Peace Pipe"Frances Langford"You Do"Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"

Multiple nominations and awards

+ Films with multiple nominationsNominationsFilm 8 Gentleman's Agreement 5 The Bishop's Wife Crossfire Great Expectations 4 A Double Life Green Dolphin Street Life with Father Miracle on 34th Street 3 Body and Soul Mother Wore Tights 2 Black Narcissus The Farmer's Daughter Kiss of Death Mourning Becomes Electra Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman Song of the South

+ Films with multiple awardsAwardsFilm 3 Gentleman's Agreement Miracle on 34th Street 2 Black Narcissus A Double Life Great Expectations

See also 5th Golden Globe Awards 1947 in film 1st British Academy Film Awards 2nd Tony Awards

Notes

References