1940

The 12th Academy Awards | 1940
Coconut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel
Thursday, February 29, 1940
Honoring movies released in 1939
Highlights
Memorable Moments

Winners & Nominees

Actor

Winner

Robert Donat

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Nominees

Clark Gable

Gone with the Wind

Laurence Olivier

Wuthering Heights

Mickey Rooney

Babes in Arms

James Stewart

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner

Thomas Mitchell

Stagecoach

Nominees

Brian Aherne

Juarez

Harry Carey

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Brian Donlevy

Beau Geste

Claude Rains

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Actress

Winner

Vivien Leigh

Gone with the Wind

Nominees

Bette Davis

Dark Victory

Irene Dunne

Love Affair

Greta Garbo

Ninotchka

Greer Garson

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner

Hattie McDaniel

Gone with the Wind

Nominees

Olivia de Havilland

Gone with the Wind

Geraldine Fitzgerald

Wuthering Heights

Edna May Oliver

Drums along the Mohawk

Maria Ouspenskaya

Love Affair

Art Direction

Winner

Gone with the Wind

Lyle Wheeler

Nominees

Beau Geste

Hans Dreier, Robert Odell

Captain Fury

Charles D. Hall

First Love

Jack Otterson, Martin Obzina

Love Affair

Van Nest Polglase, Al Herman

Man of Conquest

John Victor Mackay

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Lionel Banks

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

Anton Grot

The Rains Came

William Darling, George Dudley

Stagecoach

Alexander Toluboff

The Wizard of Oz

Cedric Gibbons, William A. Horning

Wuthering Heights

James Basevi

Cinematography (Black-and-White)

Winner

Wuthering Heights

Gregg Toland

Nominees

Stagecoach

Bert Glennon

Cinematography (Color)

Winner

Gone with the Wind

Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan

Nominees

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

Sol Polito, W. Howard Greene

Directing

Winner

Gone with the Wind

Victor Fleming

Nominees

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Sam Wood

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Frank Capra

Stagecoach

John Ford

Wuthering Heights

William Wyler

Film Editing

Winner

Gone with the Wind

Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom

Nominees

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Charles Frend

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Gene Havlick, Al Clark

The Rains Came

Barbara McLean

Stagecoach

Otho Lovering, Dorothy Spencer

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

Winner

David O. Selznick

Music (Original Score)

Winner

The Wizard of Oz

Herbert Stothart

Nominees

Dark Victory

Max Steiner

Eternally Yours

Werner Janssen

Golden Boy

Victor Young

Gone with the Wind

Max Steiner

Gulliver's Travels

Victor Young

The Man in the Iron Mask

Lud Gluskin, Lucien Moraweck

Man of Conquest

Victor Young

Nurse Edith Cavell

Anthony Collins

Of Mice and Men

Aaron Copland

The Rains Came

Alfred Newman

Wuthering Heights

Alfred Newman

Music (Scoring)

Winner

Stagecoach

Richard Hageman, Frank Harling, John Leipold, Leo Shuken

Nominees

Babes in Arms

George E. Stoll, Roger Edens

First Love

Charles Previn

The Great Victor Herbert

Phil Boutelje, Arthur Lange

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Alfred Newman

Intermezzo

Lou Forbes

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Dimitri Tiomkin

Of Mice and Men

Aaron Copland

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

She Married a Cop

Cy Feuer

Swanee River

Louis Silvers

They Shall Have Music

Alfred Newman

Way Down South

Victor Young

Music (Song)

Winner

The Wizard of Oz

Over The Rainbow in "The Wizard of Oz" Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg

Nominees

Gulliver's Travels

Faithful Forever in "Gulliver's Travels" Music by Ralph Rainger; Lyrics by Leo Robin

Second Fiddle

I Poured My Heart Into A Song in "Second Fiddle" Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

Love Affair

Wishing in "Love Affair" Music and Lyrics by Buddy de Sylva

Outstanding Production

Winner

Gone with the Wind

Selznick International Pictures

Nominees

Dark Victory

Warner Bros.-First National

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Love Affair

RKO Radio

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Columbia

Ninotchka

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Of Mice and Men

Hal Roach (production company)

Stagecoach

Walter Wanger (production company)

The Wizard of Oz

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Wuthering Heights

Samuel Goldwyn Productions

Short Subject (Cartoon)

Winner

The Ugly Duckling

Walt Disney, Producer

Nominees

Detouring America

Warner Bros.

Peace on Earth

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The Pointer

Walt Disney, Producer

Short Subject (One-reel)

Winner

Busy Little Bears

Paramount

Nominees

Information Please

RKO Radio

Prophet without Honor

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Sword Fishing

Warner Bros.

Short Subject (Two-reel)

Winner

Sons of Liberty

Warner Bros.

Nominees

Drunk Driving

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Five Times Five

RKO Radio

Sound Recording

Winner

When Tomorrow Comes

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

Nominees

Balalaika

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

Gone with the Wind

Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department, Thomas T. Moulton, Sound Director

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Denham Studio Sound Department, A. W. Watkins, Sound Director

The Great Victor Herbert

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

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

RKO Radio Studio Sound Department, John Aalberg, Sound Director

Man of Conquest

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

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Columbia Studio Sound Department, John Livadary, Sound Director

Of Mice and Men

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

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

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

The Rains Came

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

Special Award

Winner

Gone with the Wind

Special Award

Special Effects

Winner

The Rains Came

Fred Sersen, E. H. Hansen

Nominees

Gone with the Wind

John R. Cosgrove, Fred Albin, Arthur Johns

Only Angels Have Wings

Roy Davidson, Edwin C. Hahn

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

Byron Haskin, Nathan Levinson

Topper Takes a Trip

Roy Seawright

Union Pacific

Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings, Loren Ryder

The Wizard of Oz

A. Arnold Gillespie, Douglas Shearer

Writing (Original Story)

Winner

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Lewis R. Foster

Nominees

Bachelor Mother

Felix Jackson

Love Affair

Mildred Cram, Leo McCarey

Ninotchka

Melchior Lengyel

Young Mr. Lincoln

Lamar Trotti

Writing (Screenplay)

Winner

Gone with the Wind

Sidney Howard

Nominees

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

R. C. Sherriff, Claudine West, Eric Maschwitz

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Sidney Buchman

Ninotchka

Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Walter Reisch

Wuthering Heights

Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht
ALL0-9 A BCDEFGHIJK LMNOPQ RSTUV WX YZ
B
Babes in Arms
2 Nominations
Music (Scoring) - George E. Stoll, Roger Edens
Actor - Mickey Rooney in "Babes in Arms"
Bachelor Mother
1 Nomination
Writing (Original Story) - Felix Jackson
Balalaika
1 Nomination
Sound Recording - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department, Douglas Shearer, Sound Director
Beau Geste
2 Nominations
Actor in a Supporting Role - Brian Donlevy in "Beau Geste"
Art Direction - Hans Dreier, Robert Odell
Busy Little Bears
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Short Subject (One-reel) - Paramount
C
Captain Fury
1 Nomination
Art Direction - Charles D. Hall
D
Dark Victory
3 Nominations
Actress - Bette Davis in "Dark Victory"
Music (Original Score) - Max Steiner
Outstanding Production - Warner Bros.-First National
Detouring America
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Cartoon) - Warner Bros.
Drums along the Mohawk
1 Nomination
Actress in a Supporting Role - Edna May Oliver in "Drums along the Mohawk"
Drunk Driving
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Two-reel) - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
E
Eternally Yours
1 Nomination
Music (Original Score) - Werner Janssen
F
First Love
2 Nominations
Music (Scoring) - Charles Previn
Art Direction - Jack Otterson, Martin Obzina
Five Times Five
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Two-reel) - RKO Radio
G
Golden Boy
1 Nomination
Music (Original Score) - Victor Young
Gone with the Wind
14 Nominations, 9 Wins
Actor - Clark Gable in "Gone with the Wind"
Special Effects - John R. Cosgrove, Fred Albin, Arthur Johns
Music (Original Score) - Max Steiner
Actress in a Supporting Role - Olivia de Havilland in "Gone with the Wind"
Sound Recording - Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department, Thomas T. Moulton, Sound Director
* Cinematography (Color) - Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan
* Film Editing - Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom
* Actress in a Supporting Role - Hattie McDaniel in "Gone with the Wind"
* Art Direction - Lyle Wheeler
* Outstanding Production - Selznick International Pictures
* Writing (Screenplay) - Sidney Howard
* Special Award - Special Award
* Directing - Victor Fleming
* Actress - Vivien Leigh in "Gone with the Wind"
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
7 Nominations, 1 Win
Film Editing - Charles Frend
Sound Recording - Denham Studio Sound Department, A. W. Watkins, Sound Director
Actress - Greer Garson in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips"
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Writing (Screenplay) - R. C. Sherriff, Claudine West, Eric Maschwitz
Directing - Sam Wood
* Actor - Robert Donat in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips"
The Great Victor Herbert
2 Nominations
Sound Recording - Paramount Studio Sound Department, Loren L. Ryder, Sound Director
Music (Scoring) - Phil Boutelje, Arthur Lange
Gulliver's Travels
2 Nominations
Music (Song) - Faithful Forever in "Gulliver's Travels" Music by Ralph Rainger; Lyrics by Leo Robin
Music (Original Score) - Victor Young
H
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
2 Nominations
Music (Scoring) - Alfred Newman
Sound Recording - RKO Radio Studio Sound Department, John Aalberg, Sound Director
I
Information Please
1 Nomination
Short Subject (One-reel) - RKO Radio
Intermezzo
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Lou Forbes
J
Juarez
1 Nomination
Actor in a Supporting Role - Brian Aherne in "Juarez"
L
Love Affair
6 Nominations
Actress - Irene Dunne in "Love Affair"
Actress in a Supporting Role - Maria Ouspenskaya in "Love Affair"
Writing (Original Story) - Mildred Cram, Leo McCarey
Outstanding Production - RKO Radio
Art Direction - Van Nest Polglase, Al Herman
Music (Song) - Wishing in "Love Affair" Music and Lyrics by Buddy de Sylva
M
The Man in the Iron Mask
1 Nomination
Music (Original Score) - Lud Gluskin, Lucien Moraweck
Man of Conquest
3 Nominations
Art Direction - John Victor Mackay
Sound Recording - Republic Studio Sound Department, Charles L. Lootens, Sound Director
Music (Original Score) - Victor Young
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
11 Nominations, 1 Win
Actor in a Supporting Role - Claude Rains in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
Outstanding Production - Columbia
Sound Recording - Columbia Studio Sound Department, John Livadary, Sound Director
Music (Scoring) - Dimitri Tiomkin
Directing - Frank Capra
Film Editing - Gene Havlick, Al Clark
Actor in a Supporting Role - Harry Carey in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
Actor - James Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
Art Direction - Lionel Banks
Writing (Screenplay) - Sidney Buchman
* Writing (Original Story) - Lewis R. Foster
N
Ninotchka
4 Nominations
Writing (Screenplay) - Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Walter Reisch
Actress - Greta Garbo in "Ninotchka"
Writing (Original Story) - Melchior Lengyel
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Nurse Edith Cavell
1 Nomination
Music (Original Score) - Anthony Collins
O
Of Mice and Men
4 Nominations
Music (Scoring) - Aaron Copland
Music (Original Score) - Aaron Copland
Outstanding Production - Hal Roach (production company)
Sound Recording - Hal Roach Studio Sound Department, Elmer A. Raguse, Sound Director
Only Angels Have Wings
1 Nomination
Special Effects - Roy Davidson, Edwin C. Hahn
P
Peace on Earth
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Cartoon) - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Pointer
1 Nomination
Short Subject (Cartoon) - Walt Disney, Producer
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
5 Nominations
Art Direction - Anton Grot
Special Effects - Byron Haskin, Nathan Levinson
Music (Scoring) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Cinematography (Color) - Sol Polito, W. Howard Greene
Sound Recording - Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, Nathan Levinson, Sound Director
Prophet without Honor
1 Nomination
Short Subject (One-reel) - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
R
The Rains Came
5 Nominations, 1 Win
Sound Recording - 20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department, E. H. Hansen, Sound Director
Music (Original Score) - Alfred Newman
Film Editing - Barbara McLean
Art Direction - William Darling, George Dudley
* Special Effects - Fred Sersen, E. H. Hansen
S
Second Fiddle
1 Nomination
Music (Song) - I Poured My Heart Into A Song in "Second Fiddle" Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
She Married a Cop
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Cy Feuer
Sons of Liberty
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Short Subject (Two-reel) - Warner Bros.
Stagecoach
7 Nominations, 2 Wins
Art Direction - Alexander Toluboff
Cinematography (Black-and-White) - Bert Glennon
Directing - John Ford
Film Editing - Otho Lovering, Dorothy Spencer
Outstanding Production - Walter Wanger (production company)
* Music (Scoring) - Richard Hageman, Frank Harling, John Leipold, Leo Shuken
* Actor in a Supporting Role - Thomas Mitchell in "Stagecoach"
Swanee River
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Louis Silvers
Sword Fishing
1 Nomination
Short Subject (One-reel) - Warner Bros.
T
They Shall Have Music
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Alfred Newman
Topper Takes a Trip
1 Nomination
Special Effects - Roy Seawright
U
The Ugly Duckling
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Short Subject (Cartoon) - Walt Disney, Producer
Union Pacific
1 Nomination
Special Effects - Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings, Loren Ryder
W
Way Down South
1 Nomination
Music (Scoring) - Victor Young
When Tomorrow Comes
1 Win, 1 Nomination
* Sound Recording - Universal Studio Sound Department, Bernard B. Brown, Sound Director
The Wizard of Oz
5 Nominations, 2 Wins
Special Effects - A. Arnold Gillespie, Douglas Shearer
Art Direction - Cedric Gibbons, William A. Horning
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
* Music (Original Score) - Herbert Stothart
* Music (Song) - Over The Rainbow in "The Wizard of Oz" Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg
Wuthering Heights
8 Nominations, 1 Win
Music (Original Score) - Alfred Newman
Writing (Screenplay) - Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht
Actress in a Supporting Role - Geraldine Fitzgerald in "Wuthering Heights"
Art Direction - James Basevi
Actor - Laurence Olivier in "Wuthering Heights"
Outstanding Production - Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Directing - William Wyler
* Cinematography (Black-and-White) - Gregg Toland
Y
Young Mr. Lincoln
1 Nomination
Writing (Original Story) - Lamar Trotti