Academy Awards

11th Academy Awards

February 23, 1939Biltmore HotelFilms from 193820 categories

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Best Picture Winner

You Can't Take It with You

Best Picture

Director: Frank Capra

Studio: Columbia

The son of a wealthy family falls in love with a woman from a quirky, free-spirited household.

From the Worthy Podcast

Bio on Frank Capra and then list 5-ish traits about his directing style across his 3 Best Director Wins now that we have seen all 3. It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936), You Can’t Take It With You (1938)

Movies should be a positive expression that there is hope, love, mercy, justice and charity. . . . It is (the filmmaker’s) responsibility to emphasize the positive qualities of humanity by showing the triumph of the individual over adversities.

--Frank Capra in 1960

Capra often attributed his conversion to "social comedy" to a visit from a "faceless little man" introduced to him during a period of illness by a Christian Scientist friend. The man, whose name he never learned, pointed out that he was able to "talk to hundreds of millions, for two hours--and in the dark. The talents you have, Mr. Capra, are not your own, not self-acquired. God gave you these talents; they are His gifts to you, to use for his purpose." Inspired, the director set about conveying a message to the American people: "My films must let every man, woman, and child know that God loves them, that I love them, and that peace and salvation will become a reality only when they all learn to love each other." --Frank Capra (quoted in "World Film Directors", Volume One)

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Capraesque or Capracorn, the terms express the unique tone of a Capra movie, that mix of idealism and cynicism that both draw our affection and force us to keep a distance. They are dreams, they are impossibilities, they are pure, unvarnished wish-fulfillment, and though the timing may not always be right for them, their themes are certainly timeless.

All Categories (20)

Actor

Spencer Tracy— Boys Town {"Father Flanagan"}

Winner

Charles Boyer— Algiers {"Pepe Le Moko"}

James Cagney— Angels with Dirty Faces {"Rocky Sullivan"}

Leslie Howard— Pygmalion {"Professor Henry Higgins"}

Robert Donat— The Citadel {"Andrew Mason"}

Actor In A Supporting Role

Walter Brennan— Kentucky {"Peter Goodwin"}

Winner

Basil Rathbone— If I Were King {"Louis XI"}

Gene Lockhart— Algiers {"Regis"}

John Garfield— Four Daughters {"Mickey Borden"}

Robert Morley— Marie Antoinette {"King Louis XVI"}

Actress

Bette Davis— Jezebel {"Julie Morrison"}

Winner

Fay Bainter— White Banners {"Hannah"}

Margaret Sullavan— Three Comrades {"Pat Hollmann"}

Norma Shearer— Marie Antoinette {"Marie Antoinette"}

Wendy Hiller— Pygmalion {"Eliza Doolittle"}

Actress In A Supporting Role

Fay Bainter— Jezebel {"Aunt Belle Massey"}

Winner

Beulah Bondi— Of Human Hearts {"Mary Wilkins"}

Billie Burke— Merrily We Live {"Mrs. Emily Kilbourne"}

Miliza Korjus— The Great Waltz {"Carla Donner"}

Spring Byington— You Can't Take It with You {"Penny Sycamore"}

Directing

You Can't Take It with You— Frank Capra

Winner

Angels with Dirty Faces— Michael Curtiz

Boys Town— Norman Taurog

Four Daughters— Michael Curtiz

The Citadel— King Vidor

Writing (Original Story)

Boys Town— Dore Schary, Eleanore Griffin

Winner

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)

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

Winner

Boys Town— John Meehan, Dore Schary

Four Daughters— Julius J. Epstein, Lenore Coffee

The Citadel— Ian Dalrymple, Frank Wead, Elizabeth Hill

You Can't Take It with You— Robert Riskin

Cinematography

The Great Waltz— Joseph Ruttenberg

Winner

Algiers— James Wong Howe

Army Girl— Ernest Miller, Harry Wild

Jezebel— Ernest Haller

Mad about Music— Joseph Valentine

Merrily We Live— Norbert Brodine

Suez— Peverell Marley

The Buccaneer— Victor Milner

The Young in Heart— Leon Shamroy

Vivacious Lady— Robert de Grasse

You Can't Take It with You— Joseph Walker

Music (Original Score)

The Adventures of Robin Hood— Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Winner

Army Girl— Victor Young

Block-Heads— Marvin Hatley

Blockade— Werner Janssen

Breaking the Ice— Victor Young

If I Were King— Richard Hageman

Marie Antoinette— Herbert Stothart

Pacific Liner— Russell Bennett

Suez— Louis Silvers

The Cowboy and the Lady— Alfred Newman

The Young in Heart— Franz Waxman

Music (Scoring)

Alexander's Ragtime Band— Alfred Newman

Winner

Carefree— Victor Baravalle

Girls' School— Morris Stoloff, Gregory Stone

Jezebel— Max Steiner

Mad about Music— Charles Previn, Frank Skinner

Storm over Bengal— Cy Feuer

Sweethearts— Herbert Stothart

The Goldwyn Follies— Alfred Newman

The Young in Heart— Franz Waxman

There Goes My Heart— Marvin Hatley

Tropic Holiday— Boris Morros

Art Direction

The Adventures of Robin Hood— Carl J. Weyl

Winner

Alexander's Ragtime Band— Bernard Herzbrun, Boris Leven

Algiers— Alexander Toluboff

Carefree— Van Nest Polglase

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

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer— Lyle Wheeler

The Goldwyn Follies— Richard Day

Film Editing

The Adventures of Robin Hood— Ralph Dawson

Winner

Alexander's Ragtime Band— Barbara McLean

Test Pilot— Tom Held

The Great Waltz— Tom Held

You Can't Take It with You— Gene Havlick

Sound Recording

The Cowboy and the Lady— United Artists Studio Sound Department, Thomas T. Moulton, Sound Director

Winner

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

To Deanna Durbin and Mickey Rooney for their significant contribution in bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth, and as juvenile players setting a high standard of ability and achievement.

Winner

Darryl F. Zanuck