Best Picture Winner
An American in Paris
Best Picture
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
An American ex-GI pursues his passion for painting in Paris and falls for a young French woman.
From the Worthy Podcast
the 1950s: transition to bigger productions, more prominent color films, more modern approaches
A Gene Kelly: The Performing Auteur – Gillian Kelly
https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_141053_smxx.pdf
In more obvious examples of control, Jerry Mulligan of An American in Paris controls his relationship with Lisa (Leslie Caron) but is also controlled, to a certain extent, by Venus (Nina Foch) since she has the money to make his dreams of becoming a painter come true. Finally his overpowering love for Lisa allows him to be a man and take control of Venus, by telling her the truth about his relationship with Lisa. Undeniably Kelly’s characters are dominant in all his onscreen relationships, rigorously pursuing his love interest until she finally admits she loves him too.
Dancing as a film language
All Categories (30)
Best Motion Picture
An American in Paris— Arthur Freed, Producer
Winner
A Place in the Sun— George Stevens, Producer
A Streetcar Named Desire— Charles K. Feldman, Producer
Decision before Dawn— Anatole Litvak and Frank McCarthy, Producers
Quo Vadis— Sam Zimbalist, Producer
Actor
Arthur Kennedy— Bright Victory {"Larry Levins"}
Fredric March— Death of a Salesman {"Willy Loman"}
Marlon Brando— A Streetcar Named Desire {"Stanley Kowalski"}
Montgomery Clift— A Place in the Sun {"George Eastman"}
Actor In A Supporting Role
Gig Young— Come Fill the Cup {"Boyd Copeland"}
Kevin McCarthy— Death of a Salesman {"Biff Loman"}
Leo Genn— Quo Vadis {"Petronius"}
Peter Ustinov— Quo Vadis {"Nero"}
Actress
Eleanor Parker— Detective Story {"Mary McLeod"}
Jane Wyman— The Blue Veil {"Louise Mason"}
Katharine Hepburn— The African Queen {"Rose Sayer"}
Shelley Winters— A Place in the Sun {"Alice Tripp"}
Actress In A Supporting Role
Joan Blondell— The Blue Veil {"Annie Rawlins"}
Lee Grant— Detective Story {"A Shoplifter"}
Mildred Dunnock— Death of a Salesman {"Linda Loman"}
Thelma Ritter— The Mating Season {"Ellen McNulty"}
Directing
A Streetcar Named Desire— Elia Kazan
An American in Paris— Vincente Minnelli
Detective Story— William Wyler
The African Queen— John Huston
Writing (Motion Picture Story)
Seven Days to Noon— Paul Dehn, James Bernard
Winner
Bullfighter and the Lady— Budd Boetticher, Ray Nazarro
Here Comes the Groom— Robert Riskin, Liam O'Brien
Teresa— Alfred Hayes, Stewart Stern
The Frogmen— Oscar Millard
Writing (Screenplay)
A Place in the Sun— Michael Wilson, Harry Brown
Winner
A Streetcar Named Desire— Tennessee Williams
Detective Story— Philip Yordan, Robert Wyler
La Ronde— Max Ophuls, Jacques Natanson
The African Queen— James Agee, John Huston
Cinematography (Black-And-White)
A Place in the Sun— William C. Mellor
Winner
A Streetcar Named Desire— Harry Stradling
Death of a Salesman— Frank Planer
Strangers on a Train— Robert Burks
The Frogmen— Norbert Brodine
Cinematography (Color)
An American in Paris— Alfred Gilks; Ballet Photography by John Alton
Winner
David and Bathsheba— Leon Shamroy
Quo Vadis— Robert Surtees, William V. Skall
Show Boat— Charles Rosher
When Worlds Collide— John F. Seitz, W. Howard Greene
Music (Music Score Of A Dramatic Or Comedy Picture)
A Place in the Sun— Franz Waxman
Winner
A Streetcar Named Desire— Alex North
David and Bathsheba— Alfred Newman
Death of a Salesman— Alex North
Quo Vadis— Miklos Rozsa
Music (Scoring Of A Musical Picture)
An American in Paris— Johnny Green, Saul Chaplin
Winner
Alice in Wonderland— Oliver Wallace
On the Riviera— Alfred Newman
Show Boat— Adolph Deutsch, Conrad Salinger
The Great Caruso— Peter Herman Adler, Johnny Green
Art Direction (Black-And-White)
A Streetcar Named Desire— Art Direction: Richard Day; Set Decoration: George James Hopkins
Winner
Fourteen Hours— Art Direction: Lyle Wheeler, Leland Fuller; Set Decoration: Thomas Little, Fred J. Rode
House on Telegraph Hill— Art Direction: Lyle Wheeler, John DeCuir; Set Decoration: Thomas Little, Paul S. Fox
La Ronde— D'Eaubonne
Too Young to Kiss— Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, Jack D. Moore
Art Direction (Color)
An American in Paris— Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Preston Ames; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, Keogh Gleason
Winner
David and Bathsheba— Art Direction: Lyle Wheeler, George Davis; Set Decoration: Thomas Little, Paul S. Fox
On the Riviera— Art Direction: Lyle Wheeler, Leland Fuller; Musical Settings: Joseph C. Wright; Set Decoration: Thomas Little, Walter M. Scott
Quo Vadis— Art Direction: William A. Horning, Cedric Gibbons, Edward Carfagno; Set Decoration: Hugh Hunt
Tales of Hoffmann— Hein Heckroth
Special Effects
When Worlds Collide— Paramount
Winner
Film Editing
A Place in the Sun— William Hornbeck
Winner
An American in Paris— Adrienne Fazan
Decision before Dawn— Dorothy Spencer
Quo Vadis— Ralph E. Winters
The Well— Chester Schaeffer
Sound Recording
The Great Caruso— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department, Douglas Shearer, Sound Director
Winner
A Streetcar Named Desire— Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, Col. Nathan Levinson, Sound Director
Bright Victory— Universal-International Studio Sound Department, Leslie I. Carey, Sound Director
I Want You— Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department, Gordon Sawyer, Sound Director
Two Tickets to Broadway— RKO Radio Studio Sound Department, John O. Aalberg, Sound Director
Costume Design (Black-And-White)
A Place in the Sun— Edith Head
Winner
A Streetcar Named Desire— Lucinda Ballard
Kind Lady— Walter Plunkett, Gile Steele
The Model and the Marriage Broker— Charles LeMaire, Renie
The Mudlark— Edward Stevenson, Margaret Furse
Costume Design (Color)
An American in Paris— Orry-Kelly, Walter Plunkett, Irene Sharaff
Winner
David and Bathsheba— Charles LeMaire, Edward Stevenson
Quo Vadis— Herschel McCoy
Tales of Hoffmann— Hein Heckroth
The Great Caruso— Helen Rose, Gile Steele
Documentary (Feature)
Kon-Tiki— Olle Nordemar, Producer
Winner
I Was a Communist for the F.B.I.— Bryan Foy, Producer
Documentary (Short Subject)
Benjy— 'Made by Fred Zinnemann with the cooperation of Paramount Pictures Corporation for the Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital'
Winner
One Who Came Back— Owen Crump, Producer. (Film sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans, in cooperation with the United States Department of Defense and the Association of Motion Picture Producers)
The Seeing Eye— Gordon Hollingshead, Producer
Honorary Award
To Gene Kelly in appreciation of his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.
Winner
Arthur Freed
IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD
Scientific Or Technical Award (Class II)
To GORDON JENNINGS, S. L. STANCLIFFE and the PARAMOUNT STUDIO SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC and ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS for the design, construction and application of a servo-operated recording and repeating device. [Special Photographic]
Winner
To OLIN L. DUPY of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio for the design, construction and application of a motion picture reproducing system. [Special Photographic]
To RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA, VICTOR DIVISION, for pioneering direct positive recording with anticipatory noise reduction. [Sound]
Scientific Or Technical Award (Class III)
To RICHARD M. HAFF, FRANK P. HERRNFELD, GARLAND C. MISENER and the ANSCO FILM DIVISION OF GENERAL ANILINE AND FILM CORPORATION for the development of the Ansco color scene tester. [Laboratory]
Winner
To CARLOS RIVAS of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio for the development of an automatic magnetic film splicer. [Editorial]
To FRED PONEDEL, RALPH AYRES and GEORGE BROWN of Warner Bros. Studio for an air-driven water motor to provide flow, wake and white water for marine sequences in motion pictures. [Stage Operations]
To GLEN ROBINSON and the METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIO CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT for the development of a new music wire and cable cutter. [Stage Operations]
To JACK GAYLORD and the METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIO CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT for the development of balsa falling snow. [Stage Operations]
Honorary Foreign Language Film Award
To Rashomon - voted by the Board of Governors as the most outstanding foreign language film released in the United States during 1951.
Winner
Music (Song)
"In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening" from Here Comes the Groom— Music by Hoagy Carmichael; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Winner
"A Kiss To Build A Dream On" from The Strip— Music and Lyrics by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II
"Never" from Golden Girl— Music by Lionel Newman; Lyrics by Eliot Daniel
"Too Late Now" from Royal Wedding— Music by Burton Lane; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
"Wonder Why" from Rich, Young and Pretty— Music by Nicholas Brodszky; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Short Subject (Cartoon)
The Two Mouseketeers— Fred Quimby, Producer
Winner
Lambert, the Sheepish Lion— Walt Disney, Producer
Rooty Toot Toot— Stephen Bosustow, Producer
Short Subject (One-Reel)
World of Kids— Robert Youngson, Producer
Winner
Ridin' the Rails— Jack Eaton, Producer
The Story of Time— Robert G. Leffingwell, Producer
Short Subject (Two-Reel)
Nature's Half Acre— Walt Disney, Producer
Winner
Balzac— Les Films du Compass
Danger under the Sea— Tom Mead, Producer
Writing (Story And Screenplay)
An American in Paris— Alan Jay Lerner
Winner
David and Bathsheba— Philip Dunne
Go for Broke!— Robert Pirosh
The Big Carnival— Billy Wilder, Lesser Samuels, Walter Newman
The Well— Clarence Greene, Russell Rouse