Best Picture Winner
The Great Ziegfeld
Best Picture
Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The biography of Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. and his famous Follies revues.
From the Worthy Podcast
Biopics
Definition: a movie dramatizing the life of a particular person, typically a public or historical figure.
Questions to guide Biopic conversation:
Cold Open:
What makes a great biopic and how honest do you have to be?
Who is the one behind the biopic?
All Categories (24)
Actor
Gary Cooper— Mr. Deeds Goes to Town {"Longfellow Deeds"}
Spencer Tracy— San Francisco {"Father Tim Mullen"}
Walter Huston— Dodsworth {"Sam Dodsworth"}
William Powell— My Man Godfrey {"Godfrey Parks"}
Actor In A Supporting Role
Akim Tamiroff— The General Died at Dawn {"General Yang"}
Basil Rathbone— Romeo and Juliet {"Tybalt"}
Mischa Auer— My Man Godfrey {"Carlo"}
Stuart Erwin— Pigskin Parade {"Amos Dodd"}
Actress
Carole Lombard— My Man Godfrey {"Irene Bullock"}
Gladys George— Valiant Is the Word for Carrie {"Carrie Snyder"}
Irene Dunne— Theodora Goes Wild {"Theodora Lynn"}
Norma Shearer— Romeo and Juliet {"Juliet"}
Actress In A Supporting Role
Alice Brady— My Man Godfrey {"Angelica Bullock"}
Beulah Bondi— The Gorgeous Hussy {"Rachel Jackson"}
Bonita Granville— These Three {"Mary Tilford"}
Maria Ouspenskaya— Dodsworth {"Baroness von Obersdorf"}
Directing
Dodsworth— William Wyler
My Man Godfrey— Gregory La Cava
San Francisco— W. S. Van Dyke
The Great Ziegfeld— Robert Z. Leonard
Writing (Original Story)
The Story of Louis Pasteur— Pierre Collings, Sheridan Gibney
Winner
Fury— Norman Krasna
San Francisco— Robert Hopkins
The Great Ziegfeld— William Anthony McGuire
Three Smart Girls— Adele Comandini
Writing (Screenplay)
The Story of Louis Pasteur— Pierre Collings, Sheridan Gibney
Winner
After the Thin Man— Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett
Dodsworth— Sidney Howard
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town— Robert Riskin
My Man Godfrey— Eric Hatch, Morris Ryskind
Cinematography
Anthony Adverse— Gaetano Gaudio
Winner
The General Died at Dawn— Victor Milner
The Gorgeous Hussy— George Folsey
Music (Scoring)
Anthony Adverse— Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
Winner
The Charge of the Light Brigade— Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)
The Garden of Allah— Selznick International Pictures Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)
The General Died at Dawn— Paramount Studio Music Department, Boris Morros, head of department (Score by Werner Janssen)
Winterset— RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Nathaniel Shilkret, head of department (Score by Nathaniel Shilkret)
Art Direction
Dodsworth— Richard Day
Winner
Anthony Adverse— Anton Grot
Lloyds of London— William S. Darling
Romeo and Juliet— Cedric Gibbons, Fredric Hope, Edwin B. Willis
The Great Ziegfeld— Cedric Gibbons, Eddie Imazu, Edwin B. Willis
The Magnificent Brute— Albert S. D'Agostino, Jack Otterson
Winterset— Perry Ferguson
Film Editing
Anthony Adverse— Ralph Dawson
Winner
A Tale of Two Cities— Conrad A. Nervig
Come and Get It— Edward Curtiss
Lloyds of London— Barbara McLean
The Great Ziegfeld— William S. Gray
Theodora Goes Wild— Otto Meyer
Sound Recording
San Francisco— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department, Douglas Shearer, Sound Director
Winner
Banjo on My Knee— 20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department, E. H. Hansen, Sound Director
Dodsworth— United Artists Studio Sound Department, Thomas T. Moulton, Sound Director
General Spanky— Hal Roach Studio Sound Department, Elmer A. Raguse, Sound Director
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town— Columbia Studio Sound Department, John Livadary, Sound Director
That Girl from Paris— RKO Radio Studio Sound Department, J. O. Aalberg, Sound Director
The Charge of the Light Brigade— Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, Nathan Levinson, Sound Director
The Texas Rangers— Paramount Studio Sound Department, Franklin B. Hansen, Sound Director
Three Smart Girls— Universal Studio Sound Department, Homer G. Tasker, Sound Director
Special Award
To The March of Time for its significance to motion pictures and for having revolutionized one of the most important branches of the industry - the newsreel.
Winner
To W. Howard Greene and Harold Rosson for the color cinematography of the Selznick International Production, The Garden of Allah.
Scientific Or Technical Award (Class I)
To DOUGLAS SHEARER and the METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIO SOUND DEPARTMENT for the development of a practical two-way horn system and a biased Class A push-pull recording system. [Sound]
Winner
Scientific Or Technical Award (Class II)
To E. C. WENTE and the BELL TELEPHONE LABORATORIES for their multi-cellular high-frequency horn and receiver. [Sound]
Winner
To RCA MANUFACTURING CO., INC., for their rotary stabilizer sound head. [Sound]
Scientific Or Technical Award (Class III)
To RCA MANUFACTURING CO., INC., for their development of a method of recording and printing sound records utilizing a restricted spectrum (known as ultra-violet light recording). [Sound]
Winner
To ELECTRICAL RESEARCH PRODUCTS, INC. for the ERPI "Type Q" portable recording channel. [Sound]
To RCA MANUFACTURING CO., INC., for furnishing a practical design and specifications for a non-slip printer. [Laboratory]
To UNITED ARTISTS STUDIO CORP. for the development of a practical, efficient and quiet wind machine. [Stage Operations]
Assistant Director
The Charge of the Light Brigade— Jack Sullivan
Winner
Anthony Adverse— William Cannon
San Francisco— Joseph Newman
The Garden of Allah— Eric G. Stacey
The Last of the Mohicans— Clem Beauchamp
Dance Direction
Seymour Felix— "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" number from The Great Ziegfeld
Winner
Bobby Connolly— "1000 Love Songs" number from Cain and Mabel
Busby Berkeley— "Love and War" number from Gold Diggers of 1937
Dave Gould— "Swingin' the Jinx" number from Born to Dance
Hermes Pan— "Bojangles of Harlem" number from Swing Time
Jack Haskell— "Skating Ensemble" number from One in a Million
Russell Lewis— "The Finale" number from Dancing Pirate
Music (Song)
"The Way You Look Tonight" from Swing Time— Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Winner
"A Melody From The Sky" from Trail of the Lonesome Pine— Music by Louis Alter; Lyrics by Sidney Mitchell
"Did I Remember" from Suzy— Music by Walter Donaldson; Lyrics by Harold Adamson
"I've Got You Under My Skin" from Born to Dance— Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
"Pennies From Heaven" from Pennies from Heaven— Music by Arthur Johnston; Lyrics by Johnny Burke
"When Did You Leave Heaven" from Sing, Baby, Sing— Music by Richard A. Whiting; Lyrics by Walter Bullock
Outstanding Production
The Great Ziegfeld— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Winner
A Tale of Two Cities— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Anthony Adverse— Warner Bros.
Dodsworth— Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Libeled Lady— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town— Columbia
Romeo and Juliet— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
San Francisco— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Story of Louis Pasteur— Cosmopolitan
Three Smart Girls— Universal
Short Subject (Cartoon)
The Country Cousin— Walt Disney, Producer
Winner
Old Mill Pond— Harman-Ising
Sinbad the Sailor— Paramount
Short Subject (Color)
Give Me Liberty— Warner Bros.
Winner
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara— Lewis Lewyn, Producer
Popular Science J-6-2— Paramount
Short Subject (One-Reel)
Bored of Education— Hal Roach, Producer
Winner
Moscow Moods— Paramount
Wanted, a Master— Pete Smith, Producer
Short Subject (Two-Reel)
The Public Pays— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Winner
Double or Nothing— Warner Bros.
Dummy Ache— RKO Radio