The Oscars for the year 1939


Winners are shown in red


Best Picture

* Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) - Hal B. Wallis; Henry Blanke
* Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) - Darryl F. Zanuck; Harry Joe Brown
* Boys Town (1938) - John W. Considine Jr.
* Citadel, The (1938) - Victor Saville
* Four Daughters (1938) - Hal B. Wallis; Henry Blanke
* Grande illusion, La (1937) - Frank Rollmer; Albert Pinkovitch
* Jezebel (1938) - Hal B. Wallis; Henry Blanke
* Pygmalion (1938) - Gabriel Pascal (I)
* Test Pilot (1938) - Louis D. Lighton
* You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Frank Capra

Best Actor in a Leading Role

* Algiers (1938) - Charles Boyer
* Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) - James Cagney
* Boys Town (1938) - Spencer Tracy
* Citadel, The (1938) - Robert Donat
* Pygmalion (1938) - Leslie Howard

Best Actress in a Leading Role

* Jezebel (1938) - Bette Davis
* Marie Antoinette (1938) - Norma Shearer
* Pygmalion (1938) - Wendy Hiller
* Three Comrades (1938) - Margaret Sullavan
* White Banners (1938) - Fay Bainter

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

* Algiers (1938) - Gene Lockhart
* Four Daughters (1938) - John Garfield
* If I Were King (1938) - Basil Rathbone
* Kentucky (1938) - Walter Brennan
* Marie Antoinette (1938) - Robert Morley (I)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

* Great Waltz, The (1938) - Miliza Korjus
* Jezebel (1938) - Fay Bainter
* Merrily We Live (1938) - Billie Burke
* Of Human Hearts (1938) - Beulah Bondi
* You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Spring Byington

Best Director

* Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) - Michael Curtiz
* Boys Town (1938) - Norman Taurog
* Citadel, The (1938) - King Vidor
* Four Daughters (1938) - Michael Curtiz
* You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Frank Capra

Best Writing, Original Story

* Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) - Irving Berlin
* Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) - Rowland Brown
* Blockade (1938) - John Howard Lawson
* Boys Town (1938) - Eleanore Griffin; Dore Schary
* Mad About Music (1938) - Marcella Burke; Frederick Kohner
* Test Pilot (1938) - Frank Wead

Best Writing, Screenplay

* Boys Town (1938) - John Meehan (I); Dore Schary
* Citadel, The (1938) - Ian Dalrymple; Elizabeth Hill (I); Frank Wead
* Four Daughters (1938) - Lenore J. Coffee; Julius J. Epstein
* Pygmalion (1938) - George Bernard Shaw; Ian Dalrymple; Cecil Lewis; W.P. Lipscomb
* You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Robert Riskin

Best Cinematography

* Algiers (1938) - James Wong Howe
* Army Girl (1938) - Ernest Miller (I); Harry J. Wild
* Buccaneer, The (1938) - Victor Milner
* Jezebel (1938) - Ernest Haller
* Great Waltz, The (1938) - Joseph Ruttenberg
* Mad About Music (1938) - Joseph A. Valentine
* Merrily We Live (1938) - Norbert Brodine
* Suez (1938) - J. Peverell Marley
* Vivacious Lady (1938) - Robert De Grasse
* You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Joseph Walker (I)
* Young in Heart, The (1938) - Leon Shamroy

Best Art Direction

* Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) - Carl Jules Weyl
* Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The (1938) - Lyle R. Wheeler
* Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) - Bernard Herzbrun; Boris Leven
* Algiers (1938) - Alexander Toluboff
* Carefree (1938) - Van Nest Polglase
* Goldwyn Follies, The (1938) - Richard Day (I)
* Holiday (1938) - Stephen Goosson; Lionel Banks
* If I Were King (1938) - Hans Dreier; John B. Goodman (I)
* Mad About Music (1938) - Jack Otterson
* Marie Antoinette (1938) - Cedric Gibbons
* Merrily We Live (1938) - Charles D. Hall

Best Sound, Recording

* Army Girl (1938) - Charles L. Lootens (Republic SSD)
* Cowboy and the Lady, The (1938) - Thomas T. Moulton (United Artists SSD)
* Four Daughters (1938) - Nathan Levinson (Warner Bros. SSD)
* If I Were King (1938) - Loren L. Ryder (Paramount SSD)
* Merrily We Live (1938) - Elmer Raguse (Hal Roach SSD)
* Suez (1938) - Edmund H. Hansen (20th Century-Fox SSD)
* Sweethearts (1938) - Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD)
* That Certain Age (1938) - Bernard B. Brown (Universal SSD)
* Vivacious Lady (1938) - James Wilkinson (RKO Radio SSD)
* You Can't Take It with You (1938) - John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD)

Best Film Editing

* Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) - Ralph Dawson
* Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) - Barbara McLean
* Great Waltz, The (1938) - Tom Held
* Test Pilot (1938) - Tom Held
* You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Gene Havlick

Best Music, Song

* Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) - Irving Berlin
- For the song "Now It Can Be Told"
* Big Broadcast of 1938, The (1938) - Ralph Rainger (music); Leo Robin (I) (lyrics)
- For the song "Thanks for the Memory"

* Carefree (1938) - Irving Berlin
- For the song "Change Partners and Dance with Me"
* Cowboy and the Lady, The (1938) - Lionel Newman (music); Arthur Quenzer (lyrics)
- For the song "The Cowboy and the Lady"
* Going Places (1938) - Harry Warren (music); Johnny Mercer (lyrics)
- For the song "Jeepers Creepers"
* Lady Objects, The (1938) - Ben Oakland (music); Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics)
- For the song "A Mist Over the Moon"
* Mannequin (1937) - Edward Ward (I) (music); Chet Forrest (lyrics); Bob Wright (I) (lyrics)
- For the song "Always and Always"
* Merrily We Live (1938) - Phil Craig (I) (music); Arthur Quenzer (lyrics)
- For the song "Merrily We Live"
* That Certain Age (1938) - Jimmy McHugh (music); Harold Adamson (lyrics)
- For the song "My Own"
* Under Western Stars (1938) - Johnny Marvin
- For the song "Dust"

Best Music, Original Score

* Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
* Army Girl (1938) - Victor Young
* Block-Heads (1938) - Marvin Hatley
* Blockade (1938) - Werner Janssen
* Breaking the Ice (1938) - Victor Young
* Cowboy and the Lady, The (1938) - Alfred Newman
* If I Were King (1938) - Richard Hageman
* Marie Antoinette (1938) - Herbert Stothart
* Pacific Liner (1938) - Robert Russell Bennett
* Suez (1938) - Louis Silvers (I)
* Young in Heart, The (1938) - Franz Waxman

Best Music, Scoring

* Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) - Alfred Newman
* Carefree (1938) - Victor Baravalle
* Girls' School (1938) - Morris Stoloff; Gregory Stone
* Goldwyn Follies, The (1938) - Alfred Newman
* Jezebel (1938) - Max Steiner
* Mad About Music (1938) - Charles Previn; Frank Skinner (I)
* Storm Over Bengal (1938) - Cy Feuer
* Sweethearts (1938) - Herbert Stothart
* There Goes My Heart (1938) - Marvin Hatley
* Tropic Holiday (1938) - Boris Morros
* Young in Heart, The (1938) - Franz Waxman

Best Short Subject, One-reel

* Great Heart, The (1938) - M-G-M
* That Mothers Might Live (1938) - M-G-M
* Timber Toppers (1938) - 20th Century-Fox

Best Short Subject, Cartoons

* Brave Little Tailor (1938) - Walt Disney
* Ferdinand the Bull (1938) - Walt Disney
* Good Scouts (1938) - Walt Disney
* Hunky and Spunky (1938) - Paramount
* Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938) - Walt Disney

Best Short Subject, Two-reel

* Declaration of Independence, The (1938) - Warner Bros.
* Swingtime in the Movies (1938) - Warner Bros.
* They're Always Caught (1938) - M-G-M

Honorary Award

* Arthur Ball (I)
- For his outstanding contributions to the advancement of color in motion picture photography (certificate).
* Harry M. Warner
- In recognition of patriotic service in the production of historical short subjects presenting significant episodes in the early struggle of the American people for liberty (certificate).
* Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - Walt Disney
- For Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field (one statuette - seven miniature statuettes).
* Spawn of the North (1938) - Gordon Jennings (special effects); Jan Domela (assistant special effects); Devereaux Jennings (assistant special effects); Irmin Roberts (assistant special effects); Art Smith (III) (assistant special effects); Farciot Edouart (transparencies); Loyal Griggs (assistant transparencies); Loren L. Ryder (sound effects); Harry D. Mills (assistant sound effects); Louis Mesenkop (assistant sound effects); Walter Oberst (assistant sound effects)
- For outstanding achievements in creating special photographic and sound effects in the Paramount production Spawn of the North (plaque).
* Sweethearts (1938) - Oliver T. Marsh; Allen M. Davey (I)
- For the color cinematography of the M-G-M production Sweethearts.

Juvenile Award

* Deanna Durbin; Mickey Rooney
- For their (Durbin/Rooney) 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.

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

* Hal B. Wallis



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