Some 1950s Oscar Nominees and Winners
The Decade Set a Few Oscar Records & Gave More Recognition to Blacks
Jan 13, 2008
The Academy Awards during the 1950s saw a few records set, some of which still exist today. It was also a period that saw the Academy create the category of best foreign language film and, more importantly, start to recognize African-American actors for their talents.
Most Oscars Won by a Director
In 1952, John Ford won his fourth of five Oscar directing nominations for The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. His other three were for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and How Green Was My Valley (1941). Strangely enough, although Ford is best remembered today for his westerns, all three of his wins were for non-westerns.
Second place is shared by William Wyler and Frank Capra with three each. Billy Wilder has had the most nominations with eight.
Most Oscars Won by a Single Picture
The 32nd annual ceremony in 1959 saw Ben-Hur, a religious epic and adventure tale, win eleven out of twelve nominations, including William Wyler’s third Oscar for directing. The record has since been tied by Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Of the three, Ben-Hur is the only one to win acting Oscars: Best Actor (Charlton Heston) and Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith).
The movie was a re-make of the 1925 silent box office hit starring Ramon Novarro. William Wyler had served as an assistant director on that movie.
Most Posthumous Oscar Nominations
In a record that will probably never be broken, James Dean, after dying in a car crash, was nominated for best actor in 1955 and again in 1956. He was first nominated for his work in East of Eden and then following year for Giant. This second film, finished shortly before Dean’s death, was not released until 1956. Young Dean, who had been predicted to become a mega-star, made only three movies, his first being Rebel without a Cause.
First Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film
Although honorary Oscars had been given to foreign language films since 1947, the Academy did not make it an official category until 1956. The winner that first year was the Italian film, La Strada (The Brute) starring Anthony Quinn as a cruel carnival strong man and Giulietta Masina in a moving performance as his mentally and physically abused wife.
Italian productions have won the most foreign language Oscars with a total of ten. France is second with nine. Each country has also won three of the earlier honorary Oscars.
The First African-American Nominated as Best Actress
Singer and actress Dorothy Dandridge was nominated in 1954 for playing the sultry title character in Otto Preminger’s Carmen Jones, but lost out to Grace Kelley for The Country Girl. A young Harry Belafonte also starred as Dandridge’s ill-fated admirer. It would take another forty-seven years before a black actress, Halle Berry, would win the Oscar for best actress.
Carmen Jones was an unusual film in that it was one of the few films to that date that featured an all-black cast but was geared to both African-American and white audiences. It was based on the Bizet opera Carmen with updated lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein.
The First African-American Nominated as Best Actor
Sidney Poitier was selected in 1958 for his role as an escaped convict handcuffed to a white racist (Tony Curtis) in The Defiant Ones. Although he lost out to David Niven for the Oscar, Poitier did win the Golden Globe that year for his role. Five years later he would become the first black to win best actor for The Lilies of the Field.
In a career that has stretched over seven decades, Poitier has won or been nominated for forty-four acting honors.
An excellent source for more on the Academy Awards is: Osborne, Robert, 75 Years of the Oscar. New York: Abbeville Press, 2003.
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