|
12th Academy Awards
The 12th Academy Awards ceremony, held on February 29, 1940, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best in film for 1939 at a banquet in the Coconut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It was hosted by Bob Hope, in his first of nineteen turns as host. David O. Selznick's ''Gone with the Wind'' received the most nominations of the year with thirteen, winning eight Oscars (both records at the time). This year was the first in which multiple films received ten or more nominations (''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' received eleven). This was the first year in which Best Visual Effects was a competitive category; previously, "special achievement" awards for effects had occasionally been conferred. This year, Best Cinematography was split into Color and Black & White categories. Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to receive an Academy Award, winning Best Supporting Actress for ''Gone with the Wind''. Mickey Rooney becam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)
The Ambassador Hotel was a hotel in Los Angeles, California. Designed by architect Myron Hunt, the hotel formally opened to the public on January 1, 1921. Later renovations by architect Paul Williams (architect), Paul Williams were made to the hotel in the late 1940s. It was also home to the Cocoanut Grove (Ambassador Hotel), Cocoanut Grove nightclub, a premier Los Angeles night spot for decades; and host to six Academy Awards, Oscar ceremonies and to every United States president from Herbert Hoover to Richard Nixon. Prominent figures in the entertainment community visited and/or performed at the Cocoanut Grove. The hotel was the site of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, assassination of United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968. Due to the decline of the Ambassador Hotel and the surrounding area, the hotel was closed to guests in 1989. In 2001, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) purchased the property with the intent of constructing three new s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progressed to the role of heroine in ''Fire Over England'' (1937). She then won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and Blanche DuBois in the film version of ''A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film), A Streetcar Named Desire'' (1951), a role she had also played on stage in London's West End theatre, West End in 1949. She also won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, Tony Award for her work in the Broadway theatre, Broadway musical version of ''Tovarich (musical), Tovarich'' (1963). Despite her fame as a screen actress, Leigh was primarily a stage performer. During her 30-year career, she played roles ranging from the heroines of Noël Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Selznick International Pictures
Selznick International Pictures was a Hollywood motion picture studio created by David O. Selznick in 1935, and dissolved in 1943. In its short existence the independent studio produced two films that received the Academy Award for Best Picture—'' Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940)—and three that were nominated, '' A Star Is Born'' (1937), '' Since You Went Away'' (1944) and '' Spellbound'' (1945). Company history Selznick International Pictures was founded in 1935 by producer David O. Selznick and investor Jock Whitney after Selznick left Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and leased a section of the RKO Pictures lot in Culver City, California. The studio itself had been built in 1918–1919 by film pioneer Thomas Ince. When Ince died in 1924 the studio was taken over by Cecil B. DeMille. Eventually Pathé took over and then in the 1930s it became part of RKO. In 1957 it would become part of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's company, Desilu. Selznick leased offices at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Academy Award For Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible to submit a nomination and vote on the final ballot. The Best Picture category is traditionally the final award of the night and is widely considered the most prestigious honor of the ceremony. The Grand Staircase columns at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where the Academy Awards ceremonies have been held since 2002, showcase every film that has won the Best Picture title since the award's inception. There have been 611 films nominated for Best Picture and 97 winners. History Category name changes At the 1st Academy Awards ceremony held in 1929 (for films made in 1927 and 1928), there were two categories of awards that were each considered the top award of the ni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conrad Nagel
John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Honorary Academy Award in 1940, and three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Early life Nagel was born in Keokuk, Iowa. After graduating from Highland Park College, Nagel left for California to pursue a career in the relatively new medium of motion pictures. He began acting in plays at Neely Dickson's Hollywood Community Theater. Film career Nagel was immediately cast in film roles that cemented his ''unspoiled lover'' image. His first film was the 1918 retelling of ''Little Women'', which quickly captured the public's attention and set Nagel on a path to silent film stardom. His breakout role came in the 1920 film, '' The Fighting Chance'', opposite Swedish starlet Anna Q. Nilsson. In 1918, Nagel was elected to The Lambs, the theatrical club. In 1927, Nag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph Block
Ralph J. Block (June 21, 1889, Cherokee, Iowa – January 2, 1974, Wheaton, Maryland) was an American film producer in the 1920s and became a full-time screenwriter in 1930. He is most famous for being President of the Screen Writers Guild from 1934 to 1935. He received an Honorary Academy Award in 1940 for his dedicated work for the Motion Picture Relief Fund. Biography Block was born in the City of Cherokee in the Cherokee County of Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ... to E.S. and Doris Block (née Chraplewski). Filmography As producer As Writer References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Ralph 1889 births 1974 deaths Film producers from Iowa Academy Honorary Award recipients Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild American male screen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph Morgan
Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and union activist. He was a brother of actor Frank Morgan as well as the father of actress Claudia Morgan. Early life Morgan attended Trinity School, Riverview Military Academy and graduated from Columbia University with a law degree. However, after almost two years' practicing, he abandoned the world of jurisprudence for the vocation of journeyman actor, having already appeared in Columbia's annual Varsity Show. In 1905, billed as Raphael Kuhner Wupperman, he appeared in ''The Khan of Kathan'', that year's variety show. Career His first role on the stage came in ''The Bachelor'' in 1909 and, in 1913, he joined the Summer stock cast at Denver's Elitch Theatre. Later he played John Marvin in the 1918 hit play, '' Lightnin''' . Morgan made his debut in silent films in 1915, appearing in several productions made on the East Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean Hersholt
Jean Pierre Carl Buron (12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956), known professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is most famous for starring on the CBS radio series '' Dr. Christian'' from 1937–1954, which later inspired a TV series with the same name from 1956-1957. He also co-starred with Shirley Temple in the film ''Heidi'' (1937).Obituary '' Variety'', 6 June 1956, p. 63. When asked how to pronounce his name, he told ''The Literary Digest'', "in English ''her'sholt''; in Danish, ''hairs'hult''." From 1924 to 1955, he had 140 motion picture credits: 75 silent film and 65 "talkies"; he directed four. Early life Hersholt was born Jean Pierre Carl Buron on 12 July 1886 in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. He claimed to have been born into a family of actors, but in reality, both of his parents, Henri Pierre Buron and Clara (née Petersen), were hairdressers. Henri was the son of a French Roman Catholic father and a Danish Protestant mother, while Clara was the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbuckling roles in silent films. One of the biggest stars of the silent era, Fairbanks was referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He was also a founding member of United Artists as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Motion Picture Academy and hosted the 1st Academy Awards in 1929. Born in Denver, Colorado, Fairbanks started acting from an early age and established himself as an accomplished stage actor on Broadway theatre, Broadway by the late 1900s. He made his film debut in 1915 and quickly became one of the most popular and highest paid actors in Hollywood. In 1919, he co-founded United Artists alongside Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and D. W. Griffith. Fairbanks married Pickford in 1920 and the couple came to be re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. Garland achieved international recognition for her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in ''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). Her recording of "Over the Rainbow" became an enduring song in American popular music. Over a career spanning more than forty-five years, she recorded Judy Garland discography#Studio albums, eleven studio albums, and several of her recordings were later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. At the age of two, Garland began her career by performing with her two sisters as a vaudeville act, The Gumm Sisters. In 1935, she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at thirteen and appeared in supporting roles in ensemble musicals such as Broadway Melody of 1938, ''Broadway Melody of 1938'' (1937) and Thoroughbreds Don't Cry, ''Thorough ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gregg Toland
Gregg Wesley Toland (May 29, 1904 – September 28, 1948) was an American cinematographer known for his innovative use of techniques such as deep focus, examples of which can be found in his work on Orson Welles' ''Citizen Kane'' (1941), William Wyler's ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946), and John Ford's ''The Grapes of Wrath'', and '' The Long Voyage Home'' (both, 1940). He is also known for his work as a director of photography for ''Wuthering Heights'' (1939), '' The Westerner'' (1940), '' Ball of Fire'' (1941), '' The Outlaw'' (1943), ''Song of the South'' (1946) and ''The Bishop's Wife'' (1947). Toland earned six Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography, and won for his work on ''Wuthering Heights''. He was voted one of the top ten most influential cinematographers in the history of film by the International Cinematographers Guild in 2003. Career Toland was born in Charleston, Illinois, on May 29, 1904, to Jennie, a housekeeper, and Frank Toland. His mot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ''The Wizard of Oz'' (lyrics by Yip Harburg), including "Over the Rainbow", which won him the Oscar for Academy Award for Best Original Song, Best Original Song, he was nominated as composer for 8 other Oscar awards. Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook. "Over the Rainbow" was voted the 20th century's No. 1 song by the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA and the National Endowment for the Arts, NEA. Life and career Arlen was born in Buffalo, New York, the child of a Jewish hazzan, cantor. His twin brother died the next day. He learned to play the piano as a youth, and formed a band, Hyman Arluck's Snappy Trio, at age 15. He left home at 16 against his parents' wishes; within two years, he was per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
