Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 10 — It Happened One Night (1934)

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Josh Kaye

10. It Happened One Night (1934)

Other Nominated Films:
The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Cleopatra, Flirtation Walk, The Gay Divorcee, Here Comes the Navy, The House of Rothschild, Imitation of Life, One Night of Love, The Thin Man, Viva Villa!, The White Parade

After reviewing 32 movies, we’re finally down to the Top 10. What better way to begin the Top 10 than with the Frank Capra classic, It Happened One Night. It Happened One Night is one of the best romantic comedies ever to hit the Silver Screen, and one of the last romantic comedies to be filmed before the enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934. It Happened One Night features Claudette Colbert as spoiled heiress, Ellen Andrews, who runs away from her father (Walter Connolly) because he wants to annul her brand-new marriage to gold digger aviator King Westley (Jameson Thomas).  Ellie attempts to reach New York City to meet up with husband Westley, and, on the way, crosses paths with Peter Warne (Clark Gable), an out-of-work street-wise newspaper reporter.  Peter discovers Ellie’s true identity and, seeing this as a golden opportunity to get his job back, Peter tells Ellie that he will get her to Westley in exchange for her exclusive story.  Along the way, Peter teaches Ellie a few “facts” of life, such as how to properly dunk a donut, how to hitch hike correctly (Peter actually learns something from Ellie here instead!), and how to give someone a proper piggyback ride. Also, along the way, we meet some fabulous character actors, including Roscoe Karns who plays Oscar Shapeley (“Shapeley’s the name, and that’s the way I like ’em”) and Alan Hale Sr. who plays Danker (singing “Young people in LOVE are very seldom hungry…”). The historical context of It Happened One Night is also something to note. It Happened One Night was released in 1934, in the midst of The Great Depression – and although the movie is not about the Depression, the Depression’s impact on the story is prevalent. Ellie has to pawn her wristwatch to buy her clothes, Peter and Ellie spend the night in a cheap autocamp (sharing a room and rationing food), a lady bus passenger faints from hunger, Peter and Ellie are hungry and have no money left to buy food or pay for their lodging…And yet, among all of this hardship, Ellie finds true love and happiness! It is interesting to note that several actors and actresses turned down the lead roles, and Gable and Colbert were also reluctant and quite weary about participating. It has even been said that, after filming was complete, Colbert complained to her friend, “I just finished the worst picture in the world.” That being said, there is a bit of a ‘story’ behind Claudette Colbert winning Best Actress for her role as Ellie. Colbert was so certain that she wasn’t going to win the award, she decided to take a cross-country railroad trip. When she won the award, studio chief Harry Cohn sent someone to drag her off the train (which luckily hadn’t left the station yet) to take her to the awards ceremony. It Happened One Night would go on to win all the Academy Awards it was nominated for, and would become the first film ever to win the “Big Five” (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Writing; this would happen only twice afterwards (to date).

 

Nominated and Won 5 Oscars
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Clark Gable
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Claudette Colbert
Best Director – Frank Capra
Best Picture – Columbia
Best Writing, Adaptation – Robert Riskin

Peter Warne: Behold the walls of Jericho! Uh, maybe not as thick as the ones that Joshua blew down with his trumpet, but a lot safer. You see, uh, I have no trumpet.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 12 and 11 — In the Heat of the Night (1967) and My Fair Lady (1964)

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Josh Kaye

12. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Other Nominated Films:
Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Prior to compiling this countdown list, I’d never seen a Sidney Poitier movie. I knew who he was, and I knew about the profound effect he had on movie history — but I never had the opportunity to see one of his films.  You could say that Poitier was the first major black movie star — he was the first black actor to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award (The Defiant Ones); he was the first black actor to win the Best Actor award (Lilies of the Field); he played roles that defied previous racial stereotypes; and by 1967 he was a MAJOR box office draw.  With that being said, I’m glad In the Heat of the Night was my first Poitier film. And I’m glad that my first two memories of Poitier will be his delivery of the iconic line, “They call me MISTER Tibbs!”, and his performance, as Mr. Tibbs, reacting to being slapped by a white man — by slapping the white man right back. Wow. While Poitier gives one of the most powerful performances I’ve ever seen, in my opinion he’s actually topped by his co-star, Rod Steiger (and that’s saying a lot). Steiger is just so convincing and so stinging in his portrayal of the arrogant and prejudiced Police Chief Bill Gillespie. In a way, In the Heat of the Night could be considered a character study of two men, of different races, who are on the same mission with the same goal. And although Tibbs and Gillespie start out on the wrong foot and use different methods to solve crime, they eventually put their differences aside and work together. Steiger would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, while Virgin Tibbs would go on to be ranked as one of the top 50 heroes by the American Film Institute.

Nominated for 7 Oscars, Winner of 5

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Rod Steiger (WON)
Best Film Editing – Hal Ashby (WON)
Best Picture – Walter Mirisch (WON)
Best Sound – Samuel Goldwyn SSD (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Stirling Silliphant (WON)
Best Director – Norman Jewison
Best Effects, Sounds Effects – James Richards

Virgil Tibbs: They call me MISTER Tibbs!

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 14 and 13 — The Sound of Music (1965) and Marty (1955)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Josh Kaye

14. The Sound of Music (1965)

Other Nominated Films:
Darling, Doctor Zhivago, Ship of Fools, A Thousand Clowns

Now this is one of the weeks I’ve been looking forward to writing about! There are a lot of movies I’ve enjoyed watching, but these next two films are definitely up there as far as my all-time favorites go. Let’s begin with what the hills are alive of (I just couldn’t resist.) Nominated for ten Academy Awards, The Sound of Music became the highest-grossing film of all time in 1966, overtaking the top spot from the #3 film on my countdown list — which would again jump back to the #1 spot in 1971 usurping The Sound of Music…just a bit of trivia here. Anywho! Until about a month ago, I’d only seen clips and tidbits from The Sound of Music…sorry to say. But, after watching the whole film for the first time, I was completely blown away.  From the iconic opening scene when we see Maria twirling around on the beautiful mountainside amid the snow-capped Alps, to the suspenseful ending as the Von Trapp family tries to escape the Nazis — I was captivated in every way.  Not only was the film fun and romantic, and at times quite serious due to the historical implications — the Rogers and Hammerstein songs were simply magnificent and unforgettable!  Julie Andrews was so charismatic as the free-spirited Maria — truly phenomenal and easy to love.  And, although it’s no secret that Christopher Plummer (who played Captain Georg von Trapp) absolutely hated this movie, it doesn’t change the fact that this is one of his most memorable roles. Ranked as the #4 musical of all time by the American Film Institute, The Sound of Music is an experience you will never forget.

Nominated for 10 Oscars, Winner of 5

Best Director – Robert Wise (WON)
Best Film Editing – William Reynolds (WON)
Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment – Irwin Kostal (WON)
Best Picture – Robert Wise (WON)
Best Sound – James Corcoran (20th Century-Fox SSD), Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD) (WON)
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Julie Andrews
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Peggy Wood
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color – Borin Leven, Walter M. Scott, Ruby R. Levitt
Best Cinematography, Color – Ted D. McCord
Best Costume Design, Color – Dorothy Jeakins

Captain von Trapp: Fraulein, is it to be at every meal, or merely at dinnertime, that you intend on leading us all through this rare and wonderful new world of… indigestion?

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 16 and 15 — You Can’t Take It with You (1938) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Josh Kaye

16. You Can’t Take It with You (1938)

Other Nominated Films:
The Adventures of Robin Hood, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Boys Town, The Citadel, Four Daughters, Grand Illusion, Jezebel, Pygmalion, Test Pilot

My first exposure to You Can’t Take It With You was during high school in the form of a school play. I can’t say that I was much impressed with the performance, but then again, it was a high school play. In any event, when I discovered that You Can’t Take It With You was a Best Picture winner, I was, well,…not so excited about having to watch it (I’ll admit, this wasn’t one of my brighter moments.) This is a great film on every level, and while it may be loud at times and somewhat zany, You Can’t Take It With You is a charming, uplifting film with a powerful and wonderful message: you don’t need money or luxuries to be happy; all you need is the love of your family and friends.  The film, with its uplifting message, was very well received upon its release in 1938, a time when the country was struggling through the tail end of the Great Depression (as a matter of fact, it was the highest-grossing film of the year). But I also find that the film is relevant in today’s world: a time when people are struggling with high unemployment, an uncertain stock market, bad mortgages and the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor.  You Can’t Take It With You was the first of two collaborations between Frank Capra, Jean Arthur and James Stewart, as they would all work together again in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  It was also the first Best Picture winner to be adapted from a Pulitzer Prize winning play.  One last observation:  Lionel Barrymore’s character, Grandpa Vanderhof, is the ultimate good-natured, anti-materialist, compassionate, family-loving man — the exact opposite of the character (Mr. Potter) he played in yet another Frank Capra classic – It’s a Wonderful Life.

Nominated for 7 Oscars, Winner of 2
Best Director – Frank Capra (WON)
Best Picture – Columbia (WON)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Spring Byington
Best Cinematography – Joseph Walker
Best Film Editing – Gene Havlick
Best Sound, Recording – John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Robert Riskin

Grandpa Martin Vanderhoff: Maybe it’ll stop you trying to be so desperate about making more money than you can ever use? You can’t take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it? As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 18 and 17 — Grand Hotel (1932) and Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Josh Kaye

18. Grand Hotel (1932)

Other Nominated Films:
Arrowsmith, Bad Girl, The Champ, Five Star Final, One Hour with You, Shanghai Express, The Smiling Lieutenant

One of the first films to feature an ensemble cast in the history of cinema, Grand Hotel succeeds on all levels. Grand Hotel features Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, and Lewis Stone — and, as you would expect, none of them disappoint. In a way, this could also be considered one of the earliest anthology films since there are numerous stories taking place at the same time. So, you could say that Grand Hotel is a movie of a grand scale (I was getting that phrase in here one way or another.) The film begins and ends in the same way: with Doctor Otternschlag (Stone) saying, “Grand Hotel. People come and go. Nothing ever happens.”  But, in between the two times this statement is made, a whole bunch does go on in the Grand Hotel: love, friendship, thieving, murdering, but most of all, laughing. Let’s see now…there is Baron Felix von Geigern (John Barrymore), who lost his fortune gambling and supports himself by playing cards and stealing jewelry, who befriends Otto Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore), who discovers he’s dying and decides to spend his remaining days having fun, who used to work for industrialist General Director Preysing (Wallace Beery), who is at the hotel to close an important deal, who hires stenographer Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford) to assist him in doing so. Oh! And then there’s Russian ballerina Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo), whose career is slowly declining and who is on the verge of a breakdown when she utters one of the most famous lines in movie history, “I want to be alone.” Whew! Now, that’s a lot! And that’s only the first 20 minutes or so. Grand Hotel is the only film to win Best Picture without it, or anyone involved with it, being nominated in any other category.

Nominated and Won 1 Oscar
Best Picture – M-G-M

Baron Felix von Geigern: [looking down from the sixth-floor balcony over the front desk] You know, I’ve often wondered what’d happen to that old porter if somebody jumped on him from here.
Flaemmchen: I’m sure I don’t know. Why don’t you try it and find out?

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 20 and 19 — All The King’s Men (1949) and From Here to Eternity (1953)

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Josh Kaye

20. All The King’s Men (1949)

Other Nominated Films:
Battleground, The Heiress, A Letter to Three Wives, Twelve O’Clock High

I’m not someone who is very knowledgeable when it comes to the world of politics. While I may watch a large amount of political movies, I don’t exactly understand a majority of the jargon that’s being spoken. But for the most part, they always make for good dramatic and suspenseful films, which is the case here for All the King’s Men. The film is loosely based on the life of 1930’s Louisana Governor Huey Long. Starting off as a self-taught lawyer who is aiming to do the right thing, Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) fights a long, hard battle to reach the governor’s chair. But while fighting his way to the top, he loses his innocence and becomes even more corrupt than the politicians he fought so hard to conquer. All of this is seen through the eyes of Stark’s right-hand man Jack Burden (John Ireland), who sticks with Stark even when he knows the truth behind the monster. Crawford doesn’t just act as if he’s Stark; he lives and breathes the role. He’s like a flame that starts off extremely small, but in time just grows larger and larger until it is out of control. This film could have easily turned out very differently since director Robert Rossen originally offered the lead role to John Wayne. Wayne declined the role since he felt that the script was unpatriotic (he wasn’t wrong.) Ironically enough, Crawford would go on to beat Wayne for the Best Actor Oscar (Wayne was nominated for his role in Sands of Iwo Jima.) All The King’s Men, which was originally a novel written by Robert Penn Warren, was the last Best Picture winner to be based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Nominated for 7 Awards, Winner of 3
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Broderick Crawford (WON)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Mercedes McCambridge (WON)
Best Picture – Robert Rossen Productions (WON)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – John Ireland
Best Director – Robert Rossen
Best Film Editing – Robert Parrish, Al Clark
Best Writing, Screenplay – Robert Rossen

Jack Burden: I tell you there’s nothing on the judge.
Willie Stark: Jack, there’s something on everybody. Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 22 and 21 — Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Hamlet (1948)

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Josh Kaye

22. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Other Nominated Films:
Alice Adams, Broadway Melody of 1936, Captain Blood, David Copperfield, The Informer, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Les Misérables, Naughty Marietta, Ruggles of Red Gap, Top Hat

It was a few years ago when I first watched Mutiny on the Bounty and I still remember the experience as if it was yesterday. In fact, it’s one of the films that got me interested in Classic films.  Mutiny on the Bounty is a magnificent and thrilling film that chronicles the real-life mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty and its aftermath. It features powerful performances by its three stars: Charles Laughton as the sadistic Captain Bligh, Clark Gable as the rebellious Fletcher Christian, and Franchot Tone as the humane Midshipman Byam. Interestingly, all three actors were nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, but lost to Victor McLaglen for his role in The Informer (the only nominee not from Mutiny on the Bounty). This helped spark the subsequent creation of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. To date, Mutiny on the Bounty is the last film to win Best Picture without winning in any other category. It is also interesting to note that James Cagney, David Niven and Dick Haymes had uncredited roles as Extras in the film. Producer Irving Thalberg may have had an ulterior motive when casting both Gable and Laughton in the same film.  It’s been said that, Thalberg purposely cast Laughton, who was overtly gay, against Gable, a notorious homophobe, in the hopes that some ‘real life’ tension between the two actors would create an even more powerful and authentic on-screen intensity. Stacking the deck even further, it is also said that Thalberg thought Gable would be intimidated working with Laughton who was a classically trained British actor, and that Laughton believed that he, himself, should have been nominated in 1935 for his performance in The Barretts of Wimpole Street rather than Gable who won Best Actor for It Happened One Night.

Nominated for 8 Oscars, Winner of 1
Best Picture – M-G-M (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Clark Gable
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Charles Laughton
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Franchot Tone
Best Director – Frank Lloyd
Best Film Editing – Margaret Booth
Best Music, Score – Nat W. Finston (head of department)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Jules Furthman, Talbot Jennings, Carey Wilson

Lt. Fletcher Christian: When you’re back in England with the fleet again, you’ll hear the hue and cry against me. From now on they’ll spell mutiny with my name.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 24 and 23 — West Side Story (1961) and Wings (1927)

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Josh Kaye

24. West Side Story (1961)

Other Nominated Films:
Fanny, The Guns of Navarone, The Hustler, Judgment at Nuremberg

Please…no one hurt me for having West Side Story this far down on the list. I enjoyed the film, I won’t deny that at all. But compared to films 1 through 23, I had no choice. West Side Story is based on the William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, which is actually my least favorite Shakespearian play…so maybe that played a role in my decision. I will say this about the movie: it’s got some pretty catchy songs (thanks to Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim) and it’s not a bad romance. It’s definitely something I would recommend for a date night. I was perplexed when I saw the cast list and realized that the majority of the actors and actresses cast as Puerto Ricans in the film were, in fact, white. While their depiction of Puerto Ricans may have been…well…not that great, their acting in general was pretty solid. The basic plot of West Side Story focuses on two lovers who could never be together due to their race difference. Tony (Richard Beymer) is co-founder of the Jets, who are white Americans, and he begins to fall for Maria (Natalie Wood), the sister of Bernardo (George Chakiris). Bernardo is the leader of the Sharks, a rival gang of Puerto Rican immigrants. The film begins with a free-for-all throughout the streets of Manhattan between the two rival gangs, and the violence only progresses as the film goes on towards its extremely thriller climax, which is one of the redeeming qualities of watching the film. West Side Story holds the distinction of being the musical film with the most Academy Award wins (10).

Nominated for 11 Oscars, Winner of 10
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – George Chakiris (WON)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Rita Moreno (WON)
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color – Boris Leven, Victor A. Gangelin (WON)
Best Cinematography, Color – Daniel L. Fapp (WON)
Best Costume Design, Color – Irene Sharaff (WON)
Best Director – Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins (WON)
Best Film Editing – Thomas Stanford (WON)
Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture – Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, Irwin Kostal (WON)
Best Picture – Robert Wise (WON)
Best Sound – Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD), Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD) (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Ernest Lehman

The Jets: [singing] Here come the Jets, like a bat out of hell – Someone gets in our way, someone don’t feel so well.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 26 and 25 — Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) and Ben-Hur (1959)

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Josh Kaye

26. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

Other Nominated Films:
The Bishop’s Wife, Crossfire, Great Expectations, Miracle on 34th Street

Elia Kazan really has a knack for directing some pretty amazing films. He’s directed classics such as A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, East of Eden, and America, America. But the first film to win him Best Director and Best Picture was Gentleman’s Agreement. And this didn’t come without controversy. Given the film’s overtly anti-semetic themes, some Hollywood Execs (many Jewish) were concerned about potential backlash. Some Execs even tried to convince producer Darryl F. Zanuck not to make the film. But Kazan and Zanuck forged ahead with this socially significant film anyway. And, as it turned out, the ‘Jewish-friendly’ (liberal) themed film did, in fact, grab the suspicious attention of the House Un-American Activities Committee.  As a result, Kazan, Zanuck, John Garfield and Anne Revere were called to testify before the committee.   Now, putting aside what was happening off-screen…The film’s plot revolves around the character, Philip Green (Gregory Peck), a journalist that goes undercover as a Jew to conduct research for an article he is writing about anti-semetism.   Green encounters explicit prejudice along the way including professional bias and personal relationship issues, as well as name-calling, discrimination by hotels, etc. Gentleman’s Agreement is a great film that would pave the way for future filmmakers. Kazan took a huge risk in directing a movie of such sensitive nature, and in taking that risk, he created one of the most important films of all time.

Nominated for 8 Oscars, Winner of 3
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Celeste Holm (WON)
Best Director – Elia Kazan (WON)
Best Picture – 20th Century Fox (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Gregory Peck
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Dorothy McGuire
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Anne Revere
Best Film Editig – Harmon Jones
Best Writing, Screenplay – Moss Hart

Mrs. Green: You know something, Phil? I suddenly want to live to be very old. Very. I want to be around to see what happens. The world is stirring in very strange ways. Maybe this is the century for it. Maybe that’s why it’s so troubled. Other centuries had their driving forces. What will ours have been when men look back? Maybe it won’t be the American century after all… or the Russian century or the atomic century. Wouldn’t it be wonderful… if it turned out to be everybody’s century… when people all over the world – free people – found a way to live together? I’d like to be around to see some of that… even the beginning. I may stick around for quite a while.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 28 and 27 — The Lost Weekend (1945) and A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Josh Kaye

28. The Lost Weekend (1945)

Other Nominated Films:
Anchors Aweigh, The Bells of St. Mary’s, Mildred Pierce, Spellbound

The Lost Weekend is an extremely tough film to watch since it’s extremely accurate in its portrayal of the disease known as alcoholism. The Lost Weekend is a haunting film, and it’s so well done by Billy Wilder that you can’t take your eyes off of the screen. The film focuses on the struggles of Don Birnam (Ray Milland), who is an alcoholic New York writer. We’re brought into this man’s life at his most vulnerable point, when he is desperate for a drink and must escape the watchful eyes of his girlfriend and brother — and it’s terrifying for us to experience his torment and degradation. We follow Don for four days as he gives in to his alcoholic urges by stealing money, pawning his possessions, and borrowing money from a woman who he lied to earlier in the film. Ray Milland is truly amazing in his role and is a well deserving recipient of the Best Actor Oscar. Milland brought a realistic element to the role which is the only way a movie like this would work. It should be noted that the “character walking toward the camera as neon signs pass by” camera effect was made famous by this movie. The Lost Weekend would go on to win four Oscars, one being the Best Director Oscar that Wilder should have won for Double Indemnity.

Nominated for 7 Oscars, Winner of 4
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Ray Milland (WON)
Best Director – Billy Wilder (WON)
Best Picture – Paramount (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder (WON)
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White – John F. Seitz
Best Film Editing – Doane Harrison
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic of Comedy Picture – Miklós Rózsa

Nat: One’s too many an’ a hundred’s not enough.

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