Oscar Revisionism: 1944 (The "First" Year of Five BP Nominees & Final Post in the Series)

After over just two years and sixty-six or so posts, we've finally made it to the end of the Oscar Revisionism series at Cinesnatch.  I called this year the "first" years of five BP nominees.  While that's not true, it is the first year that was followed by decades of tradition that was finally broken in 2009.  Feel free to visit this handy reference guide to the ongoing posts which led up to the change in Academy rules.  This has been definitely a lot of fun, especially as we were working backwards in time and dealing with a vault of films that I was initially familiar with to feel confident enough to write about.  But, I'll be honest, it got really hard the further back in time we went!  So, it was easy to lose motivation and, in fact, undergo long absences (one almost the length of a year, I believe).  As soon as I got over that I could never present a "perfect" list and ranking and my best was all I should require of myself, the easier it got to get through.  I would like to also thank all of you who checked in here and there on this journey for your readership and participation, including Robert A, who responded to a great number of the posts and was a motivating force.  You support was much appreciated.  Thank you!  I made a page for posterity which organizes all the posts chronologically, which you can find here.  Feedback is always welcome, as I'm open to making modifications to the preexisting posts, now that they're all out there on the internet.

What's interesting is that once you get to 1943 and before, for a good part, the Best Picture field consisted of ten nominees or more (hence the whole idea of bridging 2008 to 1944), but rather than shedding light on what might have been nominated in the ensuing years, they only make matters murkier.

For example, there are seventeen Best Picture nominees whose only nomination was for the producers, but most of them are from the late 1920s/early 1930s, when there were few other categories to be nominated in.  It's not until you get into the late 1930s/early 1940s, does it become less prolific, but still happens, with Grand Illusion, One Foot in Heaven, and The Ox-Box Incident being the three prime examples.  (My guess is that it would have become less frequent as the decades wore on, with only a few here and there.  Presently, we haven't had one for 2009 - 2012, though, it would be interesting to see if it could happen (the closest we've come is The Blind Side, A Serious Man, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, each of which only managed one other nod, and they were all from major categories), and what type of film could manage the feet.  As well, there were other Best Picture nominees which only managed one other nod, but, again, they were mostly reserved for the initial years, with In Which We Serve (which happened to be the NBR and NYFC winner for the year it released) being the only example for a seven year span.  Best Picture nominees before 1944 with three to seven nods are just too many to list.

Additionally, you had films accrue a massive amount of nominations, with some key categories covered, only to be left out of the Best Picture race like: My Man Godfrey (6), The North Star (6), The Rains Came (6), Merrily We Live (5), North West Mounted Police (5), and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (5).  Many of these films were directed by men whose presence wasn't foreign to the BP race.  As well, they were of varying genres.  Though, with the exception of anomaly Godfrey (which landed in all four acting categories, as well as writing and direction), the aforementioned had little to no presence in the major categories (some only nabbing film editing).  But, let's not forget the endless list of films that managed three or four nods, but no Best Picture mention.

Also fun to note, there were some directors who had the magic touch with getting their movies into the Best Picture race.  William Wyler (7) was at the top of the heap, before the yearly competition was whittled down to five contenders.  Other notable names include: Sam Wood (6), Ernest Lubitsch (6), Mervyn LeRoy (6), John Ford (6), Frank Capra (6), Michael Curtiz (5), George Cukor (5), W.S. Van Dyke (4), Lewis Milestone (4), Henry King (4), Victor Fleming (4), and Frank Borzage (4).  Those who directed three Best Picture nominees pre-1944 which included films in the early 1940s were Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and George Stevens.

I wanted to do a comprehensive study of exactly which genres made it in and which ones didn't down to a science, when it came to "the cusp" of deciphering the nomination totals as they did or did not result in a BP nomination, but the time required is beyond what's available, and I'm not sure the cost/benefit quotient is tipped in our favor.

So, were there films left off of past posts or the OR series that may have been nominated for Best Picture in a Field of Ten?  Probably, yes.  And there's really no rhyme or reason as to what they may have been, particularly because there were so few other award bodies recognizing "the best" the further back in time you go, (accurate) box-office information is pretty much non-existent, and there isn't even a clear disparity in genres to express the aforementioned oddities.  I'm sure there is an expert(s) out there who could shed light on this matter and knows why more than I, and I defer to them if they would like to rear their head and add their acumen.  And, as a reminder, please excuse the IMDb/RT inclusions, as, of course, critical public reception changes over time, but it felt right to have them there as some kind of interesting benchmark.

Oscar Revisionism 1944
At any rate, moving on, to our final year, 1944, the musical comedy Going My Way [IMDb: 7.3; RT: 71%] was the first film in a long while to win Best Picture in a field of five.  It beat Wilson [IMDb: 6.7] and Since You Went Away [IMDb: 7.5].  But, it's Gaslight [IMDb: 7.8; 89%] that retained an audience over the years and classic Billy Wilder film noir Double Indemnity [IMDb: 8.5; RT: 96%] that is the most revered.  But, what if ten nominees had been chosen, what would the other five Best Picture nominees have been?  The following is a solid, yet likely incomplete list of possibilities.

Laura
This Otto Preminger film noir about an investigation into the death of the title character did well with critics, as well as at the box office.  Nominated for five awards including direction, adapted screenplay, and an acting nod, it won for black and white cinematography.  NBR.  [IMDb: 8.1; RT: 100%]

None But the Lonely Heart 
Domestic drama about a mother and son trying to make ends meet.  Clifford Odets (The Country Girl) directed this film to two acting nominations for its stars Cary Grant and Ethel Barrymore (which the latter won), as well as a couple of others, including film editing.  NBR winner.  [IMDb: 6.4]

Lifeboat 
After a ship and German U-boat sink, a varying group of survivors must contend with each other in this Alfred Hitchcock war thriller.  Nominated for three Oscars, including direction.  [IMDb: 7.8; RT: 95%]

Meet Me in St. Louis 
Vincent Minnelli directed his future bride Judy Garland in this musical romantic comedy, which made bank, as well as three AMPAS nods, including adapted screenplay.  NBR.  [IMDb: 7.5; RT: 100%]

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Well-received historic war drama about a stunt pilot who devises a raid on Japan during World War II.
This Mervyn LeRoy film was one of the top grossers for the year.  It was nominated for two Oscars, and won for Visual Effects.  NBR.  [IMDb: 7.4]

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
One of the top grossers for the year and nominated for Original Screenplay, this Preston Sturges rom-com concerned a woman knocked up by a soldier.  NBR.  [IMDb: 7.8; RT: 86%]

Cover Girl
This Charles Vidor romantic comedy musical did very well at the box-office and got nominated for five Academy Awards, winning for Musical Score over Meet Me in St. Louis.  [IMDb: 6.8; RT: 94%]

Dragon Seed
Katharine Hepburn does yellow face in this drama set in 1930s China dealing with the Second Sino-Japanese War.  Nominated for two Oscars including an acting nod.  [IMDb: 6.1]

The Adventures of Mark Twain
Biographical drama nominated for three awards directed by Irving Rapper (The Corn Is Green).  [IMDb: 7.0]

Mr. Skeffington
Two children of privilege who lose everything must make do in this romantic drama.  Bette Davis, who apparently was going through a rough personal patch and was a supreme bitch on set, was one of two actors nominated for their work.  [IMDb: 7.5]

Mrs. Parkington
Romantic drama about a maid raised to the upper class by marriage to a financier.  Nominated for two acting Oscars.  [IMDb: 6.8]

Hail the Conquering Hero
The other Presten Sturges war rom-com has a soldier returning home with a fabricated story that brings him unearned, unwanted attention.  NBR.  [IMDb: 7.7; RT: 95%]

Kismet
A poor man has big plans for him and his daughter in this adventure fantasy set in the Middle East directed by William Dieterle.  Nominated for four Oscars.  [IMDb: 5.9]

Janie
This Michael Curtiz war rom-com was nominated for Film Editing!  [IMDb: 6.2]

Hollywood Canteen
Rom-com musical about two soldiers before they go off to war.  The cast was chalk full of movie stars playing themselves and earned nods in the three major audio categories.  The Delmer Daves films was also one of the top earners of the year.  [IMDb: 7.0]

Casanova Brown
Academy favorite Sam Wood directed this romantic domestic comedy nominated for three Oscars.  [IMDb: 6.3]

Brazil
Rom-com musical nominated for the three main audio categories.  [IMDb: 6.1]

Lady in the Dark
Ginger Rogers stars in this musical romance as a professional who gets psychoanalyzed.  Nominated for three awards.  [IMDb: 6.1]

Conclusion
Again, thank you for your readership and participation.  I hope you enjoyed this series.  Best wishes.