The Bad and the Beautiful
Melodrama set in Hollywood centering around a shameless studio head. A non-Best Picture nominee that was a winner of an unprecedented five awards--the most of the evening--including Supporting Actress and Screenplay. Director: Vincent Minnelli (An American in Paris, Gigi). Stars: Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Gloria Grahame. Box Office: $8.5M (huge hit). NBR, WGA, DGA. [IMDb: 7.8; RT: 95%]
Viva Zapata!
Fictionalized biographical history of revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, which received mixed reviews. John Steinbeck wrote the screenplay. Director: Elia Kazan (A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront). Stars: Marlon Brando, Jean Peters, Anthony Quinn. Nominated for five awards, including Brando and Quinn, who won. Box Office: $1.9M. DGA. [IMDb: 7.4; RT: 67%]
With a Song in My Heart
Musical based on the life of songwriter Jane Froman. Director: Walter Lang (The King and I). Screenplay: Lamar Trotti (Young Mr. Lincoln, Wilson). Stars: Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, Thelma Ritter. Hayward and Ritter were nominated, along with three technical categories, winning for Musical Score. Box Office: $3.3M. GG (Comedy/Musical) winner, WGA. [IMDb: 6.8]
5 FingersBased on a true story, this thriller is about a valet during World War II who decides to sell information on his employer to the Nazis for a better life. Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve). Screenplay: Michael Wilson (A Place in the Sun, The Bridge on the River Kwai). Both Mankiewicz and Wilson were nominated for their work. Stars: James Mason, Danielle Darrieux. Box Office: $1.4M. NBR, DGA (quarterly winner), WGA. [IMDb: 7.6]
Come Back, Little ShebaDomestic melodrama that deals with alcoholism, lust, and regret and got both Shirley Booth an Oscar and Terry Moore a nomination. Director: Daniel Mann (directorial debut; BUtterfield 8, The Rose Tattoo). Stars: Burt Lancaster, Booth, Moore. Also nominated for Film Editing. Box Office: $3.5M. GG (Drama), WGA. [IMDb: 7.6]
Hans Christian AndersenA musical fantasia on the life of the children's author and his stories. Director: Charles Vidor (Gilda, Love Me or Leave Me). Screenplay: Moss Hart (Broadway Melody of 1936, Gentleman's Agreement). Stars: Danny Kaye. Nominated for six awards. Box Office: $4.1M. GG (Comedy/Musical), WGA, DGA. [IMDb: 6.7]
Sudden Fear
Film noir thriller, where an actor romances and marries a playwright as a plot to steal her money after she rejects him at an audition. Director: David Miller. Screenplay: Lenore J. Coffee (Four Daughters), Robert Smith. Stars: Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame (won for The Bad and the Beautiful). Crawford and Palance were nominated along with two black and white technical awards. Box Office: $1.7M. [IMDb: 7.5]
My Cousin RachelRomance mystery based on Daphne du Maurier novel, where a man falls in love with the widow he believes murdered his cousin. Director: Henry Koster (The Bishop's Wife, Harvey, The Robe, Flower Drum Song). Screenplay: Nunnally Johnson (The Grapes of Wrath, Holy Matrimony). Stars: Richard Burton, Olivia de Havilland, Audrey Dalton. Burton was nominated for supporting actor, along with three black and white technical awards. Box Office; $1.3M. [IMDb: 7.0]
The Man in the White SuitIn this sci-fi satirical comedy, an inventor who has created a super resilient fabric finds himself being squeezed out by the textile industry. Its only nomination was in the screenplay category where it went up against the likes of The Quiet Man and High Noon. Director: Alexander Mackendrick. Screenplay: Mackendrick, John Dighton (Roman Holiday), and Roger MacDougall adapted the latter's play. Stars: Alec Guinness (nominated for Lavender Hill), Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker. [IMDb: 7.5; RT: 100%]
Singin' in the RainNot even nominated for its eponymous song, this legendary musical wasn't singled out for more than two categories, taking home nothing. The AMPAS appeared more receptive to With a Song in My Heart and Hans Christian Andersen at the time. Director: Gene Kelly (Hello, Dolly!/ Stanley Donen (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face). Screenplay: Adolph Green & Betty Comden (The Band Wagon, It's Always Fair Weather). Stars: Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen. Box Office: $6M. WGA winner, GG (Comedy/Musical), NBR, DGA. [IMDb: 8.4; RT: 100%]
The Big Sky
Western about fur trading with Native Americans starring Kirk Douglas and Dewey Martin. Director: Howard Hawks (Sergeant York). Screenplay: Dudley Nichols (The Informer, The Long Voyage Home, The Tin Star). Stars: Douglas (nominated for Bad and the Beautiful), Martin, Arthur Hunnicutt. Box Office: $1.7M. DGA. [IMDb: 7.1]
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Based on Ernest Hemingway short story, a man reflects on his life after incurring an infection while hiking one of the world's most famous peaks. Director: Henry King (The Song of Bernadette (1943), Wilson). Screenplay: Casey Robinson (Captain Blood). Stars: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Susan Hayward. Box Office: $6.7M. NBR, DGA. [IMDb: 6.2]
The Merry WidowMusical about romance, class, and mistaken identities. Director: Curtis Bernhardt. Stars: Lana Turner, Fernando Lamas. Box Office: $4.5M. [IMDb: 6.0]
The Thief
A film noir without dialogue about a nuclear physicist spy working in Washington, DC.
Director: Russell Rouse (The Well). Screenplay: Rouse and Clarence Greene (Pillow Talk). Stars: Ray Milland. Box Office: $1M. GG (Drama), NBR. [IMDb: 6.7]
The Lavender Hill Mob
Crime caper about a bank clerk and his neighbor smuggling gold. Director: Charles Crichton (A Fish Called Wanda). Screenplay: T.E.B. Clarke (Passport to Pimlico, Sons and Lovers). Stars: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway. DGA (quarterly winner). [IMDb: 7.8; RT: 100%]
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