13th Academy Awards

13th Academy Awards
13th Academy Awards
Date	February 27, 1941
Site	Biltmore Bowl, Biltmore Hotel ; Los Angeles, California
Hosted by	Bob Hope
Highlights
Best Picture	Rebecca
Most awards	The Thief of Bagdad (3)
Most nominations	Rebecca (11)
	← 12th ; Academy Awards ; 14th →;

Last updated November 10, 2024

The 13th Academy Awards were held on February 27, 1941, to honor films released in 1940. This was the first year that sealed envelopes were used to keep the names of the winners secret.^[1] The accounting firm of Price Waterhouse was hired to count the ballots, after voting results in 1939 were leaked by the Los Angeles Times .^[2] The gathering was addressed over the radio by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.^[2]

Independent producer David O. Selznick, who had produced the previous year's Best Picture winner Gone with the Wind (1939), produced the film with the most nominations again this year, Rebecca (11), and campaigned heavily for its win.^[3] The film won Best Picture, making Selznick the first to produce two consecutive winners; its only other win was for Best Cinematography (Black and White), marking the last time to date a film would win Best Picture but not win for either directing, acting, or writing.

The film's distributor, United Artists, was the last of the original film studios (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Columbia, 20th Century-Fox, Warner Bros., RKO Radio, Universal, and Paramount) to win Best Picture. Rebecca was the first American film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and the only one of his films to win Best Picture. Hitchcock had two films nominated for Best Picture, the other being Foreign Correspondent , and two other directors also had two films in the running: Sam Wood ( Our Town and Kitty Foyle ) and John Ford ( The Long Voyage Home and The Grapes of Wrath , which won Best Director).

Pinocchio was the first animated feature film to win competitive Oscars, for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, starting a long tradition of animated films winning in these categories. The Thief of Bagdad received the most Oscars of the evening (3), the first time a film not nominated for Best Picture won the most awards. This and Pinocchio were the first films not nominated for Best Picture to receive multiple awards in Oscar history.

Winners and nominees

David O. Selznick; Best Picture winner

John Ford; Best Director winner

James Stewart; Best Actor winner

Ginger Rogers; Best Actress winner

Walter Brennan; Best Supporting Actor winner

Jane Darwell; Best Supporting Actress winner

Pete Smith; Best Live Action Short Subject, One-Reel winner

Cedric Gibbons; Best Art Direction, Black-and-White co-winner

Bob Hope; Honorary Academy Award recipient

Awards

Nominees were announced on February 10, 1941. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.^[4]

Outstanding Production Rebecca – David O. Selznick for Selznick International and United Artists ‡ All This, and Heaven Too – Jack L. Warner, Hal B. Wallis, and David Lewis for Warner Bros. Foreign Correspondent – Walter Wanger for Walter Wanger Productions and United Artists The Grapes of Wrath – Darryl F. Zanuck and Nunnally Johnson for 20th Century Fox The Great Dictator – Charles Chaplin for Charlie Chaplin Productions and United Artists Kitty Foyle – David Hempstead for RKO Radio The Letter – Hal B. Wallis for Warner Bros. The Long Voyage Home – John Ford for Argosy Films, Walter Wanger Productions, and United Artists Our Town – Sol Lesser for Sol Lesser Productions and United Artists The Philadelphia Story – Joseph L. Mankiewicz for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	Best Director John Ford – The Grapes of Wrath ‡ Sam Wood – Kitty Foyle William Wyler – The Letter George Cukor – The Philadelphia Story Alfred Hitchcock – Rebecca
Best Actor *James Stewart – The Philadelphia Story* as Macaulay "Mike" Connor*‡ Charles Chaplin – The Great Dictator* as The Barber/Adenoid Hynkel Henry Fonda – The Grapes of Wrath as Tom Joad Raymond Massey – Abe Lincoln in Illinois as Abraham Lincoln Laurence Olivier – Rebecca as Maximilian de Winter	Best Actress *Ginger Rogers – Kitty Foyle* as Kitty Foyle*‡ Bette Davis – The Letter* as Leslie Crosbie Joan Fontaine – Rebecca as the second Mrs de Winter Katharine Hepburn – The Philadelphia Story as Tracy Samantha Lord Martha Scott – Our Town as Emily Webb
Best Supporting Actor *Walter Brennan – The Westerner* as Judge Roy Bean** ‡ Albert Bassermann – Foreign Correspondent as Van Meer William Gargan – They Knew What They Wanted as Joe Jack Oakie – The Great Dictator as Benzino Napaloni James Stephenson – The Letter as Howard Joyce	Best Supporting Actress *Jane Darwell – The Grapes of Wrath* as Ma Joad** ‡ Judith Anderson – Rebecca as Mrs. Danvers Ruth Hussey – The Philadelphia Story as Elizabeth Imbrie Barbara O'Neil – All This, and Heaven Too as Francoise "Fanny" Sebastiani de-Praslin Marjorie Rambeau – Primrose Path as Mamie Adams
Best Original Screenplay The Great McGinty – Preston Sturges ‡ Angels Over Broadway – Ben Hecht Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet – Norman Burnstine, Heinz Herald, and John Huston Foreign Correspondent – Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison The Great Dictator – Charles Chaplin	Best Screenplay The Philadelphia Story – Donald Ogden Stewart, based on the play by Philip Barry ‡ The Grapes of Wrath – Nunnally Johnson, based on the novel by John Steinbeck Kitty Foyle – Dalton Trumbo, based on the novel by Christopher Morley The Long Voyage Home – Dudley Nichols, based on the plays The Moon of the Caribees, In the Zone, Bound East for Cardiff, and The Long Voyage Home by Eugene O'Neill Rebecca – Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier
Best Original Story Arise, My Love – Benjamin Glazer and John S. Toldy ‡ Comrade X – Walter Reisch Edison, the Man – Hugo Butler and Dore Schary My Favorite Wife – Leo McCarey, Samuel Spewack, and Bella Spewack The Westerner – Stuart N. Lake	Best Live Action Short Subject, One-Reel Quicker'n a Wink – Pete Smith and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ‡ London Can Take It! – Warner Bros. More About Nostradamus – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Siege – RKO Radio
Best Live Action Short Subject, Two-Reel Teddy, the Rough Rider – Warner Bros. ‡ Eyes of the Navy – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Service with the Colors – Warner Bros.	Best Short Subject – Cartoons The Milky Way – Rudolf Ising, Fred Quimby and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ‡ Puss Gets the Boot – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer A Wild Hare – Leon Schlesinger and Warner Bros.
Best Original Score Pinocchio – Leigh Harline, Paul Smith and Ned Washington ‡ Arizona – Victor Young Dark Command – Victor Young The Fight for Life – Louis Gruenberg The Great Dictator – Meredith Willson The House of the Seven Gables – Frank Skinner The Howards of Virginia – Richard Hageman The Letter – Max Steiner The Long Voyage Home – Richard Hageman The Mark of Zorro – Alfred Newman My Favorite Wife – Roy Webb North West Mounted Police – Victor Young One Million B.C. – Werner R. Heymann Our Town – Aaron Copland Rebecca – Franz Waxman The Thief of Bagdad – Miklós Rózsa Waterloo Bridge – Herbert Stothart	Best Scoring Tin Pan Alley – Alfred Newman ‡ Arise, My Love – Victor Young Hit Parade of 1941 – Cy Feuer Irene – Anthony Collins Our Town – Aaron Copland The Sea Hawk – Erich Wolfgang Korngold Second Chorus – Artie Shaw Spring Parade – Charles Previn Strike Up the Band – Georgie Stoll and Roger Edens
Best Original Song *"When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio* – Music by Leigh Harline; Lyrics by Ned Washington ‡** "Down Argentine Way" from Down Argentine Way – Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon "I'd Know You Anywhere" from You'll Find Out – Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer "It's a Blue World" from Music in My Heart – Music and Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright "Love of My Life" from Second Chorus – Music by Artie Shaw; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer "Only Forever" from Rhythm on the River – Music by James V. Monaco; Lyrics by Johnny Burke "Our Love Affair" from Strike Up the Band – Music and Lyrics by Roger Edens and Arthur Freed "Waltzing in the Clouds" from Spring Parade – Music by Robert Stolz; Lyrics by Gus Kahn "Who Am I?" from Hit Parade of 1941 – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Walter Bullock	Best Sound Recording Strike Up the Band – Douglas Shearer ‡ Behind the News – Charles L. Lootens Captain Caution – Elmer Raguse The Grapes of Wrath – E. H. Hansen The Howards of Virginia – Jack Whitney Kitty Foyle – John O. Aalberg North West Mounted Police – Loren L. Ryder Our Town – Thomas T. Moulton The Sea Hawk – Nathan Levinson Spring Parade – Bernard B. Brown Too Many Husbands – John P. Livadary
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White Pride and Prejudice – Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse ‡ Arise, My Love – Hans Dreier and Robert Usher Arizona – Lionel Banks and Robert Peterson The Boys from Syracuse – John Otterson Dark Command – John Victor Mackay Foreign Correspondent – Alexander Golitzen Lillian Russell – Richard Day and Joseph C. Wright My Favorite Wife – Van Nest Polglase and Mark-Lee Kirk My Son, My Son! – John DuCasse Schulze Our Town – Lewis J. Rachmil Rebecca – Lyle R. Wheeler The Sea Hawk – Anton Grot The Westerner – James Basevi	Best Art Direction, Color The Thief of Bagdad – Vincent Korda ‡ Bitter Sweet – Cedric Gibbons and John S. Detlie Down Argentine Way – Richard Day and Joseph C. Wright North West Mounted Police – Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Rebecca – George Barnes ‡ Abe Lincoln in Illinois – James Wong Howe All This, and Heaven Too – Ernest Haller Arise, My Love – Charles Lang Boom Town – Harold Rosson Foreign Correspondent – Rudolph Maté The Letter – Tony Gaudio The Long Voyage Home – Gregg Toland Spring Parade – Joseph Valentine Waterloo Bridge – Joseph Ruttenberg	Best Cinematography, Color The Thief of Bagdad – Georges Périnal ‡ Bitter Sweet – Oliver T. Marsh and Allen Davey The Blue Bird – Arthur C. Miller and Ray Rennahan Down Argentine Way – Leon Shamroy and Ray Rennahan North West Mounted Police – Victor Milner and W. Howard Greene Northwest Passage – Sidney Wagner and William V. Skall
Best Film Editing North West Mounted Police – Anne Bauchens ‡ The Grapes of Wrath – Robert L. Simpson The Letter – Warren Low The Long Voyage Home – Sherman Todd Rebecca – Hal C. Kern	Best Special Effects The Thief of Bagdad – Photographic Effects: Lawrence W. Butler; Sound Effects: Jack Whitney ‡ The Blue Bird – Photographic Effects: Fred Sersen; Sound Effects: Edmund H. Hansen Boom Town – Photographic Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie; Sound Effects: Douglas Shearer The Boys from Syracuse – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Bernard B. Brown and Joe Lapis Dr. Cyclops – Photographic Effects: Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings Foreign Correspondent – Photographic Effects: Paul Eagler; Sound Effects: Thomas T. Moulton The Invisible Man Returns – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Bernard B. Brown and William Hedgcock The Long Voyage Home – Photographic Effects: R. T. Layton and Ray Binger; Sound Effects: Thomas T. Moulton One Million B.C. – Photographic Effects: Roy Seawright; Sound Effects: Elmer A. Raguse Rebecca – Photographic Effects: Jack Cosgrove; Sound Effects: Arthur Johns The Sea Hawk – Photographic Effects: Byron Haskin; Sound Effects: Nathan Levinson Swiss Family Robinson – Photographic Effects: Vernon L. Walker; Sound Effects: John O. Aalberg Typhoon – Photographic Effects: Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings; Sound Effects: Loren L. Ryder Women in War – Photographic Effects: Howard J. Lydecker, William Bradford and Ellis J. Thackery; Sound Effects: Herbert Norsch

Academy Honorary Awards

Bob Hope "in recognition of his unselfish services to the Motion Picture Industry".
Colonel Nathan Levinson "for his outstanding service to the industry and the Army during the past nine years, which has made possible the present efficient mobilization of the motion picture industry facilities for the production of Army Training Films".

Ceremony information

For the first time, names of all winners remained secret until the moment they received their awards, a practice that has continued ever since. Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a six-minute direct radio address to the attendees from the White House. It is the first time an American president participated in the event.

Multiple nominations and awards

Films with multiple nominations
Nominations	Film
11	Rebecca
7	The Grapes of Wrath
7	The Letter
6	Foreign Correspondent
	The Long Voyage Home
	Our Town
	The Philadelphia Story
5	The Great Dictator
	Kitty Foyle
	North West Mounted Police
4	Arise, My Love
	The Sea Hawk
	Spring Parade
	The Thief of Bagdad
3	All This, and Heaven Too
	Down Argentine Way
	My Favorite Wife
	Strike Up the Band
	The Westerner
2	Abe Lincoln in Illinois
	Arizona
	Bitter Sweet
	The Blue Bird
	Boom Town
	The Boys from Syracuse
	Dark Command
	Hit Parade of 1941
	The Howards of Virginia
	One Million B.C.
	Pinocchio
	Second Chorus
	Waterloo Bridge

Films with multiple awards
Awards	Film
3	The Thief of Bagdad
2	The Grapes of Wrath
The Philadelphia Story
Pinocchio
Rebecca

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References

↑ "1941: THE 13TH ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS". Oscars.org. December 10, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
1 2 3 Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 835. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.
↑ Inside Oscar, Mason Wiley and Damien Boa, Ballantine Books (1986) pg. 103-107
↑ "The 13th Academy Awards (1941) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.

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[1] "1941: THE 13TH ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS". Oscars.org. December 10, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2020.

[Oscars_'40_Notes-2] 1 2 3 Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 835. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.

[3] Inside Oscar, Mason Wiley and Damien Boa, Ballantine Books (1986) pg. 103-107

[Oscars1941-4] "The 13th Academy Awards (1941) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.

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