1938 in film

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Last updated October 28, 2024

The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1938 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1938
Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	RKO/Walt Disney	$3,996,000^[1]^[2]
2	Boys Town	MGM	$2,828,000^[3]
3	Alexander's Ragtime Band	20th Century Fox	$2,630,000^[4]
4	Test Pilot	MGM	$2,431,000^[3]
5	You Can't Take It with You	Columbia	$2,182,000^[4]
6	Sweethearts	MGM	$2,017,000^[5]
7	In Old Chicago	20th Century Fox	$1,964,000^[4]
8	The Adventures of Robin Hood	Warner Bros.	$1,928,000^[6]
9	Love Finds Andy Hardy	MGM	$1,637,000^[3]
10	Marie Antoinette	MGM	$1,633,000^[3]

Events

January – MGM announces that Judy Garland will be cast in the role of Dorothy Gale in the upcoming The Wizard of Oz film. Ray Bolger is cast as the Tin Woodman and Buddy Ebsen as the Scarecrow. At Bolger's insistence, the roles are switched between the two actors. On July 25, MGM announces Bert Lahr has been cast as the Cowardly Lion.
January 21 – Pioneering French film director Georges Méliès, best remembered for groundbreaking films like A Trip to the Moon and The Impossible Voyage , dies in Paris, aged 76.
February 4 – Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , the first-ever full-length animated feature film, is released nationally in the United States, less than two months after its premiere in Los Angeles. The film is a huge box office success, and briefly holds the record as the highest-grossing sound film of all time.
February 24 – The entertainment trade newspaper Variety confirms that the film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) had bought the rights to adapt L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for the screen
April 5 – Noel Langley completes the first script for The Wizard of Oz.
April 20 – Leonard Slye appears in his first starring role as Roy Rogers in Under Western Stars . He becomes one of the most popular Western stars being ranked number one from 1943 to 1952 and would become known as "King of the Cowboys".
May 7 – Lyricist Yip Harburg and composer Harold Arlen begin work on the musical score for The Wizard of Oz.
May 14 – Release of Warner Bros.' epic swashbuckler film The Adventures of Robin Hood , starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Critically acclaimed for its vivid use of Technicolor, as well as its memorable action scenes, the film goes on to win three Academy Awards.
October 13 – Filming starts on The Wizard of Oz on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio lot in Culver City, California, initially with Richard Thorpe as director.
October 21 – Buddy Ebsen suffers from a near fatal allergic reaction to the aluminum dust used in his Tin Woodman make-up on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Ebsen is replaced by Jack Haley.
December 22 – MGM's first feature film in three-strip Technicolor, Sweethearts , starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, is released.
December 23 – Margaret Hamilton is severely burned during a mishap on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Hamilton, cast in the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, leaves the film for six weeks.
Orson Welles makes Too Much Johnson , starring Joseph Cotten. It is never completed and first released only in 2013.
Producer George Minter establishes Renown Pictures, a British film distributor.^[7]

Academy Awards

Best Picture: You Can't Take It with You – Columbia
Best Director: Frank Capra – You Can't Take It with You
Best Actor: Spencer Tracy – Boys Town
Best Actress: Bette Davis – Jezebel
Best Supporting Actor: Walter Brennan – Kentucky
Best Supporting Actress: Fay Bainter – Jezebel

1938 film releases

January–March

January 1938
- January 6
  - In Old Chicago
February 1938
- February 4
  - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
March 1938
- March 26
  - Jezebel

April–June

April 1938
- April 7
  - The Adventures of Marco Polo
- April 22
  - Test Pilot
May 1938
- May 14
  - The Adventures of Robin Hood
June 1938
- June 2
  - Three Comrades

July–September

July 1938
- July 8
  - Marie Antoinette
August 1938
- August 5
  - Alexander's Ragtime Band
- August 9
  - Four Daughters
September 1938
- September 9
  - Boys Town
- September 16
  - Too Hot to Handle
- September 29
  - You Can't Take It with You

October–December

October 1938
- October 14
  - Young Dr. Kildare
November 1938
- November 11
  - If I Were King
December 1938
- December 22
  - Sweethearts

Notable films released in 1938

United States unless stated

Serials

Dick Tracy Returns , starring Ralph Byrd
The Fighting Devil Dogs , starring Lee Powell and Herman Brix
Flaming Frontiers
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars , starring Buster Crabbe
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
Hawk of the Wilderness , starring Herman Brix
The Lone Ranger
The Secret of Treasure Island
The Spider's Web
Red Barry

Comedy film series

Harold Lloyd (1913–1938)
Charlie Chaplin (1914–1940)
Lupino Lane (1915–1939)
Buster Keaton (1917–1944)
Laurel and Hardy (1921–1945)
Our Gang (1922–1944)
Marx Brothers (1929–1937)
The Three Stooges (1934–1959)

Animated short film series

Krazy Kat (1925–1940)
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927-1938)
Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
Silly Symphonies
- The Moth and the Flame
- Wynken, Blynken and Nod
- Farmyard Symphony
- Merbabies
- Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
Screen Songs (1929-1938)
Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
Terrytoons (1930–1964)
Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
Scrappy (1931–1941)
Betty Boop (1932–1939)
Popeye (1933–1957)
Happy Harmonies (1934-1938)
Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
Donald Duck (1937–1956)
Walter Lantz Cartunes (also known as New Universal Cartoons or Cartune Comedies) (1938–1942)
The Captain and the Kids (1938–1939)

Births

January 1 – Frank Langella, American actor
January 3 – Tom Bower, American actor (died 2024)
January 4 – Jim Norton, Irish character actor
January 6 – Larisa Shepitko, Soviet director (died 1979)
January 8 – Bob Eubanks, American television personality and game show host
January 9 – Nobuhiko Obayashi, Japanese filmmaker (died 2020)^[8]
January 12 – Lewis Fiander, Australian actor (died 2016)
January 13
- William B. Davis, Canadian actor
- Billy Gray, American actor
January 14 – Jack Jones, American singer, actor (died 2024)
January 16 - Michael Pataki, American actor (died 2010)
January 21 – Doug Lennox, Canadian actor and writer (died 2015)
January 26 – Henry Jaglom, English-born director and playwright
January 29 – Aminah Cendrakasih, Indonesian actress (died 2022)
February 1 - Sherman Hemsley, American actor (died 2012)
February 2 – Bo Hopkins, American actor (died 2022)
February 3
- Marshall Efron, American actor (died 2019)
- John Mahon, American actor (died 2020)
February 12 – Oliver Reed, English actor (died 1999)
February 16 - Barry Primus, American actor, director and writer
February 17 – Yvonne Romain, English actress
February 19 – René Muñoz, Cuban-born actor, Mexico-based screenwriter (died 2000)
February 20 – Richard Beymer, American actor and film maker
February 22 – Karin Dor, German actress (died 2017)
February 23
- Jiří Menzel, Czech director (died 2020)
- Diane Varsi, American actress (died 1992)
February 24
- James Farentino, American actor (died 2012)
- Robert A. Silverman, Canadian actor
February 25
- Diane Baker, American actress and producer
- Malcolm Tierney, English actor (died 2014)
March 4 – Paula Prentiss, American actress
March 5 – Fred Williamson, American actor
March 9 – Charles Siebert, American actor and television director (died 2022)
March 10 - Micole Mercurio, American actress (died 2016)
March 18 – Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor (died 2017)
March 25 – Hoyt Axton, American country music singer-songwriter, actor (died 1999)
April 2 – Hans-Michael Rehberg, German actor (died 2017)
April 6 – Roy Thinnes, American actor
April 15 – Claudia Cardinale, Italian actress
April 18 - Madge Sinclair, Jamaican actress (died 1995)
April 20 - Michael Greer, American actor and comedian (died 2002)
April 21 - Reni Santoni, American actor (died 2020)
April 23 - Katsuo Nakamura, Japanese actor
May 5 – Michael Murphy, American actor
May 6 – Hartmut Becker, German actor (died 2022)
May 11 - Judy Farrell, American actress (died 2023)
May 12 - Luana Anders, American actress (died 1996)
May 13 – Buck Taylor, American actor
May 14 - Michael Preston, English actor
May 17 – Jason Bernard, American actor (died 1996)
May 19 – Bryan Marshall, British actor (died 2019)
May 22
- Richard Benjamin, American actor, director
- Frank Converse, American actor
- John Nolan, British actor
May 23 - Robert Watts, British film producer (died 2024)
May 24 – Tommy Chong, Canadian-American actor, writer, director, musician and comedian
June 7 – Ann Beach, British actress (died 2017)
June 12 – Tom Oliver, Australian actor
June 16 – Michael Culver, English actor (died 2024)
June 18 – Michael Sheard, Scottish actor (died 2005)
June 19 - Ian Smith (actor), Australian actor
June 21
- Ron Ely, American actor (died 2024)
- Celia Rodriguez, Filipina actress
June 25 – Giampiero Littera, Italian actor
June 27 – Kathryn Beaumont, English-American actress and singer
July 6 – Luana Patten, American actress (died 1996)
July 8 – Andrey Myagkov, Soviet/Russian actor (died 2021)
July 9 – Brian Dennehy, American actor (died 2020)
July 11 – Jiří Krampol, Czech actor
July 18 – Paul Verhoeven, Dutch director
July 20
- Diana Rigg, English actress (died 2020)
- Natalie Wood, American actress (died 1981)
July 22 – Terence Stamp, English actor
July 23 – Ronny Cox, American actor, singer-songwriter
July 25 – Pilar Seurat, Philippine-American actress (died 2001)
July 27 - Danielle De Metz, French actress
July 29 - Enzo G. Castellari, Italian director, screenwriter and actor
July 30 – Michael Bell, American actor
August 6
- Paul Bartel, American actor, writer and director (died 2000)
- Peter Bonerz, American actor and director
August 8 – Connie Stevens, American actress, singer
August 9 – Burton Gilliam, American actor
August 14 - James Fargo, American film director
August 15
- Ron Dean, American actor
- Lucille Soong, Chinese-American actress
August 19 – Diana Muldaur, American actress
August 26 – Susan Harrison, American actress (died 2019)
August 29 – Elliott Gould, American actor
September 2
- Clarence Felder, American actor
- Giuliano Gemma, Italian actor (died 2013)
- Mary Jo Catlett, American actress
September 8 – Philip L. Clarke, American voice actor (died 2013)
September 9 - Bill Raymond, American actor
September 12 – Michael Leader, English actor (died 2016)
September 26 – Jonathan Goldsmith, American character actor
September 28 – Ben E. King, American soul singer (died 2015)
October 1
- Tunç Başaran, Turkish screenwriter, film director, film producer and actor (died 2019)
- Tony Darrow, Italian-American actor
- Stella Stevens, American actress (died 2023)
October 2 – Rex Reed, American film critic and "actor"
October 4 – Loretta Long, American actress, voice artist and singer
October 10 – Steve Gordon, American filmmaker (died 1982)
October 12 - Geoff Murphy, New Zealand filmmaker, producer, director and screenwriter (died 2018)
October 13 – Christiane Hörbiger, Austrian actress (died 2022)
October 18
- Barbara Baldavin, American actress (died 2024)
- Dawn Wells, American actress (died 2020)
October 20 - Dolores Hart, American actress and nun
October 22
- Derek Jacobi, British actor
- Christopher Lloyd, American actor
October 30 – Ed Lauter, American actor and stand-up comedian (died 2013)
November 13 – Jean Seberg, American actress (died 1979)
November 20
- Ardeshir Kazemi, Iranian actor
- Dick Smothers, American actor, comedian, composer and musician
November 26 – Rich Little, Canadian-American voice actor
November 28 – Michael Ritchie, American director, producer and writer (died 2001)
December 6 – Patrick Bauchau, Belgian actor
December 12 - Leslie Schofield, English actor
December 14 – Hal Williams, American actor
December 16
- Neil Connery, Scottish actor (died 2021)
- Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress
December 18 – Roger E. Mosley, American actor, director and writer (died 2022)
December 21 – Larry Bryggman, American actor
December 24 - Philippe Nahon, French actor (died 2020)
December 28 - Frank Kelly, Irish actor (died 2016)
December 29 – Jon Voight, American actor

Deaths

January 19 – Robert McWade, 65, American actor, The Kennel Murder Case , The Dragon Murder Case , Cappy Ricks Returns , Mr. Cinderella
January 20 – Émile Cohl, 81, French film pioneer
January 21 – Georges Méliès, 76, French film pioneer, The Impossible Voyage , A Trip to the Moon , The Merry Frolics of Satan , The Conquest of the Pole
January 26 – Matthew Betz, 56, American actor, The Wedding March , The Patent Leather Kid , The Big House , The Hurricane Express
August 4 – Pearl White, 49, American silent film star, The Perils of Pauline , The Exploits of Elaine
August 6 – Warner Oland, 58, Swedish-born actor, The Jazz Singer , Shanghai Express , Charlie Chan in London , Charlie Chan at the Opera
September 19 – Pauline Frederick, 55, American stage & film actress, Thank You, Mr. Moto , Smouldering Fires , This Modern Age , Devil's Island
October 1 – Conway Tearle, 60, American stage & film actor, The Hurricane Express , Romeo and Juliet , Stella Maris , The Lost Zeppelin
December 25 – Harry Myers, 56, American film actor and director, City Lights , Baby
December 28 – Florence Lawrence, 48, Canadian actress, Hollywood's first "star", Lady Helen's Escapade , The Taming of the Shrew , The Mended Lute , Betrayed by a Handprint

Debuts

Eddie Albert – Brother Rat
Jack Albertson – Next Time I Marry
Hans Conried – Dramatic School
Dora Doll – The Curtain Rises
Peter Finch – Dad and Dave Come to Town
John Garfield – Swingtime in the Movies
William Holden – Prison Farm
Bob Hope – The Big Broadcast of 1938
Glynis Johns – South Riding
June Lockhart – A Christmas Carol
Jeffrey Lynn – When Were You Born
Roddy McDowall – John Halifax
Shirley Mills – Child Bride
Peggy Moran – Gold Diggers in Paris
Tom Neal – Out West with the Hardys
Maureen O'Hara – Kicking the Moon Around
Jon Pertwee – A Yank at Oxford
Vincent Price – Service de Luxe
Dub Taylor – You Can't Take It with You

References

↑ Jewell, Richard B. (1994). "RKO Film Grosses, 1929-1951: the C.J. Tevlin ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 14 (1): 37–49. doi:10.1080/01439689400260031.
↑ Jewell, Richard B. (1994). "Appendix 1". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 14 (S1): 1–11. doi:10.1080/01439689408604545.
1 2 3 4 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
1 2 3 "All-time Film Rental Champs". Variety . October 15, 1990.
↑ Turk, Edward Baron "Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald" (University of California Press, 1998)
↑ Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p 18 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
↑ McFarlane, Brian (2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film (fourth ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 1887. ISBN 9781526111968.
↑ Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia (1989). 34th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, 18-21 December 1989. Organizing Committee of 34th Asia-Pacific Film Festival.

External links

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[tevlin-1] Jewell, Richard B. (1994). "RKO Film Grosses, 1929-1951: the C.J. Tevlin ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 14 (1): 37–49. doi:10.1080/01439689400260031.

[tevlina-2] Jewell, Richard B. (1994). "Appendix 1". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 14 (S1): 1–11. doi:10.1080/01439689408604545.

[Mannix-3] 1 2 3 4 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[AllTime-4] 1 2 3 "All-time Film Rental Champs". Variety . October 15, 1990.

[Turk-5] Turk, Edward Baron "Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald" (University of California Press, 1998)

[warners-6] Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p 18 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551

[7] McFarlane, Brian (2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film (fourth ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 1887. ISBN 9781526111968.

[8] Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia (1989). 34th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, 18-21 December 1989. Organizing Committee of 34th Asia-Pacific Film Festival.

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