1939 in film Last updated August 09, 2025
Overview of the events of 1939 in film
1939 is considered by some critics to be the greatest year in the history of Hollywood. The ten films nominated for Best Picture at the 12th Academy Awards — Dark Victory , Gone with the Wind , Goodbye, Mr. Chips , Love Affair , Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , Ninotchka , Of Mice and Men , Stagecoach , The Wizard of Oz , and Wuthering Heights —range in genre and are considered classics. [ 1] [ 2] Hollywood produced a total of 527 feature films in 1939.
The Empire of Japan possessed a major national film industry in 1939, producing 582 films overall [ 3] . Over the course of the year, the Film Law brought film production under the direct control of the Japanese government.
The top ten 1939 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1939 Rank Title Distributor Domestic rentals 1 Gone with the Wind MGM /Selznick International $20,000,000 [ 4] 2 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Columbia $3,500,000 [ 5] 3 Jesse James 20th Century Fox $2,335,000 [ 6] 4 Babes in Arms MGM $2,311,000 [ 7] 5 The Wizard of Oz $2,048,000 [ 7] 6 Goodbye, Mr. Chips $1,777,000 [ 7] 7 Dodge City Warner Bros. $1,668,000 [ 8] 8 The Rains Came 20th Century Fox $1,656,000 [ 6] 9 The Women MGM $1,610,000 [ 7] 10 Drums Along the Mohawk 20th Century Fox $1,558,000 [ 6]
Events Film historians often rate 1939 as "the greatest year in the history of Hollywood". [ 9] [ 10] Hollywood studios were at the height of their Golden Age , producing a number of exceptional motion pictures, many of which became honored as all-time classic films.
February 15 – John Ford 's Western film Stagecoach starring John Wayne premieres in New York City and Los Angeles. March 31 – Release of the 20th Century Fox film version of The Hound of the Baskervilles , first of a Sherlock Holmes film series starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson . June 10 – MGM's first successful animated character, Barney Bear , makes his debut in The Bear That Couldn't Sleep . July – Principal photography begins for Germany's first colour feature film, Women Are Better Diplomats , as Joseph Goebbels forces the use of the experimental Agfacolor process. August 10 – The Wizard of Oz premieres at the Orpheum Theatre in Green Bay, Wisconsin . Its Hollywood premiere takes place on August 15 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. October 1 – The Film Law goes into effect in Japan as Imperial Rescript no. 66 [ 11] . October 17 – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington premieres in Washington, D.C. November 6 – Hedda Hopper's Hollywood debuts on radio in the United States with gossip columnist Hedda Hopper as host; the show runs until 1951, making Hopper a powerful figure among the Hollywood elite. December 15 – The epic historical romance film Gone with the Wind , starring Vivien Leigh , Clark Gable , Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard , premieres at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta , Georgia, with a three-day-long festival. Based on Margaret Mitchell 's best-selling novel of 1936, it is the longest American film made up to this date (at nearly four hours) and rapidly becomes the highest-grossing film up to this time . Canada establishes a National Film Commission, predecessor of the National Film Board of Canada , with John Grierson as first Commissioner. Nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Director The year 1939 was one in which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated ten films for Best Picture :
These films came from a wide variety of film genres and sources for their stories and settings, including: historical fiction (Gone with the Wind ), contemporary affairs (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Of Mice and Men ), love stories, classic novels (Wuthering Heights ), fantasies/musicals, (The Wizard of Oz ), tragic plays (Dark Victory ), westerns (Stagecoach ), and comedies (Ninotchka ).
Each of the five nominees for Best Director of 1939 were or went on to become a legendary film director with multiple acclaimed films to his credit: Frank Capra (previous winner of the award), Victor Fleming , John Ford (who won a record four Best Director awards), Sam Wood , and William Wyler (who leads all directors in nominations with 11 while having three wins).[ citation needed ]
Academy Awards Gone with the Wind received in all ten Academy Awards (eight competitive, two honorary) from thirteen nominations.
Animated short film series Births January 4 - Burt Sugarman , American film producer January 8 – Ruth Maleczech , American actress (died 2013 ) January 9 – Susannah York , English actress (died 2011 ) January 10 – Sal Mineo , American actor (died 1976 ) January 17 – Maury Povich , American television personality January 22 – Sonny Chiba , Japanese actor and martial artist (died 2021 ) January 26 – Scott Glenn , American actor January 30 – János Zsombolyai , Hungarian cinematographer, film director and screenwriter (died 2015 ) February 3 – Michael Cimino , American director, producer and screenwriter (died 2016 ) February 6 – Mike Farrell , American actor February 9 – Janet Suzman , South African actress and director February 10 - Peter Purves , British actor and television presenter February 16 – Angelo Infanti , Italian actor (died 2010 ) February 20 – Antonina Girycz , Polish actress (died 2022 ) February 23 - Denis Arndt , American actor (died 2025 ) February 24 – Marisa Mell , Austrian actress (died 1992 ) February 28 – Tommy Tune , American dancer, choreographer and actor March 1 - David Weatherley , British-born New Zealand actor (died 2024 ) March 4 March 5 March 7 – Michael Chow , Chinese-born British-American former actor March 14 March 21 – Marino Masé , Italian actor (died 2022 ) March 26 - Phillip R. Allen , American actor (died 2012 ) March 28 – Vic Vargas , Filipino actor (died 2003 ) March 29 – Terence Hill , Italian actor, director, screenwriter and producer April 1 – Ali MacGraw , American actress April 5 – Roger Davis , American actor April 7 – Francis Ford Coppola , director; producer; screenwriter April 9 – Romeo Vasquez , Filipino actor (died 2017 ) April 11 – Louise Lasser , American actress, writer and director April 13 – Paul Sorvino , American actor (died 2022 ) April 22 – Mark Jones , English actor (died 2010 ) April 23 May 4 – Paul Gleason , American actor (died 2006 ) May 7 May 13 – Harvey Keitel , American actor May 15 – Barbara Hammer , American filmmaker (died 2019 ) May 19 May 22 – Paul Winfield , American actor (died 2004 ) May 23 – Reinhard Hauff , German film director May 28 – Beth Howland , American actress (died 2015 ) May 30 – Michael J. Pollard , American actor (died 2019 ) June 4 – Henri Pachard , American film director (died 2008 ) June 8 June 11 – Christina Crawford , American actress June 15 - Daniel Richter , American mime and actor June 20 - Peter MacDonald , English director, cinematographer and producer June 24 – Michael Gothard , English actor (died 1992 ) June 25 – Barbara Montgomery , American actress and director July 1 July 5 – Sergio Di Stefano , Italian actor and voice actor (died 2010 ) July 15 July 16 – Corin Redgrave , British actor, political activist (died 2010 ) July 21 – Sondra James , American sound coordinator and actress (died 2021 ) July 22 - Gila Almagor , Israeli actress July 28 – Charles Cyphers , American actor (died 2024 ) July 30 – Peter Bogdanovich , American director, producer and screenwriter (died 2022 ) July 31 – France Nuyen , French actress August 1 – Terry Kiser , American actor August 2 August 4 – Mapita Cortés , Mexican actress (died 2006 ) August 6 - Steve Kahan , American character actor (died 2019 ) August 7 – Anjanette Comer , American actress August 9 – Bulle Ogier , French actress August 12 August 16 - Carole Shelley , English actress (died 2018 ) August 20 – Fernando Poe Jr. , Filipino actor (died 2004 ) August 23 – Fernando Luján , Mexican actor (died 2019 ) August 25 – John Badham , English-American director August 29 – Joel Schumacher , American film director, producer and screenwriter (died 2020 ) August 30 – Elizabeth Ashley , American actress September 1 – Lily Tomlin , American actress, comedian and producer September 5 September 8 - DeVeren Bookwalter , American actor and director (died 1987 ) September 11 – Tom Dreesen , American actor and stand-up comedian September 13 – Richard Kiel , American actor and voice artist (died 2014 ) September 22 - Bette Bourne , British actor, drag queen, campaigner and activist (died 2024 ) September 23 – Janusz Gajos , Polish actor September 27 – Garrick Hagon , Canadian film, stage, television and radio actor September 28 - Sandra Dorsey , American actress (died 2023 ) September 30 – Len Cariou , Canadian actor and director October 5 – Carmen Salinas , Mexican actress and comedian (died 2021 ) October 6 – Ellen Travolta , American actress October 8 – Paul Hogan , Australian comedian and actor October 10 - Laurel Cronin , American actress and singer (died 1992 ) October 13 – Melinda Dillon , American actress (died 2023 ) October 18 – Salme Poopuu , Estonian actress and filmmaker (died 2017 ) October 21 - Peter Vere-Jones , English-born New Zealand actor (died 2021 ) October 22 – Tony Roberts , American actor (died 2025 ) October 23 October 24 – F. Murray Abraham , American actor October 25 – Nikos Nikolaidis , Greek film director (died 2007 ) October 27 – John Cleese , English actor, comedian and producer October 28 – Jane Alexander , American actress October 29 – Elizabeth Moody , English-born New Zealand actress and director (died 2010 ) October 31 – Ron Rifkin , American actor November 1 - Barbara Bosson , American actress (died 2023 ) November 8 – Meg Wynn Owen , Welsh actress (died 2022 ) November 10 November 13 – G. R. Perera , Sri Lankan actor (died 2023 ) November 15 – Yaphet Kotto , American actor (died 2021 ) November 18 November 22 – Allen Garfield , American actor (died 2020 ) November 23 - Maria Gladys , Brazilian actress November 26 November 27 – Ulla Strömstedt , Swedish actress (died 1986 ) December 3 - Don Calfa , American character actor (died 2016 ) December 13 December 20 - Kathryn Joosten , American actress (died 2012) December 27 – John Amos , American actor (died 2024) December 28 – Gloria Manon , American actress (died 2018 ) Deaths January 19 – Tom Ricketts , 86, English actor, director, Love Bound , Thrill of Youth January 25 – Helen Ware , 61, American actress, Morning Glory , Abraham Lincoln February 22 – Joe Brandt , 56, American film producer and co-founder of C.B.C. which became Columbia Pictures April 22 – Ann Murdock , 48, American actress, Outcast , Please Help Emily May 5 – Clara Schønfeld , 82, Danish actress, Master of the House , Praesten i Vejlby June 9 – Owen Moore , 54, Irish actor, A Star is Born , She Done Him Wrong , The Red Mill , Cinderella August 23 – Sidney Howard , 48, American writer, Gone with the Wind , Dodsworth , Arrowsmith , A Lady to Love September 24 – Carl Laemmle , 72, German producer, Frankenstein , Dracula , Bride of Frankenstein , The Phantom of the Opera October 13 – Ford Sterling , 55, American actor, Tango Tangles , The Show-Off , Between Showers October 23 – Zane Grey , 67, American writer, Fighting Caravans , Riders of the Purple Sage , Western Union , Born to the West October 28 – Alice Brady , 46, American actress, My Man Godfrey , Young Mr. Lincoln , The Gay Divorcee , In Old Chicago November 7 – Kirsti Suonio , 67, Finnish stage and film actress, Substitute Wife November 13 – George Nicholls, Jr. , 42, American director, Anne of Green Gables , Man of Conquest December 12 – Douglas Fairbanks , 56, American actor, The Thief of Bagdad , The Black Pirate , Robin Hood , Mr. Robinson Crusoe , and the father of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr . References ↑ Giltz, Michael (February 15, 2008). "Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 – The Best Year For Movies...Ever!" . The Huffington Post . Retrieved January 10, 2012 . ↑ Hischak, Thomas S. (2017). 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year Rowman & Littlefield . p. xi. ISBN 978-1-4422-7804-2 ↑ Hori, Hikari (2017). "Promiscuous Media: Film and Visual Culture in Imperial Japan, 1926-1945". Cornell University Press. p. 4. ↑ "All-Time Top Grossers" . Variety . September 25, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved June 23, 2025 . ↑ Eyman, Scott (1993). Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise . ISBN 0-8018-6558-1 Ninotchka's financial returns were less than those of the year's biggest hit, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , which made $3.5 million, but considerably more than other hits like The Old Maid ($1.4 million), Only Angels Have Wings ($1.1 million), or The Rains Came ($1.65 million). 1 2 3 "All-time Film Rental Champs". Variety . October 15, 1990. p. M162 to 166. 1 2 3 4 The Eddie Mannix Ledger , Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study ↑ 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 20 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551 ↑ Fristoe, Roger. "Introduction to 1939, Hollywood's Greatest Year" . Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2011 . ↑ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (October 2, 2009). "1939: Film's finest year" . Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2011 . ↑ High, Peter B. (2003). The Imperial Screen: Japanese Film Culture in the Fifteen Years' War, 1931-1945 . University of Wisconsin Press. p. 73. This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
