32nd Academy Awards

32nd Academy Awards
32nd Academy Awards
Date	April 4, 1960
Site	RKO Pantages Theatre, (Hollywood, California)
Hosted by	Bob Hope
Produced by	Arthur Freed
Directed by	Alan Handley
Highlights
Best Picture	Ben-Hur
Most awards	Ben-Hur (11)
Most nominations	Ben-Hur (12)
TV in the United States
Network	NBC
	← 31st ; Academy Awards ; 33rd →;

Last updated March 06, 2025

The 32nd Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 4, 1960, at the RKO Pantages Theatre, to honor the films of 1959.

William Wyler's Bible epic Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars, breaking the record of nine set the previous year by Gigi . This total was later tied by Titanic in 1997 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003. Wyler became the third (and most recent) person to win more than two Best Director awards (following Frank Capra and John Ford), as well as the only person to date to direct three Best Picture winners (following Mrs. Miniver in 1942 and The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946).

Most of the stars were absent as a result of an incident involving Jerry Lewis' staging of the closing number at the previous year's Oscars^[1] and of a four-week actors' strike.^[1] The studios had their final pullout of support for the Academy during the year, in a sentiment echoed by Paramount Pictures, which remarked, "why should Paramount sponsor a show that sponsors only MGM's Ben-Hur?"^[1]

A highlight of the ceremony came during the presentation of the award for Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: absent winner Stanley Shapiro (for Pillow Talk ) had his co-winner, Maurice Richlin, ask presenter Tony Curtis to read his acceptance speech, which read, "I'm trapped downstairs in the gentleman's lounge. It seems I rented a faulty tuxedo. I'd like to thank you upstairs for this great honor." The audience roared in laughter.^[2]

Awards

William Wyler, Best Director winner

Charlton Heston, Best Actor winner

Simone Signoret, Best Actress winner

Hugh Griffith, Best Supporting Actor winner

Shelley Winters, Best Supporting Actress winner

Stanley Shapiro, Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen co-winner

Maurice Richlin, Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen co-winner

Jacques Cousteau, Best Live Action Short Film winner

Miklós Rózsa, Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture winner

André Previn, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture co-winner

Ken Darby, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture co-winner

Jimmy Van Heusen, Best Song co-winner

Sammy Cahn, Best Song co-winner

Edward Carfagno, Best Art Direction, Color co-winner

Ralph E. Winters, Best Film Editing co-winner

Nominations announced on February 22, 1960. Winners are listed first and highlighted with boldface.^[3]

Best Motion Picture	Best Directing
Ben-Hur – Sam Zimbalist, producer (posthumous award)‡ Anatomy of a Murder – Otto Preminger, producer The Diary of Anne Frank – George Stevens, producer The Nun's Story – Henry Blanke, producer Room at the Top – John Woolf and James Woolf, producers	William Wyler – Ben-Hur ‡ George Stevens – The Diary of Anne Frank Fred Zinnemann – The Nun's Story Jack Clayton – Room at the Top Billy Wilder – Some Like It Hot
Best Actor	Best Actress
*Charlton Heston – Ben-Hur* as Judah Ben-Hur** ‡ Laurence Harvey – Room at the Top as Joe Lampton Jack Lemmon – Some Like It Hot as Jerry/"Daphne" Paul Muni – The Last Angry Man as Dr. Sam Abelman James Stewart – Anatomy of a Murder as Paul Biegler	*Simone Signoret – Room at the Top* as Alice Aisgill*‡ Doris Day – Pillow Talk* as Jan Morrow Audrey Hepburn – The Nun's Story as Sister Luke Katharine Hepburn – Suddenly, Last Summer as Violet Venable Elizabeth Taylor – Suddenly, Last Summer as Catherine Holly
Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Best Actress in a Supporting Role
*Hugh Griffith – Ben-Hur* as Sheik Ilderim** ‡ Arthur O'Connell – Anatomy of a Murder as Parnell McCarthy George C. Scott – Anatomy of a Murder as Claude Dancer Robert Vaughn – The Young Philadelphians as Chester A. "Chet" Gwynn Ed Wynn – The Diary of Anne Frank as Albert Dussell	*Shelley Winters – The Diary of Anne Frank* as Petronella van Daan** ‡ Hermione Baddeley – Room at the Top as Elspeth Susan Kohner – Imitation of Life as Sarah Jane Juanita Moore – Imitation of Life as Annie Johnson Thelma Ritter – Pillow Talk as Alma
Best Writing (Story and Screenplay -- Written Directly for the Screen)	Best Writing (Screenplay -- Based on Material from Another Medium)
Pillow Talk – Story by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene; Screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin ‡ The 400 Blows – François Truffaut and Marcel Moussy North by Northwest – Ernest Lehman Operation Petticoat – Story by Paul King, Joseph J. Stone; Screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin Wild Strawberries – Ingmar Bergman (Refused Nomination)	Room at the Top – Neil Paterson based on the novel by John Braine ‡ Anatomy of a Murder – Wendell Mayes based on the novel by Robert Traver Ben-Hur – Karl Tunberg based on the novel by Lew Wallace The Nun's Story – Robert Anderson based on the novel by Kathryn Hulme Some Like It Hot – Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond based on a story by Robert Thoeren and M. Logan
Best Foreign Language Film	Best Documentary (Feature)
Black Orpheus (France)‡ The Bridge (West Germany) The Great War (Italy) Paw (Denmark) The Village on the River (Netherlands)	Serengeti Shall Not Die – Bernhard Grzimek ‡ The Race for Space – David L. Wolper
Best Documentary (Short Subject)	Best Short Subject (Live Action)
Glass – Bert Haanstra Donald in Mathmagic Land – Walt Disney From Generation to Generation – Edward F. Cullen	The Golden Fish – Jacques Cousteau ‡ Between the Tides – Ian Ferguson Mysteries of the Deep – Walt Disney The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film – Peter Sellers Skyscraper – Shirley Clarke and Willard Van Dyke
Best Short Subject (Cartoon)	Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)
Moonbird – John Hubley ‡ Mexicali Shmoes – John W. Burton Noah's Ark – Walt Disney The Violinist – Ernest Pintoff	Ben-Hur – Miklós Rózsa ‡ The Diary of Anne Frank – Alfred Newman The Nun's Story – Franz Waxman On the Beach – Ernest Gold Pillow Talk – Frank De Vol
Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)	Best Music (Song)
Porgy and Bess – André Previn and Ken Darby ‡ The Five Pennies – Leith Stevens Li'l Abner – Nelson Riddle and Joseph J. Lilley Say One for Me – Lionel Newman Sleeping Beauty – George Bruns	*"High Hopes" from A Hole in the Head* – Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn** ‡ "The Best of Everything" from The Best of Everything – Music by Alfred Newman; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn "The Five Pennies" from The Five Pennies – Music and Lyrics by Sylvia Fine "The Hanging Tree" from The Hanging Tree – Music by Jerry Livingston; Lyrics by Mack David "Strange Are The Ways of Love" from The Young Land – Music by Dimitri Tiomkin; Lyrics by Ned Washington
Best Sound	Best Art Direction (Black-and-White)
Ben-Hur – Franklin Milton ‡ Journey to the Center of the Earth – Carlton W. Faulkner Libel – A. W. Watkins The Nun's Story – George Groves Porgy and Bess – Gordon E. Sawyer and Fred Hynes	The Diary of Anne Frank – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and George W. Davis; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Stuart A. Reiss ‡ Career – Art Direction: Hal Pereira and Walter Tyler; Set Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Arthur Krams The Last Angry Man – Art Direction: Carl Anderson; Set Decoration: William Kiernan Some Like It Hot – Art Direction: Ted Haworth; Set Decoration: Edward G. Boyle Suddenly, Last Summer – Art Direction: Oliver Messel and William Kellner; Set Decoration: Scott Slimon
Best Art Direction (Color)	Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)
Ben-Hur – Art Direction: William A. Horning (posthumous award) and Edward Carfagno; Set Decoration: Hugh Hunt ‡ The Big Fisherman – Art Direction: John DeCuir; Set Decoration: Julia Heron Journey to the Center of the Earth – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler, Franz Bachelin and Herman A. Blumenthal; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Joseph Kish North by Northwest – Art Direction: William A. Horning (posthumous nomination), Robert F. Boyle, and Merrill Pye; Set Decoration: Henry Grace and Frank R. McKelvy Pillow Talk – Art Direction: Richard H. Riedel (posthumous nomination); Set Decoration: Russell A. Gausman and Ruby R. Levitt	The Diary of Anne Frank – William C. Mellor ‡ Anatomy of a Murder – Sam Leavitt Career – Joseph LaShelle Some Like It Hot – Charles Lang The Young Philadelphians – Harry Stradling, Sr.
Best Cinematography (Color)	Best Costume Design (Black-and-White)
Ben-Hur – Robert Surtees ‡ The Big Fisherman – Lee Garmes The Five Pennies – Daniel L. Fapp The Nun's Story – Franz Planer Porgy and Bess – Leon Shamroy	Some Like It Hot – Orry-Kelly ‡ Career – Edith Head The Diary of Anne Frank – Charles LeMaire and Mary Wills The Gazebo – Helen Rose The Young Philadelphians – Howard Shoup
Best Costume Design (Color)	Best Film Editing
Ben-Hur – Elizabeth Haffenden ‡ The Best of Everything – Adele Palmer The Big Fisherman – Renié The Five Pennies – Edith Head Porgy and Bess – Irene Sharaff	Ben-Hur – Ralph E. Winters and John D. Dunning ‡ Anatomy of a Murder – Louis R. Loeffler North by Northwest – George Tomasini The Nun's Story – Walter Thompson On the Beach – Frederic Knudtson
Best Special Effects
Ben-Hur – Visual Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie and Robert MacDonald; Audible Effects by Milo B. Lory ‡ Journey to the Center of the Earth – Visual Effects by L. B. Abbott and James B. Gordon; Audible Effects by Carl Faulkner

Honorary Awards

To Lee De Forest for his pioneering inventions which brought sound to the motion picture. (Statuette)
To Buster Keaton for his unique talents which brought immortal comedies to the screen. (Statuette)

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Bob Hope

Presenters and performers

Presenters

Richard Conte and Angie Dickinson (Presenters: Art Direction Awards)
Gary Cooper (Presenter: Best Motion Picture)
Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh (Presenters: Writing Awards)
Edward Curtiss (Presenter: Cinematography Awards)
Arlene Dahl and Fernando Lamas (Presenters: Costume Design Awards)
Doris Day (Presenter: Best Original Song)
Olivia de Havilland (Presenters: Best Supporting Actor)
Edmond O'Brien (Presenters: Best Supporting Actress)
Mitzi Gaynor (Presenter: Documentary Awards)
Haya Harareet (Presenter: Best Special Effects)
Susan Hayward (Presenter: Best Actor)
Rock Hudson (Presenter: Best Actress)
Eric Johnston (Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film)
B. B. Kahane (Presenter: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award)
Gene Kelly (Presenter: Music Awards)
Hope Lange and Carl Reiner (Presenters: Short Subjects Awards)
Barbara Rush (Presenter: Best Film Editing)
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood (Presenters: Best Sound Recording)
John Wayne (Presenter: Best Director)

Performers

André Previn, conductor the Academy Awards orchestra
Sammy Davis Jr. ("High Hopes" from A Hole in the Head )
Gogi Grant ("Strange Are the Ways of Love" from The Young Land )
Joni James ("The Five Pennies" from The Five Pennies )
Frankie Laine ("The Hanging Tree" from The Hanging Tree )
Frankie Vaughan ("The Best of Everything" from The Best of Everything )

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations:

12 nominations: Ben-Hur
8 nominations: The Diary of Anne Frank and The Nun's Story
7 nominations: Anatomy of a Murder
6 nominations: Room at the Top and Some Like It Hot
5 nominations: Pillow Talk
4 nominations: The Five Pennies , Porgy and Bess
3 nominations: The Big Fisherman ; Career ; Journey to the Center of the Earth ; North by Northwest ; Suddenly, Last Summer and The Young Philadelphians
2 nominations: The Best of Everything , Imitation of Life , The Last Angry Man and On the Beach

The following films received multiple awards.

11 wins: Ben-Hur
3 wins: The Diary of Anne Frank
2 wins: Room at the Top

References

1 2 3 Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 841. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.
↑ "Room at the Top and Pillow Talk Win Writing Awards: 1960 Oscars". YouTube . February 18, 2014.
↑ "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.

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[Oscars_'59_Notes-1] 1 2 3 Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 841. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.

[2] "Room at the Top and Pillow Talk Win Writing Awards: 1960 Oscars". YouTube . February 18, 2014.

[Oscars1960-3] "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.

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