Awards & Winners

1939 Academy Awards

Check winners and nominations of 1939 Academy Awards. Check awards winners of 12th Academy Awards. (Click on the Award name to show winners and nominees)

12th Academy Awards

Academy Award for Best Story

Lewis R. Foster

Honored for : Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Lewis R. Foster Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Felix Jackson Bachelor Mother
Mildred Cram Love Affair
Leo McCarey Love Affair
Melchior Lengyel Ninotchka
Lamar Trotti Young Mr. Lincoln
Academy Honorary Award

William Cameron Menzies

Honored for : Gone with the Wind
(For outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood in the production of Gone with the Wind)
Academy Award for Best Short Film (Animated)

Walt Disney

Honored for : The Ugly Duckling

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Walt Disney The Ugly Duckling
Warner Bros. Entertainment Detouring America
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Peace on Earth
Walt Disney The Pointer
Academy Award for Best Actor

Robert Donat

Honored for : Goodbye, Mr. Chips
(Role: Mr. Chips)

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Mickey Rooney Babes in Arms
Role: Mickey Moran
Robert Donat Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Role: Mr. Chips
Clark Gable Gone with the Wind
Role: Rhett Butler
Laurence Olivier Wuthering Heights
Role: Heathcliff
James Stewart Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Role: Jefferson Smith
Academy Award for Best Original Music Score

Herbert Stothart

Honored for : The Wizard of Oz

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Herbert Stothart The Wizard of Oz
Max Steiner Dark Victory
Werner Janssen Eternally Yours
Victor Young Golden Boy
Max Steiner Gone with the Wind
Victor Young Gulliver's Travels
Lud Gluskin The Man in the Iron Mask
Lucien Moraweck The Man in the Iron Mask
Victor Young Man of Conquest
Anthony Collins Nurse Edith Cavell
Aaron Copland Of Mice and Men
Alfred Newman The Rains Came
Alfred Newman Wuthering Heights
Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay

Sidney Howard

Honored for : Gone with the Wind

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Sidney Howard Gone with the Wind
Claudine West Goodbye, Mr. Chips
R. C. Sherriff Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Eric Maschwitz Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Ben Hecht Wuthering Heights
Charles MacArthur Wuthering Heights
Billy Wilder Ninotchka
Walter Reisch Ninotchka
Charles Brackett Ninotchka
Sidney Buchman Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Academy Award for Best Short Subject, One-reel

Paramount Pictures

Honored for : Busy Little Bears

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
RKO Pictures Information Please: Series 1, No. 1
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Prophet Without Honor
Warner Bros. Entertainment Sword Fishing
Paramount Pictures Busy Little Bears
Academy Award for Best Picture

Selznick International Pictures

Honored for : Gone with the Wind

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Samuel Goldwyn Productions Wuthering Heights
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer The Wizard of Oz
Stagecoach
Hal Roach Of Mice and Men
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Ninotchka
Columbia Pictures Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
RKO Pictures Love Affair
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Warner Bros. Entertainment Dark Victory
David O. Selznick Gone with the Wind
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Gone with the Wind
Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing

Bernard B. Brown

Honored for : When Tomorrow Comes
(Universal Studio Sound Department)

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Bernard B. Brown When Tomorrow Comes
Universal Studio Sound Department
Douglas Shearer Balalaika
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department
Thomas T. Moulton Gone with the Wind
Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department
A.W. Watkins Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Denham Studio Sound Department
Loren L. Ryder The Great Victor Herbert
Paramount Studio Sound Department
John O. Aalberg The Hunchback of Notre Dame
RKO Radio Studio Sound Department
Charles L. Lootens Man of Conquest
Republic Studio Sound Department
John P. Livadary Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Columbia Studio Sound Department
Elmer Raguse Of Mice and Men
Hal Roach Studio Sound Department
Nathan Levinson The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department
Edmund H. Hansen The Rains Came
20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department
Academy Award for Best Original Song

Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg

Honored for : Over the Rainbow
(The Wizard of Oz)

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Harold Arlen Over the Rainbow
The Wizard of Oz
Yip Harburg Over the Rainbow
The Wizard of Oz
Ralph Rainger Faithful Forever
Gulliver's Travels
Leo Robin Faithful Forever
Gulliver's Travels
Irving Berlin I Poured My Heart Into a Song
Second Fiddle
Buddy De Sylva Wishing
Love Affair
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects

Edmund H. Hansen, Fred Sersen

Honored for : The Rains Came

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Fred Sersen The Rains Came
Edmund H. Hansen The Rains Came
Jack Cosgrove Gone with the Wind
Fred Albin Gone with the Wind
Arthur Johns Gone with the Wind
Roy Davidson Only Angels Have Wings
Edwin C. Hahn Only Angels Have Wings
Byron Haskin The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Nathan Levinson The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Roy Seawright Topper Takes a Trip
Farciot Edouart Union Pacific
Gordon Jennings Union Pacific
Loren L. Ryder Union Pacific
A. Arnold Gillespie The Wizard of Oz
Douglas Shearer The Wizard of Oz
Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Thomas Mitchell

Honored for : Stagecoach
(Role: Dr. Josiah Boone)

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Thomas Mitchell Stagecoach
Role: Dr. Josiah Boone
Brian Donlevy Beau Geste
Role: Sergeant Markoff
Brian Aherne Juarez
Role: Emperor Maximilian von Habsburg
Claude Rains Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Role: Senator Joseph Paine
Harry Carey Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Role: President of the Senate
Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Two-reel

Warner Bros. Entertainment

Honored for : Sons of Liberty

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
RKO Pictures Five Times Five
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Drunk Driving
Warner Bros. Entertainment Sons of Liberty
Academy Award for Best Actress

Vivien Leigh

Honored for : Gone with the Wind
(Role: Scarlett O'Hara)

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Vivien Leigh Gone with the Wind
Role: Scarlett O'Hara
Bette Davis Dark Victory
Role: Judith Traherne
Irene Dunne Love Affair
Role: Terry McKay
Greta Garbo Ninotchka
Role: Lena Yakushova (Ninotchka)
Greer Garson Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Role: Katherine Chipping
Academy Award for Best Film Editing

James E. Newcom, Hal C. Kern

Honored for : Gone with the Wind

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Hal C. Kern Gone with the Wind
James E. Newcom Gone with the Wind
Charles Frend Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Gene Havlick Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Al Clark Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Barbara McLean The Rains Came
Otho Lovering Stagecoach
Dorothy Spencer Stagecoach
Academy Award for Best Director

Victor Fleming

Honored for : Gone with the Wind

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Sam Wood Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Frank Capra Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
John Ford Stagecoach
William Wyler Wuthering Heights
Victor Fleming Gone with the Wind
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Hattie McDaniel

Honored for : Gone with the Wind
(Role: Mammy)

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Maria Ouspenskaya Love Affair
Role: Grandmother, Mme. Marnay
Edna May Oliver Drums Along the Mohawk
Role: Sarah McKlennar
Geraldine Fitzgerald Wuthering Heights
Role: Isabella
Olivia de Havilland Gone with the Wind
Role: Melanie Hamilton
Hattie McDaniel Gone with the Wind
Role: Mammy
Academy Award for Best Cinematography

Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan

Honored for : Gone with the Wind

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Ernest Haller Gone with the Wind
Ray Rennahan Gone with the Wind
Sol Polito The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
W. Howard Greene The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Ray Rennahan Drums Along the Mohawk
NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.
Bert Glennon Drums Along the Mohawk
NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.
Georges Périnal The Four Feathers
NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.
Osmond Borradaile The Four Feathers
NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.
William V. Skall The Mikado
NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.
Bernard Knowles The Mikado
NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.
Harold Rosson The Wizard of Oz
NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.
Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White

Gregg Toland

Honored for : Wuthering Heights

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Gregg Toland Wuthering Heights
Bert Glennon Stagecoach
Joseph A. Valentine First Love
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.
Victor Milner The Great Victor Herbert
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.
Joseph H. August Gunga Din
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.
Gregg Toland Intermezzo
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.
Tony Gaudio Juarez
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.
George J. Folsey Lady of the Tropics
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.
Joseph Walker Only Angels Have Wings
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.
Arthur Charles Miller The Rains Came
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.
Norbert Brodine Of Mice and Men
[NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.]
Academy Award for Best Original Music Score

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Herbert Stothart The Wizard of Oz
Max Steiner Dark Victory
Werner Janssen Eternally Yours
Victor Young Golden Boy
Max Steiner Gone with the Wind
Victor Young Gulliver's Travels
Lud Gluskin The Man in the Iron Mask
Lucien Moraweck The Man in the Iron Mask
Victor Young Man of Conquest
Anthony Collins Nurse Edith Cavell
Aaron Copland Of Mice and Men
Alfred Newman The Rains Came
Alfred Newman Wuthering Heights
Academy Award for Best Screenplay

Sidney Howard

Honored for : Gone with the Wind
(Posthumously. 'Sidney Howard (I)' became the first posthumous Oscar nominee and winner.)

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Sidney Howard Gone with the Wind
Eric Maschwitz Goodbye, Mr. Chips
R. C. Sherriff Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Claudine West Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Sidney Buchman Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Charles Brackett Ninotchka
Walter Reisch Ninotchka
Billy Wilder Ninotchka
Ben Hecht Wuthering Heights
Charles MacArthur Wuthering Heights
Academy Award for Best Production Design

Lyle R. Wheeler

Honored for : Gone with the Wind

Nominations »

Nominee Nominated Work
Lyle R. Wheeler Gone with the Wind
Hans Dreier Beau Geste
Robert Odell Beau Geste
Charles D. Hall Captain Fury
Martin Obzina First Love
Jack Otterson First Love
Van Nest Polglase Love Affair
Alfred Herman Love Affair
John Victor Mackay Man of Conquest
Lionel Banks Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Anton Grot The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
George Dudley The Rains Came
William S. Darling The Rains Came
Alexander Toluboff Stagecoach
Cedric Gibbons The Wizard of Oz
William A. Horning The Wizard of Oz
James Basevi Wuthering Heights
Academy Honorary Award

Douglas Fairbanks

(recognizing the unique and outstanding contribution of Douglas Fairbanks, first President of the Academy, to the international development of the motion picture)
Academy Juvenile Award

Judy Garland

(for her outstanding performance as a screen juvenile during the past year)
Academy Honorary Award

Motion Picture & Television Fund

(acknowledging the outstanding services to the industry during the past year of the Motion Picture Relief Fund and its progressive leadership. Presented to Jean Hersholt, President; Ralph Morgan, Chairman of the Executive Committee; Ralph Block, First Vice-President; and Conrad Nagel)
Academy Honorary Award

Technicolor SA

(for its contributions in successfully bringing three-color feature production to the screen)
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

George Anderson

(of Warner Bros. Studio for an improved positive head for sun arcs. [Lighting])
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

John Arnold

(for the M-G-M mobile camera crane. [Camera Cranes])
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Thomas T. Moulton, Fred Albin, Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department

(for the origination and application of the Delta db test to sound recording in motion pictures. [Laboratory])
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Farciot Edouart, Joseph E. Robbins, William Rudolph, Paramount Pictures

(for the design and construction of a quiet portable treadmill. [Stage Operations])
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Emery Huse, Ralph B. Atkinson

(for their specifications for chemical analysis of photographic developers and fixing baths. [Laboratory])
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Harold Nye

(for a miniature incandescent spot lamp. [Lighting])
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

A. J. Tondreau

(for the design and manufacture of an improved sound track printer. [Laboratory])
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

F. R. Abbott, Haller Belt, Alan Cook, Bausch & Lomb

(for faster projection lenses)
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Mitchell Camera

(for a new type process projection head)
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Mole-Richardson

(for a new type automatically controlled projection arc lamp)
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Charles Handley, David Joy, National Carbon Company

(for improved and more stable high-intensity carbons)
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Winton Hoch, Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation

(for an auxiliary optical system)
Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement

Don Musgrave, Selznick International Pictures

(for pioneering in the use of coordinated equipment in the production, Gone with the Wind.)