The Academy Awards: 1934

It's time to have a look at the Academy Award winners, nominees and the snubs for 1934.

BEST PICTURE:
Winner: It Happened One Night, Nominees: The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Cleopatra, Flirtation Walk, The Gay Divorcee, Here Comes the Navy, The House of Rothschild, Imitation of Life, One Night of Love, The Thin Man, Viva Villa!, The White Parade

BEST ACTOR:
Winner: Clark Gable in "It Happened One Night", Nominees: Frank Morgan in "Affairs of Cellini", William Powell in "The Thin Man"

BEST ACTRESS:
Winner: Claudette Colbert in "It Happened One Night", Nominees: Grace Moore in "One Night of Love", Norma Shearer in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street", Bette Davis in "Of Human Bondage" (a write-in candidate)

BEST DIRECTOR:
Winner: Frank Capra for "It Happened One Night", Nominees: Victor Schertzinger for "One Night of Love", W.S. Van Dyke for "The Thin Man"

Oscar Snubs and Omissions:
Myrna Loy in "The Thin Man
Marlene Dietrich in "The Scarlet Empress"
Bette Davis in "Of Human Bondage" (she was a write-in candidate but more on that later)
W.C. Fields in "It's A Gift"
Joseph Von Sternberg for directing "The Scarlet Empress"
Howard Hawks for directing "Twentieth Century"
John Barrymore in "Twentieth Century"
Edgar Ulmer for directing "The Black Cat"
Leslie Howard in "Of Human Bondage"

Film Snubs and Omissions:
Of Human Bondage
The Scarlet Empress
The Black Cat
Twentieth Century
It's A Gift

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

An honorable mention goes to "The Black Cat" for it's cinematography and art direction/set design

John Barrymore and Carole Lombard's performances in "Twentieth Century"

Leslie Howard and Bette Davis for their outstanding performances in "Of Human Bondage" as well as John Cromwell for directing.

Oscar Fun Facts and Trivia for 1934:

The ceremony was held in March of 1935 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles and hosted by Irvin S. Cobb. It had been held at the Ambassador Hotel the previous three years and at the Biltmore previously in 1931.

This would be the first year that Oscars weren't handed out for performances, films spanning over two years and the way it would be going forward.

"It Happened One Night" would be the first film to claim a "clean sweep" , winning the golden statue for all five of the top categories, Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Best Screenplay. A feat not duplicated again until 1976 with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" then again for "Silence of the Lambs" in 1992.

There was such a controversy, outrage over Bette Davis not being nominated for her performance in "Of Human Bondage" that the Academy allowed for a write-in candidate for the first time in Oscar history. Write-in candidates would be allowed until after 1935.

Three new categories would be introduced this year. Best Editing, Best Original Score and Best Original Song. (I'm sure all of you can think of one or two Best Song winners over the years that you just shook your head at)

The musical/comedy "One Night of Love" received the most nominations with 6 and it won two, Best Musical Score and Best Sound Recording.

This would be the first year that both leads won the Best Actor/Actress Oscar with Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable winning for "It Happened One Night". This would be one of three career nominations for Clark and his only Oscar win. Claudette also broke records for starring in three Best Picture nominees with "It Happened One Night", Imitation of Life" and "Cleopatra" that year. I don't think anyone would dispute her Academy Award win. (well, perhaps Bette)

Walt Disney would pick up his third consecutive Oscar in the Short Subject: Cartoon category for "The Tortoise and the Hare" 

Shirley Temple, at the age of five at the time of the ceremony, received the first ever "Special/Juvenile" Oscar for her 'outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during 1934'. She was presented with a miniature version of Oscar.  Shirley appeared in 12 full length pictures during 1934, so you could say she was the hardest working person in pictures, not counting her downtime for naps and schooling of course.

The Best Picture category had a record 12 film nominees that year then in 1935 but it would then decrease to 10 then finally to five per year.

Thanks everyone for coming back for my Academy Award series as we approach the next Oscar season. Please enjoy the famous 'Hitchhiking Scene" from "It Happened One Night" and leave a comment about what you thought of the winners, losers and snubs for 1934.

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