27th Academy Awards

Summary

The 27th Academy Awards were held on March 30, 1955 to honor the best films of 1954, hosted by Bob Hope at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood with Thelma Ritter hosting from the NBC Century Theatre in New York City.

27th Academy Awards
DateMarch 30, 1955
SiteRKO Pantages Theatre
Hollywood, California and
NBC Century Theatre
New York City, New York
Hosted byBob Hope (Hollywood) and
Thelma Ritter (New York City)
Highlights
Best PictureOn the Waterfront
Most awardsOn the Waterfront (8)
Most nominationsOn the Waterfront (12)
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC

On the Waterfront led the ceremony with twelve nominations and eight wins, including Best Picture. Its total wins tied the record of Gone with the Wind (1939) and From Here to Eternity (1953), though those each had thirteen nominations. It was the third film to receive five acting nominations, and the first to receive three in the Best Supporting Actor category. A "rematch" occurred in the category of Best Actor between Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart following Bogart's upset victory three years earlier. In an upset (Bing Crosby was the favored nominee), Brando won, now seen as one of the greatest Best Actor wins in Oscar history.[1] This was Brando's fourth consecutive nomination for Best Actor (starting with A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951), a record that remains unmatched to this day. Graciously and humbly, Brando remarked in his acceptance speech that he was "sure it was going to be Bing."[2]

In an even bigger upset, Grace Kelly won Best Actress for The Country Girl over Judy Garland, who was heavily favored to win for A Star Is Born.[2] Garland could not attend the ceremony, having recently given birth to her third child; cameramen were present in her home so she could give an acceptance speech, only to awkwardly leave when Kelly was announced as the winner. Groucho Marx later sent her a telegram expressing that her loss was "the biggest robbery since Brink's".[3]

Dorothy Dandridge became the first African American actress to receive a nomination for Best Actress.

Winners and nominees edit

 
Elia Kazan; Best Director winner
 
Marlon Brando; Best Actor winner
 
Grace Kelly; Best Actress winner
 
Edmond O'Brien; Best Supporting Actor winner
 
Eva Marie Saint; Best Supporting Actress winner
 
Budd Schulberg; Best Story and Screenplay winner
 
Walt Disney; Best Documentary Feature winner
 
Sammy Cahn; Best Original Song co-winner

Awards edit

Nominees were announced on February 12, 1955. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.[4]

Best Motion Picture Best Director
Best Actor Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress
Best Screenplay Best Story and Screenplay
Best Story Best Documentary Feature
Best Documentary Short Subject Best Live Action Short Subject, One-Reel
Best Live Action Short Subject, Two-Reel Best Short Subject - Cartoons
Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Best Scoring of a Musical Picture
Best Song Best Sound Recording
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White Best Art Direction, Color
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Best Cinematography, Color
Best Costume Design, Black-and-White Best Costume Design, Color
Best Film Editing Best Special Effects

Academy Honorary Awards edit

Best Foreign Language Film edit

Presenters and performers edit

Presenters edit

Performers edit

Multiple nominations and awards edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Premiere. "100 Greatest Performances of All Time: 24-1". Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 840. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.
  3. ^ The Biographicon. "Judy Garland – Biography". Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  4. ^ "The 27th Academy Awards (1955) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.

External links edit