1943 Oscars

Here is the list of nominees, winners, and who, in my humble opinion, should have won the Oscar in all the categories.

The winner is in bold - my choice is underlined.

Outstanding Motion Picture

Mrs. Miniver – Sidney Franklin for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

49th Parallel – Michael Powell for Ortus

Kings Row – Hal B. Wallis for Warner Bros.

The Magnificent Ambersons – Orson Welles for Mercury and RKO Radio

The Pied Piper – Nunnally Johnson for 20th Century Fox

The Pride of the Yankees – Samuel Goldwyn for Samuel Goldwyn Productions and RKO Radio

Random Harvest – Sidney Franklin for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The Talk of the Town – George Stevens for Columbia

Wake Island – Joseph Sistrom for Paramount

Yankee Doodle Dandy – Jack L. Warner, Hal B. Wallis, and William Cagney for Warner Bros.

Mine wasn't nominated. My choice is Woman of the Year. - 8.23/10

2nd place = Talk of the Town - 8.22/10

3rd place - The Pride of the Yankees - 8.06/10

My least favourite movie was Flying with Music.

Best Directing

William Wyler – Mrs. Miniver

Sam Wood – Kings Row

Mervyn LeRoy – Random Harvest

John Farrow – Wake Island

Michael Curtiz – Yankee Doodle Dandy

I agree with the Academy here. LeRoy in a close second.

Best Actor

James Cagney – Yankee Doodle Dandy as George M. Cohan

Ronald Colman – Random Harvest as Charles Rainier

Gary Cooper – The Pride of the Yankees as Lou Gehrig

Walter Pidgeon – Mrs. Miniver as Clem Miniver

Monty Woolley – The Pied Piper as Howard

I have a soft spot for Colman which just pipped Cooper for me in this year's actors' awards. But it's not just for Random Harvest as I think he as very good in The Talk of the Town too, so it was a solid year's performance all round. 2nd time I've given the award to Colman.

Best Actress

Greer Garson – Mrs. Miniver as Kay Miniver

Bette Davis – Now, Voyager as Charlotte Vale

Katharine Hepburn – Woman of the Year as Tess Harding

Rosalind Russell – My Sister Eileen as Ruth Sherwood

Teresa Wright – The Pride of the Yankees as Eleanor Twitchell Gehrig

Gotta go Hepburn here. Such range and made a pretty terrible character endearing. My third best actress Oscar for her in my books.

It's a shame Rosalind Russell wasn't nominated.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Van Heflin – Johnny Eager as Jeff Hartnett

William Bendix – Wake Island as Private Aloysius K. Randall

Walter Huston – Yankee Doodle Dandy as Jerry Cohan

Frank Morgan – Tortilla Flat as The Pirate

Henry Travers – Mrs. Miniver as James Ballard

I liked Morgan best for this year although Huston was my second favourite. A first-time winner in my books.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Teresa Wright – Mrs. Miniver as Carol Beldon

Gladys Cooper – Now, Voyager as Windle Vale

Agnes Moorehead – The Magnificent Ambersons as Fanny Minafer

Susan Peters – Random Harvest as Kitty Chilcet

May Whitty – Mrs. Miniver as Lady Beldon

Totally agree with the Academy here. Another firsts-time winner in my books. Peters was also really great.

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

Woman of the Year – Michael Kanin and Ring Lardner Jr.

One of Our Aircraft Is Missing – Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

Road to Morocco – Frank Butler and Don Hartman

Wake Island – W. R. Burnett and Frank Butler

The War Against Mrs. Hadley – George Oppenheimer

Agree again!

Best Writing (Screenplay)

Mrs. Miniver – George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West, and Arthur Wimperis, based on the Mrs. Miniver newspaper columns by Jan Struther

49th Parallel – Rodney Ackland and Emeric Pressburger, based on a story by Emeric Pressburger

The Pride of the Yankees – Herman J. Mankiewicz and Jo Swerling, based on a story by Paul Gallico

Random Harvest – George Froeschel, Claudine West, and Arthur Wimperis, based on the novel by James Hilton

The Talk of the Town – Sidney Buchman and Irwin Shaw, based on a story by Sidney Harmon

Best Writing (Original Motion Picture Story)

49th Parallel – Emeric Pressburger‡

Holiday Inn – Irving Berlin

The Pride of the Yankees – Paul Gallico

The Talk of the Town – Sidney Harmon

Yankee Doodle Dandy – Robert Buckner

For me, this one goes to The Talk of the Town.

Best Documentary

The Battle of Midway – John Ford and United States Navy

Kokoda Front Line! – Ken G. Hall and Australian News and Information Bureau

Moscow Strikes Back – Artkino

Prelude to War – Frank Capra and United States Army Special Services

Africa, Prelude to Victory – The March of Time

Combat Report – United States Army Signal Corps

Conquer by the Clock – Frederic Ullman Jr. Slavko Vorkapich

The Grain That Built a Hemisphere – Walt Disney

Henry Browne, Farmer – United States Department of Agriculture

High Over the Borders – National Film Board of Canada

High Stakes in the East – The Netherlands Information Bureau

Inside Fighting China – National Film Board of Canada

It's Everybody's War – United States Office of War Information

Listen to Britain – British Ministry of Information

Little Belgium – Belgian Ministry of Information

Little Isles of Freedom – Victor Stoloff and Edgar Loew

Mr. Blabbermouth! – United States Office of War Information

Mr. Gardenia Jones – United States Office of War Information

The New Spirit – Walt Disney

The Price of Victory – William H. Pine

A Ship Is Born – United States Merchant Marine

Twenty-One Miles – British Ministry of Information

We Refuse to Die – William C. Thomas

White Eagle – Concanen Films

Winning Your Wings – United States Army Air Force

Massive List!! And so many winners. For me, it's Kokoda Front Line! I'm probably biased because I'm Australian. Listen to Britain was pretty good too. Maybe I just don't lie American documentaries?

Best Short Subject (One-Reel)

Speaking of Animals and Their Families – Paramount

Desert Wonderland – 20th Century Fox

Marines in the Making – Pete Smith

United States Marine Band – Warner Bros.

Not a lot to go on here. All were very boring but had some novelty.

Best Short Subject (Two-Reel)

Beyond the Line of Duty – Warner Bros.

Don't Talk – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Private Smith of the U.S.A. – RKO Radio

Again, all were terrible.

Best Short Subject (Cartoon)

Der Fuehrer's Face – Walt Disney

All Out for "V" – Paul Terry

Blitz Wolf – Fred Quimby

Juke Box Jamboree – Walter Lantz

Pigs in a Polka – Leon Schlesinger

Tulips Shall Grow – George Pal

This was actually a fantastic category this year. I loved the winner and Blitz Wolf but Tulips Shall Grow was in the top movies for me overall. It was absolutely amazing and will stick with me for a long time.

Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)

Now, Voyager – Max Steiner

Arabian Nights – Frank Skinner

Bambi – Frank Churchill (posthumous nomination) and Edward H. Plumb

The Black Swan – Alfred Newman

The Corsican Brothers – Dimitri Tiomkin

Flying Tigers – Victor Young

The Gold Rush – Max Terr

I Married a Witch – Roy Webb

Joan of Paris – Roy Webb

Jungle Book – Miklós Rózsa

Klondike Fury – Edward J. Kay

The Pride of the Yankees – Leigh Harline

Random Harvest – Herbert Stothart

The Shanghai Gesture – Richard Hageman

Silver Queen – Victor Young

Take a Letter, Darling – Victor Young

The Talk of the Town – Frederick Hollander and Morris Stoloff

To Be or Not to Be – Werner R. Heymann

That's a lot of nominees! Random Harvest gets it for me. A first-time winner.

Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)

Yankee Doodle Dandy – Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld

Flying with Music – Edward Ward

For Me and My Gal – Roger Edens and Georgie Stoll

Holiday Inn – Robert E. Dolan

It Started with Eve – Charles Previn and Hans J. Salter

Johnny Doughboy – Walter Scharf

My Gal Sal – Alfred Newman

You Were Never Lovelier – Leigh Harline

Holiday Inn for this one. First-time winner in my books.

Best Music (Song)

"White Christmas" from Holiday Inn – Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

"Always in My Heart" from Always in My Heart – Music by Ernesto Lecuona; Lyrics by Kim Gannon

"Dearly Beloved" from You Were Never Lovelier – Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

"How About You?" from Babes on Broadway – Music by Burton Lane; Lyrics by Ralph Freed

"I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" from Orchestra Wives – Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

"I've Heard That Song Before" from Youth on Parade – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

"Love Is a Song" from Bambi – Music by Frank Churchill (posthumous nomination); Lyrics by Larry Morey

"Pennies for Peppino" from Flying with Music – Music by Edward Ward; Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright

"Pig Foot Pete" from Hellzapoppin' – Music by Gene de Paul; Lyrics by Don Raye

"There's a Breeze on Lake Louise" from The Mayor of 44th Street – Music by Harry Revel; Lyrics by Mort Greene

Iconic. No competition.

Best Sound Recording

Yankee Doodle Dandy – Nathan Levinson

Arabian Nights – Bernard B. Brown

Bambi – Sam Slyfield

Flying Tigers – Daniel J. Bloomberg

Friendly Enemies – Jack Whitney

The Gold Rush – James L. Fields

Mrs. Miniver – Douglas Shearer

Once Upon a Honeymoon – Stephen Dunn

The Pride of the Yankees – Thomas T. Moulton

Road to Morocco – Loren L. Ryder

This Above All – E. H. Hansen

You Were Never Lovelier – John P. Livadary

Very tricky one to judge but the Gold Rush came out top for me.

Best Art Direction (Black-and-White)

This Above All – Art Direction: Richard Day and Joseph C. Wright; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little

George Washington Slept Here – Art Direction: Max Parker and Mark-Lee Kirk; Interior Decoration: Casey Roberts

The Magnificent Ambersons – Art Direction: Albert S. D'Agostino; Interior Decoration: Al Fields and Darrell Silvera

The Pride of the Yankees – Art Direction: Perry Ferguson; Interior Decoration: Howard Bristol

Random Harvest – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Randall Duell; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Jack D. Moore

The Shanghai Gesture – Art Direction and Interior Decoration: Boris Leven

Silver Queen – Art Direction: Ralph Berger; Interior Decoration: Emile Kuri

The Spoilers – Art Direction: Jack Otterson and John B. Goodman; Interior Decoration: Russell A. Gausman and Edward R. Robinson

Take a Letter, Darling – Art Direction: Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson; Interior Decoration: Samuel M. Comer

The Talk of the Town – Art Direction: Lionel Banks and Rudolph Sternad; Interior Decoration: Fay Babcock

Hands down winner to The Magnificent Ambersons. First-time winner.

Best Art Direction (Color)

My Gal Sal – Art Direction: Richard Day and Joseph C. Wright; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little

Arabian Nights – Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen and Jack Otterson; Interior Decoration: Russell A. Gausman and Ira S. Webb

Captains of the Clouds – Art Direction: Ted Smith; Interior Decoration: Casey Roberts

Jungle Book – Art Direction: Vincent Korda; Interior Decoration: Julia Heron

Reap the Wild Wind – Art Direction: Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson; Interior Decoration: George Sawley

The Jungle Book. Amazing movie!

Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)

Mrs. Miniver – Joseph Ruttenberg

Kings Row – James Wong Howe

The Magnificent Ambersons – Stanley Cortez

Moontide – Charles G. Clarke

The Pied Piper – Edward Cronjager

The Pride of the Yankees – Rudolph Maté

Take a Letter, Darling – John J. Mescall

The Talk of the Town – Ted Tetzlaff

Ten Gentlemen from West Point – Leon Shamroy

This Above All – Arthur C. Miller

The Talk of The Town for me.

Best Cinematography (Color)

The Black Swan – Leon Shamroy

Arabian Nights – Milton Krasner, William V. Skall, and W. Howard Greene

Captains of the Clouds – Sol Polito

Jungle Book – W. Howard Greene

Reap the Wild Wind – Victor Milner and William V. Skall

To the Shores of Tripoli – Edward Cronjager and William V. Skall

Victor Milner's third cinematography award in my books!

Best Film Editing

The Pride of the Yankees – Daniel Mandell

Mrs. Miniver – Harold F. Kress

The Talk of the Town – Otto Meyer

This Above All – Walter A. Thompson

Yankee Doodle Dandy – George Amy

TTOFT again

Best Special Effects

Reap the Wild Wind – Photographic Effects: Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings, and William Pereira; Sound Effects: Louis Mesenkop

The Black Swan – Photographic Effects: Fred Sersen; Sound Effects: Roger Heman, Sr. and George Leverett

Desperate Journey – Photographic Effects: Byron Haskin; Sound Effects: Nathan Levinson

Flying Tigers – Photographic Effects: Howard Lydecker; Sound Effects: Daniel J. Bloomberg

Invisible Agent – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Bernard B. Brown

Jungle Book – Photographic Effects: Lawrence W. Butler; Sound Effects: William H. Wilmarth

Mrs. Miniver – Photographic Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe; Sound Effects: Douglas Shearer

The Navy Comes Through – Photographic Effects: Vernon L. Walker; Sound Effects: James G. Stewart

One of Our Aircraft Is Missing – Photographic Effects: Ronald Neame; Sound Effects: C. C. Stevens

The Pride of the Yankees – Photographic Effects: Jack Cosgrove and Ray Binger; Sound Effects: Thomas T. Moulton

I agree with the Academy here.