Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

IT 9N THE MARCH by RED KANN HOLLYWOOD jjr^HE annual race is about to begin. The I Academy nominations are in. Next step I in the formalized procedure provides for Droximately 9,000 members of the produc1^ colony to determine by secret ballot their ections in the various divisions of this always cresting competition. Ballots for this final die-casting are to be riled to voters February 19. On the evening March 15 from the stage of Grauman's Chie once again sealed envelopes will be turned ;r to whoever makes the announcements, ey will open them before the waiting group, [lays a cross-section of Hollywood's finest, jl give forth with the bated news. Who wins ,at is known in advance of The Word to Sitors of Price, Waterhouse and Company to no one else. That's the way it is. ,t is common practice and, it is also precari; fun, for those who are sometimes viewed as th-sayers and crystal gazers, to put a head jcourageous steam in the boilers and forecast at the outcome will be. Lots of folks here ' 1 be airing their choices with their usual jn conviction. The lucky ones will strike a |h percentage. The unlucky simply will be lucky. We are usually one of them. I ardsticks and Such il OWEVER, first a word of explanation I~| is required. Academy awards are supI posed to be based on the best on each psification. Now the best in point of achievept is not always the best at the boxoffice, jich is a flat statement exhibitors and many ers will greet with pronounced snorts, ivertheless, these are awards of merit — the |isure of artistic integrity, the reaches of ftsmen's ability. It is on this approach we ) into the perilous unknown : E Best Motion Picture of the Year: "he Nominations: "Double Indemnity," •amount; "Gaslight," MGM; "Going My ly," Paramount; "Since You Went Away," L-Selznick International; "Wilson," 20th itury-Fox. ^he Winner: "Wilson." E Best Performance by an Actor: "he Nominations: Charles Boyer in "Gasit"; Bing Crosby in "Going My Way"; rry Fitzgerald in "Going My Way"; Gary mt in "None But the Lonely Heart" ; RKO iio, Alexander Knox in "Wilson." he Winner: Alexander Knox. Explanatory agraph shows up later. e Best Performance by an Actress : ' 7fe Nominations : Ingrid Bergman in "Gasit," Claudette Colbert in "Since You Went ay," Bette Davis in "Mr. Skeffington," irner; Greer Garson in "Mrs. Parkington," iM; Barbara Stanwyck in "Double Indemr." "he Winner: Bette Davis. E Best Performance by an Actor in a pporting Role: \he Nominations: Hume Cronyn in "The I'enth Cross," MGM; Barry Fitzgerald in ping My Way," Claude Rains in "Mr. Skeffkon," Clifton Webb in "Laura," 20th Ceny-Fox; Monty Woolley in "Since You Went ■ay." "he Winner: Barry Fitzgerald. Explanatory agraph isn't far of¥ now. E Best Performance by an Actress in a PPORTING Role: 'he Nominations: Ethel Barrymore in "None But the Lonely Heart," Jennifer Jones in "Since You Went Away," Angela Lansbury in "Gaslight," Aline McMahon in "Dragon Seed," MGM; Agnes Moorehead in "Mrs. Parkington." The Winner: Ethel Barrymore. The Best Achievement in Direction : The Nominations: Billy Wilder for "Double Indemnity," Leo McCarey for "Going My Way," Otto Preminger for "Laura," Alfred Hitchcock for "Lifeboat," 20th CenturyFox; Henry King for "Wilson." The Winner: Henry King. The Best Written Screenplay: The Nominations: Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler for "Double Indemnity" ; John Van Druten, Walter Reisch and John L. Balderston for "Gaslight"; Frank Butler and Frank Cavett for "Going My Way"; Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein and Betty Reinhardt for "Laura" ; Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe for "Meet Me in St. Louis," MGM. The Winner: Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler. The Best Original Screenplay: The Nominations: Preston Sturges for "Hail the Conquering Hero," Paramount; Sturges also for "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek," Paramount; Richard Connell and Gladys Lehman for "Two Girls and a Sailor," 20th Century-Fox ; Lamar Trotti for "Wilson" ; Jerome Cady for "Wing and a Prayer," 20th CenturyFox. The Winner: Preston Sturges for "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek." The Best Original Motion Picture Story: The Nominations: Leo McCarey for "Going My Way" ; Chandler Sprague and David Boehm for "A Guy Named Joe"; John Steinbeck for "Lifeboat" ; Alfred Neumann and Joseph Than for "None Shall Escape," Columbia; Edward Doherty and Jules Schermer for "The Sullivans," 20th Century-Fojc. The Winner: Leo McCarey. Technological contestants, this year as last, are consciously overridden on the ground the majority carry no widespread interest beyond Hollywood and because specialized knowledge, not among our assets, is required to make the evaluations. In this area are awards for art direction for black-and-white and color photography, sound recording, special effects, best scoring of a musical film, best music score for a drama or comedy and best original song. Foregone as well is any analysis of short subjects because many nominees have not been seen and because the Academy this year does not intend screening the list of entries. Angles and Such HERE comes the explanatory paragraph twice alluded to earlier. Unusual is the state of affairs regarding Barry Fitzgerald. For the first time in the history of Academy awards an actor has been nominated in the best actor as well as in the best supporting actor group. Because he was not the principal, but the principal supporting player of the principal (Bing Crosby, of course) in "Going My Way," our brave ballot selects him as winner in the supporting player classification. In our opinion, this leaves the way clear for Alexander Knox as best actor. Academy rules, as now constituted, are responsible for Fitzgerald's dual nomination. "Performance by an actor or actress in any supporting • role may be nominated for either the best acting awara or the award lor supporting player," it says in the book of rules. However, the book does not state a single individual is ineligible for both. Thus, Fitzgerald is entered in both. The efYect, of course, remains to be seen. It can take several turns. It could bring about a split of votes for Fitzgerald which perhaps may crowd him out of either category, which would be a transgression of justice if ever there were one. Moreover, Fitzgerald is now in competition with Crosby on best actor and this, in turn, could leave its mark on Bing's chances for winning place in that division. There is this, too. Almost without fail criticism is pointed at the Academy each year. Time was when the awards ceremonies were accompanied by a dinner which crowded and bored everyone stifif. That disappeared when a theatre was elected as the scene of the event. It is our guess now there will be criticism anew over the Fitzgerald circumstance and further cracks taken at the so-called "reminder" list which held the number of entries to those which had a chance so that need to scan the hundreds of pictures eligible under Academy regulations might be reduced. But it occurs to us that the democratic and complete process which should have prevailed was one which was entered in plodding column all those films which had the right to appear. This would have resulted in a "reminder" list worthy of its name. It would have imposed a job upon those who nominate to run through it, of course, but it would not have been too much of a job for those who take the awards with the degree of seriousness which they deserve and, presumably, get. In another sense, the edited "reminder" list is unfortunate in the bearing it might have on the relationship between the studios and their producing personnel. If all the eligibles had been entered, there could not have been the recorded instance of "The Hitler Gang" about which no one was reminded. This attraction, a very worthy one, was not mentioned and, since it was not. Buddy De Sylva and John Farrowwent to paid space to provide their own refresher that their film was decidedly in the running if anyone wanted to cast votes its way. It never should have happened. O'Connor Heads Comnnittee For Catholic Charities John J. O'Connor, vice-president of Universal Pictures, has been named chairman of the film industry division of the special gifts committee of the Archbishop's Committee of the Laity for the 1945 appeal of New York Catholic Charities, it was announced Wednesday by John A. Coleman, executive chairman of the committee. Serving with Mr. O'Connor will be Bert Sanford, of Altec Service Corporation, vice-chairman. Postmaster General Frank C. Walker is treasurer, and George J. Schaefer is assistant treasurer of the committee. Blanche Livingston Promoted Harry Mandel, national director of advertising and publicity for RKO Theatres, has assigned Blanche F. Livingston, long a member of his staff, to handle publicity, promotion and exploitation for the RKO out-of-town theatres from the home office. Connecticut Allied To Meet -Allied Theatre Owners of Connecticut will hold the first luncheon meeting of the new year February 13 in New Haven with Dr. J. B. Fishman presiding. Maxwell Alderman, executive secretary and representative at the recent national Allied States board meeting in Columbus, will report on that meeting. Toronto Bans Midnight Shows In a move to control juvenile delinquency, the Toronto Board of Police Commissioners have banned all midnight shows. TION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 10, 1945 21