18th Academy Awards

Date

March 7, 1946

Site

Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, California, USA

Host

James Stewart and Bob Hope

Highlights

Best Picture

The Lost Weekend

Most awards

The Lost Weekend (4)

Most nominations

The Bells of St. Mary's (8)

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Academy Awards

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The 18th Academy Awards was the first such ceremony after World War II. As a result, the ceremony featured more glamour than had been present during the war. Plaster statuettes that had been given out during the war years were replaced with bronze statuettes with gold plating. Despite this, director Billy Wilder's grim and socially significant drama The Lost Weekend took the top honors. It became the first film to win both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Palme d'Or. Joan Crawford was absent, claiming she had pneumonia (although it was said it was because she was sure she would not win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Mildred Pierce). As it turned out she did win, and the award was delivered to her while in bed that night.

Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.^[1]

Best Motion Picture	Best Director
Charles Brackett for Paramount Pictures - The Lost Weekend Joe Pasternak for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Anchors Aweigh Leo McCarey for RKO Radio Pictures - The Bells of St. Mary's Jerry Wald for Warner Bros. - Mildred Pierce David O. Selznick for United Artists - Spellbound	Billy Wilder – The Lost Weekend Clarence Brown – National Velvet Alfred Hitchcock – Spellbound Leo McCarey – The Bells of St. Mary's Jean Renoir – The Southerner
Best Actor	Best Actress
Ray Milland – The Lost Weekend Bing Crosby – The Bells of St. Mary's Gene Kelly – Anchors Aweigh Gregory Peck – The Keys of the Kingdom Cornel Wilde – A Song to Remember	Joan Crawford – Mildred Pierce Ingrid Bergman – The Bells of St. Mary's Greer Garson – The Valley of Decision Jennifer Jones – Love Letters Gene Tierney – Leave Her to Heaven
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
James Dunn – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Michael Chekhov – Spellbound John Dall – The Corn Is Green Robert Mitchum – The Story of G.I. Joe J. Carrol Naish – A Medal for Benny	Anne Revere – National Velvet Eve Arden – Mildred Pierce Ann Blyth – Mildred Pierce Angela Lansbury – The Picture of Dorian Gray Joan Lorring – The Corn Is Green
Best Original Screenplay	Best Adapted Screenplay
Marie-Louise – Richard Schweizer Music for Millions – Myles Connolly Salty O'Rourke – Milton Holmes What Next, Corporal Hargrove? – Harry Kurnitz Dillinger – Philip Yordan	The Lost Weekend – Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder The Story of G.I. Joe – Leopold Atlas, Guy Endore and Philip Stevenson A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Frank Davis and Tess Slesinger Mildred Pierce – Ranald MacDougall Pride of the Marines – Albert Maltz
Best Story	Best Animated Short Film
The House on 92nd Street – Charles G. Booth Objective, Burma! – Alvah Bessie The Affairs of Susan – László Görög and Thomas Monroe A Song to Remember – Ernst Marischka A Medal for Benny – John Steinbeck and Jack Wagner	Quiet Please! Donald's Crime Jasper and the Beanstalk Life with Feathers Mighty Mouse in Gypsy Life The Poet and Peasant Rippling Romance
Best Documentary Feature	Best Documentary Short
The True Glory The Last Bomb	Hitler Lives? Library of Congress To the Shores of Iwo Jima
Best Live Action Short Film, One-Reel	Best Live Action Short Film, Two-Reel
Stairway to Light – Herbert Moulton and Jerry Bresler Along the Rainbow Trail – Edmund Reek Screen Snapshots' 25th Anniversary – Ralph Staub Story of a Dog – Gordon Hollingshead White Rhapsody – Grantland Rice Your National Gallery – Joseph O'Brien and Thomas Mead	Star in the Night – Gordon Hollingshead A Gun in His Hand – Chester Franklin The Jury Goes Round 'N' Round – Jules White The Little Witch – George Templeton
Best Dramatic or Comedy Score	Best Musical Score
Spellbound – Miklos Rozsa Guest Wife – Daniele Amfitheatrof The Story of G.I. Joe – Louis Applebaum and Ann Ronell Flame of Barbary Coast – Dale Butts and Morton Scott The Bells of St. Mary's – Robert Emmett Dolan Brewster's Millions – Lou Forbes The Woman in the Window – Hugo Friedhofer and Arthur Lange The Man Who Walked Alone – Karl Hajos Captain Kidd – Werner Janssen Guest in the House – Werner Janssen The Southerner – Werner Janssen G. I. Honeymoon – Edward J. Kay The Keys of the Kingdom – Alfred Newman The Lost Weekend – Miklos Rozsa A Song to Remember – Miklos Rozsa and Morris Stoloff This Love of Ours – H. J. Salter The Valley of Decision – Herbert Stothart Paris Underground – Alexander Tansman Objective, Burma – Franz Waxman The Enchanted Cottage – Roy Webb Love Letters – Victor Young	Anchors Aweigh – Georgie Stoll Incendiary Blonde – Robert Emmett Dolan Wonder Man – Lou Forbes and Ray Heindorf Why Girls Leave Home – Walter Greene Rhapsody in Blue – Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner State Fair – Charles Henderson and Alfred Newman Sunbonnet Sue – Edward J. Kay Can't Help Singing – Jerome Kern and H. J. Salter Belle of the Yukon – Arthur Lange The Three Caballeros – Edward Plumb, Paul J. Smith and Charles Wolcott Hitchhike to Happiness – Morton Scott Tonight and Every Night – Marlin Skiles and Morris Stoloff
Best Original Song	Best Sound Recording
*"It Might as Well Be Spring" from State Fair* – Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II** "Accentuate the Positive" from Here Come the Waves – Music by Harold Arlen; Lyric by Johnny Mercer "Anywhere" from Tonight and Every Night – Music by Jule Styne; Lyric by Sammy Cahn "Aren't You Glad You're You" from The Bells of St. Mary's – Music by James Van Heusen; Lyric by Johnny Burke "The Cat and the Canary" from Why Girls Leave Home – Music by Jay Livingston; Lyric by Ray Evans "Endlessly" from Earl Carroll Vanities – Music by Walter Kent; Lyric by Kim Gannon "I Fall in Love Too Easily" from Anchors Aweigh – Music by Jule Styne; Lyric by Sammy Cahn "I'll Buy That Dream" from Sing Your Way Home – Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyric by Herb Magidson "Linda" from The Story of G.I. Joe – Music and Lyric by Ann Ronell "Love Letters" from Love Letters – Music by Victor Young; Lyric by Eddie Heyman "More and More" from Can't Help Singing – Music by Jerome Kern; Lyric by E. Y. Harburg "Sleighride in July" from Belle of the Yukon – Music by James Van Heusen; Lyric by Johnny Burke "So in Love" from Wonder Man – Music by David Rose; Lyric by Leo Robin "Some Sunday Morning" from San Antonio – Music by Ray Heindorf and M. K. Jerome; Lyric by Ted Koehler	The Bells of St. Mary's – Stephen Dunn, RKO Radio Studio Sound Department A Song to Remember – John P. Livadary, Columbia Studio Sound Department The Southerner – Jack Whitney, General Service They Were Expendable – Douglas Shearer, MGM Studio Sound Department The Unseen – Loren L. Ryder, Paramount Studio Sound Department Three Is a Family – W. V. Wolfe, RCA Sound Flame of Barbary Coast – Daniel J. Bloomberg, Republic Studio Sound Department Wonder Man – Gordon Sawyer, Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department Leave Her to Heaven – Thomas T. Moulton, Fox Studio Sound Department Lady on a Train – Bernard B. Brown, Universal Studio Sound Department The Three Caballeros – C. O. Slyfield, Walt Disney Studio Sound Department Rhapsody in Blue – Nathan Levinson, Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department
Best Art Direction, Black and White	Best Art Direction, Color
Blood on the Sun – Art Direction: Wiard Ihnen; Set Decoration: A. Roland Fields The Keys of the Kingdom – Art Direction: James Basevi and William S. Darling; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Frank E. Hughes Experiment Perilous – Art Direction: Albert S. D'Agostino and Jack Okey; Set Decoration: Darrell Silvera and Claude Carpenter Love Letters – Art Decoration: Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson; Set Decoration: Sam Comer and Ray Moyer The Picture of Dorian Gray – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Hans Peters; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, John Bonar and Hugh Hunt	Frenchman's Creek – Art Direction: Hans Dreier and Ernst Fegte; Set Decoration: Sam Comer National Velvet – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Urie McCleary; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Mildred Griffiths A Thousand and One Nights – Art Direction: Stephen Goosson and Rudolph Sternad; Set Decoration: Frank Tuttle San Antonio – Art Direction: Ted Smith; Set Decoration: Jack McConaghy Leave Her to Heaven – Art Direction: Lyle Wheeler and Maurice Ransford; Set Decoration: Thomas Little
Best Cinematography, Black and White	Best Cinematography, Color
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Harry Stradling Spellbound – George Barnes Mildred Pierce – Ernest Haller The Keys of the Kingdom – Arthur C. Miller The Lost Weekend – John F. Seitz	Leave Her to Heaven – Leon Shamroy The Spanish Main – George Barnes A Song to Remember – Tony Gaudio and Allen M. Davey Anchors Aweigh – Robert Planck and Charles P. Boyle National Velvet – Leonard Smith
Best Film Editing	Best Special Effects
National Velvet – Robert J. Kern Objective, Burma! – George Amy The Lost Weekend – Doane Harrison The Bells of St. Mary's – Harry Marker A Song to Remember – Charles Nelson	Wonder Man – Photography: John P. Fulton; Sound: Arthur Johns A Thousand and One Nights – Photography: Lawrence W. Butler; Sound: Ray Bomba Spellbound – Photography and Sound: Jack Cosgrove They Were Expendable – Photography: A. Arnold Gillespie, Donald Jahraus and R. A. MacDonald; Sound: Michael Steinore Captain Eddie – Photography: Fred Sersen and Sol Halprin; Sound: Roger Heman Sr. and Harry M. Leonard

Academy Honorary Award

Walter Wanger
The House I Live In
Republic Studio, Daniel J. Bloomberg and the Republic Sound Department

Academy Juvenile Award

Peggy Ann Garner

Presenters

Ingrid Bergman (Presenter: Best Actor)
Charles Boyer (Presenter: Best Actress)
Frank Capra (Presenter: Best Film Editing, Best Sound Recording, and Best Special Effects)
Bette Davis (Presenter: Writing Awards)
Y. Frank Freeman (Presenter: Short Subject Awards)
D.W. Griffith (Presenter: Best Cinematography)
Van Heflin (Presenter: Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor)
Eric Johnston (Presenter: Best Picture)
George Murphy (Presenter: Honorary Award to Peggy Ann Garner)
Donald Nelson (Presenter: Honorary Awards)
Ginger Rogers (Presenter: Best Art Direction)
Cesar Romero and Peter Viertel (Presenters: Show Introduction)
William Wyler (Presenter: Best Director)

Performers

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations:

8 nominations: The Bells of St. Mary's
7 nominations: The Lost Weekend
6 nominations: Mildred Pierce, A Song to Remember, Spellbound
5 nominations: Anchors Aweigh, National Velvet
4 nominations: The Keys of the Kingdom, Leave Her to Heaven, Love Letters, The Story of G.I. Joe, Wonder Man
3 nominations: Objective, Burma, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Southerner
2 nominations: Belle of the Yukon, Can't Help Singing, The Corn Is Green, Flame of Barbary Coast, A Medal for Benny, Rhapsody in Blue, San Antonio, State Fair, They Were Expendable, A Thousand and One Nights, The Three Caballeros, Tonight and Every Night, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Valley of Decision, Why Girls Leave Home

The following films received multiple awards.

4 wins: The Lost Weekend
2 wins: National Velvet

References

↑ "The 18th Academy Awards (1946) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-16.

Academy Awards

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Records Most wins per ceremony Oscar season History of film

Merit awards	Best Picture Directing Actor Actress Supporting Actor Supporting Actress Adapted Screenplay Original Screenplay Animated Feature Documentary Feature Foreign Language Film Animated Short Film Documentary Short Subject Live Action Short Film Cinematography Costume Design Film Editing Makeup and Hairstyling Original Score Original Song Best Original Musical Production Design Sound Editing Sound Mixing Visual Effects

Special awards	Academy Honorary Award Academy Scientific and Technical Award Gordon E. Sawyer Award Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation Special Achievement Academy Award Student Academy Award

Retired awards	Assistant Director Dance Direction Director of a Comedy Picture Engineering Effects Short Subject, Two-reel Short Subject, Comedy Short Subject, Novelty Original Story Title Writing Unique and Artistic Quality of Production Academy Juvenile Award

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