Oscar Winners

1930 All Quiet on the Western Front       Drama / Action N/R, 140 Minutes
Director: Lewis Milestone  
Starring: Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Raymond Griffith, Slim Summerville, Fred Zinnemann, Russell Gleason, Ben Alexander, Harold Goodwin, William Bakewell

 The horrors of war along the Western Front during World War I are experienced by a group of young German soldiers and are told in this powerful story about the futility of war. Paul Bauman (Lew Ayres) and his classmates arrive on the front lines ready for battle. Their sergeant, Katczinsky (Louis Wolheim), briefs them on how to survive, but that night one of them is shot, and they learn that they are low on supplies and food. Now, they face days and nights fighting from the trenches and realize that fighting for their country is not what they had once believed it would be. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director.

1930 All Quiet on the Western Front       Drama / Action N/R, 140 Minutes
Director: Lewis Milestone  
Starring: Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Raymond Griffith, Slim Summerville, Fred Zinnemann, Russell Gleason, Ben Alexander, Harold Goodwin, William Bakewell

 The horrors of war along the Western Front during World War I are experienced by a group of young German soldiers and are told in this powerful story about the futility of war. Paul Bauman (Lew Ayres) and his classmates arrive on the front lines ready for battle. Their sergeant, Katczinsky (Louis Wolheim), briefs them on how to survive, but that night one of them is shot, and they learn that they are low on supplies and food. Now, they face days and nights fighting from the trenches and realize that fighting for their country is not what they had once believed it would be. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director.

1929 Disraeli       Drama N/R, 89 Minutes
Director: Alfred E. Green  
Starring: George Arliss, Joan Bennett, Florence Arliss, Anthony Bushell, David Torrence, Ivan F. Simpson, Doris Lloyd, Michael Visaroff

 "Disraeli" was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Picture, and George Arliss won the Oscar for Best Actor in his role of the British prime minister who acquired rights to the Suez Canal, among many successes.

1930 The Divorcee       Drama / Romance N/R, 80 Minutes
Director: Robert Z. Leonard  
Starring: Norma Shearer, Chester Morris, Conrad Nagel, Robert Montgomery, Florence Eldridge, Helene Millard, Robert Elliott, Mary Doran, Tyler Brooke, George Irving

 Shortly after their whirlwind courtship and marriage, Jerry (Norma Shearer) discovers that her husband Ted (Chester Morris) is having an affair with Janice (Mary Doran). Jerry's solution is to kick Ted out of her bed and sleep with Ted's best friend Don (Robert Montgomery). Now, other lovers become part of Jerry's life until she finally returns to Ted and all is forgiven. While this film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing, it was Norma Shearer who walked away with the Oscar for Best Actress for 1929/30.

1931 Cimarron       Drama / Western N/R, 131 Minutes
Director: Wesley Ruggles  
Starring: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor, Nance O'Neil, William Collier Jr., Roscoe Ates, George E. Stone, Robert McWade, Edna May Oliver, Frank Darien

 This early sound film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and is based on Edna Ferber's novel about the hardships faced by Yancey and Sabra Cravat (Richard Dix and Irene Dunne) staking a land claim during the Oklahoma land rush. Yancey starts a newspaper business and crusades for justice. His efforts lead to long separations from Sabra, which prove fatal for the marriage, and Yancey leaves Sabra and their children to continue his "quick draw" brand of justice. With help from her friend, Mrs. Wyatt (Edna May Oliver), Sabra takes over the newspaper business and turns it into a powerful empire.

1931 Skippy       Family N/R, 88 Minutes
Director: Norman Taurog  
Starring: Jackie Cooper, Robert Coogan, Mitzi Green, Jackie Searl, Willard Robertson, Helen Jerome Eddy, Enid Bennett, Jack Clifford, Guy Oliver, Donald Haines

 This film received nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor, and Norman Taurog took home the Oscar for Best Director. Skippy (Jackie Cooper) is an all-American boy finding happiness and success in spite of not being born with a silver spoon in his mouth. A sequel, "Sooky," was made later the same year.

1931 A Free Soul       Drama N/R, 91 Minutes
Director: Clarence Brown  
Starring: Norma Shearer, Lionel Barrymore, Leslie Howard, Clark Gable, James Gleason, Lucy Beaumont, Claire Whitney, Frank Sheridan, Edward Brophy, George Irving

 Lionel Barrymore won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the boozing lawyer, Stephen Ashe, whose daughter (Norma Shearer) becomes part of a romantic triangle with gangster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable) and her fiance, Dwight Winthrop (Leslie Howard). This film was later remade as "The Girl Who Had Everything."

1930 Min and Bill       Drama N/R, 66 Minutes
Director: George W. Hill  
Starring: Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Dorothy Jordan, Marjorie Rambeau, Frank McGlynn Sr., Don Dillaway, Russell Hopton, DeWitt Jennings, Jack Pennick, Gretta Gould

 Marie Dressler won the Academy Award as Best Actress for her role as Min, the salty owner of a seaside inn who goes to extremes protecting those she loves.

1932 Grand Hotel       Drama / Romance N/R, 115 Minutes
Director: Edmund Goulding  
Starring: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Jean Hersholt, Robert McWade, Purnell Pratt, Rafaela Ottiano, Tully Marshall

 This anthology won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1931-1932. The story takes place in Berlin following World War I and involves guests of the Grand Hotel. Among those visiting are a ballerina (Greta Garbo), a jewel thief (John Barrymore), and a young stenographer (Joan Crawford).

1931 Bad Girl       Drama N/R, 90 Minutes
Director: Frank Borzage  
Starring: Sally Eilers, James Dunn, Minna Gombell, Frank Darien, Paul Fix, William Pawley, Edmund Breese, Sarah Padden, Irving Bacon, Louis Natheaux

 A couple have had trouble making ends meet until a new baby arrives. Frank Borzage won an Academy Award as Best Director and the film was nominated for Best Picture.

1932 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde       Drama / Horror / Thriller N/R, 90 Minutes
Director: Rouben Mamoulian  
Starring: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, Halliwell Hobbes, Holmes Herbert, Edgar Norton, Douglas Walton, Sam Harris, Tempe Pigott, Eric Wilton

 Fredric March won the Oscar for his performance in this, the first, sound production of the famous tale by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dr. Jekyll (March) experiments with good and evil and drinks a potion after which his dark side emerges as the evil Mr. Hyde whose lecherous appetite is unrestrained. Dr. Jekyll is unable to restrain Mr. Hyde, and tragedy ensues.

1931 The Sin of Madelon Claudet       Drama N/R, 73 Minutes
Director: Edgar Selwyn  
Starring: Helen Hayes, Lewis Stone, Neil Hamilton, Robert Young, Cliff Edwards, Jean Hersholt, Charles Winninger, Alan Hale, Marie Prevost, Karen Morley

 Helen Hayes won the Academy Award as Best Actress for this film in which she portrayed Madelon Claudet, a poor woman who pays friends to rear her son born out of wedlock. Her mother's love drives her to resort to prostitution to gain money needed for her son's welfare–a son who does not suspect she is his mother.

1933 Cavalcade       Drama / Romance N/R, 110 Minutes
Director: Frank Lloyd  
Starring: Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Ursula Jeans, Herbert Mundin, Una O'Connor, Beryl Mercer, Irene Browne, Frank Lawton, Margaret Lindsay, Billy Bevan

 This film, an Oscar winner for Best Picture, is Noel Coward's story of the effects of World War I on the British Marryot family (Diana Wynyard and Clive Brook) over a 30 year period–before, during, and after the war. Frank Lloyd also won an Oscar for Best Director. A third Oscar was received for Art Direction.

1933 Cavalcade       Drama / Romance N/R, 110 Minutes
Director: Frank Lloyd  
Starring: Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Ursula Jeans, Herbert Mundin, Una O'Connor, Beryl Mercer, Irene Browne, Frank Lawton, Margaret Lindsay, Billy Bevan

 This film, an Oscar winner for Best Picture, is Noel Coward's story of the effects of World War I on the British Marryot family (Diana Wynyard and Clive Brook) over a 30 year period–before, during, and after the war. Frank Lloyd also won an Oscar for Best Director. A third Oscar was received for Art Direction.

1933 The Private Life of Henry VIII       Drama N/R, 97 Minutes
Director: Alexander Korda  
Starring: Charles Laughton, Merle Oberon, Wendy Barrie, Elsa Lanchester, Robert Donat, Miles Mander, Binnie Barnes, Everley Gregg, Franklin Dyall, Claud Allister

 Charles Laughton won the Oscar for his portrayal of Henry VIII in this historical film. It is the story of Henry's relationships with five of his six wives and starts with the his marriage to his second wife, Anne Boleyn (Merle Oberon), which ends in her execution. Henry's third wife is his mistress Jane Seymour (Wendy Barrie) who dies in childbirth. Henry then agrees to an arranged marriage to Anne of Cleves (Elsa Lanchester) that ends when she pushes him into the arms of Lady Catherine Howard (Binnie Barnes). He marries Catherine, but her affair with Henry's friend Thomas Culpepper (Robert Donat) ends in her beheading. Finally, Henry marries widowed Catherine Parr (Everley Gregg) who is determined to take care of him. An Academy Award nomination was received for Best Picture.

1933 Morning Glory       Drama N/R, 74 Minutes
Director: Lowell Sherman  
Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., C. Aubrey Smith, Mary Duncan, Don Alvarado, Fred Santley, Richard Carle, Tyler Brooke, Robert Greig

 Katharine Hepburn won the Oscar for her role in this film about young actress Eva Lovelace who comes to New York City seeking fame and fortune.

1934 It Happened One Night       Comedy / Romance N/R, 105 Minutes
Director: Frank Capra  
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Alan Hale, Roscoe Karns, Henry Wadsworth, Claire McDowell, Walter Connolly, Arthur Hoyt, Ward Bond, Milton Kibbee

 This movie took a clean sweep of the Academy Awards with Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Writer. It relates the romance of a news reporter (Clark Gable) who is out for a story about a spoiled rich girl (Claudette Colbert) who is on the run from her father and fiance. Of course, they fall in love. Clark Gable, "Remember me? I'm the fellow you slept on last night."

1934 It Happened One Night       Comedy / Romance N/R, 105 Minutes
Director: Frank Capra  
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Alan Hale, Roscoe Karns, Henry Wadsworth, Claire McDowell, Walter Connolly, Arthur Hoyt, Ward Bond, Milton Kibbee

 This movie took a clean sweep of the Academy Awards with Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Writer. It relates the romance of a news reporter (Clark Gable) who is out for a story about a spoiled rich girl (Claudette Colbert) who is on the run from her father and fiance. Of course, they fall in love. Clark Gable, "Remember me? I'm the fellow you slept on last night."

1934 It Happened One Night       Comedy / Romance N/R, 105 Minutes
Director: Frank Capra  
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Alan Hale, Roscoe Karns, Henry Wadsworth, Claire McDowell, Walter Connolly, Arthur Hoyt, Ward Bond, Milton Kibbee

 This movie took a clean sweep of the Academy Awards with Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Writer. It relates the romance of a news reporter (Clark Gable) who is out for a story about a spoiled rich girl (Claudette Colbert) who is on the run from her father and fiance. Of course, they fall in love. Clark Gable, "Remember me? I'm the fellow you slept on last night."

1934 It Happened One Night       Comedy / Romance N/R, 105 Minutes
Director: Frank Capra  
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Alan Hale, Roscoe Karns, Henry Wadsworth, Claire McDowell, Walter Connolly, Arthur Hoyt, Ward Bond, Milton Kibbee

 This movie took a clean sweep of the Academy Awards with Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Writer. It relates the romance of a news reporter (Clark Gable) who is out for a story about a spoiled rich girl (Claudette Colbert) who is on the run from her father and fiance. Of course, they fall in love. Clark Gable, "Remember me? I'm the fellow you slept on last night."

1935 Mutiny on the Bounty       Adventure / Drama N/R, 135 Minutes
Director: Frank Lloyd  
Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Dudley Digges, Donald Crisp, Herbert Mundin, Eddie Quillan, Henry Stephenson, Spring Byington, Ian Wolfe

 This depiction of the 1787 mutiny aboard H.M.S. Bounty is a classic. The cruel Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) sails his ship, H.M.S. Bounty, from England to Tahiti where the crew, including Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) and his friend midshipman Byam (Franchot Tone), enjoy the island paradise. While Tahiti was a paradise, life on the Bounty proves anything but, and the overly strict discipline of Bligh becomes so intense that First Mate Fletcher Christian leads the crew in a mutiny and sends Bligh and a few crew members adrift at sea in an open boat. The film received an Academy Award for Best Picture. It also was nominated for seven others–including three for Best Actor (Laughton, Gable, and Tone) and Best Director (Frank Lloyd).

1935 Mutiny on the Bounty       Adventure / Drama N/R, 135 Minutes
Director: Frank Lloyd  
Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Dudley Digges, Donald Crisp, Herbert Mundin, Eddie Quillan, Henry Stephenson, Spring Byington, Ian Wolfe

 This depiction of the 1787 mutiny aboard H.M.S. Bounty is a classic. The cruel Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) sails his ship, H.M.S. Bounty, from England to Tahiti where the crew, including Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) and his friend midshipman Byam (Franchot Tone), enjoy the island paradise. While Tahiti was a paradise, life on the Bounty proves anything but, and the overly strict discipline of Bligh becomes so intense that First Mate Fletcher Christian leads the crew in a mutiny and sends Bligh and a few crew members adrift at sea in an open boat. The film received an Academy Award for Best Picture. It also was nominated for seven others–including three for Best Actor (Laughton, Gable, and Tone) and Best Director (Frank Lloyd).

1935 The Informer       Drama N/R, 91 Minutes
Director: John Ford  
Starring: Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, Una O'Connor, J.M. Kerrigan, Donald Meek, Joe Sawyer, Neil Fitzgerald

 Gypo Nolan (Victor McLaglen) turns in his rebel friend (Preston Foster) for the government's reward money, which in turn will provide passage for his girlfriend (Margot Grahame). Of course, this action initiates revenge from the I.R.A. rebel forces. John Ford won the Best Director Oscar, and Victor McLaglen took Best Actor honors. Two other Oscars were received (Best Writing and Musical Score), and the film was nominated for Best Picture.

1935 Dangerous       Drama N/R, 80 Minutes
Director: Alfred E. Green  
Starring: Bette Davis, Franchot Tone, Margaret Lindsay, Alison Skipworth, John Eldredge, Dick Foran, Pierre Watkin, Milton Kibbee, George Irving, Mary Treen

 Bette Davis won the Oscar for her role as alcoholic ex-star Joyce Heath in this fair movie. Obviously, she is the highlight and makes it worth watching.

1936 The Great Ziegfeld       Musical / Comedy / Romance N/R, 180 Minutes
Director: Robert Z. Leonard  
Starring: William Powell, Luise Rainer, Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan, Reginald Owen, Nat Pendleton, Virginia Bruce, Ernest Cossart, Robert Greig, Ray Bolger

 This film won the Oscar for Best Picture. It is the story of Flo Ziegfeld's (William Powell) rise from carnival work to the top of the entertainment world. Luise Rainer won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as Flo's wife, French singer Anna Held.