Oscar Live Action Short Winners and Nominees
Up to 1950
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- DirectorJames ParrottStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyDinahLike the legendary Sisyphus, deliverymen Laurel and Hardy struggle to push a large crated piano up a seemingly insurmountable flight of stairs.
- DirectorDel LordStarsMatt McHughMarjorie KaneFranklin PangbornDel Lord, famous director of the Three Stooges shorts, directed this story of one man in various comical vignettes playing the "loud mouth" - a guy who can't keep a secret and is always getting himself in trouble with everyone he comes in contact with by shouting out his opinions and criticizing strangers to their face.
- DirectorMark SandrichStarsBobby ClarkPaul McCulloughJames FinlaysonA couple of down-at-heel specimens (Clark and McCullough) take on the job of insurance men, and, after exploiting their wrestling powers, manage to sell insurance to the president of the company employing them and to one who has hitherto proved unapproachable.
- Old silent movies were edited and given silly soundtracks in this Paramount short subject series that ran from1931 to 1934. Of interest is that some now lost films are included here and are at least partially saved.
- DirectorJack CummingsStarsThe Flying CodonasPete SmithEdward CodonaThe Flying Codonas, fourth generation of a family of trapeze artists, practice and perform amazing feats high in the air. Close-up and slow motion photography show how it's done.
- DirectorMark SandrichStarsPhil HarrisWalter CatlettHelen CollinsWalter can't stand the singing of Phil Harris - unfortunately, he can't seem to escape it, even on the golf course. His golf partner sympathizes, but when Walter discovers that the fellow is Harris himself, he quickly realizes that Harris' appeal with female fans might be turned to his advantage - but only if Harris will play along.
- DirectorLeigh JasonStarsKen MurrayDorothy LeeChick Chandler
- StarsGraham McNameeJoseph CottenDocumentary describing the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in the Dutch East Indies, destroying 70% of the island and its surrounding archipelago.
- DirectorNick GrindeStarsPete SmithLuis AlberniUna MerkelA chef helps a housewife cook a duck dinner that will not give her husband indigestion.
- DirectorWanda JakubowskaStanislaw WohlStacy WoodardStarsGayne WhitmanA variety of sea creatures are filmed in their natural habitat. Included are seaweed, a sea snail, crabs, a starfish opening a mussel, a sea anemone eating an eel, a sea urchin, hermit crab, an octopus fleeing a crab, and a sea cucumber.
- DirectorLloyd CorriganStarsSteffi DunaDon AlvaradoPaul PorcasiSenor Martinez, a famous theater owner, visits a local cafe in Mexico because of its reputation for good food and to audition the famous dancer who performs there.
- DirectorRay McCareyStarsMoe HowardLarry FineCurly HowardThe stooges become doctors at a large hospital where they disrupt patients and staff alike.
- DirectorRalph StaubStarsEl BrendelWini ShawPhil ReganA bill collector and a policeman are captured by a group of mad scientists and taken to an all-female Indian tribe for study.
- DirectorHorace WoodardStacy WoodardStarsGayne WhitmanOsacr-winning Live Action Short film about bees.
- StarsJames F. ClemengerThrough the adorably persuasive antics of a menagerie of cats, dogs, monkeys, lion cubs, and other animals great and small, Bosom Friends delivers a species-transcending message of tolerance. (Source: UCLA Film & Television Archive)
- DirectorFelix E. FeistStarsPete SmithAndy VaripapaBuster BrodieThis short features professional bowler Andy Varipapa. He first shows the correct way to grip a bowling ball and the proper form for delivering the ball down the alley. He then performs several trick shots.
- DirectorNick GrindeStarsRobert BenchleyA humorous look at the problems people have trying to sleep.
- DirectorDel LordStarsMonte CollinsTom KennedyRuth HiattMonty's nerves are shot, so he decides to go on a nice, relaxing trip to the country. Unfortunately, his brother-in-law Tom brings along the rest of the family. Comic chaos ensues. "Oh, My Nerves" was remade by the 3 Stooges as "Idiots Deluxe" (1945) and "Guns a Poppin'" (1957).
- DirectorCharley RogersStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyMae BuschAfter the events in Them Thar Hills (1934), Stan and Ollie encounter their old nemesis, whose grocery shop is next to their home-appliances store. Nobody can let bygones be bygones, and a war breaks out. Will those tit-for-tat battles ever end?
- DirectorGeoffrey BarkasIvor MontaguStarsAlexander JohnDavid TimsonMichael KilgarriffA documentary about the first flight over Mt Everest.
- DirectorJacob LeventhalJohn NorlingStarsPete SmithAfter the audience is instructed how to use the 3-D glasses they received, demonstrations of three-dimensional films are presented. Various objects move towards the camera, including a ladder being shoved out a window, the slide on a trombone, a woman on a swing, and a thrown baseball.
- StarsGraham McNamee
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonStarsJohn LitelNedda HarriganCarlyle Moore Jr.Patrick Henry's rousing speech before the Virginia legislature argues for colonial independence.
- DirectorLouis LewynStarsEduardo Durant's Rhumba BandThe Spanish TroubadorsWarner BaxterHollywood stars participate in a Mexican-themed revue and festival in Santa Barbara. Andy Devine, the "World's Greatest Matador", engages in a bullfight with a dubious bovine supplied by Señor Keaton, and musical numbers are provided by Joe Morrison and the Garland Sisters. Comedy bits and dance numbers are also featured.
- DirectorRobert CarlisleStarsGayne WhitmanConsiders marvels of modern science: contact lenses, kitchen gadgets, bubble bath (with cheesecake), diatoms, Boulder Dam.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsDarla HoodEugene 'Porky' LeeGeorge 'Spanky' McFarlandSpanky and Alfalfa fake a tooth-ache to get out of school.
- DirectorFred WallerStarsYasha Bunchuk
- DirectorArthur J. OrnitzGunther von FritschStarsPete SmithHorace B. CarpenterDave O'BrienA dog living in a junk yard finds out that all stray dogs will be exterminated by 3 o' clock that afternoon, so sets off to find a master before the deadline.
- DirectorErrol TaggartStarsRichard AlexanderBarbara BedfordHarry C. BradleyA protection racket preying on milk distribution is broken through the persistence of law enforcement and the courage of a local businessman.
- DirectorJoseph HenaberyStarsPhil HarrisLeah RayHarry Tyler
- DirectorLeslie GoodwinsStarsEdgar KennedyFlorence LakeDot FarleyAn assuming husband, suspicious of his wife, follows her for the day. Misunderstandings, mishaps, and hijinks ensue.
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsPete SmithPrudence PennyHarold MinjirA "Pete Smith Specialty" on cookery, in which a worried housewife must salvage an important dinner with her husband's boss.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsJohn LitelGloria HoldenTed OsborneIn this classic story, US Army Lt. Philip Nolan is upset with his assignment to a remote outpost with no possibility for promotion. He intends to join Aaron Burr, who plans to form a new country in the lands west of the Mississippi River. Before he can get away, Nolan is charged with treason. At his court martial, he angrily tells the tribunal that he never wants to see or hear of the United States again. He gets his wish, and is sentenced to permanent, lifetime exile aboard US ships at sea. No crew member can mention anything about the United States within his hearing, and in the books he is allowed to read, all references to the United States are removed.
- StarsGayne WhitmanRaising angora rabbits for wool; new marine navigation and safety technology; kitchen gadgets; developing new rose varieties.
- DirectorJulian HuxleyStarsA.L. AlexanderA 1934 GB production that was picked up in 1937 by Educational for 20th Century Fox distribution about the gannet, (a beautiful white and exceedingly graceful bird deemed the best fisherman in the world), that inhabits a small rocky island off the coast of Wales. One of the few Educational releases that actually was shown in schools, and one would have had to play hookey every day in order to miss seeing this as a Texas school kid in the 40's and 50's. Footage from this short used in many other wild-life films also.
- DirectorRoy RowlandStarsRobert BenchleyKing BaggotJack BaxleyA man and his wife have a less-than-enjoyable time at the movies.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsPete SmithMargaret BertAndré CheronThis Oscar-nominated short film tells the story of the discovery of radium and how it is used in medicine.
- DirectorHarold S. BucquetStarsEdwin MaxwellGeorge LynnMurray AlperPolice go after a fraud operation that stages automobile accidents to collect insurance money.
- DirectorLeslie GoodwinsStarsWillie BestDaisy BuffordJesse Graves
- DirectorLeslie GoodwinsStarsLeon ErrolVivien OaklandRichard LaneErrol's wife goes back to work, despite his objections.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsJohn NesbittShepperd StrudwickRudolph AndersThe story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a pioneer in medical hygiene who paid the price from colleagues who refused to believe him.
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsCarey WilsonTom NealCarey Wilson tells the true story of the heroic sacrifice of Father Damien who suffered a living death in order to bring hope and God's comfort to the lepers confined on Molokai Island.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsJohn LitelTed OsborneRosella TowneThis historical featurette focuses on Caesar Rodney of Delaware, who cast the deciding vote so that the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsFritz FeldKathryn KaneJohn CarrollIn this musical short, a director named Nitvitch, unhappy with the lead actress in his Western, makes an unexpected discovery in the studio cafe where some big stars are being served by a bevy of beautiful singing, dancing waitresses.
- DirectorHarold S. BucquetStarsStanley RidgesJohn EldredgeLouis Jean HeydtShows the role the crime laboratory plays in the solving of cases, and how even the smallest detail can become a major clue.
- DirectorJohn A. HaeselerStarsFrank CrumitThree bear cubs are observed exploring the forests of the Sierra Nevadas, encountering other wildlife, and invading the kitchen of a local ranch house.
- StarsClifton FadimanRex StoutJohn KieranA film version of the popular radio quiz show Information Please. A panel of famous "experts" - including author Rex Stout and comedian Oscar Levant - answer trivia questions and try to identify things like a tune on a piano, and what type of animals several modelled fur coats were made from. Prize winnings were in support of the Will Rogers Memorial Fund.
- DirectorFelix E. FeistStarsCarey WilsonTom NealThis is the story of Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873), an American Naval officer, who developed the first maps that charted the oceans' winds and currents.
- StarsHoward HillRonald ReaganA group of men are on the sailboat the Scirocco heading down the Pacific coast to go fishing, but not just ordinary fishing. Among the group is archer Howard Hill who has used this skill in the past for big game hunting. Hill practices his archery skill by using a life preserver as a target, and by shooting flying fish gliding above the water. This practice is all in the preparation for the main target, the great blue marlin, which Hill plans on shooting with a specially rigged bow and arrow like harpoon, before the marlin is brought in by conventional rod and reel. After Hill gets to reel one in, he gives the turn to one of his less experienced crew. Regardless of if they get the fish, the act of marlin fishing is fraught with danger as the marlin tries to win the battle.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsClaude RainsGale SondergaardDonald CrispSet during the American Revolution, this colorful 2 reel short tells the story of Haym Salomon, American patriot and financier of the American Revolution.
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsDick PurcellJo Ann SayersRichard LaneIn this Crime Does Not Pay series entry, John Jones is an up and coming businessman who drinks too much but denies he has a problem. One day he mixes drinking and driving, and the tragic consequences hit very close to home.
- DirectorFrank P. DonovanStarsAlexander WoollcottAnnette DionneCecile DionneCecile, Annette, Yvonne, Emile and Marie, the Dionne Quintuplets, turn five years old and have a private birthday party in their garden. Other than the five little French-Canadian princesses-of-the-world, the other attendees at the party for the sheltered sisters are their doctor-and-mentor, Roy Dafoe; a priest and two nurses; radio's "Town Crier," Alexander Woollcott; and RKO-Newsreel cameraman Harry Smith. Happy Fifth Birthday, girls.
- DirectorGeorge SidneyStarsHarold E. EdgertonClarence CurtisTex HarrisIn this Pete Smith Specialty, Dr. Harold E. Edgerton demonstrates stroboscopic photography, which he helped develop. This process allows us to see in slow motion what happens during events that occur too fast to be seen by the naked eye. Examples shown here include a bullet in flight as it shatters a light bulb, the moment of impact when a kicker kicks a football, and a the motion of a hummingbird's wings as it hovers.
- DirectorHumphrey JenningsHarry WattStarsQuentin ReynoldsKing George VIQueen Elizabeth the Queen MotherA tribute to the courage and resiliency of Britons during the darkest days of the London Blitz.
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsJohn BurtonHans ConriedJimmy DimeThis short starts with a short biography of Nostradamus and highlights some of his prophecies that came true in his own day (e.g., telling a young priest that many years later he would become Pope Sixtus V). Then we come to the present and learn that Nostradamus' writings foretold WWI. Several of his prophecies are then applied to the events leading to WWII, as well as to current war events.
- DirectorJulien BryanStarsJulien BryanA short film which documents the siege of Warsaw at the beginning of World War II.
- DirectorRay EnrightStarsSidney BlackmerPierre WatkinTheodore von EltzIn a series of short scenes, key periods in Theodore Roosevelt's political life are dramatized beginning in 1895 with his time as New York City police commissioner and later as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Vice President and President.
- StarsJames ConatyWarren McCollumCharles MiddletonProduced in cooperation with the United States Navy, the film follows naval aviators through their basic training in Pensacola, Florida and advanced training at San Diego, California.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonStarsRobert ArmstrongWilliam LundiganHenry O'NeillThis drama is "dedicated to the soldiers of the United States Army." Men with diverse backgrounds enlist in the army and are all assigned to the same post. Some adapt easily to army life, while others have trouble making the adjustment.
- DirectorGeorge SidneyStarsJohn NesbittEddy ChandlerMark DanielsThis short film showcases how the war department utilized animals to assist with aptitude testing to match people with suitable jobs in the national defense effort prior to the USA entering World War II.
- DirectorPaul VogelStarsPete SmithThis MGM short, part of the A Pete Smith Specialty series, focuses on the young men who have signed up to serve their country. Speed, teamwork and accuracy are the hallmark of all army units and this is demonstrated by different army squads - a rifle squad, a machine gun squad, a mortar squad, anti-tank gunners and shore batteries - all of which work with the fluidity of athletes and athletic teams.
- DirectorLeslie M. RoushStarsJohnny LongJohnny Long and His OrchestraHelen YoungThis Paramount Headliner short (in-house number A1-1) was filmed at Jones Beach and features a background of pretty girls, bathing suits and the ocean. Johnny Long and His Orchestra provide the music for five songs, including "Kiss the Boys Goodbye", and Helen Young and Bob Huston provide the vocals.
- DirectorTex AveryLou LillyStarsSara BernerMel BlancBernice HansenPart of Tex Avery's "Speaking of Animals" series of animated shorts. A collection of puns, sight gags and slapstick jokes involving pigs, cows, chickens and other animals on a farm.
- DirectorIrving AllenStarsThe Robert Mitchell Boy ChoirRobert MitchellKen CarpenterA tribute to the Robert Mitchell Choir School of Hollywood, which trains talented young boys in the musical arts in addition to regular academic studies.
- DirectorDel FrazierStarsKnox ManningThis entry in "The Sports Parade" series, shows us how Mortimer, a Standardbred horse, is trained for harness racing.
- DirectorFrank Hurley
- DirectorEdward L. CahnStarsJohn NesbittRaymond Gram SwingNeville ChamberlainThe film begins in the spring of 1940, just before the Nazi occupation of the Benelux countries, and ends immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It chronicles how the people of "Main Street America", the country's military forces, and its industrial base were completely transformed when the decision was made to gear up for war. Original footage is interspersed with contemporary newsreels and stock footage.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsAddison RichardsWolfgang ZilzerHugh BeaumontThis short film portrays the U.S. Department of Immigration's efforts to capture a ring of smugglers who prey on desperate immigrants waiting entry by convincing them they have influence with the Immigration Service if they just pay a fee.
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsBallet Russe de Monte CarloLéonide MassineMilada MladovaIn a Paris nightclub setting, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo performs to the music of Jacques Offenbach.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonStarsGeorge TobiasRichard TravisGig YoungEducational short about the status of battle tanks and tanker training in the U.S. Army in pre-War 1941, featuring a comical army trainee from the Bronx.
- DirectorJack Kuhne
- DirectorHerbert PolesieStarsPete SmithR.E. 'Dick' HanleyCharles HorvathA look at U.S. Marine Corps combat training during the first year of World War II, including conditioning techniques adapted from athletics, hand-to-hand combat tactics, and traditional drills.
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsUnited States Marine BandWilliam F. SantelmannThomas HolcombVarious configurations of the United States Marine Band, including marching band, choir, and symphony orchestra, perform patriotic songs on the National Mall. The performances are intercut with footage of the Marine Corps in training.
- DirectorLewis SeilerStarsHewitt T. WhelessRonald ReaganFranklin D. RooseveltThis short film in support of the war effort dramatizes the training and missions of Army Air Forces Captain Hewett T. Wheless, a former Texas ranch hand who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in the early days of WWII.
- DirectorJoseph M. NewmanStarsDonald DouglasGloria HoldenBarry NelsonThis MGM short, part of the Crime does not Pay series, focuses on industrial sabotage during wartime. After a valuable shipment of manganese is blown up at a plant, the FBI try to find out how information on the manganese shipment was found out. They get a lead on one of the plotters, Beulah Anderson, who as a waitress in a café gets to pick up all kinds of scuttlebutt from the innocent but loose talking clients. Once they figure out how she is sending the information she gathers, the FBI sets a trap. The moral of the story is: Don't Talk!
- DirectorHarry W. Smith
- DirectorRussell T. ErvinStarsTed Husing
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsVelozYolandaArt GilmoreBallroom dancers Veloz and Yolanda perform the various dance fads of the first half of the twentieth century.
- StarsEd ThorgersenA documentary about how American sports figures are contributing to the war effort.
- DirectorRalph StaubStarsEddie AlbertDesi ArnazGene AutrySeveral prominent actors are seen in their new roles as WWII military officers and enlisted men. Highlights include Robert Stack (a former amateur skeet shooting champion) displaying his remarkable skill as an artillery training officer; Tyrone Power as a Marine drill instructor; Rudy Vallee leading a military band; and Glenn Ford in the everyday grind of a Marine private.
- DirectorGunther von FritschStarsBarbara BedfordWilliam BishopRobert FrazerTells the story of Ben Helwig and his important contribution to the American war effort. Ben's story starts in the Great Depression when he, a young teen, is separated from his parents leaving him for a better life at an institution as they search for work. A freak baseball accident at the home leads to Benny losing sight permanently in one eye, followed by losing sight permanently in the other eye. As Ben is despondent over his new life situation, his mother realizes that she has to do something to make him feel productive again, she turning to one of his old favorite pastimes of building model planes, with his hands, sensitive to his new situation, taking over as his eyes in they being able to "see" things through touch. Thus begins his unusual road to doing complex and precision machine work in factories when he grows into an adult.
- DirectorJosef BerneStarsFrederick BradyMary ElliottEric BloreA bandleader must prove he is worthy of entry into the the Hall of Music in heaven.
- DirectorLarry O'ReillyStarsAnn DereA school teacher in Monroe, NY writes a letter to her former student who is fighting in WWII.
- DirectorHugh BennettStarsBetty Jane RhodesJohnny JohnstonVal SetzThe first of a series of six two-reel "Musical Parade" shorts produced in Technicolor for the Paramount 1943-44 production season. The series would continue into 1948, and then were reissued in the early 50's. In addition to listed cast, dancers Adriana & Charly were on hand, as were The Rogers Dancers. Songs included "All the Way" and "At the Mardi Gras."
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsFaye EmersonDorothy DayMarjorie HoshelleThree young women join the newly formed Women's Army Corps (WACS) for varied reasons, and make contributions to the war effort.
- DirectorLou LillyStarsSara BernerPinto ColvigHarry LangAn Academy Award-winning Paramount Headliner short featuring a tour of the animal kingdom with the animals tossing around quips and jokes via dubbing and special effects. The narration is by Ken Carpenter, and the ending is a rendition of "Cow-Cow Boogie" by a "cow soloist" and some cow-pasture harmonizers.
- DirectorTom CummiskeyStarsEd Thorgersen
- DirectorGjon MiliStarsLester YoungGeorge 'Red' CallenderHarry EdisonCreated under the guidance of jazz impresario and Verve Records founder Norman Granz, this short captures the spontaneity of a jam session and is one of few film records of black jazzers of the day including tenor sax legend Lester Young.
- DirectorWill JasonStarsPete SmithWilliam BaileyMargaret BertA humorous look at the inconsiderate pests whose annoying habits make enjoying a movie impossible.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsDane ClarkJanis PaigeWarren DouglasIn this Warner Bros. short, a Marine in a South Sea island during World War II, Joe Fingers, tells tales of the influence he's had on various personalities. In the words of one of his buddies, he's either the biggest liar in the world or the most important man in show business. He claims to be a piano player and his stories are brought to life in the minds of the boys, especially those that involve a pretty girl. When a piano arrives on the island in a shipment, he refuses to play, convincing the doubters that he's been telling them lies all along. They change their tune however when a Hollywood movie star stops on the island.
- DirectorEdward L. CahnStarsRay CollinsJohn NesbittHenry O'NeillThis patriotic MGM short film, set in World War II, has a factory owner who produces the breech block for a key piece of army artillery. The military wants to increase production by 50%, but they can barely meet their production targets as it is. Going to a third shift in the plant will need manpower, 500 in total, that is sorely missing due to the number of men in the military. The film then looks at the town's Main Street seeing where the workforce might come from. Their brainstorming identifies 220 men, but then one of them comes up with the solution: if everyone worked just a bit harder and contributed just a bit more, the war will be won. The fictional factory found its workers, mostly women who hadn't previously worked, and others who already had a full-time job but also worked part-time at the plant.
- DirectorSammy LeeStarsJohn NesbittHarry CordingLotte Palfi AndorThe story of 18th Century French physician Dr. Phillipe Pinel, whose initiated enlightened, humane treatment of the mentally ill.
- StarsLowell ThomasThis 1946 entry in the "Movietone Adventures" series of shorts was in Technicolor when originally released. Narrated by Lowell Thomas, it is a trip from Medicine Hat in southern Utah down the rapids of the San Juan River ending with a view of the Rainbow Bridge, hence the title and the use of Tehnicolor.