18th Academy Awards


The 18th Academy Awards were held on March 7, 1946, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre to honor the films of 1945. Being the first Oscars after the end of World War II, the ceremony returned to the glamour of the prewar years; notably, the plaster statuettes that had been used during the war were replaced by bronze statuettes with gold plating and an elevated base.
Despite the optimistic postwar mood, director Billy Wilder's grim and socially significant drama The Lost Weekend won the major awards of Best Picture and Best Director, as well as two other awards. It was the first film to win both Best Picture and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Best Actress nominee Joan Crawford was absent due to illness.
This was the first year in which every film nominated for Best Picture won at least one Oscar, and also the first time a sequel was nominated for Best Picture.

Winners and nominees

Awards

Nominations announced on January 27, 1946. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

  • Billy Wilder – The Lost Weekend
  • *Leo McCarey – The Bells of St. Mary's
  • *Clarence Brown – National Velvet
  • *Jean Renoir – The Southerner
  • *Alfred Hitchcock – Spellbound
  • Ray Milland – The Lost Weekend as Don Birnam
  • *Bing Crosby – The Bells of St. Mary's as Father Chuck O'Malley
  • *Gene Kelly – Anchors Aweigh as Joseph "Joe" Brady
  • *Gregory Peck – The Keys of the Kingdom as Father Francis Chisholm
  • *Cornel Wilde – A Song to Remember as Frédéric Chopin
  • Joan Crawford – Mildred Pierce as Mildred Pierce Beragon
  • *Ingrid Bergman – The Bells of St. Mary's as Sister Mary Benedict
  • *Greer Garson – The Valley of Decision as Mary Rafferty
  • *Jennifer Jones – Love Letters as Singleton/Victoria Morland
  • *Gene Tierney – Leave Her to Heaven as Ellen Berent Harland
  • James Dunn – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as Johnny Nolan
  • *Michael Chekhov – Spellbound as Dr Alexander "Alex" Brulov
  • *John Dall – The Corn Is Green as Morgan Evans
  • *Robert Mitchum – The Story of G.I. Joe as Lt/Cpt. Bill Walker
  • *J. Carrol Naish – A Medal for Benny as Charley Martin
  • Anne Revere – National Velvet as Mrs Araminty Brown
  • *Eve Arden – Mildred Pierce as Ida Corwin
  • *Ann Blyth – Mildred Pierce as Veda Pierce Forrester
  • *Angela Lansbury – The Picture of Dorian Gray as Sibyl Vane
  • *Joan Lorring – The Corn Is Green as Bessie Watty
  • Marie-Louise – Richard Schweizer
  • *Dillinger – Philip Yordan
  • *Music for Millions – Myles Connolly
  • *Salty O'Rourke – Milton Holmes
  • *What Next, Corporal Hargrove? – Harry Kurnitz
  • The Lost Weekend – Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder from The Lost Weekend by Charles R. Jackson
  • *Mildred Pierce – Ranald MacDougall from Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain
  • *Pride of the Marines – Albert Maltz from Al Schmid, Marine by Roger Butterfield
  • *The Story of G.I. Joe – Leopold Atlas, Guy Endore and Philip Stevenson from Brave Men and Here Is Your War by Ernie Pyle
  • *A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Frank Davis and Tess Slesinger from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  • The House on 92nd Street – Charles G. Booth
  • *The Affairs of Susan – László Görög and Thomas Monroe
  • *A Medal for Benny – John Steinbeck and Jack Wagner
  • *Objective, Burma! – Alvah Bessie
  • *A Song to Remember – Ernst Marischka
  • The True Glory – Government of the United Kingdom and Federal government of the United States
  • *The Last Bomb – United States Army Air Force
  • Hitler Lives – Gordon Hollingshead
  • *Library of Congress – United States Office of War Information Overseas Motion Picture Bureau
  • *To the Shores of Iwo Jima – United States Marine Corps
  • 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 and Jerry Bresler
  • *The Jury Goes Round 'N' Round – Jules White
  • *The Little Witch – George Templeton
  • Quiet Please! – Frederick Quimby
  • *Donald's Crime – Walt Disney
  • *Jasper and the Beanstalk – George Pal
  • *Life with Feathers – Edward Selzer
  • *Mighty Mouse in Gypsy Life – Paul Terry
  • *The Poet and Peasant – Walter Lantz
  • *Rippling Romance – Screen Gems
  • Spellbound – Miklós Rózsa
  • *The Bells of St. Mary's – Robert Emmett Dolan
  • *Brewster's Millions – Lou Forbes
  • *Captain Kidd – Werner Janssen
  • *The Enchanted Cottage – Roy Webb
  • *Flame of Barbary Coast – Dale Butts and Morton Scott
  • *G. I. Honeymoon – Edward J. Kay
  • *Guest in the House – Werner Janssen
  • *Guest Wife – Daniele Amfitheatrof
  • *The Keys of the Kingdom – Alfred Newman
  • *The Lost Weekend – Miklós Rózsa
  • *Love Letters – Victor Young
  • *The Man Who Walked Alone – Karl Hajos
  • *Objective, Burma! – Franz Waxman
  • *Paris Underground – Alexandre Tansman
  • *A Song to Remember – Miklós Rózsa and Morris Stoloff
  • *The Southerner – Werner Janssen
  • *The Story of G.I. Joe – Louis Applebaum and Ann Ronell
  • *This Love of Ours – H. J. Salter
  • *The Valley of Decision – Herbert Stothart
  • *The Woman in the Window – Hugo Friedhofer and Arthur Lange
  • Anchors Aweigh – Georgie Stoll
  • *Belle of the Yukon – Arthur Lange
  • *Can't Help Singing – Jerome Kern and H. J. Salter
  • *Hitchhike to Happiness – Morton Scott
  • *Incendiary Blonde – Robert Emmett Dolan
  • *Rhapsody in Blue – Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner
  • *State Fair – Charles Henderson and Alfred Newman
  • *Sunbonnet Sue – Edward J. Kay
  • *The Three Caballeros – Edward H. Plumb, Paul J. Smith and Charles Wolcott
  • *Tonight and Every Night – Marlin Skiles and Morris Stoloff
  • *Why Girls Leave Home – Walter Greene
  • *Wonder Man – Lou Forbes and Ray Heindorf
  • "It Might as Well Be Spring" from State Fair – Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
  • *"Accentuate the Positive" from Here Come the Waves – Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
  • *"Anywhere" from Tonight and Every Night – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
  • *"Aren't You Glad You're You?" from The Bells of St. Mary's – Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke
  • *"The Cat and the Canary" from Why Girls Leave Home – Music by Jay Livingston; Lyrics by Ray Evans
  • *"Endlessly" from Earl Carroll Vanities – Music by Walter Kent; Lyrics by Kim Gannon
  • *"I Fall in Love Too Easily" from Anchors Aweigh – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
  • *"I'll Buy That Dream" from Sing Your Way Home – Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyrics by Herb Magidson
  • *"Linda" from The Story of G.I. Joe – Music and Lyrics by Ann Ronell
  • *"Love Letters" from Love Letters – Music by Victor Young; Lyrics by Edward Heyman
  • *"More and More" from Can't Help Singing – Music by Jerome Kern ; Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg
  • *"Sleighride in July" from Belle of the Yukon – Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke
  • *"So in Love" from Wonder Man – Music by David Rose; Lyrics by Leo Robin
  • *"Some Sunday Morning" from San Antonio – Music by Ray Heindorf and M. K. Jerome; Lyrics by Ted Koehler
  • The Bells of St. Mary's – Stephen Dunn
  • *Flame of Barbary Coast – Daniel J. Bloomberg
  • *Lady on a Train – Bernard B. Brown
  • *Leave Her to Heaven – Thomas T. Moulton
  • *Rhapsody in Blue – Nathan Levinson
  • *A Song to Remember – John P. Livadary
  • *The Southerner – Jack Whitney
  • *They Were Expendable – Douglas Shearer
  • *The Three Caballeros – C. O. Slyfield
  • *Three Is a Family – W. V. Wolfe
  • *The Unseen – Loren L. Ryder
  • *Wonder Man – Gordon E. Sawyer
  • Blood on the Sun – Art Direction: Wiard Ihnen; Interior Decoration: A. Roland Fields
  • *Experiment Perilous – Art Direction: Albert S. D'Agostino and Jack Okey; Interior Decoration: Darrell Silvera and Claude E. Carpenter
  • *The Keys of the Kingdom – Art Direction: James Basevi and William S. Darling; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little and Frank E. Hughes
  • *Love Letters – Art Decoration: Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson; Interior Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer
  • *The Picture of Dorian Gray – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Hans Peters; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, John Bonar and Hugh Hunt
  • Frenchman's Creek – Art Direction: Hans Dreier and Ernst Fegté; Interior Decoration: Samuel M. Comer
  • *Leave Her to Heaven – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Maurice Ransford; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little
  • *National Velvet – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Urie McCleary; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Mildred Griffiths
  • *San Antonio – Art Direction: Ted Smith; Interior Decoration: Jack McConaghy
  • *A Thousand and One Nights – Art Direction: Stephen Goosson and Rudolph Sternad; Interior Decoration: Frank Tuttle
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray – Harry Stradling
  • *The Keys of the Kingdom – Arthur C. Miller
  • *The Lost Weekend – John F. Seitz
  • *Mildred Pierce – Ernest Haller
  • *Spellbound – George Barnes
  • Leave Her to Heaven – Leon Shamroy
  • *Anchors Aweigh – Robert Planck and Charles P. Boyle
  • *National Velvet – Leonard Smith
  • *A Song to Remember – Tony Gaudio and Allen M. Davey
  • *The Spanish Main – George Barnes
  • National Velvet – Robert J. Kern
  • *The Bells of St. Mary's – Harry Marker
  • *The Lost Weekend – Doane Harrison
  • *Objective, Burma! – George Amy
  • *A Song to Remember – Charles Nelson
  • Wonder Man – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Arthur Johns
  • *Captain Eddie – Photographic Effects: Fred Sersen and Sol Halperin; Sound Effects: Roger Heman Sr. and Harry M. Leonard
  • *Spellbound – Photographic Effects: Jack Cosgrove
  • *They Were Expendable – Photographic Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie, Donald Jahraus and R. A. MacDonald; Sound Effects: Michael Steinore
  • *A Thousand and One Nights – Photographic Effects: Lawrence W. Butler; Sound Effects: Ray Bomba
  • Special Awards

    Presenters and performers

    Presenters

    Performers

    Multiple nominations and awards

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

    AwardsFilm
    4The Lost Weekend
    2National Velvet