23rd Academy Awards


The 23rd Academy Awards were held on March 29, 1951, honoring the films of 1950. All About Eve received a record 14 nominations, surpassing the previous record of 13 set by Gone with the Wind in 1939. It won six Oscars, including Best Picture, and earned writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz his second consecutive Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay awards, the only time such a feat has been accomplished.
All About Eve was the second film, after Mrs. Miniver, to receive five acting nominations. It was the first to receive multiple nominations in two acting categories, and the only film to receive four female acting nominations—two each for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. None was successful, losing to Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday and Josephine Hull in Harvey, respectively.
José Ferrer, then under investigation from the House Un-American Activities Committee over suspected Communist ties, won the Best Actor award despite being given very little chances to win. Marlene Dietrich nearly stole the show by wearing an apparently-painted-on dress that displayed her legs and figure.
Sunset Boulevard was the fifth film with nominations in every acting category, and the second not to win any of them.

Winners and nominees

Awards

Nominations announced on February 12, 1951. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.
All About EveDarryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox
Joseph L. MankiewiczAll About Eve
  • * John HustonThe Asphalt Jungle
  • * George CukorBorn Yesterday
  • * Billy WilderSunset Boulevard
  • * Carol ReedThe Third Man
  • José FerrerCyrano de Bergerac as Cyrano de Bergerac
  • * Louis CalhernThe Magnificent Yankee as Oliver [Wendell Holmes Jr.]
  • * William HoldenSunset Boulevard as Joe Gillis
  • * James StewartHarvey as Elwood P. Dowd
  • * Spencer TracyFather of the Bride as Stanley T. Banks
  • Judy HollidayBorn Yesterday as Emma "Billie" Dawn
  • * Anne BaxterAll About Eve as Eve Harrington
  • * Bette DavisAll About Eve as Margo Channing
  • * Eleanor ParkerCaged as Marie Allen
  • * Gloria SwansonSunset Boulevard as Norma Desmond
  • George SandersAll About Eve as Addison DeWitt
  • * Jeff ChandlerBroken Arrow as Cochise
  • * Edmund GwennMister 880 as "Skipper" Miller
  • * Sam JaffeThe Asphalt Jungle as "Doc" Erwin Riedenschneider
  • * Erich von StroheimSunset Boulevard as Max von Mayerling
  • Josephine HullHarvey as Veta Louise Simmons
  • * Hope EmersonCaged as Evelyn Harper
  • * Celeste HolmAll About Eve as Karen Richards
  • * Nancy OlsonSunset Boulevard as Betty Schaefer
  • * Thelma RitterAll About Eve as Birdie
  • All About EveJoseph L. Mankiewicz from "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr
  • * The Asphalt JungleBen Maddow and John Huston from The Asphalt Jungle by W. R. Burnett
  • * Born YesterdayAlbert Mannheimer from Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin
  • * Broken ArrowAlbert Maltz from Blood Brother by Elliott Arnold
  • * Father of the BrideFrances Goodrich and Albert Hackett from Father of the Bride by Edward Streeter
  • Sunset BoulevardCharles Brackett, Billy Wilder, and D. M. Marshman Jr.
  • * Adam's RibRuth Gordon and Garson Kanin
  • * CagedVirginia Kellogg and Bernard C. Schoenfeld
  • * The MenCarl Foreman
  • * No Way OutJoseph L. Mankiewicz and Lesser Samuels
  • Panic in the StreetsEdna Anhalt and Edward Anhalt
  • * Bitter RiceGiuseppe De Santis and Carlo Lizzani
  • * The GunfighterWilliam Bowers and André de Toth
  • * Mystery StreetLeonard Spigelgass
  • * When Willie Comes Marching HomeSy Gomberg
  • The Titan: Story of MichelangeloRobert Snyder
  • * With These HandsJack Arnold and Lee Goodman
  • Why Korea?Edmund Reek
  • * The Fight: Science Against CancerGuy Glover
  • * The Stairs – Film Documents, Inc.
  • Grandad of RacesGordon Hollingshead
  • * Blaze BustersRobert Youngson
  • * Wrong Way ButchPete Smith
  • In Beaver ValleyWalt Disney
  • * Grandma Moses – Falcon Films, Inc.
  • * My Country 'Tis of TheeGordon Hollingshead
  • Gerald McBoing-BoingStephen Bosustow
  • * Jerry's CousinFred Quimby
  • * Trouble IndemnityStephen Bosustow
  • Sunset BoulevardFranz Waxman
  • * All About EveAlfred Newman
  • * The Flame and the ArrowMax Steiner
  • * No Sad Songs for MeGeorge Duning
  • * Samson and DelilahVictor Young
  • Annie [Get Your Gun (film)|Annie Get Your Gun] – Adolph Deutsch and Roger Edens
  • * CinderellaOliver Wallace and Paul J. Smith
  • * I'll Get ByLionel Newman
  • * Three Little WordsAndré Previn
  • * The [West Point Story (film)|The West Point Story]Ray Heindorf
  • "Mona Lisa (Nat [King Cole song)|Mona Lisa]" from Captain Carey, U.S.A.Music and Lyrics by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston
  • * "Be My Love" from The Toast of New Orleans – Music by Nicholas Brodszky; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
  • * "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" from Cinderella – Music and Lyrics by Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston
  • * "Mule Train" from Singing Guns – Music and Lyrics by Fred Glickman, Hy Heath, and Johnny Lange
  • * "Wilhelmina" from Wabash Avenue – Music by Josef Myrow; Lyrics by Mack Gordon
  • All About EveThomas T. Moulton
  • * CinderellaC. O. Slyfield
  • * LouisaLeslie I. Carey
  • * Our Very OwnGordon E. Sawyer
  • * TrioCyril Crowhurst
  • Sunset Boulevard – Art Direction: Hans Dreier and John Meehan; Set Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer
  • * All About Eve – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and George Davis; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Walter M. Scott
  • * The Red Danube – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Hans Peters; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Hugh Hunt
  • Samson and Delilah – Art Direction: Hans Dreier and Walter Tyler; Set Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer
  • * Annie Get Your Gun – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Richard A. Pefferle
  • * Destination Moon – Art Direction: Ernst Fegté; Set Decoration: George Sawley
  • The Third ManRobert Krasker
  • * All About EveMilton Krasner
  • * The Asphalt JungleHarold Rosson
  • * The FuriesVictor Milner
  • * Sunset BoulevardJohn F. Seitz
  • King Solomon's MinesRobert Surtees
  • * Annie Get Your GunCharles Rosher
  • * Broken ArrowErnest Palmer
  • * The Flame and the ArrowErnest Haller
  • * Samson and DelilahGeorge Barnes
  • All About EveEdith Head and Charles LeMaire
  • * Born YesterdayJean Louis
  • * The Magnificent YankeeWalter Plunkett
  • Samson and DelilahEdith Head, Dorothy Jeakins, Elois Jenssen, Gile Steele, and Gwen Wakeling
  • * The Black RoseMichael Whittaker
  • * That Forsyte WomanWalter Plunkett and Valles
  • King Solomon's MinesRalph E. Winters and Conrad A. Nervig
  • * All About EveBarbara McLean
  • * Annie Get Your GunJames E. Newcom
  • * Sunset BoulevardArthur P. Schmidt and Doane Harrison
  • * The Third ManOswald Hafenrichter
  • Destination Moon – George Pal Productions and Eagle Lion Classics
  • * Samson and Delilah – Cecil B. DeMille Productions and Paramount
  • Honorary Foreign Language Film Award

    Honorary Awards

    Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

    Presenters and performers

    Presenters

    Performers

    Multiple nominations and awards

    NominationsFilm
    14All About Eve
    11Sunset Boulevard
    5Born Yesterday
    5Samson and Delilah
    4Annie Get Your Gun
    4The Asphalt Jungle
    3Broken Arrow
    3Caged
    3Cinderella
    3Father of the Bride
    3King Solomon's Mines
    3The Third Man
    2Destination Moon
    2The Flame and the Arrow
    2Harvey
    2The Magnificent Yankee

    AwardsFilm
    6All About Eve
    3Sunset Boulevard
    2King Solomon's Mines
    2Samson and Delilah