27th Academy Awards


The 27th Academy Awards were held on March 30, 1955, to honor the best films of 1954, hosted by Bob Hope at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood with Thelma Ritter hosting from the NBC Century Theatre in New York City.
On the Waterfront led the ceremony with twelve nominations and eight wins, including Best Picture. Its total wins tied the record of Gone with the Wind and From Here to Eternity, though those each had thirteen nominations. It was the third film to receive five acting nominations, and the first to receive three in the Best Supporting Actor category. A "rematch" occurred in the category of Best Actor between Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart following Bogart's upset victory three years earlier. In an upset, Brando won, now seen as one of the greatest Best Actor wins in Oscar history. This was Brando's fourth consecutive nomination for Best Actor, a record that remains unmatched to this day.
In an even bigger upset, Grace Kelly won Best Actress for The Country Girl over Judy Garland, who was heavily favored to win for A Star Is Born. Garland could not attend the ceremony, having recently given birth to her third child; cameramen were present in her home so she could give an acceptance speech, only to awkwardly leave when Kelly was announced as the winner. Groucho Marx later sent her a telegram expressing that her loss was "the biggest robbery since Brink's Robbery|Brink's]".
Dorothy Dandridge became the first African American actress to receive a nomination for Best Actress.

Winners and nominees

Awards

Nominees were announced on February 12, 1955. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

  • Elia KazanOn the Waterfront
  • *George SeatonThe Country Girl
  • *William A. WellmanThe High and the Mighty
  • *Alfred HitchcockRear Window
  • *Billy WilderSabrina
  • Marlon BrandoOn the Waterfront as Terry Malloy
  • *Humphrey BogartThe Caine Mutiny as Lieutenant Commander Philip Francis Queeg
  • *Bing CrosbyThe Country Girl as Frank Elgin
  • *James MasonA Star Is Born as Norman Maine
  • *Dan O'HerlihyRobinson Crusoe as Robinson Crusoe
  • Grace KellyThe Country Girl as Georgie Elgin
  • *Dorothy DandridgeCarmen Jones as Carmen Jones
  • *Judy GarlandA Star Is Born as Esther Blodgett
  • *Audrey HepburnSabrina as Sabrina Fairchild
  • *Jane WymanMagnificent Obsession as Helen Phillips
  • Edmond O'BrienThe Barefoot Contessa as Oscar Muldoon
  • *Lee J. CobbOn the Waterfront as Michael J. Skelly aka "Johnny Friendly"
  • *Karl MaldenOn the Waterfront as Father Barry
  • *Rod SteigerOn the Waterfront as Charley "the Gent" Malloy
  • *Tom TullyThe Caine Mutiny as Lieutenant Commander William H. De Vriess
  • Eva Marie SaintOn the Waterfront as Edie Doyle
  • *Nina FochExecutive Suite as Erica Martin
  • *Katy JuradoBroken Lance as Señora Devereaux
  • *Jan SterlingThe High and the Mighty as Sally McKee
  • *Claire TrevorThe High and the Mighty as May Holst
  • The Country GirlGeorge Seaton based on the play by Clifford Odets
  • *The Caine MutinyStanley Roberts based on the novel by Herman Wouk
  • *Rear WindowJohn Michael Hayes based on the story "It Had To Be Murder" by Cornell Woolrich
  • *SabrinaBilly Wilder, Samuel A. Taylor, and Ernest Lehman based on the play by Taylor
  • *Seven Brides for Seven BrothersAlbert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Dorothy Kingsley based on the story "The Sobbin' Women" by Stephen Vincent Benét
  • On the WaterfrontBudd Schulberg
  • *The Barefoot ContessaJoseph L. Mankiewicz
  • *GenevieveWilliam Rose
  • *The Glenn Miller StoryValentine Davies and Oscar Brodney
  • *Knock on WoodNorman Panama and Melvin Frank
  • Broken LancePhilip Yordan
  • *Bread, Love and DreamsEttore Maria Margadonna
  • *Forbidden GamesFrancois Boyer
  • *Night PeopleJed Harris and Tom Reed
  • *There's [No Business Like Show Business (film)|There's No Business Like Show Business]Lamar Trotti
  • The Vanishing PrairieWalt Disney
  • *The Stratford Adventure – Guy Glover
  • Thursday's Children
  • *Jet Carrier
  • *Rembrandt: A Self-Portrait
  • This Mechanical AgeRobert Youngson
  • *The First Piano QuartetteOtto Lang
  • *The Strauss FantasyJohnny Green
  • A Time Out of WarDenis Sanders and Terry Sanders
  • *Beauty and the Bull – Cedric Francis
  • *Jet CarrierOtto Lang
  • *SiamWalt Disney Productions
  • When Magoo FlewStephen Bosustow
  • *Crazy Mixed Up PupWalter Lantz
  • *Pigs Is PigsWalt Disney
  • *Sandy ClawsEdward Selzer
  • *Touché, Pussy Cat!Fred Quimby
  • The High and the MightyDimitri Tiomkin
  • *The Caine MutinyMax Steiner
  • *GenevieveLarry Adler
  • *On the WaterfrontLeonard Bernstein
  • *The Silver ChaliceFranz Waxman
  • Seven Brides for Seven BrothersAdolph Deutsch and Saul Chaplin
  • *Carmen JonesHerschel Burke Gilbert
  • *The Glenn Miller Story – Joseph Gershenson and Henry Mancini
  • *A Star Is BornRay Heindorf
  • *There's No Business Like Show BusinessAlfred Newman and Lionel Newman
  • "Three Coins in the Fountain" from Three Coins in the Fountain – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
  • *"Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" from White ChristmasMusic and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
  • *"The High and the Mighty" from The High and the Mighty – Music by Dimitri Tiomkin; Lyrics by Ned Washington
  • *"Hold My Hand" from Susan Slept Here – Music and Lyrics by Jack Lawrence and Richard Myers
  • *"The Man That Got Away" from A Star Is Born – Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
  • The Glenn Miller StoryLeslie I. Carey
  • *BrigadoonWesley C. Miller
  • *The Caine MutinyJohn P. Livadary
  • *Rear WindowLoren L. Ryder
  • *Susan Slept HereJohn O. Aalberg
  • On the Waterfront – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Richard Day
  • *The Country Girl – Art Direction: Hal Pereira and Roland Anderson; Set Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Grace Gregory
  • *Executive Suite – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Edward Carfagno; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Emile Kuri
  • *Le Plaisir – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Max Ophüls
  • *Sabrina – Art Direction: Hal Pereira and Walter Tyler; Set Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer
  • 20,000 Leagues [Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea] – Art Direction: John Meehan; Set Decoration: Emile Kuri
  • *Brigadoon – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and E. Preston Ames; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Keogh Gleason
  • *Désirée – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Leland Fuller; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Paul S. Fox
  • *Red Garters – Art Direction: Hal Pereira and Roland Anderson; Set Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer
  • *A Star Is Born – Art Direction: Malcolm Bert, Gene Allen and Irene Sharaff; Set Decoration: George James Hopkins
  • On the WaterfrontBoris Kaufman
  • *The Country GirlJohn F. Warren
  • *Executive SuiteGeorge Folsey
  • *Rogue CopJohn Seitz
  • *SabrinaCharles Lang
  • Three Coins in the FountainMilton Krasner
  • *The EgyptianLeon Shamroy
  • *Rear WindowRobert Burks
  • *Seven Brides for Seven BrothersGeorge Folsey
  • *The Silver ChaliceWilliam V. Skall
  • SabrinaEdith Head
  • *The Earrings of Madame de...Georges Annenkov and Rosine Delamare
  • *Executive SuiteHelen Rose
  • *Indiscretion of an American WifeChristian Dior
  • *It Should Happen to YouJean Louis
  • Gate of HellSanzo Wada
  • *BrigadoonIrene Sharaff
  • *DésiréeCharles LeMaire and René Hubert
  • *A Star Is BornJean Louis, Mary Ann Nyberg and Irene Sharaff
  • *There's No Business Like Show BusinessCharles LeMaire, Travilla and Miles White
  • On the WaterfrontGene Milford
  • *20,000 Leagues Under the SeaElmo Williams
  • *The Caine MutinyWilliam A. Lyon and Henry Batista
  • *The High and the MightyRalph Dawson
  • *Seven Brides for Seven BrothersRalph E. Winters
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
  • *Hell and High Water
  • *Them!
  • Honorary Foreign Language Film Award

    Honorary Awards

    Presenters and performers

    Presenters

    Performers

    Multiple nominations and awards

    NominationsFilm
    12On the Waterfront
    7The Caine Mutiny
    7The Country Girl
    6The High and the Mighty
    6Sabrina
    6A Star Is Born
    5Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
    4Executive Suite
    4Rear Window
    320,000 Leagues Under the Sea
    3Brigadoon
    3The Glenn Miller Story
    3There's No Business Like Show Business
    3Three Coins in the Fountain
    2The Barefoot Contessa
    2Broken Lance
    2Carmen Jones
    2Désirée
    2Genevieve
    2Jet Carrier
    2The Silver Chalice
    2Susan Slept Here

    AwardsFilm
    8On the Waterfront
    220,000 Leagues Under the Sea
    2The Country Girl
    2Three Coins in the Fountain