1937 in film

The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first American full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Jean Harlow's final movie, Saratoga, was domestically the year's top grossing film but internationally, Maytime surpassed it with initial box office of over 4 million dollars.

Fandom movies:1937

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1937 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	Saratoga	MGM	$2,432,000
2	Maytime	MGM	$2,183,000
3	The Good Earth	MGM	$2,002,000
4	Stella Dallas	United Artists	$2,000,000
5	Rosalie	MGM	$1,946,000
6	Broadway Melody of 1938	MGM	$1,889,000
7	Captains Courageous	MGM	$1,688,000
8	Lost Horizon	Columbia	$1,683,000
9	A Day at the Races	MGM	$1,602,000
10	Thin Ice	20th Century Fox	$1,590,000

Events

March 26 – London Films abandons production of I, Claudius two weeks after its female lead, Merle Oberon, is injured in a car crash.
April 16 – Laurel and Hardy comedy Way Out West premieres in the US.
May 7 – Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical comedy Shall We Dance premieres in the US.
May 11 – Drama Captains Courageous, starring Spencer Tracy, premieres in New York, going into general release on June 25.
June 7 – Jean Harlow, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the decade, dies aged 26 at Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles. The official cause of death is listed as cerebral edema, a complication of kidney failure.
June 11 – Marx Brothers comedy A Day at the Races premieres in the U.S.
July 9 – The silent film archives of Fox Film Corporation are destroyed by the 1937 Fox vault fire.
July 23 – Six weeks after Jean Harlow's death, her final film, Saratoga, is released. It is an instant box office success and becomes the year's highest-grossing film, as well as the highest-grossing film of her career.
September 20 - Japan's Ministry of Finance sanctions the United States by placing restrictions on the transfer of Hollywood box office revenues from Japan to the United States.
December 21 – Walt Disney's debut feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature-length cartoon to be made in America, in Technicolor, and in sound, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. The film opens nationwide on February 4, 1938, and is a massive box office success, briefly holding the record as the highest-grossing sound film of all time.
Monogram Pictures, who had merged with Republic Pictures two years earlier, decide to separate and distribute their own films again.

Academy Awards

Best Picture: The Life of Emile Zola – Warner Bros.
Best Director: Leo McCarey – The Awful Truth
Best Actor: Spencer Tracy – Captains Courageous
Best Actress: Luise Rainer – The Good Earth
Best Supporting Actor: Joseph Schildkraut – The Life of Emile Zola
Best Supporting Actress: Alice Brady – ''In Old Chicago''

Notable films

United States unless stated.

1937 film releases

January–March

January 1937
*13 January
**Thunder in the City
*14 January
**Action for Slander
*17 January
**Battle of Greed
*26 January
**Without Dowry
*28 January
**Pépé le Moko
*29 January
**The Good Earth
**You Only Live Once
*30 January
**Black Legion
February 1937
*2 February
**Dreaming Lips
*4 February
**The Daughter of the Samurai
*12 February
**Head Over Heels
**On the Avenue
*13 February
**The Great O'Malley
*19 February
**The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
March 1937
*2 March
**Lost Horizon
*3 March
**Maid of Salem
*5 March
**Fire Over England
**History is Made at Night
**Jump for Glory
*12 March
**A Family Affair
**Nancy Steele Is Missing!
*22 March
**Layla and Majnun
*25 March
**Seventh Heaven
*26 March
**Maytime
**Quality Street
*27 March
''Girl Loves Boy''

April–June

April 1937
*5 April
**Elephant Boy
*9 April
**The Soldier and the Lady
*10 April
**Marked Woman
**The Tale of the Fox
*16 April
**Way Out West
*18 April
**Love from a Stranger
*20 April
**A Star Is Born
*23 April
**The Woman I Love
*28 April
**Woman Chases Man
*30 April
**Night Must Fall
May 1937
*7 May
**Shall We Dance
**They Gave Him a Gun
*8 May
**The Prince and the Pauper
*9 May
**Make Way for Tomorrow
**The Vicar of Bray
*19 May
**Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons
*21 May
**Charlie Chan at the Olympics
**Pick a Star
*26 May
**Kid Galahad
*28 May
**This Is My Affair
June 1937
*1 June
**Knight Without Armour
**The Road Back
*4 June
**Parnell
*8 June
**Grand Illusion
*11 June
**A Day at the Races
*12 June
**Storm in a Teacup
*17 June
**King Solomon's Mines
*23 June
**Slim
*25 June
**Captains Courageous
**Wee Willie Winkie
*30 June
**''Silver Blaze''

July–September

July 1937
*6 July
**The Edge of the World
*7 July
**Easy Living
*14 July
**They Won't Forget
*15 July
**Ever Since Eve
*16 July
**Topper
*21 July
**High, Wide, and Handsome
*23 July
**Saratoga
*24 July
**Street Angel
August 1937
*3 August
**You Can't Have Everything
*4 August
**Artists and Models
*6 August
**Stella Dallas
*9 August
**Souls at Sea
*11 August
**The Life of Emile Zola
*19 August
**Confession
*20 August
**Broadway Melody of 1938
*25 August
**Humanity and Paper Balloons
*27 August
**Dead End
*31 August
**To New Shores
September 1937
*1 September
**The Firefly
*2 September
**The Prisoner of Zenda
*3 September
**Big City
*5 September
**One Hundred Men and a Girl
*7 September
**It Happened in Hollywood
*10 September
**Annapolis Salute
**Gribouille
*16 September
**Victoria the Great
*18 September
**That Certain Woman
*24 September
**Tři vejce do skla
*26 September
**The Dybbuk
*30 September
**''Something to Sing About''

October–December

October 1937
*1 October
**Madame X
*2 October
**Love Is on the Air
*8 October
**Stage Door
*10 October
**Law for Tombstone
*12 October
**Green Fields
*14 October
**Think Fast, Mr. Moto
*15 October
**The Bride Wore Red
**Double Wedding
**Heidi
*20 October
**Bizarre, Bizarre
*21 October
**The Awful Truth
*22 October
**Conquest
**Yoshiwara
*23 October
**The Perfect Specimen
*29 October
**Ali Baba Goes to Town
**Angel
**Stand-In
*30 October
**The Great Garrick
November 1937
*9 November
**The Hurricane
*12 November
**The Last Gangster
*19 November
**A Damsel in Distress
**Navy Blue and Gold
*20 November
**It's Love I'm After
*25 November
**Nothing Sacred
December 1937
*2 December
**Andula Won
**The Seven Ravens
*4 December
**First Lady
*7 December
**Telephone Operator
*10 December
**Born to the West
*17 December
**Daughter of Shanghai
*18 December
**La Habanera
*21 December
**Skeleton on Horseback
*24 December
**Rosalie
**True Confession
*25 December
**Tovarich
*29 December
**You're a Sweetheart
*31 December
**Wells Fargo
**''Wise Girl''

Serials

Blake of Scotland Yard, starring Ralph Byrd and Herbert RawlinsonDick Tracy, starring Ralph ByrdJungle JimJungle Menace, starring Frank BuckThe Mysterious Pilot, starring Frank HawksThe Painted Stallion, starring Ray CorriganRadio PatrolSecret Agent X-9, starring Scott KolkS.O.S. Coast Guard, starring Ralph Byrd and Bela LugosiTim Tyler's Luck, starring Frankie ThomasWild West DaysZorro Rides Again, starring John Carroll

Comedy film series

Harold Lloyd Charlie Chaplin Lupino Lane Buster Keaton Laurel and Hardy Our Gang Wheeler and Woolsey The Marx Brothers

''The Three Stooges''

Animated short film series

Krazy Kat Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Mickey Mouse Silly Symphonies

* Woodland Café
* Little Hiawatha
* The Old MillScreen Songs Looney Tunes Terrytoons Merrie Melodies Scrappy Betty Boop Popeye Happy Harmonies Color Rhapsodies Meany, Miny, and Moe Donald Duck
''Pluto''

Births

January 1 – Suzy Kendall, British actress
January 2 – Terence Rigby, English actor
January 4 – Dyan Cannon, American actress
January 10 – John M. Watson Sr., American actor and musician
January 11 – Felix Silla, Italian actor, musician, stunt artist and voice artist
January 12 – Shirley Eaton, English actress and model
January 14 – Stefano Satta Flores, Italian actor and voice actor
January 15 – Margaret O'Brien, American actress
January 16 – Lorraine Bayly, Australian actress, singer, director and writer
January 17 – Dick Durock, American actor and stuntman
January 24 – Julie Gregg, American actress
January 30 – Vanessa Redgrave, English actress
January 31 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress
February 1 – Garrett Morris, American comedian, actor and singer
February 2 – Tom Smothers, American comedian and musician
February 14 – Soher Al Bably, Egyptian actress
February 17 – Benjamin Whitrow, English actor
February 19 – David Margulies, American actor
February 21 – Gary Lockwood, American actor
February 24 – Shawn Elliott, American actor and singer
February 25 – Tom Courtenay, English actor
February 27 – Barbara Babcock, American character actress
March 2 – BarBara Luna, American actress
March 3 – Bobby Driscoll, American actor
March 5 – Sal Borgese, Italian actor
March 10 – Joe Viterelli, American actor
March 19 - Maurice Roëves, British actor
March 21 – Bill Capizzi, American voice actor
March 22 – Angelo Badalamenti, American screen composer
March 23 – Tony Burton, American actor
March 30
*Warren Beatty, American actor and director
*James D. Brubaker, American film producer
April 1
*Jordan Charney, American character actor
*Yılmaz Güney, Kurdish director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author
April 2 – Ken Olfson, American actor
April 3 – Lawrence Dane, Canadian actor and producer
April 6
*Terrence Hardiman, English actor
*Billy Dee Williams, American actor
April 9 - Marty Krofft, Canadian puppeteer and film producer
April 12 - Dennis Banks, Native American actor and activist
April 13
*Corinne Cole, American actress
*Edward Fox, English actor
April 15
*Rochelle Oliver, American actress
*Uldis Pūcītis, Latvian actor
*Frank Vincent, American actor
April 18 – Robert Hooks, American actor and producer
April 19 – Elinor Donahue, American actress
April 20 – George Takei, American actor, author and activist
April 22 – Jack Nicholson, American actor
April 27 – Sandy Dennis, American actress
May 5 – John Martino, American actor
May 8 – Shin Seong-il, South Korean actor
May 12
*George Carlin, American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic and author
*Susan Hampshire, English actress
May 16 – Yvonne Craig, American actress
May 19 – Pat Roach, English actor and professional wrestler
June 1 – Morgan Freeman, American actor and director
June 2 – Sally Kellerman, American actress and singer
June 10 – Luciana Paluzzi, Italian actress
June 11
*Johnny Brown, American actor and singer
*Chad Everett, American actor
June 14 – Jørgen Leth, Danish director
June 16 – Charmian May, English character actress
June 17 - Arthur Schmidt, American film editor
June 26 – Sombat Metanee, Thai actor and film director
June 27 – Kathryn Beaumont, English-American actress and singer
June 28 – Richard Bright, American actor
July 2 – Polly Holliday, American actress
July 6 – Ned Beatty, American character actor
July 12 – Bill Cosby, American stand-up comedian and actor
July 16 – Ada Rogovtseva, Ukrainian actress
July 19 – Richard Jordan, American actor
July 20
*Ken Ogata, Japanese actor
*Timothy Scott, American actor
July 21 – Gray Frederickson, American film producer
July 25 – Paul Collins, British actor
July 27 - Don Galloway, American actor
July 28 – Viktor Merezhko, Russian screenwriter, actor, writer and television presenter
August 3
*Steven Berkoff, British actor and playwright
*Richard Foronjy, American actor
August 5 – Alan Howard, English actor
August 6 – Barbara Windsor, English comedy actress
August 8 – Dustin Hoffman, American actor
August 14
*Fran Bennett, American actress
*Alberta Nelson, American actress
August 16 – Lorraine Gary, American retired actress
August 17 - Spiros Focás, Greek actor
August 19 – Evadne Baker, English actress
August 26 – Kenji Utsumi, Japanese actor
September 1 – Tsai Chin, Chinese actress, singer and director
September 4
*Mikk Mikiver, Estonian actor and director
*Nicholas Worth, American character actor
September 6 – Jo Anne Worley, American actress, comedian and singer
September 7
* Cüneyt Arkın, Turkish film actor, producer and director
* Ray Donn, English actor
* John Phillip Law, American actor
September 10 – Brian Murray, South African actor and theatre director
September 13
* Don Bluth, American director and producer
* Meeli Sööt, Estonian actress
September 21
*Ron Cobb, American-Australian graphic and film designer
*Aarne Üksküla, Estonian actor
September 24 – Dee Pollock, American actor
September 26 – Jerry Weintraub, American producer and actor
October 7 – Clive Graham, British actor
October 10
*Vic Tablian, Armenian-British actor
*Peter White, American actor
October 11 – Ron Leibman, American actor
October 15 – Linda Lavin, American actress and singer
October 21 – Édith Scob, French actress
October 22 – Alan Ladd Jr., American film producer
November 4 – Loretta Swit, American actress
November 5 – Harris Yulin, American actor
November 10 - Albert Hall, American actor
November 17 – Peter Cook, British satirist and comedic actor
November 21
*Ingrid Pitt, Polish-born British actress
*Marlo Thomas, American actress and producer
November 23 – Dora Cadavid, Colombian actress, singer and announcer
November 27 – Rodney Bewes, English actor
November 30 – Ridley Scott, English director and producer
December 4
*Max Baer Jr., American actor, producer, comedian and director
*David Bailie, South African actor
December 7
*Kenneth Colley, English actor
*Larry Hankin, American character actor
December 8 – James MacArthur, American actor
December 9 – Darwin Joston, American actor
December 11 - Stephen Moore, English actor
December 12 – Connie Francis, American singer and actress
December 13 – Rob Houwer, Dutch producer
December 16 – Joyce Bulifant, American actress
December 21 – Jane Fonda, American actress
December 29 – Barbara Steele, English actress
December 30 – Zaldy Zshornack, Filipino actor
December 31 – Anthony Hopkins, Welsh actor

Deaths

January 2 – Ross Alexander, 29, American actor, Captain Blood, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Flirtation Walk
January 3 – Perry N. Vekroff, 55, American actor and director, Trailed by Three, A Woman's Experience
January 13 – Martin Johnson, 52, American documentary filmmaker, Congorilla
January 16 – John Miltern, 66, Actor, Big Town
January 21 – Marie Prevost, 40, Canadian-born American actress, The Marriage Circle, The Racket, The Godless Girl, Cain and Mabel
January 31 – Wallace Smith, 48, American writer and illustrator, The Gay Desperado
February 16 – Paul Graetz, 47, German actor, Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk
February 17 – George Hassell, 55, English actor, Captain Blood, Becky Sharp
February 24
*Humphrey Pearson, 43, American screenwriter, Red Salute
*Sir Guy Standing, 63, English actor, Lloyd's of London
March 1 - DeWitt Jennings, 65, American actor, Mutiny on the Bounty
March 6 - Frank Vosper, 37, English actor, Blind Justice
March 11
*W. Graham Browne, 67, Irish actor, The Night of the Party
*John F. Goodrich, 50, American screenwriter, The Last Command
April 2 - Edward Laemmle, 49, American director, Top o' the Morning
April 5 - Émile Pathé, French co-organiser of Pathé Frères
April 7 - Helen Burgess, 20, American actress, The Plainsman, A Doctor's Diary
April 10 - Ralph Ince, 50, American actor and director, The Sea Wolf
April 20 - Fredric Hope, 37, American art director, The Merry Widow
April 24 - Lucy Beaumont, 67, English actress, The Greater Glory
April 29 - William Gillette, 83, American actor, Sherlock Holmes
May 1 – Snitz Edwards, 69, Austro-Hungarian-born American actor, The Thief of Bagdad, The Phantom of the Opera, Seven Chances, College
May 10 – William Tedmarsh, 61, English-American silent film actor
June 5 – Emmett J. Flynn, 54-55, American director, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
June 7
*Jean Harlow, 26, American actress, The Public Enemy, Libeled Lady, Suzy, Red Dust
*Monroe Owsley, 37, American actor, Holiday, Indiscreet, The Keyhole, Ex-Lady
June 25 – Colin Clive, 37, British actor, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein
September 21 – Osgood Perkins, 45, American actor, Scarface, Gold Diggers of 1937
November 13 – Mrs. Leslie Carter, 75, American stage and screen actress, Becky Sharp, Rocky Mountain Mystery
December 21 – Ted Healy, 41, American actor and creator of The Three Stooges, San Francisco, Mad Love, Beer and Pretzels, ''Soup to Nuts''