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The Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1956. This award can be a source of confusion for modern audiences, given its co-existence with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The Oscar for Best Story most closely resembles the usage of modern film treatments, or prose documents that describe the entire plot and characters, but typically lack most dialogue. A separate screenwriter would convert the story into a full screenplay.

As an example, at the 1944 Academy Awards, producer and director Leo McCarey won Best Story for Going My Way while screenwriters Frank Butler and Frank Cavett won Best Screenplay. The elimination of this category in 1956 reflects the decline of Hollywood's studio system and the emergence of independent screenwriters.

Winners and nominees

1920s

Year Film Nominees
1927–1928
(1st)
Underworld Ben Hecht
The Last Command Lajos Bíró
The Circus Charlie Chaplin[note 1]

1930s

Year Film Nominees
1930–1931
(4th)
The Dawn Patrol John Monk Saunders
Doorway to Hell Rowland Brown
Laughter Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast, Douglas Doty, Donald Ogden Stewart
The Public Enemy John Bright, Kubec Glasmon
Smart Money Lucien Hubbard, Joseph Jackson
1931–1932
(5th)
The Champ Frances Marion
Lady and Gent Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt
The Star Witness Lucien Hubbard
What Price Hollywood? Adela Rogers St. Johns, Jane Murfin
1932–1933
(6th)
One Way Passage Robert Lord
The Prizefighter and the Lady Frances Marion
Rasputin and the Empress Charles MacArthur
1934
(7th)
Manhattan Melodrama Arthur Caesar
Hide-Out Mauri Grashin
The Richest Girl in the World Norman Krasna
1935
(8th)
[a]
The Scoundrel Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur
Broadway Melody of 1936 Moss Hart
The Gay Deception Stephen Morehouse Avery, Don Hartman
1936
(9th)
The Story of Louis Pasteur Pierre Collings, Sheridan Gibney
Fury Norman Krasna
The Great Ziegfeld William Anthony McGuire
San Francisco Robert Hopkins
Three Smart Girls Adele Comandini
1937
(10th)
A Star Is Born Robert Carson, William Wellman
Black Legion Robert Lord
In Old Chicago Niven Busch
The Life of Emile Zola Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg
One Hundred Men and a Girl Hans Kraly
1938
(11th)
Boys Town Eleanore Griffin, Dore Schary
Alexander's Ragtime Band Irving Berlin
Angels with Dirty Faces Rowland Brown
Blockade John Howard Lawson
Mad About Music Marcella Burke, Frederick Kohner
Test Pilot Frank Wead
1939
(12th)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Lewis R. Foster
Bachelor Mother Felix Jackson
Love Affair Mildred Cram, Leo McCarey
Ninotchka Melchior Lengyel
Young Mr. Lincoln Lamar Trotti

1940s

Year Film Nominees
1940
(13th)
Arise, My Love Benjamin Glazer, John Toldy
Comrade X Walter Reisch
Edison, the Man Hugo Butler, Dore Schary
My Favorite Wife Leo McCarey, Samuel Spewack and Bella Spewack
The Westerner Stuart N. Lake
1941
(14th)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan Harry Segall
Ball of Fire Thomas Monroe, Billy Wilder
The Lady Eve Monckton Hoffe
Meet John Doe Richard Connell, Robert Presnell, Jr.
Night Train to Munich Gordon Wellesley
1942
(15th)
49th Parallel Emeric Pressburger
Holiday Inn Irving Berlin
The Pride of the Yankees Paul Gallico
The Talk of the Town Sidney Harmon
Yankee Doodle Dandy Robert Buckner
1943
(16th)
The Human Comedy William Saroyan
Action in the North Atlantic Guy Gilpatric
Destination Tokyo Steve Fisher
The More the Merrier Frank Ross, Robert Russell
Shadow of a Doubt Gordon McDonell
1944
(17th)
Going My Way Leo McCarey
A Guy Named Joe David Boehm, Chandler Sprague
Lifeboat John Steinbeck
None Shall Escape Alfred Neumann, Joseph Than
The Sullivans Edward Doherty, Jules Schermer
1945
(18th)
The House on 92nd Street Charles G. Booth
The Affairs of Susan László Görög, Thomas Monroe
A Medal for Benny John Steinbeck, Jack Wagner
Objective, Burma! Alvah Bessie
A Song to Remember Ernst Marischka
1946
(19th)
Vacation from Marriage Clemence Dane
The Dark Mirror Vladimir Solomonovich Pozner
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Jack Patrick
The Stranger Victor Trivas
To Each His Own Charles Brackett
1947
(20th)
Miracle on 34th Street Valentine Davies
A Cage of Nightingales (French: La Cage aux rossignols) Georges Chaperot, René Wheeler
It Happened on Fifth Avenue Herbert Clyde Lewis, Frederick Stephani
Kiss of Death Eleazar Lipsky
Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman Frank Cavett, Dorothy Parker
1948
(21st)
The Search Richard Schweizer, David Wechsler [de]
Louisiana Story Robert J. Flaherty, Frances H. Flaherty
The Naked City Malvin Wald
Red River Borden Chase
The Red Shoes Emeric Pressburger
1949
(22nd)
The Stratton Story Douglas Morrow
Come to the Stable Clare Boothe Luce
It Happens Every Spring Valentine Davies, Shirley Smith
Sands of Iwo Jima Harry Brown
White Heat Virginia Kellogg

1950s

Year Film Nominees
1950
(23rd)
Panic in the Streets Edna Anhalt, Edward Anhalt
Bitter Rice Giuseppe De Santis, Carlo Lizzani
The Gunfighter William Bowers, André de Toth
Mystery Street Leonard Spigelgass
When Willie Comes Marching Home Sy Gomberg
1951
(24th)
Seven Days to Noon James Bernard, Paul Dehn[1]
Bullfighter and the Lady Budd Boetticher, Ray Nazarro
The Frogmen Oscar Millard
Here Comes the Groom Liam O'Brien, Robert Riskin
Teresa Alfred Hayes, Stewart Stern
1952
(25th)
The Greatest Show on Earth Frank Cavett, Fredric M. Frank, Theodore St. John
My Son John Leo McCarey
The Narrow Margin Martin Goldsmith, Jack Leonard
The Pride of St. Louis Guy Trosper
The Sniper Edward Anhalt, Edna Anhalt
1953
(26th)
Roman Holiday Dalton Trumbo[b]
Above and Beyond Beirne Lay, Jr.
The Captain's Paradise Alec Coppel
Hondo Louis L'Amour[c]
Little Fugitive Ray Ashley, Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin
1954
(27th)
Broken Lance Philip Yordan
Bread, Love and Dreams (Italian: Pane, amore e fantasia) Ettore Margadonna
Forbidden Games (French: Jeux interdits) François Boyer
Night People Jed Harris, Tom Reed
There's No Business Like Show Business Lamar Trotti (posthumous nomination)
1955
(28th)
Love Me or Leave Me Daniel Fuchs
The Private War of Major Benson Joe Connelly, Bob Mosher
Rebel Without a Cause Nicholas Ray
The Sheep Has Five Legs (French: Le Mouton à cinq pattes) Jean Marsan, Henri Troyat, Jacques Perret, Henri Verneuil, Raoul Ploquin
Strategic Air Command Beirne Lay, Jr.
1956
(29th)
The Brave One Dalton Trumbo[d]
The Eddy Duchin Story Leo Katcher
High Society Edward Bernds, Elwood Ullman[e]
The Proud and the Beautiful (French: Les Orgueilleux) Jean-Paul Sartre
Umberto D. Cesare Zavattini

Notes

  1. ^ G Men, story by Gregory Rogers (a pseudonym of Darryl F. Zanuck), was not officially nominated for this award, but appears in Academy records because it placed second in voting as a write-in candidate in 1935.
  2. ^ The screen credit and award was originally credited to Ian McLellan Hunter, who was a front for Trumbo. On December 15, 1992, the Board of Governors voted to retroactively attribute the award to Trumbo. Hunter's name was removed. Although Trumbo had died some years earlier, he had been alive in 1954 and this is not considered a posthumous award.
  3. ^ Originally announced on February 15, 1954, as a nominee in this category. On February 17, 1954, letters from the producer and nominee questioned its inclusion in the category, as it was based on the short story, "The Gift of Cochise", by the nominee, Mr. L'Amour, published in Collier's magazine on July 5, 1952. By waiver, the title of the short story was not included in the film's credits. The nomination was withdrawn, and only four nominees were included on the final ballot. The Academy thanked Mr. L'Amour and despite this incident, offered him a membership in the Academy.
  4. ^ The name of the writer credited with authorship, Robert Rich, turned out to be an alias for Trumbo, who was being blacklisted at that time. On May 2, 1975, then-Academy president Walter Mirisch presented the Award to Trumbo.
  5. ^ The authors of this Bowery Boys film respectfully withdrew their own names and the nomination. They were aware that voters had probably mistaken their film with the 1956 MGM musical of the same name starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra which was based on The Philadelphia Story. This nomination was not included on the final ballot.
  1. ^ The Circus originally received a nomination for Best Director (Comedy Picture), as well as nominations for Best Actor and Best Writing (Original Story), all for Charles Chaplin. However, the Academy subsequently decided to remove Chaplin's name from the competitive award categories and instead to confer upon him a Special Award "for acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus". Chilton, Martin (May 16, 2016). "The first Oscars: what happened in 1929". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on May 19, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2021.

References

  1. ^ "WRITING (MOTION PICTURE STORY)". THE 24TH ACADEMY AWARDS – 1952. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. March 20, 1952. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
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