Cineliteracy 1946: You Must Remember This…Popular Movies, Stars, Trends, Events

Cineliteracy 1946: What You Need to Know about 1946 as a Movie Year

Research in progress, Nov 16, 2024

My Book

Box-Office Champions

The Best Years of Our Lives, $11.3 million (Best Picture Oscar Winner)

Song of the South, 12.8 million

Duel in the Sun, 11.3

The Jolson Story,  7.6

Blue Skies, 5.7

The Yearling,  5.2

The Razor’s Edge, 5.0

Notorious, 4.8

The Green Years, 4.6

Easy to Wed, 4.5

————–

Till the Clouds Roll By, 4.5

Two Years Before Mast, 4.4

The Harvey Girls, 4.35

Saratoga Trunk, 4.25

Margie, 4.1

Holiday in Mexico, 4.0

The Kid from Brooklyn, 4.0

Night and Day, 4.0

The Postman Always Rings Twice, 4.0

Smoky, 4.0

Ziegfeld Follies, The, 4.0

Oscar Awards

Best Actress: (Oscars, Critics, Festivals)

Oscar: Olivia De Havilland, To Have and Have Not

N.Y. Film Critics Circle: Celia Johnson, Brief Encounter

National Board: Anna Magnani, Open City

Cannes Film Fest (first year): Michelle Morgan, Symphonie Pastorale

Venice Fest: No acting awards

Best Actor: (Oscars, Critics, Festivals)

Oscar: Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives (second Oscar)

N.Y. Film Critics Circle: Laurence Olivier, Henry V

National Board:  Laurence Olivier, Henry V

Cannes Film Fest (first year): Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend

Venice Fest: No acting awards

Notable Movie Events:

Feb 14 –

Charles Vidor’s Gilda starring Rita Hayworth at her most seductive, and Glenn Ford; one of the most famous scenes Hayworth singing “Put The Blame On Mame” with sexy black dress

November 21 –

William Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives premieres, boasting ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Harold Russell.

December 20 –

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, and Thomas Mitchell opens in New York.

The first Cannes Film Festival held September 20 to October 5, 1946.

Jury for the Feature films and Shorts:

Georges Huisman (France) (historian, president); members included Iris Barry (USA)

Films in Competition

Feature films

Amanti in fuga, directed by Giacomo Gentilomo

Anna and the King of Siam, directed by John Cromwell (US)

Blod och eld directed by Anders Henrikson

Brevet fra afdøde directed by Johan Jacobsen

Brief Encounter directed by David Lean (UK)

Caesar and Cleopatra directed by Gabriel Pascal (UK)

Camões directed by José Leitão de Barros

Chelovek No. 217 directed by Mikhail Romm

De Røde Enge directed by Bodil Ipsen, Lau Lauritzen, Jr.

Die Letzte Chance directed by Léopold Lindtberg

Dunia directed by Muhammad Karim

Floarea reginei directed by Paul Calinescu

Gilda directed by Charles Vidor (US)

Glinka directed by Lev Arnchtam

Iris och löjtnantshjärta directed by Alf Sjöberg

Il bandito directed by Alberto Lattuada

Kamennyy tsvetok directed by Aleksandr Ptouchko

La Bataille du Rail directed by René Clement

La Belle et La Bête directed by Jean Cocteau

La symphonie pastorale directed by Jean Delannoy

Le Miserie del Signor Travet directed by Mario Soldati

Le Père tranquille directed by René Clement

Un revenant directed by Christian-Jaque

Los tres mosqueteros directed by Miguel M. Delgado

Make Mine Music by Joshua Meador, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney, Bob Cormack, Hamilton Luske

Maria Candelaria directed by Emilio Fernández

Muzi bez krídel directed by Frantisek Cap

Neecha Nagar directed by Chetan Anand

Nezbedný bakalár directed by Otakar Vavra

Notorious, directed by Alfred Hitchcock (US)

Patrie directed by Louis Daquin

Rhapsody in Blue directed by Irving Rapper

Roma Citta Aperta directed by Roberto Rossellini

The Captive Heart directed by Basil Dearden

The Lost Weekend directed by Billy Wilder

The Magic Bow directed by Bernard Knowles

The Seventh Veil directed by Compton Bennet (UK)

Três Dias Sem Deus directed by Barbara Virginia

Un giorno nella vita directed by Alessandro Blasetti

Velikiy Perelom directed by Fridrikh Ermler

Wonder Man directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

Zdravstvuy, Moskva! directed by Sergei Yutkevich

Zoya directed by Lev Arnchtam

Winners

Feature Films

Grand Prize of the Festival: Tie

Brief Encounter by David Lean

Iris och löjtnantshjärta by Alf Sjöberg

The Last Chance by Leopold Lindtberg

The Lost Weekend by Billy Wilder

María Candelaria (Xochimilco) by Emilio Fernández

Men Without Wings by Frantisek Cáp

Neecha Nagar by Chetan Anand

Red Meadows by Bodil Ipsen and Lau Lauritzen Jr.

Rome, Open City by Roberto Rossellini

La symphonie pastorale by Jean Delannoy

Velikiy perelom by Fridrikh Ermler

International Jury Prize:

La Bataille du rail by René Clément

Best Actor: Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend

Best Actress: Michèle Morgan for La symphonie pastorale

Best Director: René Clément for La Bataille du rail

Best Cinematography: Gabriel Figueroa for María Candelari (Xochimilco) and Los tres mosqueteros

Best Animation Design: Make Mine Music

Best Colour: The Stone Flower

International Peace Award: The Last Chance

Note:

Held after WWII, Cannes Festival showed Hollywood movies that were made in 1944, such as George Cukor’s noir thriller Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman in her first Oscar winning role, and Billy Wilder’s 1945 Best Picture Oscar winner, The Lost Weekend.

Oscar Awards

19th Academy Awards March 13, 1947

Best Film The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Director: William Wyler ,The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Actor Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Actress Olivia de Havilland, To Each His Own
Best Supporting Actor: Harold Russell, The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Supporting Actress Anne Baxter, The Razor’s Edge

Notable films released in 1946 (US unless stated)

A
Angel on My Shoulder
Anna and the King of Siam, starring Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison

B

Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête), Jean Cocteau, starring Jean Marais, Josette Day

The Best Years of Our Lives, William Wyler, starring Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews and Harold Russell – winner of 8 Oscars

The Big Sleep, Howard Hawks, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

The Blue Dahlia, starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake

Blue Skies, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire

Boom in the Moon, starring Buster Keaton

A Boy and His Dog, starring Harry Davenport

C

The Captive Heart, the first Prisoner of War film from World War II

Canyon Passage, starring Dana Andrews

Children of Paradise (U.S. release), Marcel Carne
Cloak and Dagger
Cluny Brown, starring Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones

D

The Dark Mirror, starring Olivia de Havilland
Deception
Decoy, a film noir starring Jean Gillie
Devotion
The Diary of a Chambermaid
Dragonwyck, starring Gene Tierney

Duel in the Sun, starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lillian Gish

G

Gilda, starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford
Great Expectations, David Lean, starring John Mills, Jean Simmons
The Green Years

H
The Harvey Girls, George Sidney, starring Judy Garland and John Hodiak

Henry V (U.S. release), Olivier
Humoresque, starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield

I

It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore

Ivan the Terrible

J
The Jolson Story, a biopic of Al Jolson starring Larry Parks

K
The Kid from Brooklyn

The Killers, Robert Siodmak, starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner

L
Let There Be Light, documentary directed by John Huston
Little Giant, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

MA Matter of Life and Death, written and directed by Powell and Pressburger, starring David Niven
Monsieur Beaucaire, starring Bob Hope
The Murderers Are Among Us (Die Mörder sind unter uns), starring Hildegard Knef
My Darling Clementine, John Ford, starring Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell

N
Night and Day
A Night in Casablanca with the Marx Brothers
No Regrets for Our Youth (Waga seishun ni kuinashi)

Notorious, Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

O
The Outlaw (re-release)
The Overlanders

P
Paisan, directed by Roberto Rossellini (Italy)
Patrie, directed by Louis Daquin (France)

The Postman Always Rings Twice, starring Lana Turner and John Garfield

R
The Razor’s Edge, starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney

Road to Utopia, starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope

S
The Seventh Veil (U.S. release)
She-Wolf of London. starring June Lockhart
Shoeshine (Sciuscià), directed by Vittorio De Sica
Shock, directed by Alfred L. Werker, starring Vincent Price and Lynn Bari
Sister Kenny, starring Rosalind Russell
Somewhere In The Night, starring John Hodiak
Song of the South by Walt Disney, combines animation and live action.
The Spiral Staircase, starring Dorothy McGuire
A Stolen Life, starring Bette Davis
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, starring Barbara Stanwyck
The Strange Woman, starring Hedy Lamarr and George Sanders
The Stranger, directed by and starring Orson Welles, Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson

T

Three Wise Fools, starring Margaret O’Brien and Lionel Barrymore
The Time of Their Lives, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
To Each His Own, starring Olivia de Havilland
Tomorrow Is Forever, starring Orson Welles
Two Sisters from Boston, starring Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Lauritz Melchior, Jimmy Durante and Peter Lawford.

U
Utamaro and His Five Women (Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna)

V

The Verdict

W
Wake Up and Dream
Wanted for Murder
The Wife of Monte Cristo, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Without Reservations, John Wayne

Y
The Yearling, starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman

The Phantom Rider, starring Robert Kent and Peggy Stewart
The Scarlet Horseman
Son of the Guardsman
Short film series
Shirley Temple (1932–1946)
The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
Popular Science (1935–1950)
Animated short film series
Mickey Mouse (1928–1952)
Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
Terrytoons (1930–1964)
Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
Popeye (1933–1957)
Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
Donald Duck (1936–1956)
Pluto (1937–1951)
Andy Panda (1939–1949)
Goofy (1939–1953)
Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949)
Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
Droopy (1943–1958)
Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
Screwball Squirrel (1944–1946)
Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
George and Junior (1946–1948)

Births (Long List)

Deaths

January 13 – Enid Stamp Taylor, English actress
February 5 – George Arliss, English actor
April 1 – Noah Beery Sr., American actor
June 23 – William S. Hart, American actor
July 10 – Slim Summerville, American actor and director
August 8 – Paul Porcasi, Italian actor
August 10 – Léon Gaumont, French film pioneer
August 12 – Egon Brecher, Austrian actor, director
August 13 – H. G. Wells, British science fiction writer
August 26 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter
August 28 – Florence Turner, American actress
September 21 – Olga Engl, Austrian actress
October 8 – John St. Polis, American actor
November 2 – Gabriel Gabrio, French actor
November 18 – Donald Meek, Scottish-American actor
December 12 – Renée Jeanne Falconetti, French actress

December 25 – W. C. Fields, American comedian and actor

Film Debuts

Patricia Barry – Her Kind of Man
Raymond Burr – Without Reservations
Hamilton Camp – Bedlam
Gianna Maria Canale – The Black Eagle
Kirk Douglas – The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
William Fawcett – Stars Over Texas
John Hoyt – O.S.S.
Martha Hyer – The Locket
Burl Ives – Smoky
Burt Lancaster – The Killers
Gina Lollobrigida – The Black Eagle
Lois Maxwell – A Matter of Life and Death

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