List of years in film
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1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
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The year 1939 in film is widely considered the greatest year in film history. The ten Best Picture-nominated films that year include classics in multiple genres.[1]

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1939 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1939
RankTitleDistributorDomestic rentals
1 Gone with the Wind MGM/Selznick International $18,000,000[2]
2 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Columbia $3,500,000[3]
3 Jesse James 20th Century Fox $2,335,000[4]
4 Babes in Arms MGM $2,311,000[5]
5 The Wizard of Oz $2,048,000[5]
6 Goodbye, Mr. Chips $1,777,000[5]
7 Dodge City Warner Bros. $1,668,000[6]
8 The Rains Came 20th Century Fox $1,656,000[4]
9 The Women MGM $1,610,000[5]
10 Drums Along the Mohawk 20th Century Fox $1,558,000[4]

Events

Film historians often rate 1939 as "the greatest year in the history of Hollywood".[7][8] Hollywood studios were at the height of their Golden Age, producing a number of exceptional motion pictures, many of which became honored as all-time classic films.

Nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Director

The year 1939 was one in which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated ten films for Best Picture:

These films came from a wide variety of film genres and sources for their stories and settings, including: historical fiction (Gone with the Wind), contemporary affairs (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Of Mice and Men), love stories, classic novels (Wuthering Heights), fantasies/musicals, (The Wizard of Oz), tragic plays (Dark Victory), westerns (Stagecoach), and comedies (Ninotchka).

Each of the five nominees for Best Director of 1939 were or went on to become a legendary film director with multiple acclaimed films to his credit: Frank Capra (previous winner of the award), Victor Fleming, John Ford (who won a record four Best Director awards), Sam Wood, and William Wyler (who leads all directors in nominations with 11 while having three wins).

Academy Awards

Gone with the Wind received in all ten Academy Awards (eight competitive, two honorary) from thirteen nominations.

1939 film releases

United States

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Notable films released in 1939

United States unless stated

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Serials

Comedy film series

Animated short film series

Births

Deaths

Debuts

References

  1. Giltz, Michael (February 15, 2008). "Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 – The Best Year For Movies...Ever!". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  2. "York's 4,000,000". Variety. December 31, 1941. p. 20. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  3. Eyman, Scott (1993). Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise. ISBN 0-8018-6558-1. Ninotchka's financial returns were less than those of the year's biggest hit, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which made $3.5 million, but considerably more than other hits like The Old Maid ($1.4 million), Only Angels Have Wings ($1.1 million), or The Rains Came ($1.65 million).
  4. 1 2 3 "All-time Film Rental Champs". Variety. October 15, 1990. p. M162 to 166.
  5. 1 2 3 4 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  6. Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 20 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  7. Fristoe, Roger. "Introduction to 1939, Hollywood's Greatest Year". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  8. Schwarzbaum, Lisa (October 2, 2009). "1939: Film's finest year". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  9. "Ian McKellen". BFI. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
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