21st Academy Awards

The 21st Academy Awards features numerous firsts.

It was the first time a non-Hollywood production won Best Picture, Hamlet. It was the first time an individual (Laurence Olivier) directed himself in an Oscar-winning performance. Director John Huston directs two Oscar-winning performances in the same year for two different films: his father Walter Huston in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Claire Trevor for Key Largo. The Huston family won three Oscars that evening.

Jane Wyman became the first actor since the silent era to win an Oscar for a performance with no lines.

Humphrey Bogart failed to receive a nomination for Best Actor in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which is now considered one of the Academy’s greatest slights.

The 1948 Academy Award Winners

Picture: Hamlet
Actor: Laurence Olivier (Hamlet)
Actress: Jane Wyman (Johnny Belinda)
Supporting Actor: Walter Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)
Supporting Actress: Claire Trevor (Key Largo)
Director: John Huston (The Treasure of Sierra Madre)
Adapted Screenplay: John Huston (The Treasure of Sierra Madre)
Original Screenplay: Richard Schweizer and David Wechsler (The Search)
Song: "Buttons and Bows" (The Paleface)
Score: The Red Shoes / Easter Parade
Cinematography: The Naked City (Black and White) / Joan of Arc (Color)
Costume Design: Hamlet (Black and White) / Joan of Arc (Color)
Art / Set Decoration: Hamlet (Black and White) / The Red Shoes (Color)
Film Editing: The Naked City
Sound: The Snake Pit
Special Effects: Portrait of Jennie
Short Films: The Little Orphan (Cartoons) / Symphony of a City (One-Reel) / Seal Island (Two-Reel)
Documentaries: Toward Independence (Short) / The Secret Land (Feature)