Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Oscar Oddity #11: My Man Godfrey (1936)


This classic screwball comedy received awards recognition upon its original release, and the acclaim has continued to the present. However, it was not nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Out of 10 nominees, it was not recognized. Now, that itself isn't very odd, unless you look at the film's other nominations.

The film was nominated for Best Director (Gregory La Cava), Best Actor (William Powell), Best Actress (Carole Lombard), Best Supporting Actor (Mischa Auer), Best Supporting Actress (Alice Brady), and Best Screenplay. All of those top category mentions, and not one for the big prize?

This makes it the only film to be nominated in all of those categories without garnering a Best Picture nod. It's even the only film to be nominated in all four acting categories that has not nabbed a Best Picture nomination. On top of that, it's the only film to be nominated in those six major categories and lose in every one of them. Still, six nominations is a great reward, even with this anomalous statistic.

2 comments:

  1. Saw it recently, the ending is just perfect. I didn't know that oscar trivia.

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    1. Love the film, and the ending is terrific. I'm still amazed it didn't manage a Best Picture nod, though.

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