26th Academy Awards

The 26th Academy Awards were held on March 25, 1954, simultaneously at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood (hosted by Donald O'Connor), and the NBC Center Theatre in New York City (hosted by Fredric March).

26th Academy Awards
Date	March 25, 1954
Site	RKO Pantages Theatre Hollywood, California NBC Center Theatre New York City, New York
Hosted by	Donald O'Connor (Hollywood) Fredric March (New York City)
Highlights
Best Picture	From Here to Eternity
Most awards	From Here to Eternity (8)
Most nominations	From Here to Eternity (13)
TV in the United States
Network	NBC
← 25th Academy Awards 27th →

The second national telecast of the Awards show drew an estimated 43 million viewers. Shirley Booth, appearing in a play in Philadelphia, presented the Academy Award for Best Actor through a live broadcast cut-in, having privately received the winner's name over the telephone from O'Connor. Gary Cooper pre-recorded his presentation of the Academy Award for Best Actress while on location in Mexico shooting Garden of Evil, with O'Connor then announcing the winner's name live.

All the major winners in this year were black-and-white films. Fred Zinnemann's From Here to Eternity won eight awards from its thirteen nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Academy Award for Best Director, Best Screenplay (Daniel Taradash), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Burnett Guffey), Best Sound Recording, and Best Film Editing. It was the third film to receive five acting nominations. Its eight awards matched the record set by Gone with the Wind in 1939. Walt Disney won four awards, a record to this day for most Oscars won by a single person in the same year (the record was tied by Bong Joon Ho at the 92nd Academy Awards^[1][a]).

William Holden's acceptance speech for Best Actor for Stalag 17 was simply "Thank You", making it one of the shortest speeches on record, forced by the TV broadcast's strict cutoff time. Holden, frustrated, later personally paid for advertisements in the Hollywood trade publications to thank everyone he had wanted to in his speech, remarked that he felt that either Burt Lancaster or Montgomery Clift should have won the Oscar for From Here to Eternity instead of him, and expounded backstage on a system he felt valued commercials over program content;^[4] NBC had cut into commercials during the middle of other acceptance speeches, as well.^[4]

Awards

 

Fred Zinnemann; Best Director winner

 

William Holden; Best Actor winner

 

Audrey Hepburn; Best Actress winner

 

Frank Sinatra; Best Supporting Actor winner

 

Donna Reed; Best Supporting Actress winner

 

Charles Brackett; Best Story and Screenplay co-winner

 

Dalton Trumbo; Best Story winner

 

Walt Disney; Best Animated Short Film, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short Subject and Best Live Action Short Subject, Two-Reel winner

 

Cedric Gibbons; Best Art Direction, Black-and-White co-winner

 

Charles LeMaire; Best Costume Design, Color winner

Nominees were announced on February 15, 1954. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.^[5]

Best Motion Picture	Best Director
From Here to Eternity – Buddy Adler for Columbia Pictures ‡ Julius Caesar – John Houseman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  The Robe – Frank Ross for 20th Century Fox  Roman Holiday – William Wyler for Paramount Pictures  Shane – George Stevens for Paramount Pictures	Fred Zinnemann – From Here to Eternity‡ Charles Walters – Lili William Wyler – Roman Holiday George Stevens – Shane Billy Wilder – Stalag 17
Best Actor	Best Actress
William Holden – Stalag 17 as J. J. Sefton‡ Marlon Brando – Julius Caesar as Mark Antony Richard Burton – The Robe as Marcellus Gallio Montgomery Clift – From Here to Eternity as Private Robert E. Lee "Prew" Prewitt Burt Lancaster – From Here to Eternity as First Sergeant Milton Warden	Audrey Hepburn – Roman Holiday as Princess Ann‡ Leslie Caron – Lili as Lili Daurier Ava Gardner – Mogambo as Eloise Kelly Deborah Kerr – From Here to Eternity as Karen Holmes Maggie McNamara – The Moon Is Blue as Patty O'Neill
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
Frank Sinatra – From Here to Eternity as Private Angelo Maggio‡ Eddie Albert – Roman Holiday as Irving Radovich Brandon deWilde – Shane as Joey Starrett Jack Palance – Shane as Jack Wilson Robert Strauss – Stalag 17 as Stanislas "Animal" Kuzawa	Donna Reed – From Here to Eternity as Alma Burke/Lorene‡ Grace Kelly – Mogambo as Linda Nordley Geraldine Page – Hondo as Angie Lowe Marjorie Rambeau – Torch Song as Mrs. Stewart Thelma Ritter – Pickup on South Street as Moe
Best Screenplay	Best Story and Screenplay
From Here to Eternity – Daniel Taradash from From Here to Eternity by James Jones‡ The Cruel Sea – Eric Ambler from The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat Lili – Helen Deutsch from "Love of Seven Dolls" by Paul Gallico Roman Holiday – Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton from a story by Dalton Trumbo Shane – A.B. Guthrie Jr. from Shane by Jack Schaefer	Titanic – Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch and Richard L. Breen‡ The Band Wagon – Betty Comden and Adolph Green The Desert Rats – Richard Murphy The Naked Spur – Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom Take the High Ground! – Millard Kaufman
Best Story	Best Documentary Feature
Roman Holiday – Dalton Trumbo‡ (awarded posthumously as Trumbo was on the Hollywood blacklist) Above and Beyond – Beirne Lay Jr. The Captain's Paradise – Alec Coppel Hondo – Louis L'Amour (disqualified) Little Fugitive – Ray Ashley, Morris Engel, and Ruth Orkin	The Living Desert – Walt Disney‡ The Conquest of Everest A Queen Is Crowned
Best Documentary Short Subject	Best Live Action Short Subject, One-Reel
The Alaskan Eskimo – Walt Disney‡ The Living City Operation Blue Jay They Planted a Stone The Word	Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor – Johnny Green‡ Christ Among the Primitives Herring Hunt Joy of Living Wee Water Wonders
Best Live Action Short Subject, Two-Reel	Best Short Subject - Cartoons
Bear Country – Walt Disney‡ Ben and Me Return to Glennascaul Vesuvius Express Winter Paradise	Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom – Walt Disney‡ Christopher Crumpet From A to Z-Z-Z-Z Rugged Bear The Tell Tale Heart
Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture	Best Scoring of a Musical Picture
Lili – Bronisław Kaper‡ Above and Beyond – Hugo Friedhofer From Here to Eternity – Morris Stoloff and George Duning Julius Caesar – Miklós Rózsa This Is Cinerama – Louis Forbes	Call Me Madam – Alfred Newman‡ The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. – Frederick Hollander and Morris Stoloff The Band Wagon – Adolph Deutsch Calamity Jane – Ray Heindorf Kiss Me Kate – André Previn and Saul Chaplin
Best Song	Best Sound Recording
"Secret Love" from Calamity Jane – Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster‡ "The Moon Is Blue" from The Moon Is Blue – Music by Herschel Burke Gilbert; Lyrics by Sylvia Fine "My Flaming Heart" from Small Town Girl – Music by Nicholas Brodszky; Lyrics by Leo Robin "Sadie Thompson's Song" from Miss Sadie Thompson – Music by Lester Lee; Lyrics by Ned Washington "That's Amore" from The Caddy – Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Jack Brooks	From Here to Eternity – John P. Livadary‡ Calamity Jane – William A. Mueller Knights of the Round Table – A. W. Watkins The Mississippi Gambler – Leslie I. Carey The War of the Worlds – Loren L. Ryder
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White	Best Art Direction, Color
Julius Caesar – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Edward Carfagno; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Hugh Hunt‡ Martin Luther – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Fritz Maurischat and Paul Markwitz The President's Lady – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Leland Fuller; Set Decoration: Paul S. Fox Roman Holiday – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Hal Pereira and Walter Tyler Titanic – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Maurice Ransford; Set Decoration: Stuart A. Reiss	The Robe – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and George Davis; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Paul S. Fox‡ Knights of the Round Table – Art Direction: Alfred Junge and Hans Peters; Set Decoration: John Jarvis Lili – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Arthur Krams The Story of Three Loves – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, E. Preston Ames, Edward Carfagno and Gabriel Scognamillo; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, F. Keogh Gleason, Arthur Krams and Jack D. Moore Young Bess – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Urie McCleary; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Jack D. Moore
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White	Best Cinematography, Color
From Here to Eternity – Burnett Guffey‡ The Four Poster – Hal Mohr Julius Caesar – Joseph Ruttenberg Martin Luther – Joseph C. Brun Roman Holiday – Franz Planer and Henri Alekan	Shane – Loyal Griggs‡ All the Brothers Were Valiant – George Folsey Beneath the 12-Mile Reef – Edward Cronjager Lili – Robert H. Planck The Robe – Leon Shamroy
Best Costume Design, Black-and-White	Best Costume Design, Color
Roman Holiday – Edith Head‡ The Actress – Walter Plunkett Dream Wife – Helen Rose and Herschel McCoy From Here to Eternity – Jean Louis The President's Lady – Charles LeMaire and Renié	The Robe – Charles LeMaire and Emile Santiago‡ The Band Wagon – Mary Ann Nyberg Call Me Madam – Irene Sharaff How to Marry a Millionaire – Charles LeMaire and William Travilla Young Bess – Walter Plunkett
Best Film Editing
From Here to Eternity – William Lyon‡ Crazylegs – Irvine (Cotton) Warburton The Moon Is Blue – Otto Ludwig Roman Holiday – Robert Swink The War of the Worlds – Everett Douglas

Academy Honorary Awards

• Pete Smith – "For his witty and pungent observations on the American scene in his series of 'Pete Smith Specialties'".
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation – "In recognition of their imagination, showmanship and foresight in introducing the revolutionary process known as CinemaScope".
• Joseph I. Breen – "For his conscientious, open-minded and dignified management of the Motion Picture Production Code".
• Bell and Howell Company – "For their pioneering and basic achievements in the advancement of the motion picture industry".
• The War of the Worlds for Best Special Effects.

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

• George Stevens

Academy Award of Merit

• Henri Chretien for Cinemascope contribution

Presenters and performers

Presenters

• Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Wilding – Presenters of the Documentary Awards
• Jack Webb – Presenter of the award for Best Sound Recording
• Keefe Brasselle and Marilyn Erskine – Presenters of the Short Subject Awards
• Esther Williams – Presenter of the award for Best Film Editing
• Gene Tierney – Presenter of the awards for Costume Design
• Gower Champion and Marge Champion – Presenters of the award for Art Direction
• Lex Barker and Lana Turner – Presenters of the awards for Cinematography
• Kirk Douglas – Presenter of the Writing awards
• Irene Dunne – Presenter of the award for Best Director
• Walter Brennan – Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress
• Mercedes McCambridge – Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actor
• Arthur Freed – Presenter of the Music awards
• Gary Cooper – Presenter of the award for Best Actress
• Shirley Booth – Presenter of the award for Best Actor
• Cecil B. DeMille – Presenter of the award for Best Motion Picture
• Merle Oberon – Presenter of the award for Best Special Effects
• Charles Brackett – Presenter of the Honorary Awards
• Tyrone Power – Presenter of the Scientific & Technical Awards
• David O. Selznick – Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Award

Performers

• André Previn – Conductor the Academy Awards orchestra
• Mitzi Gaynor and Donald O'Connor – Performers of "The Moon Is Blue" from The Moon Is Blue
• Connie Russell – Performer of "Sadie Thompson's Song (Blue Pacific Blues)" from Miss Sadie Thompson
• Ann Blyth – Performer of "Secret Love" from Calamity Jane
• Dean Martin – Performer of "That's Amore" from The Caddy

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations: 13 nominations: From Here to Eternity 10 nominations: Roman Holiday 6 nominations: Lili and Shane 5 nominations: Julius Caesar and The Robe 3 nominations: The Band Wagon, Calamity Jane, The Moon Is Blue, Stalag 17, and The War of the Worlds 2 nominations: Above and Beyond, Call Me Madam, Knights of the Round Table, Martin Luther, Mogambo, The President's Lady, Titanic, and Young Bess

The following films received multiple awards. 8 wins: From Here to Eternity 3 wins: Roman Holiday 2 wins: The Robe

See also

• 11th Golden Globe Awards
• 1953 in film
• 5th Primetime Emmy Awards
• 6th Primetime Emmy Awards
• 7th British Academy Film Awards
• 8th Tony Awards

Notes

1. Technically, the country of the film is recognized as winner of the Best International Feature award.^[2] However, the award is accepted by the director on behalf of the country, and since 2014, the director's name is engraved on the statuette.^[3]

References

1. Roy, Natasha (February 11, 2020). "'Parasite' cast and crew celebrate Oscars wins in L.A.'s Koreatown". NBC News. from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
2. Ordoña, Michael (February 10, 2020). "Why Bong Joon-ho won three Oscars this year, not four". Los Angeles Times. from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
3. "Oscars to Add Winning Foreign Language Director's Name on Statuette". TheWrap. September 18, 2014. from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
4. Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 839. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.
5. . Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2015.