17th Annual Academy Awards Results and Commentary (1945)

©A.M.P.A.S.®

• Date of Ceremony: Thursday, March 15, 1945
• For films released in: 1944
• Host(s): John Cromwell and Bob Hope

• Nominations List

Other years:

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John Cromwell and Bob Hope shared the hosting duties when the 17th Annual Academy Awards were handed out at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Thursday, March 15, 1945.

It turned out to be the last year for plaster Oscars as in just a few short months World War II would be over.

Going My Way ended up taking seven of its ten nominations: Best Motion Picture, Best Directing, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Music (Song), Best Writing (Original Motion Picture Story) and Best Writing (Screenplay).

The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award went to Darryl F. Zanuck and for the first time, the honor was presented by Thalberg’s widow, actress Norma Shearer.

Results

Best Motion Picture

• Going My Way
  Paramount

Best Directing

• Going My Way
  Leo McCarey

Best Actor

• Going My Way
  Bing Crosby

Best Actress

• Gaslight
  Ingrid Bergman

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Going My Way
  Barry Fitzgerald

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• None but the Lonely Heart
  Ethel Barrymore

Best Art Direction (Black-and-White)

• Gaslight
  Cedric Gibbons [Art Direction], William Ferrari [Art Direction], Edwin B. Willis [Interior Decoration] and Paul Huldschinsky [Interior Decoration]

Best Art Direction (Color)

• Wilson
  Wiard Ihnen [Art Direction] and Thomas Little [Interior Decoration]

Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)

• Laura
  Joseph LaShelle

Best Cinematography (Color)

• Wilson
  Leon Shamroy

Best Documentary (Feature)

• The Fighting Lady
  United States Navy

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

• With the Marines at Tarawa
  United States Marine Corps

Best Film Editing

• Wilson
  Barbara McLean

Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)

• Since You Went Away
  Max Steiner

Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)

• Cover Girl
  Morris Stoloff and Carmen Dragon

Best Music (Song)

• Going My Way "Swinging on a Star"
  James Van Heusen [Music by] and Johnny Burke [Lyrics by]

Best Short Subject (Cartoon)

• Mouse Trouble
  Frederick C. Quimby

Best Short Subject (One-reel)

• Who's Who in Animal Land
  Jerry Fairbanks

Best Short Subject (Two-reel)

• I Won't Play
  Gordon Hollingshead

Best Sound Recording

• Wilson
  20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department and E.H. Hansen [Sound Director]

Best Special Effects

• Thirty Seconds over Tokyo
  A. Arnold Gillespie [Photographic Effects by], Donald Jahraus [Photographic Effects by], Warren Newcombe [Photographic Effects by] and Douglas Shearer [Sound Effects by]

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

• Wilson
  Lamar Trotti

Best Writing (Screenplay)

• Going My Way
  Frank Butler and Frank Cavett

Best Writing (Original Motion Picture Story)

• Going My Way
  Leo McCarey

Special Award

• Margaret O'Brien
  Note: …outstanding child actress of 1944.
• Bob Hope
  Note: …for his many services to the Academy.

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

• Darryl F. Zanuck

Scientific or Technical Award (Class II)

• Stephen Dunn, RKO Radio Studio Sound Department and Radio Corporation of America
  Note: …for the design and development of the electronic compressor-limiter.

Scientific or Technical Award (Class III)

• Linwood Dunn, Cecil Love and ACME Tool and Manufacturing Company
  Note: for the design and construction of the Acme-Dunn Optical Printer.
• Grover Laube and 20th Century-Fox Studio Camera Department
  Note: …for the development of a continuous loop projection device.
• Western Electric Company
  Note: …for the design and construction of the 1126A Limiting Amplifier for variable density sound recording.
• Russell Brown, Ray Hinsdale and Joseph E. Robbins
  Note: …for the development and production use of the Paramount floating hydraulic boat rocker.
• Gordon Jennings
  Note: …for the design and construction of the Paramount nodal point tripod.
• Radio Corporation of America and RKO Radio Studio Sound Department
  Note: …for the design and construction of the RKO reverberation chamber.
• Daniel J. Bloomberg and Republic Studio Sound Department
  Note: …for the design and development of a multi-interlock selector switch.
• Bernard B. Brown and John P. Livadary
  Note: …for the design and engineering of a separate soloist and chorus recording room.
• Paul Zeff [Columbia Studio Laboratory], S.J. Twining [Columbia Studio Laboratory] and George Seid [Columbia Studio Laboratory]
  Note: …for the formula and application to production of a simplified variable area sound negative developer.
• Paul Lerpae
  Note: …for the design and construction of the Paramount traveling matte projection and photographing device.