Overview of the events of 1939 in film
The year 1939 in film is widely considered the greatest year in film history. The ten films nominated for
Best Picture at the
12th Academy Awards (which honored the best in film for 1939)—
Dark Victory ,
Gone with the Wind ,
Goodbye, Mr. Chips ,
Love Affair ,
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ,
Ninotchka ,
Of Mice and Men ,
Stagecoach ,
The Wizard of Oz , and
Wuthering Heights —range in genre and are considered classics.
[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
Rank
Title
Distributor
Domestic 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.
February 15 –
John Ford 's Western film
Stagecoach starring
John Wayne premieres in New York City and Los Angeles.
March 31 – Release of the
20th Century Fox film version of
The Hound of the Baskervilles , first of a
Sherlock Holmes film series starring
Basil Rathbone as
Sherlock Holmes and
Nigel Bruce as
Dr. Watson .
June 10 – MGM's first successful animated character,
Barney Bear , makes his debut in
The Bear That Couldn't Sleep .
August 10 –
The Wizard of Oz premieres at the Orpheum Theatre in
Green Bay, Wisconsin . Its Hollywood premiere takes place on August 15 at
Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
October 17 –
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington premieres in
Washington, D.C.
November 6 – Hedda Hopper's Hollywood debuts on radio in the United States with gossip columnist
Hedda Hopper as host; the show runs until 1951, making Hopper a powerful figure among the
Hollywood elite.
December 15 – The epic historical romance film
Gone with the Wind , starring
Vivien Leigh ,
Clark Gable ,
Olivia de Havilland and
Leslie Howard , premieres at
Loew's Grand Theatre in
Atlanta , Georgia, with a three-day-long festival. Based on
Margaret Mitchell 's
best-selling novel of 1936, it is the longest American film made up to this date (at nearly four hours) and rapidly becomes the
highest-grossing film up to this time .
Canada establishes a National Film Commission, predecessor of the
National Film Board of Canada , with
John Grierson as first Commissioner.
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).[
citation needed ]
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
January 1939
13 January
14 January
27 January
28 January
February 1939
3 February
10 February
17 February
March 1939
3 March
10 March
13 March
17 March
24 March
29 March
31 March
April–June
April 1939
1 April
7 April
11 April
14 April
16 April
22 April
29 April
May 1939
5 May
6 May
19 May
20 May
25 May
26 May
June 1939
2 June
9 June
10 June
16 June
20 June
23 June
30 June
July–September
July 1939
4 July
7 July
13 July
21 July
28 July
August 1939
4 August
6 August
10 August
11 August
18 August
19 August
26 August
28 August
31 August
September 1939
2 September
5 September
7 September
8 September
9 September
15 September
22 September
29 September
October–December
October 1939
6 October
13 October
17 October
20 October
23 October
November 1939
2 November
3 November
10 November
11 November
17 November
22 November
23 November
December 1939
2 December
8 December
15 December
16 December
22 December
29 December
Notable films released in 1939
United States unless stated
A
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , starring
Mickey Rooney and
Rex Ingram
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , starring
Basil Rathbone and
Nigel Bruce
Allegheny Uprising , starring
Claire Trevor and
John Wayne
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever , starring
Lewis Stone ,
Mickey Rooney ,
Cecilia Parker ,
Fay Holden
The Angels Wash Their Faces , starring
Ann Sheridan and the
Dead End Kids
The Amazing Mr. Williams , starring
Melvyn Douglas and
Joan Blondell
Another Thin Man , starring
William Powell and
Myrna Loy
The Arizona Kid , starring
Roy Rogers
The Arsenal Stadium Mystery – (
GB )
Ask a Policeman , starring
Will Hay ,
Graham Moffatt and
Moore Marriott – (
GB )
At the Circus , starring the
Marx Brothers
B
Babes in Arms , directed by
Busby Berkeley , starring
Mickey Rooney and
Judy Garland
Bachelor Mother , starring
Ginger Rogers and
David Niven
Bad Lands , starring
Robert Barrat and
Robert Coote
Barricade , starring
Alice Faye and
Warner Baxter
Beau Geste , directed by
William Wellman , starring
Gary Cooper and
Ray Milland
Bel Ami – (
Germany )
Blackmail , starring
Edward G. Robinson
Blue Montana Skies , starring
Gene Autry
Boy Slaves
Boys' Reformatory , starring
Frankie Darro
The Bronze Buckaroo , starring
Herb Jeffries
C
D
Dark Victory , starring
Bette Davis ,
George Brent ,
Humphrey Bogart ,
Geraldine Fitzgerald ,
Ronald Reagan
Daughter of the Tong , starring
Evelyn Brent and
Grant Withers
Days of Jesse James , directed by
Joseph Kane , starring
Roy Rogers
Destry Rides Again , directed by
George Marshall , starring
Marlene Dietrich and
James Stewart
Dodge City , directed by
Michael Curtiz , starring
Errol Flynn and
Olivia de Havilland
Drums Along the Mohawk , directed by
John Ford , starring
Henry Fonda and
Claudette Colbert
E
F
The Face at the Window , starring
Tod Slaughter
First Love , starring
Deanna Durbin and
Robert Stack
Five Came Back , directed by
John Farrow , starring
Lucille Ball and
Chester Morris
The Flying Deuces , directed by
A. Edward Sutherland , starring
Laurel and Hardy
The Flying Irishman , starring
Douglas Corrigan
The Four Feathers , starring
John Clements and
Ralph Richardson – (
GB )
The Four Just Men , directed by
Walter Forde (
GB )
Frontier Marshal , starring
Randolph Scott ,
Caesar Romero ,
John Carradine
Full Confession , starring
Victor McLaglen
G
The Girl from Mexico , starring
Lupe Vélez
A Girl Must Live , directed by
Carol Reed , starring
Margaret Lockwood – (
GB )
Golden Boy , starring
Barbara Stanwyck ,
William Holden ,
Adolphe Menjou
Gone with the Wind , directed by
Victor Fleming , starring
Vivien Leigh ,
Clark Gable ,
Olivia de Havilland ,
Leslie Howard ,
Hattie McDaniel –
Academy Awards for best picture, director, actress and supporting actress
Goodbye, Mr. Chips , directed by
Sam Wood , starring
Robert Donat and
Greer Garson . Academy Award for best actor. – (
GB )
Gulliver's Travels , starring
Jessica Dragonette and
Lanny Ross
Gunga Din , directed by
George Stevens , starring
Cary Grant ,
Victor McLaglen ,
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. ,
Sam Jaffe
H
The Hardys Ride High , starring
Lewis Stone ,
Mickey Rooney ,
Cecilia Parker ,
Fay Holden
Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence , starring
Glenn Ford
Hello Janine! , starring
Marika Rökk – (
Germany )
Hollywood Cavalcade , starring
Alice Faye ,
Don Ameche ,
J. Edward Bromberg ,
Alan Curtis
Honolulu , starring
Eleanor Powell ,
Burns and Allen
The Hound of the Baskervilles , first in
Sherlock Holmes series starring
Basil Rathbone and
Nigel Bruce
The Hunchback of Notre Dame , directed by
William Dieterle , starring
Charles Laughton and
Maureen O'Hara
I
J
Jamaica Inn , directed by
Alfred Hitchcock , starring
Charles Laughton and
Maureen O'Hara – (
GB )
Jesse James , directed by
Henry King (director) , starring
Tyrone Power ,
Henry Fonda ,
Nancy Kelly ,
Randolph Scott
Juarez , directed by
William Dieterle , starring
Paul Muni ,
Bette Davis ,
Claude Rains ,
John Garfield ,
Brian Aherne
Le Jour se lève (Daybreak), directed by
Marcel Carné , starring
Jean Gabin and
Arletty – (
France )
Judge Hardy and Son , starring
Lewis Stone ,
Mickey Rooney ,
Cecilia Parker ,
Fay Holden
K
L
M
Made For Each Other , starring
Carole Lombard ,
James Stewart , and
Charles Coburn
Maisie , starring
Robert Young and
Ann Sothern
The Man in the Iron Mask , starring
Louis Hayward ,
Joan Bennett ,
Warren William
Man of Conquest , starring
Richard Dix ,
Gail Patrick ,
Joan Fontaine
Mexicali Rose , starring
Gene Autry
Midnight , starring
Claudette Colbert and
Don Ameche
The Mikado , a
Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, first British film shot in
Technicolor – (
GB )
Million Dollar Legs , starring
Betty Grable
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation , starring
Peter Lorre
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , directed by
Frank Capra , starring
James Stewart ,
Jean Arthur ,
Claude Rains
Mr. Wong in Chinatown , starring
Boris Karloff
The Mystery of Mr. Wong , starring
Boris Karloff
N
O
Of Mice and Men , directed by
Lewis Milestone , starring
Burgess Meredith ,
Betty Field ,
Lon Chaney Jr.
Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise , a comedy short starring
The Three Stooges
The Oklahoma Kid , starring
James Cagney ,
Humphrey Bogart ,
Donald Crisp
The Old Maid , starring
Bette Davis and
Miriam Hopkins
On Borrowed Time , starring
Lionel Barrymore and
Cedric Hardwicke
On Dress Parade , starring
The Dead End Kids
On the Night of the Fire (aka The Fugitive), starring
Ralph Richardson – (
GB )
On Your Toes , screenplay by
Lawrence Riley , starring
Vera Zorina and
Eddie Albert
Only Angels Have Wings , starring
Cary Grant ,
Rita Hayworth and
Jean Arthur
P
Q
R
The Rains Came , starring
Tyrone Power and
Myrna Loy
Range War , a
Hopalong Cassidy western starring
William Boyd
Remember? , starring
Greer Garson ,
Robert Taylor ,
Lew Ayres
The Return of Doctor X , a
horror film starring
Humphrey Bogart
The Roaring Twenties , starring
James Cagney ,
Priscilla Lane ,
Humphrey Bogart
The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu), directed by
Jean Renoir – (
France )
S
The Saint in London , starring
George Sanders
The Saint Strikes Back , starring
George Sanders
Seven Little Australians , directed by
Arthur Greville Collins – (
Australia )
Son of Frankenstein , starring
Basil Rathbone ,
Boris Karloff ,
Bela Lugosi
De Spooktrein (The Ghost Train) – (
Netherlands )
The Spy in Black , directed by
Michael Powell , starring
Conrad Veidt and
Valerie Hobson – (
GB )
Stagecoach , directed by
John Ford , starring
John Wayne ,
Claire Trevor ,
Berton Churchill ,
John Carradine
Stanley and Livingstone , starring
Spencer Tracy and
Cedric Hardwicke
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (Zangiku monogatari), directed by
Kenji Mizoguchi – (
Japan )
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle , starring
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers
Susannah of the Mounties , starring
Shirley Temple and
Randolph Scott
Swanee River , starring
Don Ameche
T
Tarzan Finds a Son! , starring
Johnny Weissmuller
These Glamour Girls , starring
Lew Ayres ,
Lana Turner ,
Tom Brown
They Made Me a Criminal , starring
John Garfield
They Shall Have Music , starring
Jascha Heifetz ,
Joel McCrea ,
Andrea Leeds ,
Walter Brennan
The Three Musketeers , starring
Don Ameche and
The Ritz Brothers
Three Smart Girls Grow Up , starring
Deanna Durbin and
Robert Cummings
Three Texas Steers , directed by
George Sherman , starring
John Wayne
Tower of London , starring
Basil Rathbone ,
Boris Karloff ,
Vincent Price
Tsuchi (Japan)
The Trip to Tilsit (Die Reise nach Tilsit) – (
Germany )
U
V
W
Way Down South , directed by
Leslie Goodwins and
Bernard Vorhaus
Wilton's Zoo (Boefje), directed by
Douglas Sirk – (
Netherlands )
The Wizard of Oz , directed by
Victor Fleming , starring
Judy Garland ,
Frank Morgan ,
Ray Bolger ,
Bert Lahr ,
Jack Haley ,
Margaret Hamilton
The Women , directed by
George Cukor , starring
Norma Shearer ,
Joan Crawford ,
Rosalind Russell
Wuthering Heights , directed by
William Wyler , starring
Merle Oberon ,
Laurence Olivier ,
David Niven ,
Flora Robson
Wyoming Outlaw , starring
John Wayne , directed by
George Sherman
Y
Z
Serials
Comedy film series
Animated short film series
Births
January 8 –
Ruth Maleczech , American actress (died
2013 )
January 9 –
Susannah York , English actress (died
2011 )
January 10 –
Sal Mineo , American actor (died
1976 )
January 17 –
Maury Povich , American television personality
January 22 –
Sonny Chiba , Japanese actor and martial artist (died
2021 )
January 26 –
Scott Glenn , American actor
January 30 –
János Zsombolyai , Hungarian cinematographer, film director and screenwriter (died
2015 )
February 3 –
Michael Cimino , American director, producer and screenwriter (died
2016 )
February 6 –
Mike Farrell , American actor
February 9 –
Janet Suzman , South African actress and director
February 16 –
Angelo Infanti , Italian actor (died
2010 )
February 20 –
Antonina Girycz , Polish actress (died
2022 )
February 24 –
Marisa Mell , Austrian actress (died
1992 )
February 28 –
Tommy Tune , American dancer, choreographer and actor
March 4
March 5
March 7 –
Michael Chow , Chinese-born British-American former actor
March 14
March 21 –
Marino Masé , Italian actor (died
2022 )
March 26 -
Phillip R. Allen , American actor (died
2012 )
March 28 –
Vic Vargas , Filipino actor (died
2003 )
March 29 –
Terence Hill , Italian actor, director, screenwriter and producer
April 1 –
Ali MacGraw , American actress
April 5 –
Roger Davis , American actor
April 7 –
Francis Ford Coppola , director; producer; screenwriter
April 9 –
Romeo Vasquez , Filipino actor (died
2017 )
April 11 –
Louise Lasser , American actress, writer and director
April 13 –
Paul Sorvino , American actor (died
2022 )
April 22 –
Mark Jones , English actor (died
2010 )
April 23
May 4 –
Paul Gleason , American actor (died
2006 )
May 7
May 13 –
Harvey Keitel , American actor
May 15 –
Barbara Hammer , American filmmaker (died
2019 )
May 19
May 22 –
Paul Winfield , American actor (died
2004 )
May 23 –
Reinhard Hauff , German film director
May 25 –
Ian McKellen , English actor
[9]
May 28 –
Beth Howland , American actress (died
2015 )
May 30 –
Michael J. Pollard , American actor (died
2019 )
June 4 –
Henri Pachard , American film director (died
2008 )
June 8 –
Bernie Casey , American actor (died
2017 )
June 11 –
Christina Crawford , American actress
June 24 –
Michael Gothard , English actor (died
1992 )
June 25 –
Barbara Montgomery , American actress and director
July 1
July 5 –
Sergio Di Stefano , Italian actor and voice actor (died
2010 )
July 15
July 16 –
Corin Redgrave , British actor, political activist (died
2010 )
July 21 –
Sondra James , American sound coordinator and actress (died
2021 )
July 22 -
Gila Almagor , Israeli actress
July 28 –
Charles Cyphers , American actor
July 30 –
Peter Bogdanovich , American director, producer and screenwriter (died
2022 )
July 31 –
France Nuyen , French actress
August 1 –
Terry Kiser , American actor
August 2
August 4 –
Mapita Cortés , Mexican actress (died
2006 )
August 7 –
Anjanette Comer , American actress
August 9 –
Bulle Ogier , French actress
August 12
August 16 -
Carole Shelley , English actress (died
2018 )
August 20 –
Fernando Poe Jr. , Filipino actor (died
2004 )
August 23 –
Fernando Luján , Mexican actor (died
2019 )
August 25 –
John Badham , English-American director
August 29 –
Joel Schumacher , American film director, producer and screenwriter (died
2020 )
August 30 –
Elizabeth Ashley , American actress
September 1 –
Lily Tomlin , American actress; comedian; producer
September 5
September 8 -
DeVeren Bookwalter , American actor and director (died
1987 )
September 11 –
Tom Dreesen , American actor and stand-up comedian
September 13 –
Richard Kiel , American actor and voice artist (died
2014 )
September 23 –
Janusz Gajos , Polish actor
September 27 –
Garrick Hagon , Canadian film, stage, television and radio actor
September 28 -
Sandra Dorsey , American actress (died
2023 )
September 30 –
Len Cariou , Canadian actor and director
October 5 –
Carmen Salinas , Mexican actress and comedian (died
2021 )
October 6 –
Ellen Travolta , American actress
October 8 –
Paul Hogan , Australian comedian and actor
October 13 –
Melinda Dillon , American actress (died
2023 )
October 18 –
Salme Poopuu , Estonian actress and filmmaker (died
2017 )
October 21 -
Peter Vere-Jones , English-born New Zealand actor (died
2021 )
October 22 –
Tony Roberts , American actor
October 23 –
Stanley Anderson , American character actor (died
2018 )
October 24 –
F. Murray Abraham , American actor
October 25 –
Nikos Nikolaidis , Greek film director (died
2007 )
October 27 –
John Cleese , English actor, comedian and producer
October 28 –
Jane Alexander , American actress
October 29 –
Elizabeth Moody , English-born New Zealand actress and director (died
2010 )
October 31 –
Ron Rifkin , American actor
November 1 -
Barbara Bosson , American actress (died
2023 )
November 8 –
Meg Wynn Owen , Welsh actress (died
2022 )
November 10
November 13 –
G. R. Perera , Sri Lankan actor (died
2023 )
November 15 –
Yaphet Kotto , American actor (died
2021 )
November 18
November 22 –
Allen Garfield , American actor (died
2020 )
November 23
November 26
November 27 –
Ulla Strömstedt , Swedish actress (died
1986 )
December 13
December 27 –
John Amos , American actor
December 28 –
Gloria Manon , American actress (died
2018 )
Deaths
January 19 –
Tom Ricketts , 86, English actor, director,
Love Bound ,
Thrill of Youth
January 25 –
Helen Ware , 61, American actress,
Morning Glory ,
Abraham Lincoln
February 22 –
Joe Brandt , 56, American film producer and co-founder of C.B.C. which became
Columbia Pictures
April 22 –
Ann Murdock , 48, American actress,
Outcast ,
Please Help Emily
May 5 –
Clara Schønfeld , 82, Danish actress,
Master of the House ,
Praesten i Vejlby
June 9 –
Owen Moore , 54, Irish actor,
A Star is Born ,
She Done Him Wrong ,
The Red Mill ,
Cinderella
August 23 –
Sidney Howard , 48, American writer,
Gone with the Wind ,
Dodsworth ,
Arrowsmith ,
A Lady to Love
September 24 –
Carl Laemmle , 72, German producer,
Frankenstein ,
Dracula ,
Bride of Frankenstein ,
The Phantom of the Opera
October 13 –
Ford Sterling , 55, American actor,
Tango Tangles ,
The Show-Off ,
Between Showers
October 23 –
Zane Grey , 67, American writer,
Fighting Caravans ,
Riders of the Purple Sage ,
Western Union ,
Born to the West
October 28 –
Alice Brady , 46, American actress,
My Man Godfrey ,
Young Mr. Lincoln ,
The Gay Divorcee ,
In Old Chicago
November 7 –
Kirsti Suonio , 67, Finnish stage and film actress,
Substitute Wife
November 13 –
George Nicholls, Jr. , 42, American director,
Anne of Green Gables ,
Man of Conquest
December 12 –
Douglas Fairbanks , 56, American actor,
The Thief of Bagdad ,
The Black Pirate ,
Robin Hood ,
Mr. Robinson Crusoe , and the father of
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr .
Debuts
References
^ Giltz, Michael (February 15, 2008).
"Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 – The Best Year For Movies...Ever!" .
The Huffington Post . Retrieved January 10, 2012 .
^
"York's 4,000,000" .
Variety . December 31, 1941. p. 20. Retrieved June 14, 2020 .
^ 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).
^
a
b
c "All-time Film Rental Champs".
Variety . October 15, 1990. p. M162 to 166.
^
a
b
c
d The Eddie Mannix Ledger , Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study .
^ 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
^ Fristoe, Roger.
"Introduction to 1939, Hollywood's Greatest Year" . Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved August 6, 2011 .
^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (October 2, 2009).
"1939: Film's finest year" . Entertainment Weekly . Archived from
the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2011 .
^
"Ian McKellen" . BFI . Archived from
the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2022 .
External links