20th Academy Awards

{{Infobox film awards

| number = 20

| award = Academy Awards

| date = March 20, 1948

| site = Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, United States

| host = Agnes Moorehead
Dick Powell

| best_picture = Gentleman's Agreement

| most_wins = Gentleman's Agreement and Miracle on 34th Street (3)

| most_nominations = Gentleman's Agreement (8)

| last = 19th

| next = 21st

}}

The 20th Academy Awards were held on March 20, 1948, to honor the films of 1947. It is notable for being the last Oscars until 2005 in which no film won more than three awards.

Rosalind Russell was highly favored—particularly in a poll from the Daily Variety—to win Best Actress for her performance in Mourning Becomes Electra,{{cite web|url=http://www.filmsite.org/aa47.html |title=1947 Academy Awards Winners and History|publisher=FilmSite.org (American Movie Classics) |first=Tim |last=Dirks |access-date=September 2, 2015 | archive-date = April 19, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150419072204/http://www.filmsite.org/aa47.html | url-status=live}} but Loretta Young won instead for The Farmer's Daughter.

{{cite book |last1=Wallechinsky |first1=David |last2=Wallace |first2=Irving |date=1975 |title=The People's Almanac |url=https://archive.org/details/peoplesalmanac00wall/page/836/mode/2up |location=Garden City, New York |publisher=Doubleday & Company, Inc. |page=837 |isbn=0-385-04060-1}}

James Baskett received an Academy Honorary Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in Song of the South, which made him the first African-American man, and the first actor in a Disney film, to win an Academy Award for acting.

Winning Best Supporting Actor at age 71, Edmund Gwenn became the oldest Oscar winner, taking the record from Charles Coburn, who was 66 at the time of his win in 1943 for The More the Merrier.

Darryl F. Zanuck, bitter over the failure of the 1944 biopic Wilson to win Best Picture, accepted the prize for Gentleman's Agreement by saying "this award will make up for previous disappointments.

Winners and nominees

{{multiple image

| align = right

| direction = vertical

| total_width = 150

| image1 = Darryl F. Zanuck 1964.jpg

| caption1 = Darryl F. Zanuck; Best Picture winner

| image2 =Elia Kazan.JPG

| caption2 = Elia Kazan; Best Director winner

| image3 = Ronald Colman - publicity.jpg

| caption3 = Ronald Colman; Best Actor winner

| image4 = LORETTAYoung.jpg

| caption4 = Loretta Young; Best Actress winner

| image5 = Edmund Gwenn 1953.jpg

| caption5 = Edmund Gwenn; Best Supporting Actor winner

| image6 = Celeste Holm-1955.jpg

| caption6 = Celeste Holm; Best Supporting Actress winner

}}

= Awards =

Nominees were announced on February 13, 1948. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1948 |title=The 20th Academy Awards (1948) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-08-18 |publisher=Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093801/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/20th-winners.html |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=live }}

class=wikitable
style="background:#F9EFAA; width:50%" \| Best Motion Picture ! style="background:#F9EFAA; width:50%" \| Best Directing
valign="top" \| Gentleman's Agreement – Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox{{double dagger}} The Bishop's Wife – Samuel Goldwyn for RKO Radio Pictures Crossfire – Adrian Scott for RKO Radio Pictures Great Expectations – Ronald Neame for Universal Studios and General Film Distributors, Ltd. Miracle on 34th Street – William Perlberg for 20th Century Fox \| valign="top" \| Elia Kazan – Gentleman's Agreement{{double dagger}} Henry Koster – The Bishop's Wife Edward Dmytryk – Crossfire George Cukor – A Double Life David Lean – Great Expectations
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Actor ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Actress
valign="top" \| *Ronald Colman – A Double Life* as Anthony John*{{double dagger}} John Garfield – Body and Soul* as Charlie Davis Gregory Peck – Gentleman's Agreement as Philip Schuyler Green William Powell – Life with Father as Clarence Day Sr. Michael Redgrave – Mourning Becomes Electra as Orin Mannon \| valign="top" \| *Loretta Young – The Farmer's Daughter* as Katie Holstrom*{{double dagger}} Joan Crawford – Possessed* as Louise Howell Susan Hayward – Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman as Angie Evans Dorothy McGuire – Gentleman's Agreement as Kathy Lacey Rosalind Russell – Mourning Becomes Electra as Lavinia Mannon
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Actor in a Supporting Role ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Actress in a Supporting Role
valign="top" \| *Edmund Gwenn – Miracle on 34th Street* as Kris Kringle*{{double dagger}} Charles Bickford – The Farmer's Daughter* as Joseph Clancy Thomas Gomez – Ride the Pink Horse as Pancho Robert Ryan – Crossfire as Montgomery Richard Widmark – Kiss of Death as Tommy Udo \| valign="top" \| *Celeste Holm – Gentleman's Agreement* as Anne Dettrey*{{double dagger}} Ethel Barrymore – The Paradine Case* as Lady Sophie Horfield Gloria Grahame – Crossfire as Ginny Tremaine Marjorie Main – The Egg and I as Ma Kettle Anne Revere – Gentleman's Agreement as Mrs Green
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Writing (Original Screenplay) ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Writing (Screenplay)
valign="top" \| The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer – Sidney Sheldon{{double dagger}} Body and Soul – Abraham Polonsky A Double Life – Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin Monsieur Verdoux – Charlie Chaplin Shoeshine – Sergio Amidei, Adolfo Franci, Cesare Giulio Viola and Cesare Zavattini \| valign="top" \| Miracle on 34th Street – George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies{{double dagger}} Boomerang! – Richard Murphy from a Reader's Digest article by Anthony Abbot Crossfire – John Paxton from The Brick Foxhole by Richard Brooks Gentleman's Agreement – Moss Hart from Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Z. Hobson Great Expectations – David Lean, Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Writing (Motion Picture Story) ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Documentary (Feature)
valign="top" \| Miracle on 34th Street – Valentine Davies{{double dagger}} A Cage of Nightingales – Georges Chaperot and René Wheeler It Happened on 5th Avenue – Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani Kiss of Death – Eleazar Lipsky Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman – Dorothy Parker and Frank Cavett \| valign="top" \| Design for Death - Sid Rogell, Theron Warth, and Richard Fleischer{{double dagger}} Journey into Medicine The World Is Rich
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Documentary (Short Subject) ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Short Subject (One-Reel)
valign="top" \| *First Steps{{double dagger}} Passport to Nowhere* School in the Mailbox \| valign="top" \| Goodbye, Miss Turlock – Herbert Moulton{{double dagger}} Brooklyn, U.S.A. – Thomas Mead Moon Rockets – Jerry Fairbanks Now You See It – Pete Smith So You Want to Be in Pictures – Gordon Hollingshead
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Short Subject (Two-Reel) ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Short Subject (Cartoon)
valign="top" \| Climbing the Matterhorn – Irving Allen{{double dagger}} Champagne for Two – Harry Grey Fight of the Wild Stallions – Thomas Mead Give Us the Earth – Herbert Morgan A Voice Is Born: The Story of Miklos Gafni – Ben Blake \| valign="top" \| Tweetie Pie – Edward Selzer{{double dagger}} Chip an' Dale – Walt Disney Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse – Fred Quimby Pluto's Blue Note – Walt Disney Tubby the Tuba – George Pal
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)
valign="top" \| A Double Life – Miklós Rózsa{{double dagger}} The Bishop's Wife – Hugo Friedhofer Captain from Castile – Alfred Newman Forever Amber – David Raksin Life with Father – Max Steiner \| valign="top" \| Mother Wore Tights – Alfred Newman{{double dagger}} Fiesta – Johnny Green My Wild Irish Rose – Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner Road to Rio – Robert Emmett Dolan Song of the South – Daniele Amfitheatrof, Paul J. Smith and Charles Wolcott
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Music (Song) ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Sound Recording
valign="top" \| *"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Song of the South* – Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyrics by Ray Gilbert*{{double dagger}} "A Gal in Calico" from The Time, the Place and the Girl* – Music by Arthur Schwartz; Lyrics by Leo Robin "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" from The Perils of Pauline – Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser "Pass That Peace Pipe" from Good News – Music and Lyrics by Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin and Roger Edens "You Do" from Mother Wore Tights – Music by Josef Myrow; Lyrics by Mack Gordon \| valign="top" \| The Bishop's Wife – Gordon E. Sawyer{{double dagger}} Green Dolphin Street – Douglas Shearer T-Men – Jack Whitney
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Art Direction (Black-and-White) ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Art Direction (Color)
valign="top" \| Great Expectations – Art Direction: John Bryan; Set Decoration: Wilfred Shingleton{{double dagger}} The Foxes of Harrow – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Maurice Ransford; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox \| valign="top" \| Black Narcissus – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Alfred Junge{{double dagger}} Life with Father – Art Direction: Robert M. Haas; Set Decoration: George James Hopkins
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Cinematography (Color)
valign="top" \| Great Expectations – Guy Green{{double dagger}} The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – Charles Lang Green Dolphin Street – George J. Folsey \| valign="top" \| Black Narcissus – Jack Cardiff{{double dagger}} Life with Father – Peverell Marley and William V. Skall Mother Wore Tights – Harry Jackson
style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Film Editing ! style="background:#F9EFAA" \| Best Special Effects
valign="top" \| Body and Soul – Francis D. Lyon and Robert Parrish{{double dagger}} The Bishop's Wife – Monica Collingwood Gentleman's Agreement – Harmon Jones Green Dolphin Street – George White Odd Man Out – Fergus McDonell \| valign="top" \| Green Dolphin Street – A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe; Special Audible Effects: Douglas Shearer and Michael Steinore{{double dagger}} Unconquered – Farciot Edouart, Devereux Jennings, Gordon Jennings, Wallace Kelley and Paul Lerpae; Special Audible Effects: George Dutton

class=wikitable

style="background:#F9EFAA; width:50%" | Best Motion Picture

! style="background:#F9EFAA; width:50%" | Best Directing

valign="top" |

Gentleman's Agreement – Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox{{double dagger}}
The Bishop's Wife – Samuel Goldwyn for RKO Radio Pictures
Crossfire – Adrian Scott for RKO Radio Pictures
Great Expectations – Ronald Neame for Universal Studios and General Film Distributors, Ltd.
Miracle on 34th Street – William Perlberg for 20th Century Fox

| valign="top" |

Elia Kazan – Gentleman's Agreement{{double dagger}}
Henry Koster – The Bishop's Wife
Edward Dmytryk – Crossfire
George Cukor – A Double Life
David Lean – Great Expectations

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Actor

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Actress

valign="top" |

Ronald Colman – A Double Life as Anthony John{{double dagger}}
John Garfield – Body and Soul as Charlie Davis
Gregory Peck – Gentleman's Agreement as Philip Schuyler Green
William Powell – Life with Father as Clarence Day Sr.
Michael Redgrave – Mourning Becomes Electra as Orin Mannon

| valign="top" |

Loretta Young – The Farmer's Daughter as Katie Holstrom{{double dagger}}
Joan Crawford – Possessed as Louise Howell
Susan Hayward – Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman as Angie Evans
Dorothy McGuire – Gentleman's Agreement as Kathy Lacey
Rosalind Russell – Mourning Becomes Electra as Lavinia Mannon

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Actor in a Supporting Role

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Actress in a Supporting Role

valign="top" |

Edmund Gwenn – Miracle on 34th Street as Kris Kringle{{double dagger}}
Charles Bickford – The Farmer's Daughter as Joseph Clancy
Thomas Gomez – Ride the Pink Horse as Pancho
Robert Ryan – Crossfire as Montgomery
Richard Widmark – Kiss of Death as Tommy Udo

| valign="top" |

Celeste Holm – Gentleman's Agreement as Anne Dettrey{{double dagger}}
Ethel Barrymore – The Paradine Case as Lady Sophie Horfield
Gloria Grahame – Crossfire as Ginny Tremaine
Marjorie Main – The Egg and I as Ma Kettle
Anne Revere – Gentleman's Agreement as Mrs Green

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Writing (Screenplay)

valign="top" |

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer – Sidney Sheldon{{double dagger}}
Body and Soul – Abraham Polonsky
A Double Life – Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin
Monsieur Verdoux – Charlie Chaplin
Shoeshine – Sergio Amidei, Adolfo Franci, Cesare Giulio Viola and Cesare Zavattini

| valign="top" |

Miracle on 34th Street – George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies{{double dagger}}
Boomerang! – Richard Murphy from a Reader's Digest article by Anthony Abbot
Crossfire – John Paxton from The Brick Foxhole by Richard Brooks
Gentleman's Agreement – Moss Hart from Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Z. Hobson
Great Expectations – David Lean, Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Writing (Motion Picture Story)

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Documentary (Feature)

valign="top" |

Miracle on 34th Street – Valentine Davies{{double dagger}}
A Cage of Nightingales – Georges Chaperot and René Wheeler
It Happened on 5th Avenue – Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani
Kiss of Death – Eleazar Lipsky
Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman – Dorothy Parker and Frank Cavett

| valign="top" |

Design for Death - Sid Rogell, Theron Warth, and Richard Fleischer{{double dagger}}
Journey into Medicine
The World Is Rich

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Documentary (Short Subject)

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Short Subject (One-Reel)

valign="top" |

| valign="top" |

Goodbye, Miss Turlock – Herbert Moulton{{double dagger}}
Brooklyn, U.S.A. – Thomas Mead
Moon Rockets – Jerry Fairbanks
Now You See It – Pete Smith
So You Want to Be in Pictures – Gordon Hollingshead

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Short Subject (Two-Reel)

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Short Subject (Cartoon)

valign="top" |

Climbing the Matterhorn – Irving Allen{{double dagger}}
Champagne for Two – Harry Grey
Fight of the Wild Stallions – Thomas Mead
Give Us the Earth – Herbert Morgan
A Voice Is Born: The Story of Miklos Gafni – Ben Blake

| valign="top" |

Tweetie Pie – Edward Selzer{{double dagger}}
Chip an' Dale – Walt Disney
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse – Fred Quimby
Pluto's Blue Note – Walt Disney
Tubby the Tuba – George Pal

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)

valign="top" |

A Double Life – Miklós Rózsa{{double dagger}}
The Bishop's Wife – Hugo Friedhofer
Captain from Castile – Alfred Newman
Forever Amber – David Raksin
Life with Father – Max Steiner

| valign="top" |

Mother Wore Tights – Alfred Newman{{double dagger}}
Fiesta – Johnny Green
My Wild Irish Rose – Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner
Road to Rio – Robert Emmett Dolan
Song of the South – Daniele Amfitheatrof, Paul J. Smith and Charles Wolcott

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Music (Song)

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Sound Recording

valign="top" |

"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Song of the South – Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyrics by Ray Gilbert{{double dagger}}
"A Gal in Calico" from The Time, the Place and the Girl – Music by Arthur Schwartz; Lyrics by Leo Robin
"I Wish I Didn't Love You So" from The Perils of Pauline – Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
"Pass That Peace Pipe" from Good News – Music and Lyrics by Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin and Roger Edens
"You Do" from Mother Wore Tights – Music by Josef Myrow; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

| valign="top" |

The Bishop's Wife – Gordon E. Sawyer{{double dagger}}
Green Dolphin Street – Douglas Shearer
T-Men – Jack Whitney

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Art Direction (Black-and-White)

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Art Direction (Color)

valign="top" |

Great Expectations – Art Direction: John Bryan; Set Decoration: Wilfred Shingleton{{double dagger}}
The Foxes of Harrow – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Maurice Ransford; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox

| valign="top" |

Black Narcissus – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Alfred Junge{{double dagger}}
Life with Father – Art Direction: Robert M. Haas; Set Decoration: George James Hopkins

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Cinematography (Color)

valign="top" |

Great Expectations – Guy Green{{double dagger}}
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – Charles Lang
Green Dolphin Street – George J. Folsey

| valign="top" |

Black Narcissus – Jack Cardiff{{double dagger}}
Life with Father – Peverell Marley and William V. Skall
Mother Wore Tights – Harry Jackson

style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Film Editing

! style="background:#F9EFAA" | Best Special Effects

valign="top" |

Body and Soul – Francis D. Lyon and Robert Parrish{{double dagger}}
The Bishop's Wife – Monica Collingwood
Gentleman's Agreement – Harmon Jones
Green Dolphin Street – George White
Odd Man Out – Fergus McDonell

| valign="top" |

Green Dolphin Street – A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe; Special Audible Effects: Douglas Shearer and Michael Steinore{{double dagger}}
Unconquered – Farciot Edouart, Devereux Jennings, Gordon Jennings, Wallace Kelley and Paul Lerpae; Special Audible Effects: George Dutton

=Special Awards=

To James Baskett for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and story teller to the children of the world in Walt Disney's Song of the South.
To Bill and Coo, in which artistry and patience blended in a novel and entertaining use of the medium of motion pictures.
To Shoeshine (Italy) - the high quality of this motion picture, brought to eloquent life in a country scarred by war, is proof to the world that the creative spirit can triumph over adversity.
To Colonel William N. Selig, Albert E. Smith, Thomas Armat and George K. Spoor (one of) the small group of pioneers whose belief in a new medium, and whose contributions to its development, blazed the trail along which the motion picture has progressed, in their lifetime, from obscurity to world-wide acclaim.

Presenters and performers

=Presenters=

class="wikitable"

|+List of presenters, in order of appearance

!Name

!Role

George Murphy

|presented the awards for Motion Picture Story and Original Screenplay

Robert Montgomery

|presented the Scientific and Technical Awards

Shirley Temple

|presented the Documentary and Short Subject Awards

Larry Parks

|presented the awards for Best Special Effects, Best Musical Score and Best Sound Recording

Donald Crisp

|presented the awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Director

Olivia de Havilland

|presented the award for Best Actor

Dinah Shore

|presented the award for Best Original Song

Dick Powell

|presented the award for Best Art Direction

Jean Simmons

|accepted the Best Art Direction award on behalf of J. Arthur Rank

Jean Hersholt

|presented the Honorary Awards

Ingrid Bergman

|presented the Honorary Award to James Baskett

Agnes Moorehead

|presented the awards for Best Cinematography

Anne Baxter

|presented the awards for Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Film Editing

Fredric March

|presented the awards for Best Actress and Best Picture

=Performers=

class="wikitable"

|+List of musical performances, in order of appearance{{Cite book |last=Wiley |first=Mason |title=Inside Oscar |publisher=Ballantine Books |year=1986 |isbn=9780345314239 |location=New York |pages=176}}

!Artist

!Song

Gordon MacRae

|"A Girl in Calico"

Dennis Day

|"I Wish I Didn't Love You So"

Dinah Shore

|"Pass That Peace Pipe"

Frances Langford

|"You Do"

Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers

|"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"

Multiple nominations and awards

scope="col" style="width:55px;" \|Nominations ! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" \|Film
class="wikitable" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \|+ Films with multiple nominations
rowspan="1" style="text-align:center" \| 8 \| Gentleman's Agreement
rowspan="3" style="text-align:center" \| 5 \| The Bishop's Wife
Crossfire
Great Expectations
rowspan="4" style="text-align:center" \| 4 \| A Double Life
Green Dolphin Street
Life with Father
Miracle on 34th Street
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" \| 3 \| Body and Soul
Mother Wore Tights
rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" \| 2 \| Black Narcissus
The Farmer's Daughter
Kiss of Death
Mourning Becomes Electra
Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman
Song of the South

class="wikitable" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \|+ Films with multiple awards
scope="col" style="width:55px;" \|Awards ! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" \|Film
rowspan=2, style="text-align:center" \| 3 \| Gentleman's Agreement
Miracle on 34th Street
rowspan=3, style="text-align:center" \| 2 \| Black Narcissus
A Double Life
Great Expectations

class="wikitable" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Films with multiple awards

scope="col" style="width:55px;" |Awards

! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" |Film

rowspan=2, style="text-align:center" | 3

| Gentleman's Agreement

Miracle on 34th Street

rowspan=3, style="text-align:center" | 2

| Black Narcissus

A Double Life

Great Expectations