26th Academy Awards

26th Academy Awards
Date	March 25, 1954
Site	RKO Pantages Theatre Hollywood, California NBC Century Theatre New York City, New York
Host	Donald O'Connor (Los Angeles) 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

The 26th Academy Awards honored the best in films of 1953.

The second national telecast of the Awards show drew an estimated 43 million viewers. Shirley Booth, appearing in a play in Philadelphia, presented the Best Actor award through a live broadcast cut-in, and privately received the winner's name over the telephone from co-host Donald O'Connor. (Actor Fredric March co-hosted from New York City.) Gary Cooper filmed his presentation of the Best Actress award in advance on a set in Mexico, with O'Connor announcing the winner's name.

All the major winners in this year were black-and-white films. The big winner was Fred Zinnemann's From Here to Eternity, with thirteen nominations and eight awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Daniel Taradash), Best Cinematography (Burnett Guffey), Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. All five of its major actors and actresses were nominated, with secondary players Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra taking home Oscars. The candid film was based on James Jones' controversial, best-selling novel about Army life on a Hawaiian (Oahu) military base just prior to the Pearl Harbor attack and World War II, illustrating the conflict between an individualistic private (Montgomery Clift) and rigid institutional authority (exemplified by the Army). Its achievement of eight awards matched the then record held by Gone with the Wind (1939). The record would be tied again the following year by On the Waterfront (1954). Walt Disney won four awards, which remains the record for the most Oscars won in the same year.

William Holden's speech for Best Actor for his role in Stalag 17 was simply "Thank You", making it one of the shortest speeches ever; the TV broadcast had a strict cutoff time which forced Holden's quick remarks. The frustrated Holden personally paid for advertisements in the Hollywood trade publications to thank everyone he wanted to on Oscar night. He also remarked that he felt that either Burt Lancaster or Montgomery Clift should have won the Best Actor Oscar for From Here to Eternity, instead of him.

Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Best Motion Picture	Best Director
Buddy Adler for Columbia Pictures – From Here to Eternity John Houseman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer – Julius Caesar Frank Ross for 20th Century Fox – The Robe William Wyler for Paramount Pictures – Roman Holiday George Stevens for Paramount Pictures – Shane	Fred Zinnemann – From Here to Eternity George Stevens – Shane Charles Walters – Lili Billy Wilder – Stalag 17 William Wyler – Roman Holiday
Best Actor	Best Actress
William Holden – Stalag 17 Marlon Brando – Julius Caesar Richard Burton – The Robe Montgomery Clift – From Here to Eternity Burt Lancaster – From Here to Eternity	Audrey Hepburn – Roman Holiday Leslie Caron – Lili Ava Gardner – Mogambo Deborah Kerr – From Here to Eternity Maggie McNamara – The Moon Is Blue
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
Frank Sinatra – From Here to Eternity Eddie Albert – Roman Holiday Brandon deWilde – Shane Jack Palance – Shane Robert Strauss – Stalag 17	Donna Reed – From Here to Eternity Grace Kelly – Mogambo Geraldine Page – Hondo Marjorie Rambeau – Torch Song Thelma Ritter – Pickup on South Street
Best Story and Screenplay	Best Screenplay
From Here to Eternity – Daniel Taradash The Cruel Sea – Eric Ambler Lili – Helen Deutsch Roman Holiday – Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton Shane – A. B. Guthrie, Jr.	Titanic – Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch and Richard 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 Animated Short Film
Roman Holiday – Dalton Trumbo (awarded posthumously as Dalton 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	Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom – Walt Disney Christopher Crumpet From A to Z-Z-Z-Z Rugged Bear The Tell Tale Heart
Best Documentary Feature	Best Documentary Short
The Living Desert – Walt Disney The Conquest of Everest A Queen Is Crowned	The Alaskan Eskimo – Walt Disney The Living City Operation Blue Jay They Planted a Stone The Word
Best Live Action Short Film, One-Reel	Best Live Action Short Film, Two-Reel
The Merry Wives of Windsor Overture Christ Among the Primitives Herring Hunt Joy of Living Wee Water Wonders	Bear Country – Walt Disney Ben and Me Return to Glennascaul Vesuvius Express Winter Paradise
Best Dramatic or Comedy Score	Best Musical Score
Lili – Bronislau Kaper Above and Beyond – Hugo Friedhofer From Here to Eternity – Morris Stoloff and George Duning Julius Caesar – Miklos Rozsa This Is Cinerama – Louis Forbes	Call Me Madam – Alfred Newman The Band Wagon – Adolph Deutsch Calamity Jane – Ray Heindorf The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T – Frederick Hollander and Morris Stoloff Kiss Me Kate – André Previn and Saul Chaplin
Best Original Song	Best Sound Recording
"Secret Love" from Calamity Jane – Music by Sammy Fain; Lyric by Paul Francis Webster "The Moon Is Blue" from The Moon Is Blue – Music by Herschel Burke Gilbert; Lyric by Sylvia Fine "My Flaming Heart" from Small Town Girl – Music by Nicholas Brodszky; Lyric by Leo Robin "Sadie Thompson's Song" from Miss Sadie Thompson – Music by Lester Lee; Lyric by Ned Washington "That's Amore" from The Caddy – Music by Harry Warren; Lyric by Jack Brooks	From Here to Eternity – John P. Livadary, Columbia Studio Sound Department Calamity Jane – William A. Mueller, Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department Knights of the Round Table – A. W. Watkins, MGM Studio Sound Department The Mississippi Gambler – Leslie I. Carey, Universal-International Studio Sound Department The War of the Worlds – Loren L. Ryder, Paramount Studio Sound Department
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 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 Wheeler and Maurice Ransford; Set Decoration: Stuart Reiss	The Robe – Art Direction: Lyle 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, Preston Ames, Edward Carfagno and Gabriel Scognamillo; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, 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 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 Renie Conley	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	Best Visual Effects
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	The War of the Worlds

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."

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

• George Stevens

Presenters and performers

Presenters

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

Performers

• André Previn – conducted the Academy Awards orchestra
• Mitzi Gaynor, Margaret Whiting, and Donald O'Connor – performed "The Moon Is Blue" from The Moon Is Blue
• Connie Russell – performed "Sadie Thompson's Song (Blue Pacific Blues)" from Miss Sadie Thompson
• Ann Blyth – performed "Secret Love" from Calamity Jane
• Dean Martin – performed "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, Shane
• 5 nominations: Julius Caesar, The Robe
• 3 nominations: The Band Wagon, The Moon is Blue, Stalag 17, Calamity Jane, 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, 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