Ringside Report Looks at a Great Year in Movie Cinema History (1939)

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By Geoffrey Huchel

1939 was considered the greatest year in the history of Hollywood, releasing some of the most influential films in history. It was also the year which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated a whopping ten films for Best Picture. It’s hard to imagine each of these films will be celebrating their 80th Anniversaries in 2019. These films, each unique to their own success, come from a wide variety of genres for their stories and settings, and feature some of the biggest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Here’s a breakdown of each film nominated.

STAGECOACH (Released March 3, 1939)
Directed by John Ford
Starring: John Wayne
Claire Trevor
Plot: A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.
Trivia: Won two Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role to Thomas Mitchell and Best Music.

LOVE AFFAIR (Released April 7, 1939)
Directed by Leo McCarey
Starring: Irene Dunne
Charles Boyer
Plot: A French playboy and an American former nightclub singer fall in love aboard a ship. They arrange to reunite six months later, after he has a chance to earn a decent living.
Trivia: Nominated for a total of 6 Academy Awards including Best Actress in a Leading Role to Irene Dunne and Best Writing.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS (Released April 7, 1939)
Directed by William Wyler
Starring: Laurence Olivier
Merle Oberon
Plot: A servant in the house of Wuthering Heights tells a traveler the unfortunate tale of lovers Cathy and Heathcliff.
Trivia: Won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography

DARK VICTORY (Released April 22, 1939)
Directed by Edmund Goulding
Starring: Bette Davis
Humphrey Bogart
Plot: A young socialite is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and must decide whether or not she’ll meet her final days with dignity.
Trivia: Bette Davis said this was her favorite role to play. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (Released July 28, 1939)
Directed by Sam Wood
Starring: Robert Donat
Greer Garson
Plot: An aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades.
Trivia: Robert Donat won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Greer Garson was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Sam Wood was nominated for Best Director. .

THE WIZARD OF OZ (Released August 25, 1939)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Starring: Judy Garland
Frank Morgan
Ray Bolger
Bert Lahr
Jack Haley
Billie Burke
Margaret Hamilton
Plot: Dorothy Gale is swept away from a farm in Kansas to the magical land of Oz in a tornado, and embarks on a quest with her new friends to see the Wizard who can help her return home.
Trivia: Over the Rainbow was almost cut from the film. Thankfully though, the right decision was made to keep it in. It would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (released October 19, 1939)
Directed by Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart
Jean Arthur
Claude Rains
Plot: A naïve man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn’t back down.
Trivia: Won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story. James Stewart was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Claude Rains was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

NINOTCHKA (Released November 23, 1939)
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Starring: Greta Garbo
Melvyn Douglas
Bela Lugosi
Plot: A stern Russian woman sent to Paris on official business finds herself attracted to a man who represents everything she is supposed to detest.
Trivia: Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Actress in a Leading Role to Greta Garbo and Best Writing.

GONE WITH THE WIND (Released December 15, 1939)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Starring: Clark Gable
Vivien Leigh
Olivia de Havilland
Leslie Howard
Plot: A manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Trivia: This masterpiece won an astounding 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role to Vivien Leigh, Best Director to Victor Fleming, Best Actress in a Supporting Role to Hattie McDaniel, and Best Writing, Screenplay. Clark Gable and Olivia de Havilland were also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

OF MICE AND MEN (December 30, 1939)
Directed by Lewis Milestone
Starring: Lon Chaney, JR.
Burgess Meredith
Betty Field
Plot: Two itinerant migrant workers, one mentally disabled and the other his caregiver, take jobs as ranch hands during the Great Depression to fulfill their shared dream of owning their own ranch.
Trivia: One of the first films to have a pre-credits sequence. It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Music Original Score.

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