Oscar History: Academy Award Winning Movies and Actors of 1937

A look at Oscar winners and nominees, behind the scenes on the decisions for best picture, actor, etc for 1937, The Life of Emile Zola gets top honors.

1937

Best Picture

NOMINEES: The Awful Truth, The Life of Emile Zola, Captains Courageous, Dead End, The Good Earth, In Old Chicago, Lost Horizon, 100 Men and a Girl, Stage Door, A Star Is Born

THE WINNER: The Life of Emile Zola (Warner Bros.)

DIRECTOR: William Dieterle

PLAYERS: Paul Muni, Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut

Best Actor

NOMINEES: Charles Boyer (Conquest); Fredric March (A Star Is Born); Spencer Tracy (Captains Courageous); Robert Montgomery (Night Must Fall); Paul Muni (The Life of Emile Zola)

THE WINNER: Spencer Tracy

Best Actress

NOMINEES: Luise Rainer (The Good Earth); Irene Dunne (The Awful Truth); Greta Garbo (Camille); Janet Gaynor (A Star Is Born); Barbara Stanwyck (Stella Dallas)

THE WINNER: Luise Rainer

Behind the Oscar

Luise Rainer didn't think anyone could win 2 years in a row, so she stayed home with her husband, playwright Clifford Odets, the night of the ceremony. A call came to her. She had become the 1st repeat winner in Academy history. Hastily dressing, she sped to the ceremony to receive her 2nd Oscar. Apparently this jinxed her. By the following year, her career was in total eclipse.