Oscar History: Academy Award Winning Movies and Actors of 1952

A look at Oscar winners and nominees, behind the scenes on the decisions for best picture, actor, etc for 1952, The Greatest Show on Earth gets top honors.

1952

Best Picture

NOMINEES: High Noon, The Greatest Show on Earth, Ivanhoe, Moulin Rouge, The Quiet Man

THE WINNER: The Greatest Show on Earth (Cecil B. De Mille-Paramount)

DIRECTOR: Cecil B. De Mille

PLAYERS: Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, James Stewart

Best Actor

NOMINEES: Marlon Brando (Viva Zapata!); Gary Cooper (High Noon); Kirk Douglas (The Bad and the Beautiful); Jose Ferrer (Moulin Rouge); Alec Guinness (The Lavendar Hill Mob)

THE WINNER: Gary Cooper

Best Actress

NOMINEES: Shirley Booth (Come Back, Little Sheba); Joan Crawford (Sudden Fear); Bette Davis (The Star); Julie Harris (The Member of the Wedding); Susan Hayward (With a Song in My Heart)

THE WINNER: Shirley Booth

Behind The Oscar

This year marked the reluctant marriage between movies and television. The Academy had always turned down previous proposals from the TV networks to televise their proceedings, but this year the Academy got an offer it couldn't refuse: $100,000 persuaded them that they could live with the tube after all, especially since the major studios had been contributing less and less to the Academy's support. Without leaving their living rooms, the public was able to watch Gloria Swanson, Janet Gaynor, and Mary Pickford pass out awards.