6th Academy Awards

The 6th Academy Awards were held on March 16, 1934, to honor films released between August 1, 1932, and December 31, 1933, at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by Will Rogers, who also presented the awards.

6th Academy Awards
Date	March 16, 1934
Site	The Ambassador Hotel
Hosted by	Will Rogers
Highlights
Best Picture	Cavalcade
Most awards	Cavalcade (3)
Most nominations	Cavalcade, A Farewell to Arms and Lady for a Day (4)
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When Rogers presented Best Director, he opened the envelope and simply announced, "Come up and get it, Frank!" Frank Capra, certain he was the winner, ran to the podium to collect the Oscar, only to discover Rogers had meant Frank Lloyd, who had won for Cavalcade. Rogers then called the third nominee, George Cukor, to join the two Franks on stage.^[1][2] After this, he summoned two of the Best Actress nominees—Diana Wynyard and May Robson—to the stage. Although they both thought they won in a tie, Rogers thanked them for their performances before announcing the actual winner: Katharine Hepburn.^[2]

A change in the eligibility rules resulted in the longest time frame for which films could be nominated: the seventeen months from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933. After this, the eligibility period would coincide with the calendar year.

This was the last time that no film had more than four nominations, as well as the only year in Academy history in which no film other than the Best Picture nominees received multiple nominations. Cavalcade became the fourth film to win Best Picture without a writing nomination, and the last until Hamlet (1948) at the 21st Academy Awards.

Walt Disney became the first person to win consecutive Academy Awards, winning Best Short Subject, Cartoon for The Three Little Pigs after having won the same award the previous year for Flowers and Trees.

This was the first time in the Academy's history that both of the major acting nominees were absent from the big night.^[2]

Winners and nominees

Winfield Sheehan, Best Picture winner (producer)

Frank Lloyd, Best Director winner

Charles Laughton, Best Actor winner

Katharine Hepburn, Best Actress winner

Victor Heerman, Best Adaptation co-winner

Sarah Y. Mason, Best Adaptation co-winner

Charles Lang, Best Cinematography winner

Joe Rock, Best Live Action Short Subject, Novelty winner

Walt Disney, Best Short Subject, Cartoon winner

Charles Dorian, Best Assistant Director co-winner

Nominees were announced on February 26, 1934. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.^[3][4][5]

Outstanding Production Cavalcade – Winfield Sheehan for Fox Film Co.‡ 42nd Street – Darryl F. Zanuck for Warner Bros. A Farewell to Arms – Adolph Zukor for Paramount Publix I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang – Hal B. Wallis for Warner Bros. Lady for a Day – Frank Capra for Columbia Little Women – Merian C. Cooper and Kenneth Macgowan for RKO Pictures The Private Life of Henry VIII – Alexander Korda for London Films She Done Him Wrong – William LeBaron for Paramount Publix Smilin' Through – Irving Thalberg for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer State Fair – Winfield Sheehan for Fox Film Co.	Best Director Frank Lloyd – Cavalcade‡ Frank Capra – Lady for a Day George Cukor – Little Women
Best Actor Charles Laughton – The Private Life of Henry VIII as Henry VIII‡ Leslie Howard – Berkeley Square as Peter Standish Paul Muni – I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang as James Allen	Best Actress Katharine Hepburn – Morning Glory as Eva Lovelace‡ May Robson – Lady for a Day as Apple Annie Diana Wynyard – Cavalcade as Jane Marryot
Best Original Story One Way Passage – Robert Lord‡ The Prizefighter and the Lady – Frances Marion Rasputin and the Empress – Charles MacArthur	Best Adaptation Little Women – Victor Heerman and Sarah Y. Mason, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott‡ Lady for a Day – Robert Riskin, based on the story "Madame la Gimp" by Damon Runyon State Fair – Paul Green and Sonya Levien, based on the novel by Phil Strong
Best Art Direction Cavalcade – William S. Darling A Farewell to Arms – Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson When Ladies Meet – Cedric Gibbons	Best Cinematography A Farewell to Arms – Charles Lang‡ Reunion in Vienna – George J. Folsey Sign of the Cross – Karl Struss
Best Live Action Short Subject, Comedy So This Is Harris! –Louis Brock and RKO Pictures‡ Mister Mugg – Warren Doane and Universal Studios A Preferred List – Louis Brock and RKO Pictures	Best Live Action Short Subject, Novelty Krakatoa – Joe Rock and Educational Pictures‡ Menu – Pete Smith and MGM The Sea – Educational Pictures
Best Short Subject, Cartoon The Three Little Pigs – Walt Disney and United Artists‡ Building a Building – Walt Disney and United Artists The Merry Old Soul – Walter Lantz and Universal Studios	Best Sound Recording A Farewell to Arms – Franklin Hansen‡ 42nd Street – Nathan Levinson Gold Diggers of 1933 – Nathan Levinson I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang – Nathan Levinson
Best Assistant Director Charles Barton – Paramount‡ Scott Beal – Universal‡ Charles Dorian – MGM‡ Fred Fox – United Artists‡ Gordon Hollingshead – Warner Bros.‡ Dewey Starkey – RKO‡ William Tummel – 20th Century Fox‡ Al Alleborn – Warner Bros. Sid Brod – Paramount Orville O. Dull – MGM Percy Ikerd – 20th Century Fox Arthur Jacobson – Paramount Edward Killy – RKO Joseph A. McDonough – Universal William J. Reiter – Universal Frank X. Shaw – Warner Bros. Ben Silvey – United Artists John S. Waters – MGM

Multiple nominations and awards

Films with multiple nominations

Nominations	Film
4	Cavalcade
	A Farewell to Arms
	Lady for a Day
3	I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
	Little Women
2	42nd Street
	The Private Life of Henry VIII
	State Fair

Films with multiple wins

Wins	Film
3	Cavalcade
2	A Farewell to Arms

Scientific or Technical Awards

Class II Awards

• Electrical Research Products, Inc. (ERPI)
  • For work in sound reproduction.
• RCA Victor Company, Inc.
  • For work in sound reproduction.^[a]

Class III Awards

• Fox Film Corporation, Fred Jackman and Warner Brothers Pictures, and Sidney Sanders and RKO Radio Pictures.
  • For work in the technologies of cinematography and film projection.^[b]

See also

• 1932 in film
• 1933 in film

Notes

1. Class II Scientific or Technical award winners receive a plaque.
2. Class III Scientific or Technical award winners receive a citation.

References

1. McBride, Joseph, Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success. New York: Simon & Schuster 1992. ISBN 0-671-73494-6, pp. 288–292, 294–296, 298–302, 309–310
2. Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 833. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.
3. "The 6th Academy Awards (1934) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
4. "The Official Academy Awards Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Select "1932/33" in the "Award Year(s)" drop-down menu and press "Search".
5. Wiley, Mason; Bona, Damien (1987), Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards, New York, United States: Ballantine Books