1961 (34th Annual Awards)
Nominations and Winners
Listed below are the Academy Award nominations and winners for the year 1961. The
symbol appears next to the winner in each category. Click on the name of a film, person or song in the list to display more information about that film, person or song. Or, click on a year in the column on the right to display the nominations and winners from that year.
Best Motion Picture
West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Robert Wise, Producer.Best Actor
Stuart Whitman in The Mark, Raymond Stross-Sidney Buchman Production; Continental Distributing, Inc. (UK)Best Actress
Sophia Loren in Two Women, Champion-Les Films Marceau-Cocinor and Societe Generale De Cinematographie Production; Embassy Pictures Corporation. (Italy, France)Actor in a Supporting Role
George Chakiris in West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists.Actress in a Supporting Role
Rita Moreno in West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists.Directing
West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins.Art Direction-Set Decoration
(Black-and-White)
The Absent-Minded Professor, Walt Disney Productions; Buena Vista. Art direction by Carroll Clark; set decoration by Emile Kuri and Hal Gausman.The Children’s Hour, Mirisch-Worldwide Production; United Artists. Art direction by Fernando Carrere; set decoration by Edward G. Boyle.The Hustler, Robert Rossen Productions; 20th Century-Fox. Art direction by Harry Horner; set decoration by Gene Callahan.Judgment at Nuremberg, Stanley Kramer Productions; United Artists. Art direction by Rudolph Sternad; set decoration by George Milo.(Color)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Jurow-Shepherd Production; Paramount. Art direction by Hal Pereira and Roland Anderson; set decoration by Sam Comer and Ray Moyer.El Cid, Samuel Bronston Production in association with Dear Film Production; Allied Artists. (Italy, USA) Veniero Colasanti and John Moore.Flower Drum Song, Universal-International-Ross Hunter Production in association with Joseph Fields; Universal-International. Art direction by Alexander Golitzen and Joseph Wright; set decoration by Howard Bristol.Summer and Smoke, Hal Wallis Productions; Paramount. Art direction by Hal Pereira and Walter Tyler; set decoration by Sam Comer and Arthur Krams.West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Art direction by Boris Leven; set decoration by Victor A. Gangelin.Cinematography
(Black-and-White)
One, Two, Three, Mirisch Company, Inc. in association with Pyramid Productions, A.G.; United Artists. Daniel L. Fapp.(Color)
Flower Drum Song, Universal-International-Ross Hunter Production in association with Joseph Fields; Universal-International. Russell Metty.West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Daniel L. Fapp.Costume Design
(Black-and-White)
(Color)
Back Street, Universal-International-Ross Hunter Productions, Inc.-Carrollton, Inc.; Universal-International. Jean Louis.Flower Drum Song, Universal-International-Ross Hunter Production in association with Joseph Fields; Universal-International. Irene Sharaff.West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Irene Sharaff.Documentary
(Feature)
La Grande Olimpiade (Olympic Games 1960), dell Instituto Nazionale Luce, Comitato Organizzatore Del Giochi Della XVII Olimpiade; Cineriz. (Italy)Le Ciel et la Boue (Sky Above and Mud Beneath), Ardennes Films and Michael Arthur Film Productions; Rank Film Distributors of America, Inc. (France, Liechtenstein) Arthur Cohn and Rene Lafuite, Producers.(Short Subject)
Breaking the Language Barrier, United States Air Force. [Travel Adventure Series]Cradle of Genius, Plough Productions; Irving M. Lesser Film Presentation. (Ireland) Jim O’Connor and Tom Hayes, Producers.Kahl, Dido Film GmbH; AEG-Filmdienst. (West Germany)L’Uomo in Grigio (The Man in Gray), Benedetto Benedetti Production. (Italy) Benedetto Benedetti, Producer.Project Hope, MacManus, John & Adams, Inc./Klaeger Film Production; Ex-Cell-O Corporation. Frank P. Bibas, Producer.Film Editing
West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Thomas Stanford.Foreign Language Film
Harry and the Butler, Bent Christensen Production. (Denmark)Immortal Love, Shochiku Company, Ltd. (Japan)The Important Man, Peliculas Rodrigues, S.A. (Mexico)Placido, Jet Films. (Spain)Through a Glass Darkly, A.B. Svensk Filmindustri Production; Janus Films. (Sweden)Music
(Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)
El Cid, Samuel Bronston Production in association with Dear Film Production; Allied Artists. (Italy, USA) Miklos Rozsa.(Scoring of a Musical Picture)
Flower Drum Song, Universal-International-Ross Hunter Production in association with Joseph Fields; Universal-International. Alfred Newman and Ken Darby.West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal.(Song)
Bachelor in Paradise from Bachelor in Paradise, Ted Richmond Production; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Music by Henry Mancini; lyrics by Mack David.Love Theme from El Cid (The Falcon and the Dove) from El Cid, Samuel Bronston Production in association with Dear Film Production; Allied Artists. (Italy, USA) Music by Miklos Rozsa; lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Jurow-Shepherd Production; Paramount. Music by Henry Mancini; lyrics by Johnny Mercer.Pocketful of Miracles from Pocketful of Miracles, Franton Production; United Artists. Music by James Van Heusen; lyrics by Sammy Cahn.Town Without Pity from Town Without Pity, Mirisch Company, Inc. in association with Gloria Films; United Artists. (USA, West Germany, Switzerland) Music by Dimitri Tiomkin; lyrics by Ned Washington.Short Subjects
(Cartoons)
Ersatz (The Substitute), Zagrib Film; Herts-Lion International Corporation. (Yugoslavia)The Pied Piper of Guadalupe, Warner Bros. [Speedy Gonzalez & Sylvester Series] Friz Freleng, Producer.(Live Action)
Ballon Vole (Play Ball!), Ciné-Documents; Kingsley International Pictures. (France)Rooftops of New York, McCarty-Rush Production in association with Robert Gaffney; Columbia. [Musical Travelbook Series] Robert Gaffney, Producer.Seawards the Great Ships, Templar Film Studios; Lester A. Schoenfeld Films. (UK)Very Nice, Very Nice, National Film Board of Canada; Kingsley International Pictures. (Canada)Sound
The Children’s Hour, Mirisch-Worldwide Production; United Artists. Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department, Gordon E. Sawyer, Sound Director.Flower Drum Song, Universal-International-Ross Hunter Production in association with Joseph Fields; Universal-International. Revue Studio Sound Department, Waldon O. Watson, Sound Director.The Guns of Navarone, Carl Foreman Production; Columbia. (UK) Shepperton Studio Sound Department, John Cox, Sound Director.The Parent Trap, Walt Disney Productions; Buena Vista. Walt Disney Studio Sound Department, Robert O. Cook, Sound Director.West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Todd-AO Sound Department, Fred Hynes, Sound Director; and Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department, Gordon E. Sawyer, Sound Director.Special Effects
The Absent-Minded Professor, Walt Disney Productions; Buena Vista. Visual effects by Robert A. Mattey and Eustace Lycett.The Guns of Navarone, Carl Foreman Production; Columbia. (UK) Visual effects by Bill Warrington; audible effects by Vivian C. Greenham.Writing
(Screenplay—based on material from another medium)
West Side Story, Mirisch Pictures, Inc. and B and P Enterprises, Inc.; United Artists. Ernest Lehman.(Story and Screenplay—written directly for the screen)
Ballad of a Soldier, Mosfilm Studios Production; Kingsley International-M.J.P. Enterprises, Inc. (Soviet Union) Valentin Yoshov and Grigori Chukhrai.General Della Rovere, Zebra & S.N.E. Gaumont Production; Continental Distributing, Inc. (Italy, France) Sergio Amidei, Diego Fabbri and Indro Montanelli.La Dolce Vita, Riama Film Production; Astor Pictures, Inc. (Italy, France) Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano and Brunello Rondi.Lover Come Back, Universal-International-The 7 Pictures Corporation, Nob Hill Productions, Inc., Arwin Productions, Inc.; Universal-International. Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning.Honorary Award
To William L. Hendricks for his outstanding patriotic service in the conception, writing and production of the Marine Corps. film, A Force in Readiness, which has brought honor to the Academy and the motion picture industry. [ [Statuette]]To Fred L. Metzler for his dedication and outstanding service to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [ [Statuette]]To Jerome Robbins for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film. [ [Statuette]]Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
Scientific or Technical Award
(Class II)
To Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., for the development of a hand held high-power photographic lighting unit known as the Sun Gun Professional.To James Dale, S. Wilson, H. E. Rice, John Rude, Laurie Atkin, Wadsworth E. Pohl, H. Peasgood and Technicolor Corp. for a process of automatic selective printing.To 20th Century-Fox Research Department, under the direction of E. I. Sponable and Herbert E. Bragg, and Deluxe Laboratories, Inc., with the assistance of F. D. Leslie, R. D. Whitmore, A. A. Alden, Endel Pool and James B. Gordon for a system of decompressing and recomposing CinemaScope pictures for conventional aspect ratios.(Class III)
To Hurletron, Inc., Electric Eye Equipment Division, for an automatic light changing system for motion picture printers.