1939 Film Year: Oscar Winners & Nominees

The AwardWentTo archive contains 139 Academy Award records for the 1939 film year, covering 54 films and including 22 wins.

Years follow the source film eligibility/dataset year, which may differ from the ceremony calendar year. Counts describe film-linked archive records, including historical and special-award context where supplied.

1940 → ← 1938

Best Picture result

10 Best Picture award records for this film year. See the full result · Best Picture history

Acting category results

Leading winning films

Ranked by winning records in this film-year selection.

  1. Gone with the Wind

    10 wins from 15 award records

  2. Stagecoach

    2 wins from 7 award records

  3. The Wizard of Oz

    2 wins from 6 award records

  4. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

    1 win from 11 award records

  5. Wuthering Heights

    1 win from 8 award records

  6. Goodbye, Mr. Chips

    1 win from 7 award records

Category winners

Select a category to explore its history, or jump to this year's full records.

Nominations and award records by category

Showing 139 of 139 archive records. Gold stars mark winning records.

Best Picture

Best Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Best Actress

Best Supporting Actress

Art Direction

Cinematography (Black-and-White)

  • ★ Wuthering Heights IMDB — Gregg Toland
  • First Love IMDB — Joseph Valentine
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • The Great Victor Herbert IMDB — Victor Milner
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • Gunga Din IMDB — Joseph H. August
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • Intermezzo IMDB — Gregg Toland
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • Juarez IMDB — Tony Gaudio
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • Lady of the Tropics IMDB — George Folsey
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • Of Mice and Men IMDB — Norbert Brodine
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • Only Angels Have Wings IMDB — Joseph Walker
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • The Rains Came IMDB — Arthur Miller
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights) would be selected.

  • Stagecoach IMDB — Bert Glennon

Cinematography (Color)

  • ★ Gone with the Wind IMDB — Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan
  • Drums along the Mohawk IMDB — Ray Rennahan, Bert Glennon
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.

  • Four Feathers IMDB — Georges Perinal, Osmond Borradaile
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.

  • The Mikado IMDB — William V. Skall, Bernard Knowles
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.

  • The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex IMDB — Sol Polito, W. Howard Greene
  • The Wizard of Oz IMDB — Hal Rosson
    Source context

    NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Title was on a preliminary list of submissions/nominees from the studios from which the two official nominees (Gone with the Wind and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) would be selected.

Best Director

Film Editing

Original Score

Original Song

Music (Original Song Score or Adaptation Score)

Scientific or Technical Award (Class III)

  • ★ Gone with the Wind IMDB — F. R. ABBOTT, HALLER BELT, ALAN COOK, the BAUSCH & LOMB OPTICAL COMPANY, The MITCHELL CAMERA COMPANY, MOLE-RICHARDSON COMPANY, CHARLES HANDLEY, DAVID JOY, the NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, WINTON HOCH, TECHNICOLOR MOTION PICTURE CORP., DON MUSGRAVE, SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL PICTURES INC.Special Photographic
    Source context

    For important contributions in cooperative development of new improved Process Projection Equipment: F. R. ABBOTT, HALLER BELT, ALAN COOK and the BAUSCH & LOMB OPTICAL COMPANY for faster projection lenses; The MITCHELL CAMERA COMPANY for a new type process projection head; MOLE-RICHARDSON COMPANY for a new type automatically controlled projection arc lamp; CHARLES HANDLEY, DAVID JOY and the NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY for improved and more stable high-intensity carbons; WINTON HOCH and the TECHNICOLOR MOTION PICTURE CORP. for an auxiliary optical system; DON MUSGRAVE and SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL PICTURES, INC. for pioneering in the use of coordinated equipment in the production, Gone with the Wind.

Animated Short Film

Short Subject (One-Reel)

Short Subject (Two-Reel)

Sound Recording

Special Award

  • ★ Gone with the Wind IMDB — William Cameron Menzies
    Source context

    To William Cameron Menzies for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood in the production of Gone with the Wind.

Visual Effects

Adapted Screenplay

Writing (Original Story)

Nominated films and other recorded entries

54 films represented in the 1939 archive selection.

About these award records

This independent archive groups film-linked award records by film, credited name, category and eligibility year. The film year can differ from the year the ceremony took place. Ceremony numbers are shown where supplied by the records.

Each distinct performance, song or award credit remains a separate record, even when it belongs to the same film. Shared credits stay together. A person's page covers the name shown, without combining aliases or shared credits into a complete career total.

Totals can include honorary, special and historical awards alongside competitive nominations. Awards without a linked film are outside these page totals. Source notes and uncertain records are retained; category comparisons omit groups with unresolved notes, ties or conflicting identities.

For the official record, search the Academy Awards Database (opens in a new tab). Award Went To is an independent exploration tool and is not affiliated with the Academy.