Oscar Nominated Short Subject (Two-Reel)
This nomination category took place between the 9th - 29th Academy Awards Ceremonies (1937-1957). Two reel was short films up to 20min.
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- DirectorLeslie GoodwinsStarsEdgar KennedyFlorence LakeDot FarleyAn assuming husband, suspicious of his wife, follows her for the day. Misunderstandings, mishaps, and hijinks ensue.
- DirectorErrol TaggartStarsRichard AlexanderBarbara BedfordHarry C. BradleyA protection racket preying on milk distribution is broken through the persistence of law enforcement and the courage of a local businessman.
- DirectorJoseph HenaberyStarsPhil HarrisLeah RayHarry Tyler
- DirectorLeslie GoodwinsStarsLeon ErrolVivien OaklandRichard LaneErrol's wife goes back to work, despite his objections.
- DirectorHarold S. BucquetStarsEdwin MaxwellGeorge LynnMurray AlperPolice go after a fraud operation that stages automobile accidents to collect insurance money.
- DirectorLeslie GoodwinsStarsWillie BestDaisy BuffordJesse Graves
- DirectorHarold S. BucquetStarsStanley RidgesJohn EldredgeLouis Jean HeydtShows the role the crime laboratory plays in the solving of cases, and how even the smallest detail can become a major clue.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsJohn LitelTed OsborneRosella TowneThis historical featurette focuses on Caesar Rodney of Delaware, who cast the deciding vote so that the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsFritz FeldKathryn KaneJohn CarrollIn this musical short, a director named Nitvitch, unhappy with the lead actress in his Western, makes an unexpected discovery in the studio cafe where some big stars are being served by a bevy of beautiful singing, dancing waitresses.
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsDick PurcellJo Ann SayersRichard LaneIn this Crime Does Not Pay series entry, John Jones is an up and coming businessman who drinks too much but denies he has a problem. One day he mixes drinking and driving, and the tragic consequences hit very close to home.
- DirectorFrank P. DonovanStarsAlexander WoollcottAnnette DionneCecile DionneCecile, Annette, Yvonne, Emile and Marie, the Dionne Quintuplets, turn five years old and have a private birthday party in their garden. Other than the five little French-Canadian princesses-of-the-world, the other attendees at the party for the sheltered sisters are their doctor-and-mentor, Roy Dafoe; a priest and two nurses; radio's "Town Crier," Alexander Woollcott; and RKO-Newsreel cameraman Harry Smith. Happy Fifth Birthday, girls.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsClaude RainsGale SondergaardDonald CrispSet during the American Revolution, this colorful 2 reel short tells the story of Haym Salomon, American patriot and financier of the American Revolution.
- StarsJames ConatyWarren McCollumCharles MiddletonProduced in cooperation with the United States Navy, the film follows naval aviators through their basic training in Pensacola, Florida and advanced training at San Diego, California.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonStarsRobert ArmstrongWilliam LundiganHenry O'NeillThis drama is "dedicated to the soldiers of the United States Army." Men with diverse backgrounds enlist in the army and are all assigned to the same post. Some adapt easily to army life, while others have trouble making the adjustment.
- DirectorRay EnrightStarsSidney BlackmerPierre WatkinTheodore von EltzIn a series of short scenes, key periods in Theodore Roosevelt's political life are dramatized beginning in 1895 with his time as New York City police commissioner and later as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Vice President and President.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsAddison RichardsWolfgang ZilzerHugh BeaumontThis short film portrays the U.S. Department of Immigration's efforts to capture a ring of smugglers who prey on desperate immigrants waiting entry by convincing them they have influence with the Immigration Service if they just pay a fee.
- DirectorEdward L. CahnStarsJohn NesbittRaymond Gram SwingNeville ChamberlainThe film begins in the spring of 1940, just before the Nazi occupation of the Benelux countries, and ends immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It chronicles how the people of "Main Street America", the country's military forces, and its industrial base were completely transformed when the decision was made to gear up for war. Original footage is interspersed with contemporary newsreels and stock footage.
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsBallet Russe de Monte CarloLéonide MassineMilada MladovaIn a Paris nightclub setting, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo performs to the music of Jacques Offenbach.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonStarsGeorge TobiasRichard TravisGig YoungEducational short about the status of battle tanks and tanker training in the U.S. Army in pre-War 1941, featuring a comical army trainee from the Bronx.
- DirectorLewis SeilerStarsHewitt T. WhelessRonald ReaganFranklin D. RooseveltThis short film in support of the war effort dramatizes the training and missions of Army Air Forces Captain Hewett T. Wheless, a former Texas ranch hand who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in the early days of WWII.
- DirectorJoseph M. NewmanStarsDonald DouglasGloria HoldenBarry NelsonThis MGM short, part of the Crime does not Pay series, focuses on industrial sabotage during wartime. After a valuable shipment of manganese is blown up at a plant, the FBI try to find out how information on the manganese shipment was found out. They get a lead on one of the plotters, Beulah Anderson, who as a waitress in a café gets to pick up all kinds of scuttlebutt from the innocent but loose talking clients. Once they figure out how she is sending the information she gathers, the FBI sets a trap. The moral of the story is: Don't Talk!
- DirectorHarry W. Smith
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsFaye EmersonDorothy DayMarjorie HoshelleThree young women join the newly formed Women's Army Corps (WACS) for varied reasons, and make contributions to the war effort.
- DirectorHugh BennettStarsBetty Jane RhodesJohnny JohnstonVal SetzThe first of a series of six two-reel "Musical Parade" shorts produced in Technicolor for the Paramount 1943-44 production season. The series would continue into 1948, and then were reissued in the early 50's. In addition to listed cast, dancers Adriana & Charly were on hand, as were The Rogers Dancers. Songs included "All the Way" and "At the Mardi Gras."
- DirectorLarry O'ReillyStarsAnn DereA school teacher in Monroe, NY writes a letter to her former student who is fighting in WWII.
- DirectorJosef BerneStarsFrederick BradyMary ElliottEric BloreA bandleader must prove he is worthy of entry into the the Hall of Music in heaven.
- DirectorEdward L. CahnStarsRay CollinsJohn NesbittHenry O'NeillThis patriotic MGM short film, set in World War II, has a factory owner who produces the breech block for a key piece of army artillery. The military wants to increase production by 50%, but they can barely meet their production targets as it is. Going to a third shift in the plant will need manpower, 500 in total, that is sorely missing due to the number of men in the military. The film then looks at the town's Main Street seeing where the workforce might come from. Their brainstorming identifies 220 men, but then one of them comes up with the solution: if everyone worked just a bit harder and contributed just a bit more, the war will be won. The fictional factory found its workers, mostly women who hadn't previously worked, and others who already had a full-time job but also worked part-time at the plant.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsDane ClarkJanis PaigeWarren DouglasIn this Warner Bros. short, a Marine in a South Sea island during World War II, Joe Fingers, tells tales of the influence he's had on various personalities. In the words of one of his buddies, he's either the biggest liar in the world or the most important man in show business. He claims to be a piano player and his stories are brought to life in the minds of the boys, especially those that involve a pretty girl. When a piano arrives on the island in a shipment, he refuses to play, convincing the doubters that he's been telling them lies all along. They change their tune however when a Hollywood movie star stops on the island.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsTom TroutRichard GainesAnthony CarusoA man joins the police force to learn police procedures with the intention of getting away with crimes.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsJ. Carrol NaishDonald WoodsRosina GalliThree cowboys riding across the desert with gifts for no particular recipient see a distant bright light, and find it comes from the Star Auto Court sign where the owners and guests work together to help a young expectant couple.
- DirectorJules WhiteStarsBarbara Jo AllenBarton YarboroughVernon DentVera is one of many of a group of jurors who must work together to come up with a decision whether or not a man is guilty of murder.
- DirectorGeorge TempletonStarsOlga San JuanBob GrahamAdeline De Walt ReynoldsOlga San Juan is the singing and dancing star of a night club in a South America country,and is in love with Bob Graham, the orchestra leader and vocalist, whose wealthy parents are unaware of his club and musical activities. The parents, when told of the romance, think the girl is after the son's future inheritance. A Paramount "Musical Parade" short.
- DirectorLeRoy PrinzStarsHarry DavenportBilly SheffieldDorothy AdamsEleven year old Davy Allen, whose father recently passed making Davy the proverbial man of the house, has formed a bond with an old hound dog named Buck. Davy believes Buck is mistreated by his owner, Mr. Thornycroft, as Buck is sporting a neck wound from his collar, and he starts choking as his chain gets caught in Thornycroft's fence. Davy also believes Buck should be free to do what hound dogs do, which is hunt in the forest. In freeing Buck from what he would consider his shackles, Davy presents Buck as an ownerless stray who followed him home to his mother, who allows Davy to keep him. The question then becomes what will happen when Thornycroft finds out what happened to Buck, Davy, who, in his still child as opposed to adult's view of the world, won't give up Buck without a fight.
- DirectorGeorge TempletonStarsPat PhelanNoel NeillAudrey YoungTom Cannon, a tap-dancer senior at State University sets out to find a College Queen for the upcoming competition. He selects Cindy Harris, a girl who is working her way through college as a waitress and can sing and dance. They win and she is named College Queen. Songs include "I'm Learning a Lot in College" and "Down the Old Ox Road."
- DirectorJules WhiteStarsBarbara Jo AllenBarton YarboroughSymona BonifaceVera thinks she's witnessed a man decapitating his wife. Actually, she's only seen magician Bluebeard the Great rehearsing his act. Still convinced that the magician is a killer, Vera goes through all sorts of comic agony when she is forced to share the same train compartment with Bluebeard (who doesn't help matters when he offers her a sandwich consisting of "scrambled brains and tongue").
- DirectorJoseph M. NewmanStarsBarry NelsonEloise HardtGeorge TravellCharles Vurn is always looking for a way for big money the easy way, which in his case usually means gambling. He does so at the possible expense of his job as an insurance salesman - money from the company which he's "temporarily" used to feed his gambling habit - and marriage to his wife, Marsha, who refuses to give him the money her mother gave her for a rainy day. But a series of incidents in combination with what he considers the lucky breaks he's needed lead to Charles taking desperate measures to be the wealthy man of which he's only dreamed, but at several costs in the process. But is it only a matter of time before karma catches up with him?
- DirectorGeorge BlakeStarsMiklos GafniThis Columbia short (part of their "Two-Reel Special" series) tells the story of the Hungarian tenor, Miklos Gafni, who learned to sing while being confined in a Nazi slave-labor/concentration camp during World War II, and who had just made a successful New York City concert-hall debut. Mr. Gafni sings "The Return to Sorrento," "Vesti la Guiba," and an Hungarian love song.
- DirectorMel EpsteinStarsLita BaronGeorge ReevesGriff BarnettNightclub boss Malone puts off his wedding anniversary trip because an old woman claims to have overheard plans to rob the nightclub. But the old woman, Mrs. Cowdy, has a scheme of her own.
- DirectorIrving AllenStarsWarren DouglasIring Allen was filming High Conquest when he shot this short film. Locale villagers rescue a couple trapped om the mountain.
- DirectorGunther von FritschStarsEmily HatchSpencer HatchThis "Theater of Life" documentary was produced in cooperation with the International Committee, YMCA. It focuses on the work of Dr. Spencer Hatch, as he shows residents of small Mexican villages how to make their land better able to grow food and make them more independent.
- DirectorArthur CohenStarsMel AllenWinter sports in the Rocky Mountains.
- DirectorBilly DanielStarsLita BaronRuss VincentBilly DanielNight club owner Russ Vincent hires boogie-woogie dancer Betty Hannon for a spot in a South American revue which is headed by Lita Baron (as Isabelita). The latter is wary of Hannon's motives, but Vincent dismisses her feelings as jealousy.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerThe first of the True-Life Adventure featurettes. Fur seals arrive on the Pribilof Islands for the purpose of mating. The older seals are known as bulls and have "harems" of females which they protect very seriously. The younger male seals get together, train themselves to fight, and then help each other overthrow the bulls to become the new masters of the harems.
- DirectorSaul ElkinsStarsArt GilmoreThe pageantry of Calgary's colorful celebration of its past, culminating with its world famous rodeo, is chronicled.
- DirectorGunther von FritschThis Theatre of Life series short, produced with the cooperation of the Los Angeles Fire Department, emphasizes fire safety and fire prevention. It gives a behind-the-scenes look at the switching system used to dispatch the proper equipment to fires, as well as a look at life in the fire station and fire fighter training.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsClaude DauphinThe biography of Dutch artist Van Gogh, illustrated only with images of his paintings and drawings, or details of those, and according dramatic musical score.
- DirectorRichard L. BareStarsChill WillsVince BarnettJohn KelloggRanch-hands get their ideas challenged when a stranger shows up, telling them how good they have things.
- DirectorWilliam LaskyDickie MooreStarsDickie MooreA crippled boy discovers a wounded bald eagle, nurses it back to health, tames and teaches it to fly. One day, a rattlesnake is about to strike the boy, when the bird attacks the snake and a vicious fight erupts between the snake and the bird. In the excitement, the boy forgets his crutches and finds himself able to walk without them...
- StarsGary CooperA documentary about the snowy attractions of mid-twentieth century Aspen, Colorado.
- DirectorIrving Allen
- DirectorJerome HillStarsGrandma MosesArchibald Macleish
- StarsMarvin MillerFranklin D. RooseveltChester W. NimitzA panoramic view of American history from the Pilgrims to 1950 utilizing archival footage.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerMogens LindGet a glimpse of "nature's own engineer" hard at work. A young male beaver must defend his new family against hungry predators, mischievous river otters and the ever-impending threat of winter.
- DirectorJean VidalStarsSherry ManaganBalzac is a 1951 short documentary film by French director Jean Vidal. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1952 and won first prize for best director at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival the same year.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerMogens LindThe strange and wonderful world that lies beneath our feet, under leaf, log and rock, peopled by millions of weird and fascinating creatures.
- DirectorJacques-Yves CousteauStarsJacques-Yves Cousteau
- DirectorGeoffrey BoothbyDavid Eady
- DirectorHerbert MorganStarsDel KuhnA motorcycle cop buys a used car to take his family on vacation to the East Coast. Minor car trouble along the way causes him to meet first a reckless driver, and then a highway patrolman who shares stories of bad drivers with him. Various dangers of careless driving - both fictional and real - are depicted as the patrolman continues on the job, later crossing paths with the reckless driver again. When the police officer makes the return trip from his vacation, he finds that the situation has changed in a surprising way.
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsWinston HiblerFrom the still waters of lagoons and marshes to the wild blue wilderness of the vast oceans, experience the beauty and variety of these majestic birds, each perfectly designed for its habitat.
- DirectorRichard StatileStarsArt GilmoreColor footage of a whale hunt, filmed in a five month period near Antarctica.
- DirectorJohn JayStarsArt Gilmore
- DirectorHilton EdwardsStarsMichael LaurenceShelah RichardsHelena HughesOrson Welles, on break from filming Othello, relates a tale he heard one spooky Irish midnight not so long ago when, driving through the countryside, he picked up a man with car trouble who told of a strange encounter with two hitchhikers.
- DirectorOtto LangThe first travelogue released by Twentieth Century-Fox in CinemaScope, produced and directed by Otto Lang, is a photographic record of a journey from Milan to Naples, through Florence and Rome, on a streamlined passenger train. En route, the film takes time out in the cities mentioned to take a look at the landmarks---past and present---with the climax on the edge of Vesuvius' smoldering crater.
- DirectorHamilton LuskeClyde GeronimiWilfred JacksonStarsSterling HollowayHans ConriedStan FrebergA mouse tells the story of how he guided Benjamin Franklin to success and prominence.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerKjeld JacobsenThe lives of black bears in Yellowstone National Park.
- DirectorDenis SandersStarsBarry AtwaterRobert SherryCorey AllenA dramatic incident from the American Civil War when two Union soldiers and one Confederate soldier, facing each other at a battle front, agree on an hour's truce.
- DirectorLarry LansburghStarsBette FordMarvin MillerPepe OrtizWhile vacationing in Mexico, fashion model Bette Ford attends a bullfight and a bull breeding ranch event. She becomes intrigued with the art of bullfighting and gets training leading to her first professional appearance in the bullring.
- DirectorOtto Lang
- DirectorRalph Wright
- DirectorRobert M. LeedsStarsJack WebbArt BalingerWalter SandeWhen a U.S. Air Force base commander receives civilian complaints about noise, he gets help from old friend Jack Webb in educating the town leaders and residents about the importance of their work and learning to accept their presence.
- DirectorWendy ToyeStarsDavid O'BrienWendy ToyeFranklyn BennettA proper Edwardian lady patiently endures the ever-increasing disruption to her quiet household when her Truelove gives her all the items from the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
- DirectorBen SharpsteenThe film visits cities and small towns of Switzerland to explore the local customs and activities during the seasons. The climax is a climb to the top of the Matterhorn with three mountaineers.
- DirectorHerman HoffmanStarsLeslie NielsenFrank FergusonThis film was shot entirely at the Gettysburg National Military Park, where the decisive battle of the American Civil War was fought. Leslie Nielsen narrates the story while contemporary songs and the sounds of battle are heard in the background. The sites of the various engagements, the statues of the leaders of the Northern and Southern troops, and the battlefield cemetery are featured. President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is read at the end.
- DirectorEdward FreedStarsMerrell GageHead of the sculpture dpeartment at USC when this film was made (by USC), Merrell Gage was a lifelong expert on Abraham Lincoln. This short was a lecture often given by Gage, using wet clay to depict the on-going changes to Abe's face over the years as Abe altered his hairstyle, grew a beard, and showed the effects of aging. Shown on TV many times, a fascinating look at one of history's important statesmen.
- DirectorLarry LansburghStarsRex AllenSlim PickensJay SislerThis featurette demonstrates how trained dogs are instrumental in helping round up an outlaw Brahma bull which has been plaguing a ranchers pure-bred Hereford cattle.
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsWinston HiblerThe story of a happy people on an island paradise begins with a description of life and cultural events in the communities. There are glimpses of fishing and local foods being prepared, and the building of a guest house is shown.
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsDavid KossoffAlfie BassAlf DeanFender is a lowly clerk in the warehouse of clothing manufacturers Ranting and Co. His one ambition is to have an overcoat of his own. Refused one by the cold hearted Ranting he asks a tailor friend, Morry, to make him one instead, but dies of cold before he can take delivery of it. Unwilling to give up his only desire even in death, he returns as a ghost to persuade Morry to steal him the overcoat he so coveted in life.
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsCharles BickfordNancy ReaganCornell BorchersA young girl, played by Pamela Beaird, normal in every way is affected with severe epilepsy. What happens in regard to her parents and school friends and their reactions, is shown. In addition, an explanation of the affliction and demonstrations of the treatment involved, both physically and psychologically, are detailed.