1946 in film

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The year 1946 in film involved some significant events, including the release of the decade's highest-grossing film, The Best Years of Our Lives, which won seven Academy Awards.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1946 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1946
Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	The Best Years of Our Lives	RKO	$10,170,000^[1]
2	Duel in the Sun	Selznick International	$8,700,000^[1]
3	The Jolson Story	Columbia	$7,600,000^[2]
4	Blue Skies	Paramount	$5,700,000^[2]
5	Saratoga Trunk	Warner Bros.	$5,148,000^[3]
6	The Razor's Edge	20th Century Fox	$5,000,000^[2]
7	Night and Day	Warner Bros.	$4,990,000^[3]
8	Notorious	RKO	$4,850,000^[4]
9	The Yearling	MGM	$4,768,000^[5]
10	Till the Clouds Roll By	MGM	$4,748,000^[5]

Events

February 14 - Charles Vidor's Gilda starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford shows audiences one of the most famous scenes of the 20th century: Rita Hayworth singing "Put The Blame On Mame".

November 21 – William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.

December 20 – Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, and Thomas Mitchell opens in New York.

Awards

Category/Organization	4th Golden Globe Awards February 26, 1947	19th Academy Awards March 13, 1947
Best Film	The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Director	Frank Capra It's a Wonderful Life	William Wyler The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Actor	Gregory Peck The Yearling	Fredric March The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Actress	Rosalind Russell Sister Kenny	Olivia de Havilland To Each His Own
Best Supporting Actor	Clifton Webb The Razor's Edge	Harold Russell The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Supporting Actress	Anne Baxter The Razor's Edge

Notable films released in 1946

United States unless stated

D

The Dark Corner, starring Lucille Ball and Mark Stevens
The Dark Mirror, starring Olivia de Havilland
Deception
Decoy, a film noir starring Jean Gillie
Devotion
The Diary of a Chambermaid
Dragonwyck, starring Gene Tierney
Dressed to Kill, a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Watson (released in U.K. as Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Code)
Duel in the Sun, starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten and Lillian Gish

G

Gallant Journey, directed by William A. Wellman
Gilda, starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford
Great Expectations, directed by David Lean, starring John Mills, Jean Simmons and Valerie Hobson
Green for Danger, starring Alastair Sim and Trevor Howard
The Green Years

H

The Harvey Girls, directed by George Sidney, starring Judy Garland and John Hodiak
Henry V (U.S. release)
Humoresque, starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield

I

I See a Dark Stranger
It's a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore
Ivan the Terrible

J

The Jolson Story, a biopic of Al Jolson starring Larry Parks

K

The Kid from Brooklyn
The Killers, directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner

L

Let There Be Light, documentary directed by John Huston
Little Giant, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

M

Make Mine Music
Magnificent Doll, starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven
A Matter of Life and Death, written and directed by Powell and Pressburger, starring David Niven
Monsieur Beaucaire, starring Bob Hope
The Murderers Are Among Us (Die Mörder sind unter uns), starring Hildegard Knef
My Darling Clementine, directed by John Ford, starring Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell

N

Night and Day
A Night in Casablanca with the Marx Brothers
No Regrets for Our Youth (Waga seishun ni kuinashi)
Nobody Lives Forever
Notorious, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

O

The Outlaw (re-release)
The Overlanders

P

Paisan, directed by Roberto Rossellini (Italy)
Patrie, directed by Louis Daquin (France)
People Are Funny, starring Jack Haley
The Postman Always Rings Twice, starring Lana Turner and John Garfield

R

The Razor's Edge, starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney
Renegade Girl, starring Ann Savage
The Return of Monte Cristo, starring Louis Hayward
Road to Utopia, starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope

S

The Seventh Veil (U.S. release)
She-Wolf of London. starring June Lockhart
Shoeshine (Sciuscià), directed by Vittorio De Sica
Shock, directed by Alfred L. Werker, starring Vincent Price and Lynn Bari
Sister Kenny, starring Rosalind Russell
Somewhere In The Night, starring John Hodiak
Song of the South by Walt Disney, combines animation and live action.
The Spiral Staircase, starring Dorothy McGuire
A Stolen Life, starring Bette Davis
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, starring Barbara Stanwyck
The Strange Woman, starring Hedy Lamarr and George Sanders
The Stranger, directed by and starring Orson Welles, Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson

T

Terror by Night, a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Watson
Theirs Is the Glory
Three Strangers
Three Wise Fools, starring Margaret O'Brien and Lionel Barrymore
The Time of Their Lives, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
To Each His Own, starring Olivia de Havilland
Tomorrow Is Forever, starring Orson Welles
Two Sisters from Boston, starring Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Lauritz Melchior, Jimmy Durante and Peter Lawford.

U

Utamaro and His Five Women (Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna)

V

The Verdict

W

Wake Up and Dream
Wanted for Murder
The Wife of Monte Cristo, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Without Reservations

Y

The Yearling, starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman

Serials

Daughter of Don Q
Chick Carter, Detective
The Crimson Ghost
Hop Harrigan
King of the Forest Rangers, starring Larry Thompson
Lost City of the Jungle
The Mysterious Mr. M
The Phantom Rider, starring Robert Kent and Peggy Stewart
The Scarlet Horseman
Son of the Guardsman

Short film series

Shirley Temple (1932–1946)
The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
Popular Science (1935–1950)

Animated short film series

Mickey Mouse (1928–1952)
Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
Terrytoons (1930–1964)
Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
Popeye (1933–1957)
Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
Donald Duck (1936–1956)
Pluto (1937–1951)
Andy Panda (1939–1949)
Goofy (1939–1953)
Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949)
Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
Droopy (1943–1958)
Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
Screwball Squirrel (1944–1946)
Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
George and Junior (1946–1948)

Births

January 5 – Diane Keaton, American actress, producer and director
January 6 - Cheng Pei-pei, Chinese actress (d. 2024)
January 7 – Arnis Līcītis, Latvian actor (d. 2022)
January 16 - Kabir Bedi, Indian actor
January 19 – Dolly Parton, American country singer and actress
January 20 – David Lynch, American director
January 26 – Gene Siskel, film critic, Siskel and Ebert (d. 1999)
February 2
- Blake Clark, American stand-up comedian, actor and voice actor
- J. E. Freeman, American actor (d. 2014)
February 4 - Ivano Marescotti, Italian actor (d. 2023)
February 5 – Charlotte Rampling, English actress
February 7 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (d. 2011)
February 8 – Alex Diakun, Canadian actor
February 13 – Joe Estevez, American actor, director and producer
February 20 – Brenda Blethyn, English actress
February 21
- Tyne Daly, American actress
- Anthony Daniels, English actor, voice actor and mime artist
- Alan Rickman, English actor (d. 2016)^[6]
March 1 - Lana Wood, American actress and producer
March 6 - Martin Kove, American actor and martial artist
March 7
- Dan Grimaldi, American actor
- John Heard, American actor (d. 2017)
March 9 - Alexandra Bastedo, British actress (d. 2014)
March 12
- Dean Cundey, American cinematographer and filmmaker
- Liza Minnelli, American singer and actress
- Frank Welker, American actor, voice actor and former stand-up comedian
March 21 – Timothy Dalton, British actor
March 27 - Carl Weintraub, American actor
March 28 – Dianne Wiest, American actress
March 29 – Paul Herman, American actor (d. 2022)
April 3 - Nicholas Jones, English character actor
April 5
- Jane Asher, English actress
- Björn Granath, Swedish actor (d. 2017)
April 12 – Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian
April 15
- Bob DeSimone, American actor
- Michael Tucci, American actor
April 18 – Hayley Mills, English actress
April 19 – Tim Curry, English actor and singer
April 20 – Haruhiko Yamanouchi, Japanese actor
April 22 - John Waters, American filmmaker, writer and actor
April 23 – Blair Brown, American actress
April 25
- Andrzej Seweryn, Polish actor and director
- Talia Shire, American actress
April 29 – Wayne Robson, Canadian actor (d. 2011)
May 1 - Joanna Lumley, British actress
May 2 – David Suchet, English actor
May 9 – Candice Bergen, American actress
May 11 – Ago Roo, Estonian actor
May 13 – Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor (d. 2017)
May 18 – Andreas Katsulas, American actor (d. 2006)
May 19 – André the Giant, French professional wrestler and actor (d. 1993)
May 20 – Cher, American singer and actress
May 22 – Jack Kehler, American character actor (d. 2022)
June 1 – Brian Cox, Scottish actor
June 3 – Penelope Wilton, English actress
June 5 - John Bach, British-born New Zealand actor
June 8 - Alan Scarfe, British-Canadian actor
June 12 - Jack Thibeau, American actor
June 15
- Angela Down, English actress
- Roy Holder, English actor (d. 2021)
June 26
- Ricky Jay, American actor and writer (d. 2018)
- Leo Rossi, American actor, writer and producer
June 28
- Bruce Davison, American actor and director
- Gilda Radner, American comedian and actress (d. 1989)
July 2 – Ron Silver, American actor (d. 2009)
July 6 – Sylvester Stallone, actor and director
July 10 – Sue Lyon, actress (d. 2019)
July 13 – Cheech Marin, American actor and comedian
July 14 – Vincent Pastore, American actor
July 16
- Dave Goelz, American puppeteer and actor
- Richard LeParmentier, American actor (d. 2013)
July 17 – Alun Armstrong, English actor
July 18 – Dicken Ashworth, English actor
July 20 - Randal Kleiser, American director, producer, screenwriter and actor
July 22 – Danny Glover, actor and director
July 27 – Rade Šerbedžija, Croatian actor, director and musician
August 6 – Peter Simonischek, Austrian actor (d. 2023)
August 9 - Alain Dorval, French voice actor of Sylvester Stallone, from 1976 to 2024 (d 2024).
August 16 – Lesley Ann Warren, American actress and singer
August 19
- Ti Lung, Hong Kong actor
- Christopher Malcolm, Scottish actor, director and producer (d. 2014)
August 24 - BP Fallon, Irish actor
August 26 - Alison Steadman, English actress
August 29 – Lindy Davies, Australian actress and director
August 30 - Peggy Lipton, American actress, model and singer (d. 2019)
September 1 - Susan Backlinie, American actress and stuntwoman (d. 2024)
September 5 – Dennis Dugan, American director, actor, writer and comedian
September 13 – Frank Marshall, American producer and director
September 15
- Tommy Lee Jones, actor
- Oliver Stone, director and producer
September 18
- Struan Rodger, British actor
- Gailard Sartain, American actor
September 22 - John Woo, Hong Kong director, producer and screenwriter
September 25 - Drew Snyder, American actor
September 28
- Peter Egan, British actor
- Jeffrey Jones, American actor
October 2 – Dale Soules, American actress
October 4 – Susan Sarandon, American actress
October 6 - John Hostetter, American actor and visual artist (d. 2016)
October 10
- Charles Dance, English actor
- Ben Vereen, American actor
October 14 - Katy Manning, British actress
October 15 – John Getz, American actor
October 16 - Suzanne Somers, American actress and singer (d. 2023)
October 22 – Richard McGonagle, American actor
October 27 – Ivan Reitman, Slovakian-born Canadian director and producer (d. 2022)
October 31 – Stephen Rea, Northern Irish actor
November 3
- Michael Champion, American singer, musician and actor (d. 2021)
- Tom Savini, American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and director
November 4 - John Callen, English-born New Zealand actor and director
November 6 – Sally Field, actress
November 7 – John Aylward, American actor (d. 2022)
November 16 - Dan Shor, American actor, director and writer
November 20
- Sullivan Walker, Trinidadian actor (d. 2012)
- Samuel E. Wright, American actor and singer (d. 2021)
November 21 - Andrew Davis, American director, producer and writer
November 22 – Paul A. Partain, American actor (d. 2005)
November 26 - Mark L. Lester, American director, screenwriter and producer
December 1 - Maggie Steed, English actress and comedian
December 8
- Frank Pesce, American actor (d. 2022)
- John Rubinstein, American actor, composer and director
December 14 – Patty Duke, American actress (d. 2016)
December 16 - Charles Dennis, Canadian actor, director and screenwriter
December 17
- Jayne Eastwood, Canadian actress and comedian
- Eugene Levy, Canadian actor
December 18 – Steven Spielberg, American director and producer
December 19 - Robert Urich, American actor and producer (d. 2002)
December 20 – John Spencer, American actor (d. 2005)
December 21 - Josh Mostel, American actor
December 24 - Daniel Beretta, French voice actor and singer (d. 2024).
December 25 – Stuart Wilson, English actor
December 31 - Margaret Travolta, American actress
unknown – Omar Al-Shammaa, Lebanese actor, voice actor

Deaths

January 13 – Enid Stamp Taylor, English actress
February 5 – George Arliss, English actor
April 1 – Noah Beery Sr., American actor
June 23 – William S. Hart, American actor
July 10 - Slim Summerville, American actor and director
August 8 – Paul Porcasi, Italian actor
August 10 – Léon Gaumont, French film pioneer
August 12 – Egon Brecher, Austrian actor, director
August 13 – H. G. Wells, British science fiction writer
August 26 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter
August 28 – Florence Turner, American actress
September 21 – Olga Engl, Austrian actress
October 8 – John St. Polis, American actor
November 2 – Gabriel Gabrio, French actor
November 18 – Donald Meek, Scottish-American actor
December 12 – Renée Jeanne Falconetti, French actress
December 25 – W. C. Fields, American comedian and actor

Film Debuts

Patricia Barry – Her Kind of Man
Raymond Burr – Without Reservations
Hamilton Camp – Bedlam
Gianna Maria Canale – The Black Eagle
Kirk Douglas – The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
William Fawcett – Stars Over Texas
John Hoyt – O.S.S.
Martha Hyer – The Locket
Burl Ives – Smoky
Burt Lancaster – The Killers
Gina Lollobrigida – The Black Eagle
Lois Maxwell – A Matter of Life and Death
Slim Pickens – Smoky
Liam Redmond – I See a Dark Stranger
Yvonne Sanson – The Black Eagle
Emil Sitka – One Exciting Week
Hal Smith – Stars Over Texas

References

^ ^a ^b "All-Time Top Grossers". Variety. 18 January 1950. p. 18. Retrieved 3 December 2023 – via Internet Archive.
^ ^a ^b ^c Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
^ ^a ^b Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 26 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
^ "Richard B. Jewell's RKO film grosses, 1929–51: The C. J. Trevlin Ledger: A comment". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Volume 14, Issue 1, 1994.
^ ^a ^b The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ "Alan Rickman obituary". the Guardian. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2021.

External links

[AllTime-1] "All-Time Top Grossers". Variety. 18 January 1950. p. 18. Retrieved 3 December 2023 – via Internet Archive.

[Finler-2] Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.

[warners-3] Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 26 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551

[Jewell-4] "Richard B. Jewell's RKO film grosses, 1929–51: The C. J. Trevlin Ledger: A comment". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Volume 14, Issue 1, 1994.

[Mannix-5] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[6] "Alan Rickman obituary". the Guardian. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2021.

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