Film Data For 1956

The Film Daily Polls (Selected by the critics of America in a poll conducted by the Film Daily- includes some late 1955 releases)

The 10 Best Pictures of 1956
1) The King and I- 245 votes
2) Giant- 236
3) War and Peace- 212
4) Friendly Persuasion- 193
5) Anastasia- 185
6) Moby Dick- 176
7) Picnic (1955)- 172
8) The Ten Commandments- 137
9) Tea & Sympathy- 133
10) The Rose Tattoo (1955)- 131
                                         

The Honor Roll

11) Lust for Life- 130
12) I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)- 125
13) The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)- 123
14) High Society- 94
15) Trapeze- 86
16) Bus Stop- 75
17) The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit- 67
18) The Eddy Dunchin Story- 64
19) Carousel- 62
20) The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)- 54
      The Solid Gold Cadillac- 54
22) The Man Who Knew Too Much- 49
23) Somebody Up There Likes Me- 44
24) Around the World in 80 Days (finished #1 for 1957 in polling)- 34
25) The Searchers- 32
26) The Harder They Fall- 30
27) Attack!- 29
28) The Ladykillers- 25
29) Baby Doll- 21
30) The Benny Goodman Story- 20
      The Proud and the Profane- 20
32) Helen of Troy- 16
33) Alexander the Great- 13

Filmdom’s Famous Fives of 1956 (No numbers were given for the rest of the categories, although I believe the Film Daily lists them in the order of preference).

Best Performances by Male Stars
1) Yul Brynner in The King and I
2) Frank Sinatra in The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)
3) Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life
4) Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments
5) Paul Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me

Best Performances by Female Stars
1) Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo (1955)
2) Susan Hayward in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
3) Deborah Kerr in Tea & Sympathy
4) Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace
5) Deborah Kerr in The King and I

Best Performances by Supporting Actors
1) Anthony Perkins in Friendly Persuasion
2) Oscar Homolka in War and Peace
3) James Dean in Giant
4) Arthur O'Connell in Picnic (1955)
5) Rod Steiger in The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)

Best Performances by Supporting Actresses
1) Rosalind Russell in Picnic (1955)
2) Celeste Holm in High Society
3) Eileen Heckart in The Bad Seed
4) Jo Van Fleet in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
5) Susan Strasberg in Picnic (1955)

Best Performances by Juvenile Actors
1) Richard Eyer in Friendly Persuasion
2) Sal Mineo in Somebody Up There Likes Me
3) Rex Thompson in The Eddy Dunchin Story
4) Andres Velasques in The Littlest Outlaw
5) Sal Mineo in Crime in the Streets

Best Performances by Juvenile Actresses
1) Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed
2) Susan Strasberg in Picnic (1955)
3) Natalie Wood in The Searchers
4) Betty Lou Keim in Teenage Rebel
5) Carroll Baker in Giant

Outstanding "Finds" of the Year
1) Anthony Perkins in Friendly Persuasion
2) Don Murray in Bus Stop
3) Paul Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me
4) Carroll Baker in Giant
5) Susan Strasberg in Picnic

Glad to see Perkins finish on top for Persuasion. I'm not sure what happened to Ingrid Bergman here- The Film Daily liked Anastasia, but didn't place Bergman in the top five. Strasberg placed three times, not bad for her second film.

                                                             

The National Board of Review (results announced on December 20, 1956)

The Top Ten Pictures (in order of preference):
1) Around the Worlds in 80 Days
2) Moby Dick
3) The King and I
4) Lust for Life
5) Friendly Persuasion
6) Somebody Up There Likes Me
7) The Catered Affair
8) Anastasia
9) The Man Who Never Was
10) Bus Stop

Best Director
John Huston for Moby Dick

Best Actor
Yul Brynner for The King and I, Anastasia, and The Ten Commandments (what a year!)

Best Actress
Dorothy McGuire for Friendly Persuasion

Best Supporting Actor
Richard Basehart for Moby Dick
                                        

Best Supporting Actress
Debbie Reynolds for The Catered Affair

Best Foreign Films (in order of preference, I think)
The Silent World (France)
War and Peace (U.S./Italy)
Richard III (U.K.)
La Strada (Italy)
Rififi (France)
                                       

The New York Film Critics

(Winners were announced on December 27, 1956. Awards were presented on January 19, 1957. Sources: Tom O'Neil's Movie Awards, 2001 and Donald Lyons, "The Lights of New York," Film Comment, March-April, 1993).

Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days (13 votes on ballot II)
Runner-up: Giant (2 votes)
3rd Place: Moby Dick (1 vote)

Best Director
John Huston for Moby Dick (11 votes on ballot III)
Runner-up: Elia Kazan for Baby Doll (3 votes)

Best Actor
Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life (11 votes on ballot IV)
Runner-up: Yul Brynner in Anastasia, The King and I and The Ten Commandments (3 votes)
3rd Place: Laurence Oliver in Richard III (2 votes)

Best Actress
Ingrid Bergman in Anastasia (12 votes on ballot III)
Runner-up: Deborah Kerr in The King and I and Tea and Sympathy (3 votes)
3rd Place: Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace (1 vote)

Best Screenplay
S. J. Perelman for Around the World in 80 Days (according to Tom O'Neil, the Writers Guild of America stated James Poe and John Farrow should also have been given screenplay credit)
Runner-up: Ray Bradbury and John Huston for Moby Dick (no vote amount listed)
3rd Place (tie): Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat for Giant (no vote total mentioned)
Ernest Lehman for The King and I and Somebody Up There Likes Me 

Best Foreign Film
La Strada (1954- Italy)                                             

The Golden Globe Awards (Nominations were announced on January 20, 1957. Awards were presented on February 28, 1957. Source: Tom O'Neil's Movie Awards, 2001). (Winners in bold print).

Best Drama
Around the World in 80 Days
Giant
Lust for Life
The Rainmaker
War and Peace

Best Comedy or Musical
Bus Stop
The King and I
The Opposite Sex
The Solid Gold Cadillac
The Teahouse of the August Moon

Best Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding
Battle Hymn
The Brave One
Friendly Persuasion
The King and I
The Teahouse of the August Moon

Best Director
Michael Anderson for Around the World in 80 Days
Elia Kazan for Baby Doll
Vincente Minnelli for Lust For Life
George Stevens for Giant
King Vidor for War and Peace                                  

Best Actor, Drama

Gary Cooper in Friendly Persuasion
Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life
Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments
Burt Lancaster in The Rainmaker
Karl Malden in Baby Doll

Best Actress, Drama
Carroll Baker in Baby Doll
Ingrid Bergman in Anastasia
Helen Hayes in Anastasia
Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace
Katharine Hepburn in The Rainmaker

Best Actor, Comedy or Musical
Marlon Brando in The Teahouse of the August Moon
Yul Brynner in The King and I
Cantinflas in Around the World in 80 Days
Glenn Ford in The Teahouse of the August Moon
Danny Kaye in The Court Jester

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical
Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac
Deborah Kerr in The King and I
Machiko Kyo in The Teahouse of the August Moon
Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop
Debbie Reynolds in Bundle of Joy

Best Supporting Actor

Eddie Albert in The Teahouse of the August Moon
Earl Holliman in The Rainmaker
Oscar Homolka in War and Peace
Anthony Quinn in Lust for Life
Eli Wallach in Baby Doll

Best Supporting Actress
Mildred Dunnock in Baby Doll
Eileen Heckart in The Bad Seed
Marjorie Main in Friendly Persuasion
Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind
Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed

Other Winners:

Best Foreign-Language Films

Before Sundown (Germany)

The Girl in Black (Greece)

Richard III (1955- English Language)

The Rose on His Arm (Japan)

War and Peace (Italy)

The White Reindeer (1952- Finland)

Most Promising Newcomer- Male

John Kerr

Paul Newman

Anthony Perkins

Most Promising Newcomer- Female

Carroll Baker

Jayne Mansfield

Natalie Wood

Best Male Foreign Newcomer Award

Jacques Bergerac (France)

Best Female Foreign Newcomer Award

Taina Elg (Finland)

World Film Favorites

Jams Dean

Kim Novak

Best Original Score

Dimitri Tiomkin, Friendly Persuasion

Hollywood Citizenship Award

Ronald Reagan

Cecil B. DeMille Award

Mervyn LeRoy

Special Achievement Awards

Elizabeth Taylor

Edwin Schallert

British Academy Awards (Source: "The BAFTA Film Awards" 1989, edited by Bo Smith). (Winners in bold print).

Best Film from Any Source and Best British Film
Amici Per la Belle (Italy)
Baby Doll (U.S.)
Battle of the River Plate (Great Britain)
Gervaise (France)- won Best Film from Any Source
The Grasshopper (USSR)
Guys and Dolls (U.S.- 1955)
The Killing (U.S.)
Le Defroque (France)
The Man Who Never Was (G.B.)
The Man With the Golden Arm (U.S.- 1955)
Picnic (U.S.) (1955)
Reach for the Sky (G.B.)- won Best British Film
Rebel Without a Cause (U.S.- 1955)
The Shadow (Poland)
Smiles of a Summer Night (Sweden)
A Town Like Alice (G.B.)
The Trouble With Harry (U.S.- 1955)
War and Peace (Italy/U.S.)
Yield to the Night (G.B.)

Best British Actor
Peter Finch in A Town Like Alice
Jack Hawkins in The Long Arm
Kenneth More in Reach for the Sky

Best British Actress
Dorothy Alison in Reach for the Sky
Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace
Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice

                                                       

Best Foreign Actor

Gunnar Bjornstrand in Smiles of a Summer Night
James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Pierre Fresney in Le Defroque
William Holden in Picnic (1955)
Karl Malden in Baby Doll
Francois Perier in Gervaise
Frank Sinatra in The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)
Spencer Tracy in The Mountain

Best Foreign Actress
Carroll Baker in Baby Doll
Eva Dahlbeck in Smiles of a Summer Night
Ava Gardner in Bhowani Junction
Susan Hayward in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
Shirley MacLaine in The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo (1955)
Kim Novak in Picnic (1955)
Marisa Pavan in The Rose Tattoo (1955)
Maria Schell in Gervaise
Jean Simmons in Guys and Dolls (1955)

Most Promising Newcomer
Stephen Boyd in The Man Who Never Was
Don Murray in Bus Stop
Susan Strasberg in Picnic (1955)
Eli Wallach in Baby Doll
Elizabeth Wilson in Patterns of Power (Patterns)
Best British Screenplay
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger for The Battle of the River Plate
Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder for The Green Man
Nigel Balchin for The Man Who Never Was
Frank Harvey and John Boulting for Private's Progress
Lewis Gilbert for Reach for the Sky
Moore Raymond and Anthony Kimmins for Smiley
Hubert Gregg and Vernon Harris for Three Men in a Boat
W.P. Lipscomb and Richard Mason for A Town Like Alice
John Cresswell and Joan Henry for Yield to the Night

Best Documentary
Foothold in Antarctica (G.B.)
Generator 4 (Canada)
On the Bowery (U.S.)
The Silent World (France)
Under the Same Sky (Poland)

Special Award
The Door in the Wall (G.B.)
Man in Space (U.S.)
On the Twelfth Day (G.B.)
The Red Ballon (France)
The Ruthless One (G.B.)
Underwater Symphony (Italy)

Best Animated Film
Calling All Salesmen (G.B.)
Christopher Crumpet's Playmate (U.S.)
Gerald McBoing-Boing on Planet Moo (U.S.)
History of the Cinema (G.B.)
The Invisible Moustache of Raoul Dufy (U.S.)
Love and the Zeppelin (Czechoslovakia)
Rhythmetic (Canada)

United Nations Award
The Great Locomotive Chase (U.S.)
Pacific Destiny (G.B.)
Race for Life (G.B.)
To Your Health (G.B.)
Under the Same Sky (Poland)

                                 

The Academy Awards (Nominations were announced on February 18, 1957. Awards were presented on March 27, 1957 at the RKO Pantages Theater in Hollywood and the NBC Century Theater in New York. The ceremony was broadcast by NBC TV and radio. Sources: Tom O'Neil's Movie Awards, 2001 and Mason Wiley and Damien Bona's Inside Oscar, 1984). (Winners in bold print).

Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days, Todd, UA. Produced by Michael Todd.
Friendly Persuasion, Allied Artists. Produced by William Wyler.

Giant, Warner Bros. Produced by George Stevens and Henry Ginsberg.

The King and I, 20th Century-Fox. Produced by Charles Brackett.

The Ten Commandments, DeMille, Paramount. Produced by Cecil B. DeMille.

Best Director
Michael Anderson for Around the World in 80 Days (Todd, UA).

Walter Lang for The King and I (20th Century-Fox).

George Stevens for Giant (Warner Bros.).

King Vidor for War and Peace (Ponti-De Laurentiis, Paramount)(Italo-American). 

William Wyler for Friendly Persuasion (Allied Artists).

Best Actor
Yul Brynner in The King and I (20th Century-Fox).

James Dean in Giant (Warner Bros.).

Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life (MGM).

Rock Hudson in Giant (Warner Bros.).

Sir Laurence Olivier in Richard III (1956)(Laurence Olivier Prod., Lopert Films)(British).

Best Actress
Carroll Baker in Baby Doll (Newtown, Warner Bros.).

Ingrid Bergman in Anastasia (20th Century-Fox).

Katharine Hepburn in The Rainmaker (Wallis, Paramount).

Nancy Kelly in The Bad Seed (Warner Bros.).

Deborah Kerr in The King and I (20th Century-Fox).

Best Supporting Actor
Don Murray in Bus Stop (20th Century-Fox).

Anthony Perkins in Friendly Persuasion (Allied Artists).

Anthony Quinn in Lust for Life (MGM).

Mickey Rooney in The Bold and the Brave (Filmakers Releasing Org., RKO Radio).

Robert Stack in Written on the Wind (U-I).                                                                                

Best Supporting Actress

Mildred Dunnock in Baby Doll (Newtown, Warner Bros.).

Eileen Heckart in The Bad Seed (Warner Bros.).

Mercedes McCambridge in Giant (Warner Bros.).

Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed (Warner Bros.).

Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind (U-I).

                  

Writing- Best Motion Picture Story
The Brave One, King Bros., RKO Radio. Dalton Trumbo (originally awarded to "Robert Rich" due to the Blacklist).

The Eddy Dunchin Story, Columbia. Leo Katcher.

High Society, Allied Artists (withdrawn from ballot- writers of a Bowery Boys comedy, not the Bing Crosy-Grace Kelly-Frank Sinatra musical with the same title). Edward Bernds and Elwood Ullman.
The Proud and the Beautiful, Kingsley International (French). Jean-Paul Sartre.
Cesare Zavattini for Umberto D. (1952), Harrison & Davidson Releasing (Italian). Cesare Zavattini.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Around the World in 80 Days, Todd, UA. James Poe, John Farrow and S.J. Perelman.
Baby Doll, Newtown, Warner Bros. Tennessee Williams.
Giant, Warner Bros., Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat. 

Lust for Life, MGM. Norman Corwin.

Friendly Persuasion, Allied Artists. Michael Wilson. (Wilson's name was not listed. The writer was blacklisted at the time, so the Academy placed a "Writer ineligible for nomination under Academy bylaws" disclaimer with the nomination).

                                                 

Best Original Screenplay

The Bold and the Brave, Filmakers Releasing Org., RKO Radio. Robert Lewin.
Julie, MGM. Andrew L. Stone.
La Strada (1954), Ponti-De Laurentiis, Trans-Lux Dist. Corp. (Italian). Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli.

The Ladykillers (1950), Ealing, Continental Dist. (British). William Rose.

The Red Ballon, Lopert Films (French). Albert Lamorisse.

Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)
Baby Doll, Newtown, Warner Bros. Boris Kaufman.

The Bad Seed, Warner Bros. Hal Rosson.
The Harder They Fall, Columbia. Burnett Guffey.
Somebody Up There Likes Me, MGM. Joseph Ruttenberg.

Stagecoach to Fury, Regal Films, 20th Century-Fox. Walter Strenge.

Best Cinematography (Color)
Around the World in 80 Days, Todd, UA. Lionel Lindon.
The Eddy Dunchin Story, Columbia. Harry Stradling.
The King and I, 20th Century-Fox. Leon Shamroy.
The Ten Commandments, DeMille, Paramount. Loyal Griggs.
War and Peace, Ponti-De Laurentiis, Paramount)(Italo-American). Jack Cardiff.

Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Black-and-White)
The Magnificent Seven (a.k.a. The Seven Samurai), Toho. Kingsley International (Japanese). Takashi Matsuyama.
The Proud and the Profane, Perlberg-Seaton, Paramount. Hal Pereira and A. Earl Hedrick; Samuel M. Comer and Frank R. McKelvy.
The Solid Gold Cadillac, Columbia. Ross Bellah; William R. Kiernan and Louis Diage.
Somebody Up There Likes Me, MGM. Cedric Gibbons and Malcolm F. Brown; Edwin B. Willis and F. Keogh Gleason.
Teenage Rebel, 20th Century-Fox. Lyle R. Wheeler and Jack Martin Smith; Walter M. Scott and Stuart A. Reiss.

Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Color)
Around the World in 80 Days, Todd, UA. James W. Sullivan and Ken Adam; Ross J. Dowd.
Giant, Warner Bros. Boris Leven; Ralph S. Hurst.
The King and I, 20th Century-Fox. Lyle R. Wheeler and John DeCuir; Walter M. Scott and Paul S. Fox.
Lust for Life, MGM. Cedric Gibbons, Hans Peters and Preston Ames; Edwin B. Willis and F Keogh Gleason.
The Ten Commandments, DeMille, Paramount. Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler and Albert Nozaki; Sam M. Comer and Ray Moyer.

Best Sound Recording

The Brave One, King Bros., RKO Radio. John Myers, sound director.

The Eddy Dunchin Story, Columbia. Columbia Studio Sound Department; John Livadary, sound director.

Friendly Persuasion, Allied Artists. Westrex Sound Services, Inc., Gordon R. Glennan, sound director; and Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department; Gordon Sawyer, sound director.

The King and I, 20th Century-Fox. 20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department; Carl Faulkner, sound director.

The Ten Commandments, DeMille, Paramount. Paramount Studio Sound Department; Loren L. Ryder, sound director. 

Best Song

"Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)" (Friendly Persuasion, Allied Artists); Music by Dimitri Tiomkin. Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.

"Julie" (Julie, Arwin, MGM); Music by Leith Stevens. Lyrics by Tom Adair.

"True Love"(High Society, MGM); Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter.

"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) (The Man Who Knew Too Much, Filwite Prods., Paramount); Music and Lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.

"Written on the Wind" (Written on the Wind, U-I); Music by Victor Young. Lyrics by Sammy Cahn.

Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Anastasia, 20th Century-Fox. Alfred Newman.

Around the World in 80 Days, Todd, UA. Victor Young.

Between Heaven and Hell, 20th Century-Fox. Hugo Friedhofer.

Giant, Warner Bros. Dimitri Tiomkin.

The Rainmaker, Wallis, Paramount. Alex North.

Best Scoring of a Musical Picture

The Best Things in Life Are Free, 20th Century-Fox. Lionel Newman.

The Eddy Duchin Story, Columbia. Morris Stoloff and George Duning.

High Society, Siegel, MGM. Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin.

The King and I, 20th Century-Fox. Alfred Newman and Ken Darby.

Meet Me in Las Vegas, MGM. George Stoll and Johnny Green.

Best Film Editing

Around the World in 80 Days, Todd, UA. Gene Ruggiero and Paul Weatherwax.

The Brave One, King Bros., RKO Radio. Merrill G. White.

Giant, Warner Bros. William Hornbeck, Philip W. Anderson and Fred Bohanan.

Somebody Up There Likes Me, MGM. Albert Akst.

The Ten Commandments, DeMille, Paramount. Anne Bauchens.

Best Costume Design (Black-and-White)

The Magnificent Seven (a.k.a. The Seven Samurai), Toho. Kingsley International (Japanese). Kohei Ezaki.

The Power and the Prize, MGM. Helen Rose.

The Proud and the Profane, Perlberg-Seaton, Paramount. Edith Head.

The Solid Gold Cadillac, Jean Louis.

Teenage Rebel, 20th Century-Fox. Charles LeMaire and Mary Wills.

Best Costume Design (Color)

Around the World in 80 Days, Todd, UA. Miles White.

Giant, Warner Bros. Moss Mabry and Marjorie Best.

The King and I, 20th Century-Fox. Irene Sharaff.

The Ten Commandments, DeMille, Paramount. Edith Head, Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins and Arnold Friberg.

War and Peace, Ponti-De Laurentiis, Paramount)(Italo-American). Marie De Matteis.

Best Special Effects

Forbidden Planet, MGM. A. Arnold Gillespie, Irving Ries and Wesley C. Miller.

The Ten Commandments, DeMille, Paramount. John Fulton.

Best Short Subject Cartoon
Gerald McBoing-Boing on the Planet Moo, UPA, Columbia. Stephen Bosustow, producer.

The Jaywalker, UPA, Columbia. Stephen Bosustow, producer.

Mister Magoo's Puddle Jumper, UPA, Columbia. Stephen Bosustow, producer.

Best One-Reel Short Subject
Crashing the Water Barrier, Warner Bros., Konstantin Kalser, producer.

I Never Forget a Face, Warner Bros. Robert Youngson, producer.

Time Stood Still, Warner Bros. Cedric Francis, producer.

Best Two-Reel Short Subject
The Bespoke Overcoat (1955), Romilus Films, George K. Arthur, producer.

Cow Dog, Disney, Buena Vista. Larry Lansburgh, producer.

The Dark Wave, 20th Century-Fox. John Healy, producer.

Samoa, Disney, Buena Vista. Walt Disney, producer.

Best Documentary Short Subject

A City Decides, Charles Guggenheim & Assocs. 

The Dark Wave, 20th Century-Fox. John Healy, producer.

The House Without a Name, U-I. Valentine Davies, producer.

Man in Space, Disney, Buena Vista. Walt Disney, producer.

The True Story of the Civil War, Camera Eye Pictures. Louis Clyde Stouman, producer.

                                          

Best Documentary Feature
The Naked Eye, Camera Eye Pictures. Louis Clyde Stoumen, producer.

The Silent World, Filmad-F.S.J.Y.C., Columbia (French). Jacques-Yves Cousteau, producer.

Where Mountains Float (1955), Brandon Films (Danish). The Government Film Committee of Denmark, producer. 

Best Foreign-Language Film

The Captain of Kopenick (Germany).

Gervaise (France).

Harp of Burma (Japan).

La Strada (1954)(Italy).

Qivitoq (Denmark).

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

Buddy Adler. 
                                                 
Honorary Award
Eddie Cantor for distinguished service to the film industry (statuette).

Scientific or Technical

Class I (Statuette)

None.

Class II (Plaque)

None. 

Class III (Citation)

Richard H. Ranger of Rangertone, Inc., for the development of a synchronous recording and reproducing system for quarter-inch magnetic tape.

Ted Hirsch, Carl Hauge and Edward Reichard of Consolidated Film Industries for an automatic scene counter for laboratory projection rooms.

The Technical Departments of Paramount Pictures Corp. for the engineering and development of the Paramount lightweight horizontal-movement Vista Vision camera.

Roy C. Stewart and Sons of Stewart-Trans Lux Corp. Dr. C.R. Daily and the Transparency Department of Paramount Pictures Corp. for the engineering and development of the HiTrans and Para-HiTrans rear projection screens.

The Construction Department of MGM Studio for a new hand-portable fog machine.

Daniel J. Bloomberg, John Pond, William Wade and the Engineering and Camera Departments of Republic Studio for the Naturama adaptation to the Mitchell camera.

Screen Directors Guild of America (Best Director awarded February 3, 1957 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Source: Tom O'Neil's Movie Awards, 2001).

Best Director
George Stevens, Giant

Finalists:
John Ford, The Searchers

Alfred Hitchcock, The Man Who Knew Too Much

Alfred Hitchcock, The Trouble with Harry (1955)

Nunnally Johnson, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Henry King, Carousel

Walter Lang, The King and I

Carol Reed, Trapeze

Robert Rossen, Alexander the Great

Roy Rowland, Meet Me in Las Vegas

George Sidney, The Eddy Duchin Story

Other directors mentioned:

Michael Anderson, Around the World in 80 Days

John Huston, Moby Dick

Joshua Logan, Bus Stop

Daniel Mann, The Teahouse of the August Moon

King Vidor, War and Peace

Robert E. Wise, Somebody Up There Likes Me

William Wyler, Friendly Persuasion

Special D.W. Griffith Award:

King Vidor

Writers Guild of America (Awards were presented on March 7, 1957 at the Moulin Rouge restaurant in Los Angeles. Source: Tom O'Neil's Movie Awards). (Winners in bold print).

Best Written Drama

Baby Doll, Tennessee Williams

Friendly Persuasion, Michael Wilson, based on the book by Jessamyn West

Giant, Fred Guiol, Ivan Moffat, based on the novel by Edna Ferber

The Rainmaker, N. Richard Nash

Somebody Up There Likes Me, Ernest Lehman, based on the autobiography of Rocky Graziano

Best Written Comedy

Around the World in 80 Days, James Poe, John Farrow, S.J. Perelman, based on the novel by Jules Verne

Bus Stop, George Axelrod, based on the play by William Inge

Full of Life, John Fante

The Solid Gold Cadillac, Abe Burrows, based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Howard Teichman

The Teahouse of the August Moon, John Patrick, based on the book by Verne J. Sneider

Best Written Musical

Carousel, Phoebe Ephron, Henry Ephron, from the musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, based on the play Liliom, by Ferenc Molnar and adapted by Benjamin F. Glazer

The Eddy Duchin Story, Samuel Taylor, Leo Katcher

High Society, John Patrick, based on the play The Philadelphia Story, by Philip Barry

The King and I, Ernest Lehman, from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon

Meet Me in Las Vegas, Isobel Lennart

Laurel Award

Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder

Berlin Film Festival (Source: Film Facts, 1980, edited by Cobbett Steinberg).

Best Picture: First Prize:

Invitation to the Dance (Gene Kelly)

Best Picture: Second Prize:

Richard III (1955- Laurence Olivier, England)

Best Direction:

Robert Aldrich, Autumn Leaves

Best Actor:

Burt Lancaster, Trapeze

Best Actress:

Elsa Martinelli, Donatella

Best Feature Documentaries:

1) No Space for Wild Animals (Germany)

2) The African Lion (1955- Walt Disney, USA)

Best Short Documentaries:

1) Paris Lu Nuit (France)

2) Spring Comes to Kashmir (India)

    Hitit Gunesi (Turkey)

    Rhythmetic (Canada)

Audience Awards:

1) Before Sunset (Germany)

2) Pepote (Mexico)

3) Trapeze (USA)                                

Cannes Film Festival (Source: Film Facts, 1980, edited by Cobbett Steinberg).

Best Film:

World of Silence (Louis Malle/Jacques-Yves Cousteau, France)

Best Director:

Serge Youtkevitch, Othello (1955)

Best Actor:

Not awarded

Best Actress:

Susan Hayward, I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)

Special Prize:

Le Mystere Picasso (Henri-Georges Clouzot, France)

Most Poetic Humor:

Ingmar Bergman, Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)

Best Human Document:

Satyajit Ray, (Pather Panchali- 1955)

Venice Film Festival (Source: Film Facts, 1980, edited by Cobbett Steinberg).

Best Film, Lion of St. Mark:

Not awarded this year

Best Actor:

Bournvil, La Traverse de Paris

Best Actress:

Maria Schell, Gervaise

International Catholic Office Award:

Calabuch (Spain)

International Film Critics Award:

Gervaise

Calle Mayor

Italian Critics Award:

Attack! (Robert Aldrich, USA)

San Giorgio Prize:

Burma Harp (Kon Ichikawa, Japan)

The New York Times Ten Best List (in chronological order)
Richard III (1955)

The King and I

Moby Dick

Bus Stop

Lust for Life

The Silent World

Giant 

Around the World in 80 Days

Friendly Persuasion

Anastasia

Best Foreign Films:

The Proud and the Beautiful (1953- France)

Rififi (1955- France)

La Strada (1954- Italy)

The Grand Maneuver (1955- France)

The Magnificent Seven (1954- Japan)

Time Magazine's Ten Best List (in chronological order)

The King and I

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Lust for Life

Giant

Around the World in 80 Days

Secrets of the Reef

Foreign:

Richard III (1955)

The Grand Maneuver (1955)

I Vitelloni (1953)

Marcelino (1955)

The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956 (According to Variety Weekly, January 8, 1957. Includes actual and estimated domestic rentals to theaters in U.S. and Canada, not box-office takes, which would be higher. If the final first-run rental take for films gaining $4,000,000 or more in rentals varies from the total originally listed in 1956, I'm showing that figure after the 1956 total. Final first-run rentals data comes from Variety's January 10, 1962 "All-Time Top Film Grosses" list (only films taking $4,000,000 or more in rentals were mentioned on the "All-Time" list; unfortunately, I have no data for films with a final gross under $4,000,000 that may have ended up with a higher take than shown below). Occasionally a film will end up on the "All-Time" list with a lower rental box-office take than when the film originally appeared on the yearly list of top box-office films. This is due to the estimated rentals, which were sometimes revised to a lower amount for the All-Time list).

1) Guys and Dolls (1955)$9,000,000 (final first-run rentals of $8,000,000)
2) The King and I $8,500,000
3) Trapeze $7,500,000
4) High Society $6,500,000
    I'll Cry Tomorrow $6,500,000
6) Picnic $6,300,000
7) War and Peace $6,250,000
8) The Eddy Dunchin Story $5,300,000
9) Moby Dick $5,200,000
10) The Searchers $4,800,000
11) The Conqueror $4,500,000
      Rebel Without a Cause (1955)$4,500,000
13) The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)$4,350,000
      The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit $4,350,000
15) Bus Stop $4,250,000
16) The Rose Tattoo (1955)$4,200,000

17) The Bad Seed $4,100,000
      The Man Who Knew Too Much $4,100,000
19) Friendly Persuasion $4,000,000
20) The Proud and the Profane $3,900,000
21) Artists and Models (1955)$3,800,000
22) Carousel $3,750,000
      Love Me Tender $3,750,000 (final first-run rentals of $4,500,000)
24) Pardners $3,600,000
25) Away All Boats $3,500,000
26) Helen of Troy $3,200,000
27) All That Heaven Allows (1955)$3,100,000
28) The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell $3,000,000
29) The Benny Goodman Story $2,700,000
30) Forever Darling $2,600,000
      The Rains of Ranchipur (1955)$2,600,000
32) Alexander the Great $2,500,000
33) The Indian Fighter $2,450,000
34) Meet Me in Las Vegas $2,400,000
      The Solid Gold Cadillac $2,400,000
36) The Lieutenant Wore Skirts $2,250,000
      The Best Things in Life Are Free $2,250,000

38) Blood Alley (1955)$2,200,000
      The Court Jester $2,200,000
      Toward the Unknown $2,200,000
      The Fastest Gun Alive $2,200,000
42) Anything Goes $2,100,000
      Bhowani Junction $2,100,000
44) Attack! $2,000,000
      Between Heaven and Hell $2,000,000
     Hell on Frisco Bay $2,000,000
     The Revolt of Mamie Stover $2,000,000
     Santiago $2,000,000
     Somebody Up There Likes Me $2,000,000
     Tea and Sympathy $2,000,000
51) D-Day the Sixth of June $1,950,000
52) Johnny Concho $1,900,000
      The Swan $1,900,000
54) The Birds and the Bees $1,800,000
     Jubal $1,800,000
     The Mountain $1,800,000
57) The Last Hunt $1,750,000
      Teen-Age Rebel $1,750,000
59) The Great Locomotive Race $1,700,000
60) Bandido $1,650,000

61) Backlash $1,600,000
      Forbidden Planet $1,600,000
     The Littlest Outlaw $1,600,000
     Never Say Goodbye $1,600,000
65) The Lone Ranger $1,550,000
66) The Ambassador's Daughter $1,500,000
      Back From Eternity $1,500,000
      The Burning Hills $1,500,000
     The Last Wagon $1,500,000
     Pillars of the Sky $1,500,000
     Serenade $1,500,000
     You Can't Run Away From It $1,500,000
     Walk the Proud Land $1,500,000
74) The Bold and the Brave $1,400,000
      Miracle in the Rain $1,400,000
      The Proud Ones $1,400,000
      Safari $1,400,000
      The Second Greatest Sex $1,400,000
      The Spoilers $1,400,000
      Tension at Table Rock $1,400,000
      The Toy Tiger $1,400,000
      The Vagabond King $1,400,000
83) The Harder They Fall $1,350,000
84) The Kettles in the Ozarks $1,300,000
85) Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers $1,250,000
      Kismet $1,250,000
      Ransom $1,250,000
      Run for the Sun $1,250,000
89) Invasion of the Body Snatchers $1,200,000
      Crime in the Streets $1,200,000
      Francis in the Haunted House $1,200,000
      Tribute to a Bad Man $1,200,000
93) Comanche $1,150,000
      On the Threshold of Space $1,150,000

95) Autumn Leaves $1,100,000
      Beyond a Reasonable Doubt $1,100,000
      Bottom of the Bottle $1,100,000
     The Man Who Never Was $1,100,000
     Rock Around the Clock $1,100,000
     Tarantula (1955)$1,100,000
101) At Gunpoint $1,000,000
       The First Texan $1,000,000
       Hilda Crane $1,000,000
      Foreign Intrigue $1,000,000
      The Last Frontier $1,000,000
     The Rawhide Years $1,000,000
     The Square Jungle $1,000,000
     There's Always Tomorrow $1,000,000
     23 Paces to Baker Street $1,000,000

The Top Ten Box-Office Stars of 1956 (according to Quigley Publishing's poll of film exhibitors)
1) William Holden
2) John Wayne
3) James Stewart
4) Burt Lancaster
5) Glenn Ford
6) Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis
7) Gary Cooper
8) Marilyn Monroe
9) Kim Novak
10) Frank Sinatra

The Next Fifteen:
11) Rock Hudson
12) Doris Day
13) Susan Hayward
14) Marlon Brando
15) June Allyson
16) Grace Kelly
17) Audie Murphy
18) Jeff Chandler
19) Gregory Peck
20) Bing Crosby
21) Yul Brynner
22) Ernest Borgnine
23) Jane Wyman
24) Randolph Scott
25) Alan Ladd

The Stars of Tomorrow (according to Quigley Publishing's poll of film exhibitors).

1) Rod Steiger

2) Jeffrey Hunter

3) Natalie Wood

4) Dana Wynter

5) Tim Hovey

6) Yul Brynner

7) George Nader

8) Joan Collins

9) Sheree North

10) Sal Mineo

Britain's Top Ten British Box-Office Stars of 1956 (according to the Quigley Publishing's poll of Britain's film exhibitors)
1) Kenneth More
2) Jack Hawkins
3) Dirk Bogarde
4) Virginia McKenna
5) Norman Wisdom
6) Anthony Steel
7) Peter Finch
8) Alec Guinness
9) John Gregson
10) John Mills

Britain's Top Ten International Box-Office Stars of 1956 (according to the Quigley Publishing's poll of Britain's film exhibitors)
1) Kenneth More
2) James Stewart
3) Burt Lancaster
4) Audie Murphy
5) Jeff Chandler
6) Doris Day
7) Danny Kaye
8) Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis
9) Frank Sinatra
10) Robert Mitchum

Boxoffice Magazine's All-American Favorites of 1956- 20th annual poll* (Source: Boxoffice, February 9th, 1957)
1) Kim Novak
2) Willian Holden
3) Doris Day
4) Marilyn Monroe
5) Susan Hayward
6) Deborah Kerr
7) Marlon Brando
8) Frank Sinatra
9) Grace Kelly
10) Elizabeth Taylor
11) June Allyson
12) John Wayne

Male Stars:                 The Runners-up:
1) William Holden       13) Ernest Borgnine  29) Montgomery Clift
2) Marlon Brando        14) Yul Brynner        30) Charlton Heston
3) Frank Sinatra           15) James Dean         31) Richard Widmark
4) John Wayne             16) Bing Crosby        32) Bob Hope
5) James Stewart          17) Jeff Chandler      33) Jose Ferrer
6) Gary Cooper            18) James Cagney     34) Danny Kaye
7) Burt Lancaster         19) Alec Guinness     35) Jack Lemmon
8) Glenn Ford              20) Kirk Douglas       36) Stewart Granger
9) Gregory Peck          21) Henry Fonda        37) Tab Hunter
10) Rock Hudson         22) Cary Grant          38) Robert Mitchum
11) Clark Gable           23) Spencer Tracy     39) Randolph Scott
12) Humphrey Bogart  24) Audie Murphy    40) Gordon MacRae
                                     25) Alan Ladd           41) Fredric March
                                     26) Tony Curtis         42) James Mason
                                     27) Tyrone Power      43) Rod Steiger
                                     28) Dean Martin/       44) Joseph Cotton
                                           Jerry Lewis          45) Paul Newman

Female Stars:            The Runners-up:
1) Kim Novak             13) Gina Lollobrigida    31) Pier Angeli
2) Doris Day               14) Eva Marie Saint       32) Julie Harris
3) Marilyn Monroe     15) Jennifer Jones          33) Rosalind Russell
4) Susan Hayward      16) Cyd Charisse            34) Dorothy Malone
5) Deborah Kerr         17) Judy Holliday           35) Mitzi Gaynor
6) Grace Kelly            18) Bette Davis               36) Eleanor Parker
7) Elizabeth Taylor     19) Natalie Wood           37) Olivia de Havilland
8) June Allyson           20) Jean Simmons          38) Lucille Ball
9) Jane Wyman           21) Barbara Stanwyck    39) Ann Blyth
10) Audrey Hepburn   22) Joan Crawford         40) Dana Wynter
11) Debbie Reynolds  23) Jane Russell             41) Ingrid Bergman
12) Ava Gardner         24) Esther Williams       42) Greer Garson
                                    25) Janet Leigh               43) Shelley Winters
                                    26) Anna Magnani          44) Ethel Barrymore
                                    27) Leslie Caron             45) Sheree North
                                    28) Anita Ekberg            46) Donna Reed
                                    29) Katharine Hepburn   47) Lana Turner
                                    30) Judy Garland            48) Shirley Jones

How the Exhibitors Voted:

Overall:                      Male Stars:                   Female Stars:
1) Doris Day               1) John Wayne              1) Doris Day
2) Kim Novak             2) Glenn Ford                2) Kim Novak
3) Susan Hayward      3) William Holden         3) Susan Hayward
4) John Wayne           4) Gary Cooper              4) Jane Wyman
5) Jane Wyman          5) James Stewart           5) June Allyson
6) June Allyson          6) Burt Lancaster           6) Marilyn Monroe
7) Marilyn Monroe      7) Rock Hudson            7) Grace Kelly
8) Glenn Ford             8) Jeff Chandler             8) Elizabeth Taylor
9) William Holden       9) Marlon Brando          9) Jane Russell
10) Gary Cooper         10) Audie Murphy         10) Deborah Kerr
11) James Stewart      11) Gregory Peck          11) Debbie Reynolds
12) Burt Lancaster      12) Frank Sinatra           12) Ava Gardner

* Concerning the above poll, Boxoffice states the following:

"The All-American Screen Favorites Poll is conducted by sending ballots listing eligible stars to the following individuals and groups:
              1. Motion picture editors of newspapers and magazines.
              2. Theaters- circuits and independents in both large cities and
                  small towns.
              3. The working press comprising domestic, foreign and radio
                  personalities.
              4. Radio and TV commentators.
              5. National Screen Council members, who each month select the film most suitable for family entertainment to be given the BOXOFFICE Blue Ribbon Award. The Council is composed of motion picture editors, radio film commentators and representatives of better films councils, women's club, civic and educational organizations.'

Boxoffice Magazine's Blue Ribbon Award Winners for 1956 (films deemed "most suitable for family entertainment"):

January- Guys and Dolls (1955)
February- The Benny Goodman Story
March- Carousel
April- The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
May- The Swan
June- The Man Who Knew Too Much
July- The King and I
August- The Eddy Duchin Story
September- War and Peace
October- The Solid Gold Cadillac
November- Friendly Persuasion
December- Oklahoma! (1955)

Harvard Lampoon's Movie Worst Awards (Source: Film Facts, 1980, edited by Cobbett Steinberg).

Ten Worst:

The Ten Commandments

Alexander the Great

Trapeze

The Benny Goodman Story

Gaby

Serenade

Bhowani Junction

Miracle in the Rain

The Vagabond King

The Proud and the Profane

Worst Actor:

Gregory Peck, Moby Dick

Worst Actress:

Jennifer Jones, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Worst Supporting Actor:

Elvis Presley, Love Me Tender

Worst Supporting Actress:

Anne Baxter, The Ten Commandments

Life-Begins-At-Fifty Award:

A passionate Joan Crawford in throes of senilescence culminating her Autumn Leaves love affair by tossing about in the waves with Cliff Robertson

Best Alternative to the Ten Commandments:

All That Heavens Allows; Somebody Up There Likes Me; You Can't Run Away from It

Most Imaginative Locale:

Between Heaven and Hell

Greatest Argument for Birth Control:

Bundle of Joy

Most Thoroughly Unsatisfying Ending:

Rock Hudson's recovery in All That Heaven Allow (1955)

Publicity Agent of the Year:

Cardinal Spellman

The Mario Lanza Award for Most Oily Demise:

Oreste

Most Degrading Bow to American Morality Cults:

Tea and Sympathy's closing rebuttal of its own themes

Title With Most Unappealing Implications:

The Lieutenant Wore Skirts

Hypocrisy-of-the-Year Award (Big-as-Texas Variety)

The five million dollars spent on the theme of anti-materialism in Giant

The Roscoe Award:

Anita Ekberg, who has breasted the tide of criticism in regard to her triumphant inability to act by spreading herself, in film after film, over the CinemaScope screen like a great fleshy smorgasbord, proving once and for all that delicacy can be as un-Swedish as it is un-American