9th Academy Awards: choose your alternate nominees (1936)
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Classic Film
sheetsadam1 — 2 months ago(January 20, 2026 06:09 PM)
The idea is this: what if the nominees for Best Picture each year weren't nominated? Which films should have taken their place in that scenario? Pick your alternate selections for Best Picture and, if you wish, mention anybody who you feel was overlooked in any other category. No need to confine yourself to the types of films which typically get nominated or to English-language cinema. If you missed the previous years, they can be found on the classic film board.
All films released in 1936 are eligible.
The nominees were:
The Great Ziegfeld- Robert Z. Leonard
Anthony Adverse - Mervyn LeRoy
Dodsworth - William Wyler
Libeled Lady - Jack Conway
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town - Frank Capra
Romeo and Juliet - George Cukor
San Francisco - W.S. Van Dyke
The Story of Louis Pasteur - William Dieterle
A Tale of Two Cities - Jack Conway
Three Smart Girls - Henry Koster
My alternate picks:
Modern Times - Charlie Chaplin
Theodora Goes Wild - Richard Boleslawski
Sabotage - Alfred Hitchcock
Swing Time - George Stevens
Show Boat - James Whale
Fury - Fritz Lang
The Petrified Forest - Archie Mayo
This is a year where I've not seen many of the actual nominees, including the winner. But I would pick
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
of those that I have and
Modern Times
over it.
"Praise be to Allah." - President Donald J. Trump, Easter Sunday 04/05/2026
- Robert Z. Leonard
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PygmyLion — 2 months ago(January 20, 2026 07:15 PM)
Like you, I haven't seen the winner,
The Great Ziegfield
. I have seen most of the other ones. I like several of the films on your list too.
My nominees would be
My Man Godfrey- Gregory La Cava
The Story of Louis Pasteur - William Dieterle
Theodora Goes Wild - Richard Boleslawski
Fury - Fritz Lang
The Petrified Forest - Archie Mayo
Libeled Lady - Jack Conway
San Francisco - W.S. Van Dyke
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town - Frank Capra
Private Number - Roy Del Ruth
These Three - William Wyler
I guess I would pick
My Man Godfrey
as the top film of the year.
- Gregory La Cava
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sheetsadam1 — 2 months ago(January 20, 2026 08:46 PM)
Oh, how did I overlook
My Man Godfrey
? I think when I went through the list of 1936 films initially, I simply assumed that it had been nominated.
Yeah, I would have to concur, even with
Modern Times
in the mix.
These Three
sounds interesting. I love Merle Oberon!
"Praise be to Allah." - President Donald J. Trump, Easter Sunday 04/05/2026 -
PygmyLion — 2 months ago(January 22, 2026 03:49 PM)
I watched
Modern Times
several years ago and didn't really go for it very much. It does get a pretty high rating on IMDB of 8.5, and a lot of the reviewers really seem to like it.
I think my 2nd movie here would be
The Story of Louis Pasteur
. Perhaps this is because of my scientific background. -
Uncreative — 2 months ago(January 22, 2026 03:53 PM)
The non-nominees I've seen:
The Petrified Forest
Modern Times
Fury
Charge of the Light Brigade
My Man Godfrey
All of them were pretty good so they'd make the cut I think. Unless you feel strongly about horse murder, then probably don't do Charge of the Light Bridgade. It's the reason that whole "No animals were harmed in the making of this film" had to be added in the credits.