| 16th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 2, 1944 |
| Site | Grauman's Chinese Theatre Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
| Hosted by | Jack Benny |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Casablanca |
| Most awards | The Song of Bernadette (4) |
| Most nominations | The Song of Bernadette (12) |
The16th Academy Awards were held on March 2, 1944, to honor the films of1943. This was the first Oscar ceremony held at a large public venue,Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and the first ceremony without a banquet as part of the festivities.[1][2] The ceremony was broadcast locally onKFWB, and internationally byCBS Radio viashortwave.Jack Benny hosted the event, which lasted one hour and 42 minutes.[3] This was the first ceremony to welcome admissions from the general public.[1]
For the first time, winners forBest Supporting Actor andBest Supporting Actress were awarded full-size statuettes, instead of smaller-sized awards mounted on a plaque.[4] This was the last year until2009 to have 10 nominations for Best Picture;The Ox-Bow Incident is, as of 2023[update], the last film to be nominated solely in that category.
For Whom the Bell Tolls was the third film to receivenominations in all four acting categories. This was the first year in which each acting category had at least one nominee from a color film.
TheTom and Jerry cartoon series won its first Oscar this year forThe Yankee Doodle Mouse; it would go on to win another six Oscars, including three in a row over the next three years, from a total of 13 nominations.
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Nominees were announced on February 6, 1944. Winners are listed first and highlighted inboldface.[5]
| Awards | Film |
|---|---|
| 4 | The Song of Bernadette |
| 3 | Casablanca |
| 2 | Phantom of the Opera |
