| 8th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 5, 1936 |
| Site | Biltmore Hotel |
| Hosted by | Frank Capra |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Mutiny on the Bounty |
| Most awards | The Informer (4) |
| Most nominations | Mutiny on the Bounty (8) |
The8th Academy Awards to honour films released during 1935 were held on March 5, 1936, at theBiltmore Hotel inLos Angeles,California and hosted byAMPAS presidentFrank Capra. This was the first year in which the awards were called "Oscars".
The Academy voters, who felt guilty about not awardingBette Davis a Best Actress award the previous year, assigned her one forDangerous, which was viewed as a lesser picture.[1] Davis, who showed up to the posh formal ceremony in an informal checkered dress, felt it was a consolation prize that should have been awarded toKatharine Hepburn.[1]
Despite receiving eight nominations, the most of the year,Mutiny on the Bounty became the last film to date to win Best Picture and nothing else (followingThe Broadway Melody andGrand Hotel), and the only film to receive three nominations for Best Actor.
This was the second and last year that write-in votes were permitted;A Midsummer Night's Dream became the only film to win a write-in Oscar, forBest Cinematography. Miriam Hopkins' Best Actress nomination forBecky Sharp was the first acting nomination for a color film.
The short-lived category ofBest Dance Direction was introduced this year; it lasted just three years before theDirectors Guild of America successfully lobbied for its elimination.
Nominees were announced on February 7, 1936. Winners are listed first and highlighted inboldface.[2][3]
| Wins | Film |
|---|---|
| 4 | The Informer |
| 2 | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
 | This articlecontains alist of miscellaneous information. Please helpimprove it byrelocating relevant information into other sections or articles.(July 2024) |
A fictitious version of the 8th Academy Awards was a major scene in the 1937 filmA Star Is Born, in which the character of Esther Blodgett (stage name Vicki Lester), played by Janet Gaynor, wins the Academy Award for Best Actress, only to have her inebriated husband, fallen movie star Norman Maine, played by Fredric March, crash the party and make a scene. Both Gaynor and March were real-life recipients of Academy Awards, for Best Actress and Actor respectively, and were nominated for their roles in said movie.
The film shows a ceremony similar to the real one of the day, much smaller and more private than the televised event that occurs today.
