Overview of the events of 1940 in film
The year1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of theWalt Disney filmsPinocchio Fantasia
[ edit ] The top ten 1940 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1940 Rank Title Distributor Domestic rentals 1 Boom Town MGM $3,664,000[ 1] 2 The Great Dictator United Artists $3,500,000[ 2] 3 Rebecca United Artists/Selznick International $3,000,000[ 3] 4 North West Mounted Police Paramount $2,750,000[ 4] 5 Strike Up the Band MGM $2,265,000[ 1] 6 Northwest Passage $2,169,000[ 1] 7 Andy Hardy Meets Debutante $1,945,000[ 1] 8 The Fighting 69th Warner Bros. $1,822,000[ 5] 9 Santa Fe Trail $1,748,000[ 5] 10 Kitty Foyle RKO $1,710,000[ 6] [ 7]
January 26 –RKO emerges from bankruptcy with assets transferred to a new company. February 7 –Walt Disney 's second animated feature filmPinocchio Center Theatre in New York City. Although not a box office success upon its initial release (due to beingcut off from international markets due toWorld War II ), the film receives critical acclaim and wins twoAcademy Awards , including one forBest Original Song for "When You Wish Upon a Star ". Through a reissue after the war,Pinocchio becomes profitable and gains a cult following; eventually, it is considered one of the greatest films of all time. February 10 –Tom and Jerry make their debut in the animatedcartoon Puss Gets the Boot April 12 –Alfred Hitchcock 's first American filmRebecca David O. Selznick . It would go on to win theAcademy Award for Best Picture . May – A reproduction of "America's First Movie Studio",Thomas Edison 'sBlack Maria , is constructed. July 27 –Bugs Bunny makes his official debut in the animated cartoonA Wild Hare October 15 –Charlie Chaplin 'sThe Great Dictator November 13 – World premiere of Walt Disney's animated filmFantasia Broadway Theatre in New York City, the first film to be released in a multi-channel sound format (seeFantasound ). The film also marks the first use of theclick track while recording the soundtrack, overdubbing of orchestral parts, simultaneous multitrack recording and is cited as a key chapter in the conception and development of the multi-channel surround system. The film is a bigger box office failure for Disney thanPinocchio was, though it recoups its cost years later and becomes one of the most highly regarded of Disney's films. November 20 –Consent Decree approved byJudge Henry W. Goddard to endblock booking by the Big Five studios November 25 –Woody Woodpecker makes his debut in theAndy Panda cartoonKnock Knock December 5 – Release ofThe Thief of Bagdad chroma key effects. In the United Kingdom, theCrown Film Unit supersedes theGPO Film Unit in the production ofdocumentary films . [ edit ] Films produced in theUnited States unless stated otherwise
Abe Lincoln in Illinois John Cromwell , starringRaymond Massey All This and Heaven Too Anatole Litvak , starringBette Davis andCharles Boyer Andy Hardy Meets Debutante George B. Seitz , starringLewis Stone ,Mickey Rooney ,Cecilia Parker ,Fay Holden andJudy Garland Angels Over Broadway Ben Hecht , starringDouglas Fairbanks Jr. andRita Hayworth Anne of Windy Poplars Jack Hively , starringAnne Shirley The Ape William Nigh , starringBoris Karloff Arise, My Love Mitchell Leisen , starringClaudette Colbert andRay Milland Arizona Wesley Ruggles , starringJean Arthur ,William Holden andWarren William Band Waggon Marcel Varnel , starringArthur Askey – (GB )The Bank Dick Edward F. Cline , starringW. C. Fields Beating Heart (Battement de coeur)Henri Decoin , starringDanielle Darrieux andClaude Dauphin – (France )Before I Hang Nick Grinde , starringBoris Karloff The Biscuit Eater Stuart Heisler Bismarck Wolfgang Liebeneiner , starringPaul Hartmann – (Germany )Black Friday Arthur Lubin , starringBoris Karloff andBéla Lugosi The Blue Bird Walter Lang , starringShirley Temple Boom Town Jack Conway , starringClark Gable ,Spencer Tracy ,Claudette Colbert andHedy Lamarr The Boys from Syracuse A. Edward Sutherland , starringAllan Jones Brigham Young Henry Hathaway , starringTyrone Power andLinda Darnell British Intelligence Terry O. Morse , starringBoris Karloff Broadway Melody of 1940 Norman Taurog , starringFred Astaire andEleanor Powell Brother Orchid Lloyd Bacon , starringEdward G. Robinson ,Ann Sothern andHumphrey Bogart Calling Philo Vance William Clemens , starringJames Stephenson Castle on the Hudson Anatole Litvak , starringJohn Garfield ,Ann Sheridan andPat O'Brien Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum Lynn Shores , starringSidney Toler Charlie Chan in Panama Norman Foster , starringSidney Toler Christmas in July Preston Sturges , starringDick Powell andEllen Drew A Chump at Oxford Alfred J. Goulding , starringLaurel and Hardy City for Conquest Anatole Litvak , starringJames Cagney andAnn Sheridan Confucius Fei Mu – (China )Contraband Michael Powell , starringConrad Veidt andValerie Hobson – (GB )Convoy Pen Tennyson , starringClive Brook andJohn Clements – (GB )Crimes at the Dark House George King , starringTod Slaughter – (GB )Dance, Girl, Dance Dorothy Arzner , starringMaureen O'Hara ,Louis Hayward andLucille Ball Dark Command Raoul Walsh , starringClaire Trevor ,John Wayne ,Walter Pidgeon andRoy Rogers The Devil Bat Jean Yarbrough , starringBéla Lugosi A Dispatch from Reuters William Dieterle , starringEdward G. Robinson Doomed to Die William Nigh , starringBoris Karloff Down Argentine Way Irving Cummings , starringDon Ameche ,Betty Grable andCarmen Miranda Dr. Cyclops Ernest B. Schoedsack , starringAlbert Dekker Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet William Dieterle , starringEdward G. Robinson Fantasia Disney Classic directed by Samuel Armstrong,James Algar , Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield,Ben Sharpsteen ,David D. Hand ,Hamilton Luske , Jim Handley,Ford Beebe ,T. Hee ,Norman Ferguson andWilfred Jackson The Fatal Hour William Nigh , starringBoris Karloff The Fighting 69th William Keighley , starringJames Cagney ,Pat O'Brien andGeorge Brent Flowing Gold Alfred E. Green , starringJohn Garfield ,Frances Farmer andPat O'Brien Foreign Correspondent Alfred Hitchcock , starringJoel McCrea ,Herbert Marshall andGeorge Sanders The Fox of Glenarvon (Der Fuchs von Glenarvon)Max W. Kimmich – (Germany )Gaslight Thorold Dickinson , starringAnton Walbrook andDiana Wynyard – (GB )The Ghost Breakers George Marshall , starringBob Hope andPaulette Goddard Go West Edward Buzzell , starring theMarx Brothers The Grapes of Wrath John Ford , starringHenry Fonda The Great Dictator Charlie Chaplin withPaulette Goddard andJack Oakie The Great McGinty Preston Sturges , starringBrian Donlevy Green Hell James Whale , starringDouglas Fairbanks Jr. andJoan Bennett I Love You Again W. S. Van Dyke , starringWilliam Powell andMyrna Loy I Take This Woman W. S. Van Dyke , starringSpencer Tracy andHedy Lamarr The Invisible Man Returns Joe May , starringCedric Hardwicke andVincent Price The Invisible Woman A. Edward Sutherland , starringVirginia Bruce andJohn Barrymore It All Came True Lewis Seiler , starringAnn Sheridan ,Jeffrey Lynn andHumphrey Bogart Laddie Jack Hively , starringTim Holt Lady with Red Hair Curtis Bernhardt , starringMiriam Hopkins andClaude Rains The Letter William Wyler , starringBette Davis andHerbert Marshall Lillian Russell Irving Cummings , starringAlice Faye ,Don Ameche ,Henry Fonda andEdward Arnold Little Men Norman Z. McLeod , starringKay Francis ,Jack Oakie andGeorge Bancroft The Long Voyage Home John Ford , starringJohn Wayne andThomas Mitchell The Mark of Zorro Rouben Mamoulian , starringTyrone Power ,Linda Darnell andBasil Rathbone The Mortal Storm Frank Borzage , starringMargaret Sullavan ,James Stewart ,Robert Young andFrank Morgan The Mummy's Hand Christy Cabanne , starringDick Foran My Favorite Wife Garson Kanin , starringIrene Dunne ,Cary Grant ,Randolph Scott andGail Patrick My Little Chickadee Edward F. Cline , starringMae West andW. C. Fields The Philadelphia Story George Cukor , starringCary Grant ,Katharine Hepburn andJames Stewart Pinocchio Disney Classic directed byBen Sharpsteen andHamilton Luske , starringDickie Jones andCliff Edwards Pride and Prejudice Robert Z. Leonard , starringGreer Garson andLaurence Olivier Primrose Path Gregory La Cava , starringGinger Rogers andJoel McCrea The Proud Valley Pen Tennyson , starringPaul Robeson – (GB )Rebecca Alfred Hitchcock , starringJoan Fontaine andLaurence Olivier Remember the Night Mitchell Leisen , starringBarbara Stanwyck andFred MacMurray Rhythm on the River Victor Schertzinger , starringBing Crosby ,Mary Martin andBasil Rathbone Road to Singapore Victor Schertzinger , starringBing Crosby ,Dorothy Lamour andBob Hope Saps at Sea Gordon Douglas , starringLaurel and Hardy The Sea Hawk Michael Curtiz , starringErrol Flynn andClaude Rains Seven Sinners Tay Garnett , starringMarlene Dietrich andJohn Wayne The Shop Around the Corner Ernst Lubitsch , starringMargaret Sullavan andJames Stewart The Siege of the Alcazar (L'Assedio dell'Alcazar)Augusto Genina – (Italy )Son of Ingagi Richard Kahn The Son of Monte Cristo Rowland V. Lee , starringLouis Hayward ,Joan Bennett andGeorge Sanders The Stars Look Down Carol Reed , starringMichael Redgrave andMargaret Lockwood – (GB )Strange Cargo Frank Borzage , starringClark Gable andJoan Crawford Stranger on the Third Floor Boris Ingster , starringPeter Lorre Strike Up the Band Busby Berkeley , starringMickey Rooney andJudy Garland Swiss Family Robinson Edward Ludwig , starringThomas Mitchell andEdna Best They Drive by Night Raoul Walsh , starringGeorge Raft ,Ann Sheridan ,Ida Lupino andHumphrey Bogart They Knew What They Wanted Garson Kanin , starringCarole Lombard andCharles Laughton The Thief of Bagdad Michael Powell ,Ludwig Berger andTim Whelan , starringConrad Veidt andSabu – (GB )'Til We Meet Again Edmund Goulding andAnatole Litvak , starringMerle Oberon andGeorge Brent Tom Brown's School Days Robert Stevenson , starringCedric Hardwicke andFreddie Bartholomew Too Many Girls George Abbott , starringLucille Ball Too Many Husbands Wesley Ruggles , starringJean Arthur ,Fred MacMurray andMelvyn Douglas Torrid Zone William Keighley , starringJames Cagney ,Ann Sheridan andPat O'Brien Turnabout Hal Roach , starringAdolphe Menjou ,Carole Landis andJohn Hubbard United States unless stated
January 1940 February 1940 August 1940 September 1940 October 1940 November 1940 December 1940 Adventures of Red Ryder William Witney andJohn English Deadwood Dick James W. Horne Drums of Fu Manchu Henry Brandon andRobert Kellard , directed byWilliam Witney andJohn English Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Buster Crabbe The Green Archer Victor Jory , directed byJames W. Horne The Green Hornet Warren Hull Junior G-Men Dead End Kids King of the Royal Mounted Allan Lane , directed byWilliam Witney andJohn English Mysterious Doctor Satan Eduardo Ciannelli , directed byWilliam Witney andJohn English The Shadow Victor Jory , directed byJames W. Horne Terry and the Pirates William Tracy , directed byJames W. Horne Winners of the West Dick Foran andAnne Nagel Animated short film series [ edit ] January 3 –Thelma Schoonmaker , American editor January 19 -Mike Reid , English comedian and actor (died 2007) January 20 –Krishnam Raju , Indian actor (died 2022) January 22 –John Hurt , English actor (died 2017)[ 8] January 25 –Paolo Graziosi , Italian actor (died 2022) January 27 January 29 –Katharine Ross , American actress January 31 –Stuart Margolin , American actor and director (died 2022) February 2 -David Jason , British actor February 4 February 5 –Dick Warlock , American actor and stuntman February 6 -Jim Haynie , American actor (died 2021) February 11 February 12 –Ralph Bates , English actor (died 1991) February 17 February 19 –Carlin Glynn , American singer and actress (died 2023) February 23 –Peter Fonda , American actor (died 2019) February 27 February 29 –Harvey Jason , English actor March 3 –Patricia Gage , Scottish actress (died 2010) March 7 –Daniel J. Travanti , American actor March 9 –Raul Julia , Puerto Rican actor (died 1994) March 10 –Chuck Norris , American actor and martial artist March 11 –William Callaway , American retired voice actor March 13 -Toby Sabot , American actor (died 2024) March 26 –James Caan , American actor (died 2022) March 27 –Austin Pendleton , American actor, playwright, theatre director and instructor April 1 –Aliza Gur , Israeli actress April 3 –Wolf Kahler , German actor April 5 -Gianfranco Barra , Italian actor (died 2025) April 6 –Pedro Armendáriz Jr. , Mexican actor (died 2011) April 14 –Julie Christie , British actress April 15 –Julie Sommars , American actress April 17 –Billy Fury , English singer and actor (died 1983) April 20 –James Gammon , American actor (died 2010) April 21 –George DiCenzo , American character actor (died 2010) April 24 –Michael Parks , American actor and singer (died 2017) April 25 –Al Pacino , American actor April 29 –Max Cullen , Australian actor April 30 –Burt Young , American actor (died 2023) May 2 –Jo Ann Pflug , American actress May 5 –Lance Henriksen , American actor May 7 –John Irvin , English director May 8 –Emilio Delgado , Mexican-American actor, voice artist and singer (died 2022) May 9 -James L. Brooks , American director, producer and screenwriter May 15 –Lainie Kazan , American actress and singer May 17 May 25 -Deanna Dunagan , American actress May 26 -Levon Helm , American musician and actor (died 2012) May 28 –Josie Lloyd , American actress and director (died 2020) June 1 –René Auberjonois , American actor (died 2019) June 2 –Maree Cheatham , American actress June 7 June 8 –Nancy Sinatra , American singer and actress June 20 –John Mahoney , English-born American actor (died 2018) June 21 –Mariette Hartley , American actress June 22 –Abbas Kiarostami , Iranian director (died 2016) June 23 –Adam Faith , English actor and singer (died 2003) June 26 –Luis Valdez , American playwright, screenwriter, director and actor July 4 –Karolyn Grimes , American actress July 7 –Ringo Starr , English drummer (The Beatles ) July 13 –Patrick Stewart , English actor July 18 –James Brolin , American actor July 22 –Alex Trebek , Canadian-American game show host and television personality (died 2020) July 24 –Dan Hedaya , American actor July 28 –Phil Proctor , American actor, voice actor and member of the Firesign Theatre July 30 –Nicolau Breyner , Portuguese actor (died 2016) July 31 -Stanley R. Jaffe , American producer (died 2025) August 3 –Martin Sheen , American actor August 6 -Louise Sorel , American actress August 15 August 16 -Bruce Beresford , Australian director, screenwriter and producer August 19 August 23 –Tony Bill , American actor, producer and director August 25 –Wilhelm von Homburg , German boxer, actor and professional wrestler (died 2004) August 26 –Don LaFontaine , American voice actor (died 2008) August 27 –Sonny Sharrock , American jazz guitarist (died 1994) August 31 September 2 –Harry Northup , American actor September 3 –Pauline Collins , British actress September 5 –Raquel Welch , American actress (died2023 ) September 7 –Dario Argento , Italian director, producer and screenwriter September 11 –Brian De Palma , American director, producer and screenwriter September 12 –Linda Gray , American actress, director and producer September 18 –Frankie Avalon , American actor and singer September 19 September 20 –Jonathan Hardy , New Zealand-Australian actor, writer and director (died 2012) September 21 –Bill Kurtis , American producer and narrator September 22 –Anna Karina , Danish-born French actress, director and singer (died 2019) September 25 –Roberto Del Giudice , Italian voice actor (died2007 ) October 9 –John Lennon , English singer-songwriter and musician (The Beatles ) (shot to death 1980) October 14 –Cliff Richard , English singer and actor October 16 –Barry Corbin , American actor October 19 –Michael Gambon , Irish-English actor (died2023 ) October 25 –Jimmy Herman , Indigenous-Canadian actor (died 2013) October 26 –Tilo Prückner , German actor (died 2020) October 28 – Nic de Jager, South African actor October 29 –Jack Shepherd , English actor (died2025 ) November 2 –Gigi Proietti , Italian actor (died 2020) November 4 –Manuel Ojeda , Mexican actor (died 2022) November 5 –Elke Sommer , German actress November 7 –Dakin Matthews , American actor November 13 –Rudolf Schwarzkogler , Austrian experimental filmmaker (died 1969) November 14 –Bill Bolender , American character actor November 15 –Sam Waterston , American actor November 20 –Helma Sanders-Brahms , German director (died 2014) November 22 –Terry Gilliam , American-born British screenwriter, director and animator (Monty Python's Flying Circus ) November 27 –Bruce Lee , Chinese-American martial artist and actor (died 1973) December 1 –Richard Pryor , American comedian and actor (died 2005) December 11 –Donna Mills , American actress December 13 December 24 December 28 –Don Francisco , Chilean television host December 31 –Tim Considine , American actor and writer (died 2022) January 4 –Flora Finch , 72, American actress,A Cure for Pokeritis The Cat and the Canary Quality Street Her Crowning Glory January 22 –E. Alyn Warren , 65, American actor,The Mysterious Mr. Wong Get That Man Revolt of the Zombies Port of Seven Seas February 20 –George Periolat , 66, American actor,The Mark of Zorro One Rainy Afternoon Morning Glory What Price Hollywood? March 5 –Maxine Elliott , 66, American actress,Fighting Odds April 9 –Mrs. Patrick Campbell , 75, English actress,Riptide One More River April 11 –Hemmo Kallio , 77, Finnish actor,Anna Liisa May 25 –Joe De Grasse , 67, Canadian-born American film director,Heart o' the Hills The Scarlet Car The Girl of the Night May 28 -Walter Connolly , 53, American actor,It Happened One Night July 1 –Ben Turpin , 70, American actor,Saps at Sea Mr. Flip A Clever Dummy July 15 –Donald Calthrop , 52, English actor,Scrooge Blackmail Murder! Major Barbara September 25 –Marguerite Clark , 57, American actress,Scrambled Wives Easy to Get All of a Sudden Peggy A Girl Named Mary October 10 –Berton Churchill , 63, Canadian actor,Stagecoach I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang In Old Chicago Heroes for Sale October 12 –Tom Mix , 60, American actor,The Miracle Rider Riders of the Purple Sage Sky High December 13 –Wilfred Lucas , 69, Canadian-born American actor, screenwriter, director,Modern Times A Chump at Oxford The Girl and Her Trust ^a b c d The Eddie Mannix Ledger , Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study^ Susan Sackett,The Hollywood Reporter Book of Box Office Hits Billboard Books, 1996 p 28 ^ Chapman, James (2018).Hitchcock and the Spy Film .ISBN 978-1-78076-844-1 Although his most successful films of the war years were Selznick pictures –Rebecca (with a domestic box office gross of $3 million) andSpellbound ($4.9 million), withRebecca also winning the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1940 – Hitchcock seems on the whole to have preferred his other assignments where he evidently enjoyed greater creative freedom. ^ "DeMille's Topper" .Variety ^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 20 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551 ^ Jewell, Richard B. (1994). "RKO Film Grosses, 1929-1951: the C.J. Tevlin ledger".Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television .14 (1):37– 49.doi :10.1080/01439689400260031 . ^ Jewell, Richard B. (1994). "Appendix 1".Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television .14 (S1):1– 11.doi :10.1080/01439689408604545 . ^ Coveney, Michael (28 January 2017)."Sir John Hurt obituary" .The Guardian . Retrieved29 January 2017 .^ Anderson, Tre'vell (July 16, 2017)."George A. Romero, 'Night of the Living Dead' creator, dies at 77" .Los Angeles Times . RetrievedDecember 1, 2020 .
