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Overview of the events of 1940 in film
Overview of the events of 1940 in film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the
Walt Disney films
Pinocchio and
Fantasia .
Top-grossing films (U.S.)
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
The Philadelphia Story
MGM
$2,374,000
[1]
5
Strike Up the Band
$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
[4]
9
Santa Fe Trail
$1,748,000
[4]
10
Kitty Foyle
RKO
$1,710,000
[5]
[6]
Events
February 7 –
Walt Disney 's second animated feature film
Pinocchio premieres at the
Center Theatre in New York City. Although not a box office success upon its initial release, the film receives critical acclaim and wins two
Academy Awards , including one for
Best Original Song for "
When You Wish Upon a Star ". Over the years, Pinocchio has gained a cult following and is now considered one of the greatest films of all time.
February 10 –
Tom and Jerry make their debut in the animated
cartoon
Puss Gets the Boot .
April 12 –
Alfred Hitchcock 's first American film
Rebecca is released, under the production of
David O. Selznick . It would go on to win the
Academy Award for Best Picture .
May – A reproduction of "America's First Movie Studio",
Thomas Edison 's
Black Maria , is constructed.
July 27 –
Bugs Bunny makes his official debut in the animated cartoon
A Wild Hare .
October 15 –
Charlie Chaplin 's
The Great Dictator , a satirical comedy starring him, premieres in New York City. It is a critical and commercial success and goes on to become Chaplin's most financially successful film.
November 13 – World premiere of Walt Disney's animated film
Fantasia at the
Broadway Theatre in New York City, the first film to be released in a multi-channel sound format (see
Fantasound ). The film also marks the first use of the
click 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. Like Pinocchio , the film is a box office failure for Disney, though it recoups its cost years later and becomes one of the most highly regarded of Disney's films.
November 25 –
Woody Woodpecker makes his debut in the
Andy Panda cartoon
Knock Knock .
December 5 – Release of
The Thief of Bagdad , pioneering the use of
chroma key effects.
In the United Kingdom, the
Crown Film Unit supersedes the
GPO Film Unit in the production of
documentary films .
Academy Awards
1940 film releases
United States unless stated
January–March
January 1940
February 1940
April–June
July–September
August 1940
September 1940
October–December
October 1940
November 1940
December 1940
5 December
13 December
27 December
Notable films released in 1940
United States unless stated
A
Abe Lincoln in Illinois , starring
Raymond Massey
All This and Heaven Too , starring
Bette Davis and
Charles Boyer
Andy Hardy Meets Debutante , starring
Lewis Stone ,
Mickey Rooney ,
Cecilia Parker and
Fay Holden
Angels Over Broadway , starring
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and
Rita Hayworth
Anne of Windy Poplars , starring
Anne Shirley
The Ape , starring
Boris Karloff
Arise, My Love , starring
Claudette Colbert and
Ray Milland
Arizona , starring
Jean Arthur and
William Holden
B
Band Waggon , directed by
Marcel Varnel , starring
Arthur Askey – (
GB )
The Bank Dick , written by and starring
W. C. Fields
Beating Heart , starring
Danielle Darrieux and
Claude Dauphin – (
France )
Before I Hang , starring
Boris Karloff
The Biscuit Eater , directed by
Stuart Heisler
Bismarck , starring
Paul Hartmann – (
Germany )
Black Friday , starring
Boris Karloff and
Béla Lugosi
The Blue Bird , starring
Shirley Temple
Boom Town , starring
Clark Gable ,
Claudette Colbert ,
Spencer Tracy ,
Hedy Lamarr
The Boys from Syracuse , starring
Allan Jones
Boys of the City , starring the
East Side Kids
Brigham Young , starring
Tyrone Power and
Linda Darnell
British Intelligence , starring
Boris Karloff
Broadway Melody of 1940 , starring
Fred Astaire and
Eleanor Powell – final film of series
Brother Orchid , starring
Edward G. Robinson ,
Ann Sothern ,
Humphrey Bogart
C
Calling Philo Vance , starring
James Stephenson
Castle on the Hudson , directed by
Anatole Litvak , starring
John Garfield and
Ann Sheridan
The Catacombs (Katakomby), directed by
Martin Frič – (
Czechoslovakia )
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum , starring
Sidney Toler
Charlie Chan in Panama , starring
Sidney Toler
Christmas in July , directed by
Preston Sturges
A Chump at Oxford , starring
Stan Laurel and
Oliver Hardy , featuring a young
Peter Cushing
City for Conquest , starring
James Cagney
Confucius – (
China )
Contraband , directed by
Michael Powell , starring
Conrad Veidt and
Valerie Hobson – (
GB )
Convicted Woman , starring
Rochelle Hudson and
June Lang
Convoy – directed by
Pen Tennyson , starring
Clive Brook ,
John Clements (UK)
Crimes at the Dark House , directed by
George King , starring
Tod Slaughter – (
GB )
D
Dance, Girl, Dance , starring
Maureen O'Hara ,
Louis Hayward ,
Lucille Ball
Dark Command , starring
John Wayne
Dead Man's Shoes , directed by
Thomas Bentley , starring
Leslie Banks – (
GB )
The Devil Bat , starring
Béla Lugosi
A Dispatch from Reuter's , starring
Edward G. Robinson
Dívka v modrém – (
Czechoslovakia )
Doomed to Die , starring
Boris Karloff
Down Argentine Way , starring
Don Ameche ,
Betty Grable and
Carmen Miranda
Dr. Cyclops , directed by
Ernest B. Schoedsack , starring
Albert Dekker
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet , starring
Edward G. Robinson ,
Ruth Gordon ,
Otto Kruger ,
Donald Crisp
E
F
Fantasia , 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 and Wilfred Jackson
The Fatal Hour , starring
Boris Karloff
Flowing Gold , starring
John Garfield and
Frances Farmer
Foreign Correspondent , directed by
Alfred Hitchcock , starring
Joel McCrea
Four Sons , directed by
Archie Mayo , starring
Don Ameche
The Fox of Glenarvon , directed by
Max W. Kimmich – (
Germany )
French Without Tears , starring
Ray Milland – (
GB )
G
Gaslight , starring
Anton Walbrook – (
GB )
The Ghost Breakers , starring
Bob Hope and
Paulette Goddard
Girl in the News , starring
Margaret Lockwood – (
GB )
Give Us Wings , starring the
Dead End Kids
Go West , starring the
Marx Brothers
The Grapes of Wrath , directed by
John Ford , starring
Henry Fonda
The Great Dictator , directed by and starring
Charlie Chaplin with
Paulette Goddard and
Jack Oakie
The Great McGinty , starring
Brian Donlevy
Green Hell , starring
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and
Joan Bennett
H
Here Is the Point (Ahí está el detalle), starring
Cantinflas – (
Mexico )
His Girl Friday , directed by
Howard Hawks , starring
Cary Grant ,
Rosalind Russell ,
Ralph Bellamy
Hoots Mon! , directed by
Roy William Neill , starring
Max Miller and
Florence Desmond (Britain)
The House Across the Bay , starring
George Raft
The House of the Seven Gables , starring
George Sanders
The Howards of Virginia , starring
Cary Grant and
Martha Scott
Hullabaloo , starring
Frank Morgan
I
J
K
L
M
Maddalena, Zero for Conduct , directed by and starring
Vittorio De Sica – (
Italy )
The Man from Dakota , starring
Wallace Beery
The Man Who Talked Too Much , starring
George Brent
The Marines Fly High , starring
Lucille Ball and
Richard Dix
The Mark of Zorro , starring
Tyrone Power and
Linda Darnell
The Middle Watch , directed by
Thomas Bentley , starring
Jack Buchanan and
Greta Gynt (
Britain )
The Minister's Girlfriends (Přítelkyně pana ministra) – (
Czechoslovakia )
Millionaires in Prison , starring
Lee Tracy
The Mortal Storm , starring
Margaret Sullavan and
James Stewart
The Mummy's Hand , starring
Dick Foran
My Favorite Wife , starring
Irene Dunne and
Cary Grant
My Little Chickadee , starring
Mae West and
W. C. Fields
N
O
P
Pastor Hall , directed by
Roy Boulting – (
GB )
The Philadelphia Story , directed by
George Cukor , starring
Katharine Hepburn ,
Cary Grant ,
James Stewart
Pinocchio , directed by
Ben Sharpsteen and
Hamilton Luske , starring
Dickie Jones
Pride and Prejudice , starring
Greer Garson and
Laurence Olivier
Primrose Path , starring
Ginger Rogers and
Joel McCrea
The Proud Valley , starring
Paul Robeson – (
GB )
Q
R
S
Saps at Sea , starring
Laurel and Hardy
The Sea Hawk , starring
Errol Flynn
Seven Sinners , starring
Marlene Dietrich and
John Wayne
The Shop Around the Corner , directed by
Ernst Lubitsch , starring
Margaret Sullavan and
James Stewart
The Siege of the Alcazar (L'Assedio dell'Alcazar) – (
Italy )
Sky Murder , starring
Walter Pidgeon
Son of Ingagi , directed by
Richard Kahn
The Son of Monte Cristo , starring
Louis Hayward and
Joan Bennett
Spring Parade , starring
Deanna Durbin
The Stars Look Down , directed by
Carol Reed , starring
Michael Redgrave and
Margaret Lockwood – (
GB )
The Stationmaster (Der postmeister) – (
Germany )
Strange Cargo , starring
Clark Gable and
Joan Crawford
Stranger on the Third Floor , starring
Peter Lorre
Strike Up the Band , directed by
Busby Berkeley , starring
Judy Garland and
Mickey Rooney
South of Suez , starring
George Brent
Swiss Family Robinson , starring
Thomas Mitchell and
Edna Best
T
They Drive by Night , starring
George Raft ,
Humphrey Bogart ,
Ida Lupino
They Knew What They Wanted , directed by
Garson Kanin , starring
Charles Laughton and
Carole Lombard
The Thief of Bagdad , starring
Conrad Veidt and
Sabu – (
GB )
'Til We Meet Again , starring
Merle Oberon and
George Brent
Tom Brown's School Days , starring
Cedric Hardwicke
Too Many Girls , starring
Lucille Ball
Too Many Husbands , starring
Jean Arthur ,
Fred MacMurray ,
Melvyn Douglas
Tørres Snørtevold – (
Norway )
Torrid Zone , starring
James Cagney ,
Ann Sheridan ,
Pat O'Brien
Turnabout , starring
John Hubbard and
Carole Landis
V
W
Waterloo Bridge , starring
Vivien Leigh and
Robert Taylor
The Well-Digger's Daughter (La Fille du puisatier), directed by
Marcel Pagnol , starring
Raimu and
Fernandel – (
France )
The Westerner , starring
Gary Cooper ,
Walter Brennan ,
Dana Andrews ,
Forrest Tucker
Where's That Fire? , starring
Will Hay – (
GB )
Wild Horse Range , starring
Jack Randall
Women in War , starring
Elsie Janis and
Patric Knowles
Y
Serials
Adventures of Red Ryder , directed by
William Witney and
John English
Deadwood Dick , directed by
James W. Horne
Drums of Fu Manchu , starring
Henry Brandon and
Robert Kellard , directed by
William Witney and
John English
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe , starring
Buster Crabbe
The Green Archer , starring
Victor Jory , directed by
James W. Horne
The Green Hornet , starring
Warren Hull
Junior G-Men , starring the
Dead End Kids
King of the Royal Mounted starring
Allan Lane , directed by
William Witney and
John English
Mysterious Doctor Satan , starring
Eduardo Ciannelli , directed by
William Witney and
John English
The Shadow , starring
Victor Jory , directed by
James W. Horne
Terry and the Pirates , starring
William Tracy , directed by
James W. Horne
Winners of the West , starring
Dick Foran and
Anne Nagel
Short film series
Animated short film series
Births
January 3 –
Thelma Schoonmaker , American editor
January 10 –
Walter Hill , American director, screenwriter and producer
January 20 –
Krishnam Raju , Indian actor (died 2022)
January 22 –
John Hurt , English actor (died 2017)
[7]
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 4
February 5 –
Dick Warlock , American actor and stuntman
February 12 –
Ralph Bates , English actor (died 1991)
February 17
Matija Barl , Slovenian actor, producer and translator (died 2018)
Jo Kendall , British actress (died 2022)
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 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 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 8 –
Emilio Delgado , Mexican-American actor, voice artist and singer (died 2022)
May 15 –
Lainie Kazan , American actress and singer
May 17
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)
August 3 –
Martin Sheen , American actor
August 15
August 19 –
Jill St. John , American actress
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 (died
2023 )
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 (died
2007 )
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 (died
2023 )
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
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)
Deaths
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
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
Debuts
References
^
a
b
c
d
e 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) and Spellbound ($4.9 million), with Rebecca 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.
^
a
b Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer 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 . Retrieved 29 January 2017 .
^ Anderson, Tre'vell (July 16, 2017).
"George A. Romero, 'Night of the Living Dead' creator, dies at 77" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 1, 2020 .
External links