| 23rd Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 29, 1951 |
| Site | RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California |
| Hosted by | Fred Astaire |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | All About Eve |
| Most awards | All About Eve (6) |
| Most nominations | All About Eve (14) |
The 23rd Academy Awards were held on March 29, 1951, honoring the films of 1950. All About Eve received a record 14 nominations, besting the previous record of 13 set by Gone with the Wind in 1939. It won six Oscars, including Best Picture, and earned writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz his second consecutive Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay awards, the only time such a feat has been accomplished.
All About Eve was the second film, after Mrs. Miniver (1942), to receive five acting nominations. It was the first to receive multiple nominations in two acting categories, and the first (and, to date, only) film to receive four female acting nominations—two each for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. None was successful, losing to Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday and Josephine Hull in Harvey, respectively.
Jose Ferrer, then under investigation from the House Un-American Activities Committee over suspected Communist ties, won the Best Actor award despite being given very little chances to win.[1] Marlene Dietrich nearly stole the show by wearing an apparently-painted-on dress that displayed her legs and figure.[1]
Sunset Boulevard was the fifth film with nominations in every acting category, and the second not to win any of them (after My Man Godfrey in 1936).