Academy Award for Best Assistant Director facts for kids

The Academy Award for Best Assistant Director was a special award given out by the Oscars for a few years in the 1930s. This award honored the important work of assistant directors in making movies. It was given from 1933 to 1937.

What is an Assistant Director?

An assistant director, often called an "AD," helps the main director make a movie. They are like the main organizer on a film set. An AD makes sure everything runs smoothly, from keeping the filming schedule on track to managing the actors and crew. They help plan each day's filming and make sure everyone knows what they need to do. It's a very important job that helps the director focus on the creative parts of filmmaking.

A Special Oscar Award

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, celebrate the best movies and the people who make them. They are famous for their golden statues. For a short time, from 1933 to 1937, the Academy decided to give an Oscar specifically for Best Assistant Director. This showed how much they valued the hard work these individuals did behind the scenes.

Winners of the Best Assistant Director Oscar

Here are the talented people who won this special Oscar during its short history:

1933: A Unique Start

The very first year this award was given, in 1933, was different. Instead of honoring one person for a specific movie, seven assistant directors were chosen as winners. They were recognized for their overall work that year, not just one film. Many others were also nominated for their great contributions.

• Charles Barton (Paramount)
• Scott Beal (Universal)
• Charles Dorian (M-G-M)
• Fred Fox (United Artists)
• Gordon Hollingshead (Warner Bros.)
• Dewey Starkey (RKO Radio)
• William Tummel (Fox)

1934: John Waters' Win

In 1934, the award changed to honor one person for their work on a specific movie.

• John Waters won for the film Viva Villa!.
  • Scott Beal was nominated for Imitation of Life.
  • Cullen Tate was nominated for Cleopatra.

1935: Clem Beauchamp and Paul Wing

For the 1935 awards, two assistant directors shared the Oscar.

• Clem Beauchamp and Paul Wing won for their work on The Lives of a Bengal Lancer.
  • Joseph Newman was nominated for David Copperfield.
  • Eric Stacey was nominated for Les Misérables.
  • Sherry Shourds was nominated for A Midsummer Night's Dream.

1936: Jack Sullivan's Award

In 1936, another talented assistant director took home the award.

• Jack Sullivan won for the movie The Charge of the Light Brigade.
  • Clem Beauchamp was nominated for The Last of the Mohicans.
  • William Cannon was nominated for Anthony Adverse.
  • Joseph Newman was nominated for San Francisco.
  • Eric G. Stacey was nominated for The Garden of Allah.

1937: Robert Webb's Victory

The last time this Oscar was given was in 1937.

• Robert Webb won for his work on In Old Chicago.
  • C. C. Coleman, Jr. was nominated for Lost Horizon.
  • Russ Saunders was nominated for The Life of Emile Zola.
  • Eric Stacey was nominated for A Star Is Born.
  • Hal Walker was nominated for Souls at Sea.

Why Did the Award Stop?

After 1937, the Academy decided to stop giving out the Best Assistant Director award. The exact reasons are not widely known, but sometimes awards are created or removed as the film industry changes. Even though the award no longer exists, the job of an assistant director remains very important in making movies today.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Óscar al mejor asistente de dirección para niños

• List of Academy Award–nominated films