1931 in film

In television: 1928; 1929; 1930; 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934

In radio: 1928; 1929; 1930; 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934

In music: 1928; 1929; 1930; 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934

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v t e

The following is an overview of 1931 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

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Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1931 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1931
Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	City Lights	United Artists	$2,000,000^[1]
2	Trader Horn	MGM	$1,642,000^[2]
3	Palmy Days	United Artists	$1,601,000^[3]
4	The Man Who Came Back	Fox Film	$1,400,000^[4]
5	Merely Mary Ann	Fox Film	$1,300,000^[4]
6	Arrowsmith Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	United Artists Paramount	$1,250,000^[5]^[6]
7	A Connecticut Yankee	Fox Film	$1,200,000^[5]
8	Cimarron	RKO	$1,122,000^[7]
9	Bad Girl	Fox Film	$1,100,000^[4]
10	Possessed	MGM	$1,030,000^[2]

Events

January 5: RKO acquires the producing and distribution arm of Pathé for $4.6 million.^[8]
March 14: Alam Ara, the first Indian-made sound film, premieres at the Majestic Cinema in Bombay.
June 20: Monogram Pictures releases its first film, Ships of Hate.^[9]
July 7: Anti-competitive practices disclosed about certain distributors and producers in Canada.^[10]
November 17: E. R. Tinker elected president of Fox Films replacing Harley L. Clarke.^[10]
December 14: RKO refinancing plan approved.^[10]

Best money stars

Variety reported the following as the biggest male stars in the U.S. in alphabetical order although grouped George Arliss and Ronald Colman together as having equal ranking.^[11]

Actor
George Arliss Ronald Colman
Wallace Beery
Maurice Chevalier
Clark Gable
Edward G. Robinson
Will Rogers

The following were the biggest women names in the U.S. in alphabetical order but again grouped two actresses together to denote they were ranked the same.^[11]

Actress
Constance Bennett
Joan Crawford
Marlene Dietrich
Greta Garbo Marie Dressler
Janet Gaynor
Norma Shearer

Academy Awards

The 4th Academy Awards were awarded to films completed and screened released between August 1, 1930, and July 31, 1931, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Most Nominations: Cimarron (RKO Pictures) – 7

Major Awards

Best Picture: Cimarron – RKO
Best Director: Norman Taurog – Skippy
Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore – A Free Soul
Best Actress: Marie Dressler – Min and Bill

Most Awards: Cimarron – 3 (Best Picture; Best Adaptation and Best Art Direction)

Cimarron was the first Western to win Best Picture, and would remain the only one to do so for 59 years (until Dances with Wolves won in 1991). It received a then-record seven nominations, and was the first film to win more than two awards.

The 5th Academy Awards were conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932,^[12] at a ceremony held at The Ambassador Hotel^[12] in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Conrad Nagel.^[12] Films screened in Los Angeles between August 1, 1931, and July 31, 1932, were eligible to receive awards.^[12]

Most nominations: Arrowsmith (Samuel Goldwyn Productions) and The Champ (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) – 4

Major Awards

Best Actor: Wallace Beery – The Champ and Fredric March – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Best Actress: Helen Hayes – The Sin of Madelon Claudet
Best Director: Frank Borzage – Bad Girl

Most Awards: Bad Girl (Best Director and Best Adaptation) and The Champ (Best Actor and Best Original Story) – 2

Note: The Academy Award for Best Picture went to 1932's Grand Hotel.

1931 film releases

January–March

January 1931
- 3 January
  - The Criminal Code
- 9 January
  - Little Caesar
- 17 January
  - Other Men's Women
- 30 January
  - City Lights
February 1931
- 9 February
  - Cimarron
- 14 February
  - Dracula
- 28 February
  - Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
March 1931
- 5 March
  - The Speckled Band
- 6 March
  - Ten Cents a Dance
- 14 March
  - Kiki
- 20 March
  - The Sleeping Cardinal
- 21 March
  - Honor Among Lovers
- 29 March
  - Bad Sister

April–June

April 1931
- 4 April
  - The Front Page
- 6 April
  - A Connecticut Yankee
- 15 April
  - Bachelor Apartment
- 18 April
  - City Streets
  - The Secret Six
- 23 April
  - The Public Enemy
- 24 April
  - Dracula
- 30 April
  - Iron Man
May 1931
- 1 May
  - The Millionaire
- 11 May
  - M
- 16 May
  - Indiscreet
- 22 May
  - Svengali
- 23 May
  - Trader Horn
June 1931
- 13 June
  - The Maltese Falcon
- 20 June
  - A Free Soul
- 21 June
  - The Black Camel
- 27 June
  - I Take This Woman
- 28 June
  - Goldie

July–September

July 1931
- 11 July
  - Smart Money
August 1931
- 1 August
  - The Smiling Lieutenant
  - Tabu
- 7 August
  - Huckleberry Finn
  - The Miracle Woman
- 8 August
  - Bought!
  - Night Nurse
- 13 August
  - Bad Girl
- 15 August
  - Pardon Us
- 22 August
  - An American Tragedy
  - Guilty Hands
- 29 August
  - The Last Flight
  - This Modern Age
September 1931
- 1 September
  - Waterloo Bridge
- 5 September
  - Daughter of the Dragon
  - Secrets of a Secretary
  - The Squaw Man
  - Street Scene
- 12 September
  - Alexander Hamilton
- 18 September
  - Peludópolis (Argentina)
- 19 September
  - Monkey Business
- 26 September
  - Five Star Final
  - Sidewalks of New York
- 30 September
  - Alice in Wonderland

October–December

October 1931
- 3 October
  - Palmy Days
- 10 October
  - 24 Hours
- 24 October
  - The Sin of Madelon Claudet
- 31 October
  - Platinum Blonde
November 1931
- 1 November
  - The Cisco Kid
- 7 November
  - The Mad Genius
- 9 November
  - The Champ
- 10 November
  - Secret Service
- 21 November
  - Frankenstein
  - Possessed
- 28 November
  - Battling with Buffalo Bill
December 1931
- 2 December
  - Anna Christie (Germany)
- 3 December
  - Blonde Crazy
- 7 December
  - Arrowsmith
- 10 December
  - The Struggle
- 12 December
  - Private Lives
- 17 December
  - Tonight or Never
- 24 December
  - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- 26 December
  - Mata Hari

Notable films released in 1931

United States unless stated

R

Revenge on the Brother (Enteghm-e baradar), directed Ebrahim Moradi – (Iran)

S

Sally in Our Alley, directed by Maurice Elvey, starring Gracie Fields – (GB)
Secret Service, directed by J. Walter Ruben, starring Richard Dix
The Secret Six, directed by George Hill, starring Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Johnny Mack Brown, Jean Harlow and Clark Gable
Secrets of a Secretary, directed by George Abbott, starring Claudette Colbert and Herbert Marshall
Sidewalks of New York, directed by Zion Myers and Jules White, starring Buster Keaton, Anita Page and Cliff Edwards
The Sin of Madelon Claudet, directed by Edgar Selwyn, starring Helen Hayes
The Sleeping Cardinal, directed by Leslie S. Hiscott, starring Arthur Wontner – (GB)
Smart Money, directed by Alfred E. Green, starring Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney
The Smiling Lieutenant, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins
The Speckled Band, directed by Jack Raymond, starring Raymond Massey – (GB)
A Spray of Plum Blossoms (Yī jiǎn méi), directed by Bu Wancang, starring Ruan Lingyu – (China)
The Squaw Man, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Warner Baxter and Lupe Vélez
The Stolen Jools, directed by William C. McGann
Street Scene, directed by King Vidor, starring Sylvia Sidney and Estelle Taylor
The Struggle, directed by D.W. Griffith
Svengali, directed by Archie Mayo, starring John Barrymore and Marian Marsh

T

The Last Kiss, first full-length film produced in Dhallywood, Bangladesh
Tabu: A Story of the South Seas, directed by F. W. Murnau
Tell England, directed by Anthony Asquith and Geoffrey Barkas – (GB)
Ten Cents a Dance, directed by Lionel Barrymore, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ricardo Cortez
The Theft of the Mona Lisa (Der Raub der Mona Lisa), directed by Géza von Bolváry – (Germany)
This Modern Age, directed by Nick Grinde, starring Joan Crawford and Neil Hamilton
The Threepenny Opera (Die 3 Groschen-Oper), directed by G. W. Pabst, starring Lotte Lenya – (Germany)
Tilly of Bloomsbury, directed by Jack Raymond, starring Sydney Howard and Phyllis Konstam – (GB)
Tokyo Chorus (Tōkyō no kōrasu), directed by Yasujirō Ozu – (Japan)
Tommi, directed by Yakov Protazanov – (USSR)
Tonight or Never, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Gloria Swanson and Melvyn Douglas

W

Waterloo Bridge, directed by James Whale, starring Mae Clarke
A Woman of Experience, directed by Harry Joe Brown, starring Helen Twelvetrees

Serials

Battling with Buffalo Bill
Danger Island
Finger Prints
The Galloping Ghost, starring Harold Grange
Heroes of the Flames
King of the Wild
The Lightning Warrior, starring Rin Tin Tin
The Mystery Trooper
The Phantom of the West
The Sign of the Wolf
The Spell of the Circus
The Vanishing Legion

Short film series

Animated short film series

Aesop's Film Fables (1921–1933)
Krazy Kat (1925–1940)
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927–1938)
Mickey Mouse
- The Birthday Party
- Traffic Troubles
- The Castaway
- The Moose Hunt
- The Delivery Boy
- Mickey Steps Out
- Blue Rhythm
- Fishin' Around
- The Barnyard Broadcast
- The Beach Party
- Mickey Cuts Up
- Mickey's Orphans
Silly Symphonies
- Birds of a Feather
- Mother Goose Melodies
- The China Plate
- The Busy Beavers
- The Cat's Out
- Egyptian Melodies
- The Clock Store
- The Spider and the Fly
- The Fox Hunt
- The Ugly Duckling
Screen Songs (1929–1938)
Talkartoons (1929–1932)
- Mask a Raid (featuring Betty Boop)
Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
Flip the Frog (1930–1933)
Terrytoons (1930–1964)
Toby the Pup (1930-1931)
Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
Scrappy (1931–1941)
Tom and Jerry (Van Beuren) (1931–1933)

Births

January 3 – Conrad Brooks, né Biedrzycki, American actor and producer (died 2017)
January 5 – Robert Duvall, American actor and director
January 9 - Paul Mantee, American actor (died 2013)
January 13 - Scott Beach, American actor (died 1996)
January 14 – Caterina Valente, French singer and actress
January 17 – James Earl Jones, American actor
January 22 - Mary Castle, American actress (died 1998)
January 25 - Dean Jones, American actor (died 2015)
January 26 – Mary Murphy, American actress (died 2011)
January 29 – Leslie Bricusse, English-born film composer and lyricist (died 2021)
January 30 - Read Morgan, American actor (died 2022)
February 6
- Bryan O'Byrne, American character actor and acting coach (died 2009)
- Rip Torn, American actor and director (died 2019)
- Mamie Van Doren, American actress and sex symbol
February 8 – James Dean, American actor (died 1955)
February 9 - Barbara Young, English actress (died 2023)
February 14
- Charles Hyatt, Jamaican actor, playwright and director (died 2007)
- Margarita Lozano, Spanish actress (died 2022)
February 15
- Claire Bloom, English actress
- Mohamed Hilmi, Algerian actor and director (died 2022)
February 18 - Laura Valenzuela, Spanish television presenter and actress (died 2023)
February 20 - Karl Spiehs, Austrian producer (died 2022)
February 24 – Dominic Chianese, American actor
February 26 - Shay Duffin, Irish character actor (died 2010)
February 28 - Gavin MacLeod, American actor (died 2021)
March 5 - George Ogilvie, Australian director and actor (died 2020)
March 8 - Gerald Potterton, British-Canadian director, writer, producer and animator (died 2022)
March 15 - James Ellis, Irish actor (died 2014)
March 20 – Hal Linden, American actor, director and musician
March 22 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
March 26 – Leonard Nimoy, American actor and director (died 2015)
March 27 - Marion Brash, American actress (died 2022)
April 1 – Ita Ever, Estonian actress (died 2023)
April 8 – John Gavin, American actor and diplomat (died 2018)
April 17 – Esteban Siller, Mexican voice actor (died 2013)
May 5 - Brian O'Shaughnessy, British actor (died 2001)
May 10 – Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter (died 2016)
May 15 - K. S. Sethumadhavan, Indian director and screenwriter (died 2021)
May 16 - Frank Albanese, American actor (died 2015)
May 18 – Robert Morse, American actor and singer (died 2022)
May 19 - James Greene, Northern Irish actor (died 2021)
May 23
- Barbara Barrie, American actress
- Patience Cleveland, American actress (died 2004)
May 24 – Michael Lonsdale, British-French actor (died 2020)
May 28
- Carroll Baker, American actress
- Bob Hornery, Australian actor (died 2015)
June 2 - Peter Cummins, Australian character actor
June 3 – Carmen Dell'Orefice, American supermodel and actress
June 7 - Virginia McKenna, English actress
June 14 – Marla Gibbs, American actress, singer, comedian, writer and producer
June 20
- Olympia Dukakis, Greek-American actress (died 2021)
- James Tolkan, American actor
July 1 – Leslie Caron, French actress and dancer
July 2
- Robert Ito, Canadian actor of Japanese ancestry
- Frank Williams, English actor (died 2022)
July 4 – Stephen Boyd, Irish actor (died 1977)
July 5 – António de Macedo, Portuguese filmmaker, writer, university professor and lecturer (died 2017)
July 6
- Donal Donnelly, Irish actor died (2010)
- Della Reese, American jazz and gospel singer, actress and ordinated minister (died 2017)
July 10 – Nick Adams, American actor and screenwriter (died 1968)
July 11 – Tab Hunter, American actor and singer (died 2018)
July 14 – Mirella Ricciardi, Kenyan photographer, writer and actress
July 24 – Ermanno Olmi, Italian director and screenwriter (died 2018)
July 27 – Jerry Van Dyke, American actor, musician and comedian (died 2018)
July 28 – Darryl Hickman, American actor, voice artist, screenwriter and television executive
August 19
- Elena Cotta, Italian actress
- Marianne Koch, German actress
August 23 – Barbara Eden, American actress
August 12 – William Goldman, American screenwriter and novelist (died 2018)
August 31 – Noble Willingham, American actor (died 2004)
September 4 – Mitzi Gaynor, American actress, singer and dancer
September 10 – Philip Baker Hall, American actor (died 2022)
September 12
- Ian Holm, English actor (died 2020)
- Bill McKinney, American character actor (died 2011)
September 13 – Barbara Bain, American actress
September 17 – Anne Bancroft, American actress (died 2005)
September 20 - Ned Tanen, American producer (died 2009)
September 21 – Larry Hagman, American actor and director (died 2012)
September 29
- Eddie Barth, American actor (died 2010)
- Anita Ekberg, Swedish actress and sex symbol (died 2015)
September 30 – Angie Dickinson, American actress
October 10 – Román Chalbaud, Venezuelan director (died 2023)
October 12 - Yvonne Gilan, Scottish actress (died 2018)
October 19 - Rubens de Falco, Brazilian actor (died 2008)
October 21 – Vivian Pickles, English actress
October 30 - Ann Roth, American costume designer and actress
November 3 – Monica Vitti, Italian actress (died 2022)
November 5 - Gil Hill, American actor (died 2016)
November 6 – Mike Nichols, German-born director (died 2014)
November 10 – Don Henderson, English actor (died 1997)
November 12 – Mary Louise Wilson, American actress, singer and comedian
November 18 - Brad Sullivan, American character actor (died 2008)
November 30 – Jack Ging, American actor (died 2022)
December 2 – Nadja Regin, Serbian actress (died 2019)
December 3 - Jaye P. Morgan, retired American singer, actress and game show panelist
December 9
- Paddi Edwards, British-American actress (died 1999)
- William Reynolds, American actor (died 2022)
December 11
- Anne Heywood, British actress (died 2023)
- Rita Moreno, Puerto Rican actress
December 14 - Abbe Lane, American singer and actress
December 20 - Mala Powers, American actress (died 2007)
December 23 – Ronnie Schell, American actor and stand-up comedian
December 24 - Robert Ridgely, American actor (died 1997)
December 28 – Martin Milner. American actor (died 2015)

Deaths

March 11 – F. W. Murnau, German director (born 1888)
March 24
- Charles Clary, silent film actor (born 1873)
- Robert Edeson, stage and screen actor (born 1868)
April 9 - Thomas Santschi, American screen actor (born 1880)
June 7 – Viktor Schwanneke, German actor (born 1880)
August 14 – Janie Marèse, French actress (born 1908)
September 13 – Lawrence D'Orsay, English actor (born 1853)
October 18 - Thomas Edison, inventor (born 1847)
November 27 – Lya De Putti, Hungarian actress (born 1899)
December 23 – Tyrone Power, Sr., stage and film veteran, father of movie star Tyrone Power (born 1869)

Film debuts

Hardie Albright – Young Sinners
Astrid Allwyn – West of Broadway
Heather Angel – City of Song
Ralph Bellamy – The Secret Six
Bruce Cabot – Heroes of the Flames
Joseph Calleia – My Sin
Robert Coote – Sally in Our Alley
Finlay Currie – The Old Man
Bette Davis – Bad Sister
Alan Dinehart – The Brat
Melvyn Douglas – Tonight or Never
Rochelle Hudson – Laugh and Get Rich
Allen Jenkins – The Girl Habit
Alexander Knox – The Ringer
June Lang – Young Sinners
Eric Linden – Are These Our Children?
Ida Lupino – The Love Race
Orestis Makris – The Wizard of Athens
Eddie Parker – Delicious
Otto Preminger (director, producer) – The Great Love
Gene Raymond – Personal Maid
Kynaston Reeves – Many Waters
Flora Robson – A Gentleman of Paris
Simone Simon – Durand contre Durand
Betty Stockfeld – City of Song
Ralph Truman – City of Song
Elena Verdugo – Cavalier of the West
Virginia Weidler – Surrender
Robert Young – The Black Camel
George Zucco – Dreyfus

References

Citations

^ Block, Alex Ben; Wilson, Lucy Autry (March 30, 2010). George Lucas's blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success. It Books. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-0-0619-6345-2.
^ ^a ^b The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles, California: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ Jones, Lon (March 4, 1944). "Which Cinema Films Have Earned the Most Money Since 1914?". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 3 Supplement: The Argus Weekend magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ^a ^b ^c Finler 2003, pp. 356–357.
^ ^a ^b Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937-38 (1938) (pg. 942); accessed April 19, 2014
^ "Film World". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. October 19, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
^ Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p56
^ "Att'y Gen Scans R-K-O-Pathe Deal on Plea of Defeated Insurgents". Variety. January 7, 1931. p. 3. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
^ Ships of Hate at the American Film Institute Catalog
^ ^a ^b ^c Ten Leading Events in the News of Motion Pictures During the Year 1931. p. 9. Retrieved May 8, 2018. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ ^a ^b "Six Best Money Stars". Variety. January 5, 1932. p. 1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "The 5th Academy Awards – 1933". Archived from the original on 2012-09-04.

Bibliography

Block, Alex Ben; Wilson, Lucy Autrey (2010). George Lucas's blockbusting: a decade-by-decade survey of timeless movies, including untold secrets of their financial and cultural success. New York, New York: ItBooks.
Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.

External links

This page was last edited on 19 April 2024, at 00:18

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