Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was not present at the awards ceremony. Co-presenters Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman accepted the award on her behalf.
Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson The nomination for Wilson was granted on 26 September 1995 by the Academy Board of Directors, after research at the WGA found that the then blacklisted writer shared the screenwriting credit with Bolt.
Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were blacklisted at the time and received no screen credit. They were posthumously awarded Oscars in 1984. Pierre Boulle was not present at the awards ceremony. Kim Novak accepted the award on his behalf.
Around the World in 80 DaysAround the World in Eighty Days
John Farrow, S.J. Perelman, James Poe
Winner
All nominees
Friendly PersuasionFriendly Persuasion
Michael Wilson Due to being blacklisted Michael Wilson did not receive a screen credit, which under special Academy by-law made him ineligible personally although the writing achievement itself could be eligible. In early 1957 AMPAS instructed Price Waterhouse & Co. not to list any nomination declared ineligible under the by-law and thus this nomination was not included on the final voting ballot. The by-law was laster declared unworkable in January 1959. In December 2002 the Academy reinstated Mr. Wilson's nomination.
Albert Maltz Originally Michael Blankfort had been listed for this nomination. Blankfort fronted for Maltz, who was a blacklisted writer at the time. Following research by the Writers Guild of America West in July 1991, the Academy officially attributed the nomination to Maltz and removed Blankford.
Ian Dalrymple, Cecil Lewis, W.P. Lipscomb, George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw was not present at the ceremony. When presenter Lloyd C. Douglas announced that Pygmalion has won the Oscar he joked "Mr. Shaw's story now is as original as it was three thousand years ago". Shaw's reaction to the award was not enthusiastic as he is quoted as saying "It's an insult for them to offer me any honour, as if they had never heard of me before - and it's very likely they never have. They might as well send some honour to George for being King of England". Although popular legend says Shaw never received the Oscar, when Mary Pickford visited him she reported that he was on his mantle. When Shaw died in 1950 his home at Ayot St Lawrence became a museum. By this time his Oscar statuette was so tarnished, the curator believed it had no value and used it as a door stop. It has since been repaired and is now on displayed at the museum.
Dudley Nichols Refused to accept his award because of the antagonism between several industry guilds and the academy over union matters. This marked the first time an Academy Award had been declined. Academy records show that Dudley was in possession of an Oscar statuette by 1949.
Winner
All nominees
7.7
Captain Blood
Casey Robinson This was a write-in candidate, who came in third on the final ballots. It was not an official nomination.
7.0
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
Achmed Abdullah, John L. Balderston, Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt, Waldemar Young