1956 in film
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The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.
Events
- August 4 - The last film serial, Blazing the Overland Trail from Columbia Pictures, is released.
- November 15 - Elvis Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, opens.
Top grossing films (U.S.)
| Rank | Title | Studio | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Ten Commandments* | Paramount | $43,000,000 |
| 2. | Around the World in Eighty Days | United Artists | $23,120,000 |
| 3. | Giant* | Warner Brothers | $14,000,000 |
| 4. | Seven Wonders of the World | Cinerama | $12,500,000 |
| 5. | The King and I | 20th Century Fox | $8,500,000 |
| 6. | Trapeze | United Artists | $7,269,000 |
| 7. | War and Peace | Paramount | $6,250,000 |
| 8. | High Society | MGM | $5,878,000 |
| 9. | Teahouse of the August Moon | MGM | $5,712,000 |
| 10. | The Eddy Duchin Story | Columbia | $5,300,000 |
(*) After theatrical re-issue(s)
source: http://www.boxofficereport.com/database/1956.shtml
Awards
- Best Picture: Around the World in Eighty Days - Todd, United Artists
- Best Director: George Stevens - Giant
- Best Actor: Yul Brynner - The King and I
- Best Actress: Ingrid Bergman - Anastasia
- Best Supporting Actor: Anthony Quinn - Lust for Life
- Best Supporting Actress: Dorothy Malone - Written on the Wind
- Best Foreign Language Film: La strada, directed by Federico Fellini, Italy
- Drama:
- Best Picture: Around the World in Eighty Days
- Best Actor: Kirk Douglas - Lust for Life
- Best Actress: Ingrid Bergman - Anastasia
- Musical or comedy:
- Best Picture: The King and I
- Best Actor: Cantinflas - Around the World in Eighty Days
- Best Actress: Deborah Kerr - The King and I
- Other
- Best Director: Elia Kazan - Baby Doll
- Best Foreign Film: Before Sundown, West Germany
- Best Foreign Film: The Girl in Black, Greece
- Best Foreign Film: Richard III, United Kingdom
- Best Foreign Film: Roses on the Arm, Japan
- Best Foreign Film: War and Peace, Italy
- Best Foreign Film: The White Reindeer, Finland
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
- The Silent World (Le monde du silence), directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle, France
Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival): Not awarded
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
- Invitation to the Dance, directed by Gene Kelly, United States
Films released in 1956
- 7 Wonders of the World
- Accused of Murder
- Alexander the Great
- Anastasia
- Around the World in 80 Days
- Baby Doll
- The Bad Seed
- The Battle of the River Plate
- Between Heaven and Hell, directed by Richard Fleischer
- The Birds and the Bees
- The Brave One
- The Bold and the Brave
- Bus Stop
- Carousel
- The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn
- The Conqueror
- The Court Jester
- Dance With Me Henry, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
- Diane
- Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
- The Eddy Duchin Story
- Elena and Her Men
- Forbidden Planet
- Friendly Persuasion
- Gaby
- Gervaise
- Giant
- The Girl Can't Help It
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
- The Great Man
- The Harder They Fall, starring Humphrey Bogart in his final film
- High Society
- Hollywood or Bust, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Ich suche Dich, starring O.W. Fischer and Anouk Aimée
- The Indian Fighter
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers
- Invitation to the Dance
- Johnny Concho
- Jubal
- Julie
- The King and I
- A Kiss Before Dying
- The Lady Killers (U.S. release)
- Love Me Tender
- Lust for Life
- The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (film)
- The Man Who Knew Too Much
- Moby Dick
- Never Say Goodbye (film)
- Pardners, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
- Private's Progress
- The Proud and Profane
- The Proud Ones
- The Rainmaker
- Ransom!
- Reach for the Sky
- The Red Balloon
- Richard III (U.S. release)
- Rock Around the Clock
- The Solid Gold Cadillac
- Starik Khottabych
- The Searchers
- Seven Samurai (U.S. release)
- The Silent World
- Somebody Up There Likes Me
- La Strada (U.S. release)
- Tea and Sympathy
- The Teahouse of the August Moon
- The Ten Commandments
- A Town Like Alice
- Trapeze
- War and Peace
- Written on the Wind
- The Wrong Man
- X the Unknown
Serials
Short film series
- Looney Tunes (1930-1969)
- Terrytoons (1930-1964)
- Merrie Melodies (1931-1969)
- Popeye (1933-1957)
- The Three Stooges (1934-1959)
- Bugs Bunny (1940-1962)
- Tom and Jerry (1940-1958)
- Droopy (1943-1958)
- Yosemite Sam (1945-1963)
- Speedy Gonzales (1953-1968)
Ending this year
- Donald Duck (1934-1956)
- Chip and Dale (1943-1956)
- Ranger Don (1953-1956)
Births
- January 3 - Mel Gibson, actor and director
- January 7 - David Caruso, actor
- January 21 - Geena Davis,actress.
- January 27 - Mimi Rogers, actress.
- February 11 - Kathleen Beller, actress.
- July 9 - Tom Hanks, actor
Deaths
- January 12 - Norman Kerry, American actor (b. 1894)
- January 23 - Alexander Korda, Hungarian film director, the founder of London Films
- July 16 - Olof Winnerstrand, Swedish actor
- August 16 - Béla Lugosi, actor best known for Dracula
- December 12 - Ewald André Dupont, German director