1956 in film

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The following is an overview of 1956 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1956 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1956
Rank	Title	Studio	Box-office gross rental
1	The Ten Commandments	Paramount Pictures	$34,200,000^[1]
2	Around the World in 80 Days	United Artists	$22,000,000^[1]
3	Giant	Warner Bros.	$12,000,000^[1]
4	Seven Wonders of the World	Cinerama Releasing Corporation	$9,300,000^[1]
5	The King and I	20th Century Fox	$8,500,000^[1]
6	Trapeze	United Artists	$7,300,000^[1]
7	War and Peace	Paramount Pictures	$6,300,000^[1]
8	High Society	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	$5,602,000^[2]
9	The Teahouse of the August Moon	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	$5,550,000^[2]
10	The Eddy Duchin Story	Columbia Pictures	$5,300,000^[1]

Events

February 5 – First showing of documentary films by the Free Cinema movement, at the National Film Theatre, London.
February 16 – Carousel is the first film released that was shot in CinemaScope 55.
February 23 – Arthur B. Krim and Robert Benjamin acquire Mary Pickford's interest in United Artists for $3 million giving them full ownership of UA.
February – Warner Bros. sells much of its pre-1950 library to Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.); after a series of mergers the films return to WB 40 years later.
February – Darryl F. Zanuck announces his resignation as head of production of 20th Century Fox after 20 years as the studio head. He is later replaced by Buddy Adler.^[3]
April 18 – Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier III and becomes Princess consort of Monaco. She stops acting. Her last feature film, High Society, is released in July.
May 30 – United Artists release Trapeze which becomes their highest-grosser until surpassed by Around the World in 80 Days the following year.
July – Harry and Albert Warner sell their stock in Warner Bros.. Jack Warner retains his and becomes president.
July 25 – The comedy partnership between Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis ends. Their last film together, Hollywood or Bust, is released later in the year.
August 4 – The last film serial, Blazing the Overland Trail from Columbia Pictures, is released.
October 5 – The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas. It was the most expensive film of all time with a cost of $13 million and becomes one of the most successful and popular films of all time, currently ranking 6th on the list of all time moneymakers (when adjusted for inflation). It was director Cecil B. DeMille's last film.
October 17 – Mike Todd's Around the World in 80 Days is released and goes on to become United Artists' highest-grossing film.
November 15 – Elvis Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, opens.
November 28
- And God Created Woman opens in France making Brigitte Bardot an international star.
- It is announced that production head Dore Schary will leave MGM at the end of the year.^[4]
December 14 – Dance with Me, Henry is the last film featuring the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.

Awards

Category/Organization	14th Golden Globe Awards February 28, 1957		29th Academy Awards March 27, 1957
Category/Organization	Drama	Comedy or Musical	29th Academy Awards March 27, 1957
Best Film	Around the World in 80 Days	The King and I	Around the World in 80 Days
Best Director	Elia Kazan Baby Doll		George Stevens Giant
Best Actor	Kirk Douglas Lust for Life	Cantinflas Around the World in 80 Days	Yul Brynner The King and I
Best Actress	Ingrid Bergman Anastasia	Deborah Kerr The King and I	Ingrid Bergman Anastasia
Best Supporting Actor	Earl Holliman The Rainmaker		Anthony Quinn Lust for Life
Best Supporting Actress	Eileen Heckart The Bad Seed		Dorothy Malone Written on the Wind
Best Foreign Language Film	Before Sundown A Girl in Black Roses on the Arm War and Peace The White Reindeer		La Strada

Top ten money making stars

Rank	Actor/Actress
1.	William Holden
2.	John Wayne
3.	James Stewart
4.	Burt Lancaster
5.	Glenn Ford
6.	Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
7.	Marilyn Monroe
8.	Gary Cooper
9.	Kim Novak
10.	Frank Sinatra

1956 film releases

January–March

January 1956
- 12 January
  - Diane
February 1956
- 5 February
  - Invasion of the Body Snatchers
- 16 February
  - Picnic
  - Carousel
- 25 February
  - The Lone Ranger
March 1956
- 9 March
  - Come Next Spring
  - Meet Me in Las Vegas
- 10 March
  - Never Say Goodbye
- 23 March
  - Serenade
- 24 March
  - Raw Edge
- 25 March
  - The Indestructible Man
  - World Without End
- 28 March
  - The Conqueror

April–June

April 1956
- 4 April
  - The Maverick Queen
- 6 April
  - Jubal
- 11 April
  - Backlash
- 24 April
  - Our Miss Brooks
- 26 April
  - The Creature Walks Among Us
May 1956
- 8 May
  - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
- 15 May
  - Invitation to the Dance
- 26 May
  - The Searchers
- 30 May
  - Trapeze
  - While the City Sleeps
June 1956
- 1 June
  - The Man Who Knew Too Much
- 6 June
  - The Killing
- 10 June
  - Crime in the Streets
- 12 June
  - A Kiss Before Dying
- 13 June
  - Star in the Dust
- 15 June
  - Gunslinger
- 16 June
  - Female Jungle
- 20 June
  - Safari
- 21 June
  - The Eddy Duchin Story
- 22 June
  - The Catered Affair
- 29 June
  - The King & I

July–September

July 1956
- 6 July
  - The Fastest Gun Alive
- 12 July
  - Foreign Intrigue
- 15 July
  - It Conquered the World
- 17 July
  - High Society
- 23 July
  - Dakota Incident
- 29 July
  - Hold Back the Night
- 30 July
  - Run for the Sun
August 1956
- 1 August
  - Autumn Leaves
- 17 August
  - A Cry in the Night
  - These Wilder Years
- 21 August
  - War and Peace
- 24 August
  - A Strange Adventure
- 26 August
  - The Swan
- 29 August
  - The First Traveling Saleslady
  - The Vagabond King
September 1956
- 12 September
  - The Bad Seed
- 15 September
  - Lust for Life
- 21 September
  - The Last Wagon
- 28 September
  - The Best Things in Life are Free

October–December

October 1956
- 5 October
  - The Ten Commandments
- 17 October
  - Around the World in 80 Days
  - Attack
  - Julie
- 31 October
  - Death of a Scoundrel
  - You Can't Run Away From It
November 1956
- 1 November
  - Naked Gun
  - The White Squaw
- 15 November
  - Love Me Tender
  - Gun the Man Down
- 18 November
  - Blonde Sinner
- 24 November
  - Giant
- 25 November
  - Friendly Persuasion
December 1956
- 1 December
  - The Girl Can't Help It
- 12 December
  - Bundle of Joy
- 13 December
  - Anastasia
  - The Rainmaker
- 21 December
  - The King and Four Queens
- 25 December
  - Written on the Wind
- 29 December
  - Baby Doll

Notable films released in 1956

United States unless stated

Serials

Blazing the Overland Trail, starring Lee Roberts and Dennis Moore
Perils of the Wilderness

Short film series

Ending this year

Donald Duck (1934-1956)
Chip 'n' Dale (1943-1956)

Births

January 3 – Mel Gibson, American Irish actor and director
January 7 – David Caruso, American actor
January 9
- Imelda Staunton, English actress
- Kimberly Beck, American actress
January 21
- Geena Davis, American actress
- Robby Benson, American actor
January 25 – Dinah Manoff, American actress and director
January 27
- Susan Blakeslee, American voice actress and musical theatre actress
- Mimi Rogers, American actress
February 3 – Nathan Lane, American actor
February 17 – Richard Karn, American actor
February 19 – Kathleen Beller, American actress
February 28 - Lloyd Sherr, American voice actor
March 1 – Tim Daly, American actor
March 7 – Bryan Cranston, American actor and director
March 11 – Rob Paulsen, American voice actor
March 12 – Lesley Manville, English Actress
March 13 – Dana Delany, American actress
March 26 – Erika Kaljusaar, Estonian actress
April 12 – Andy García, Cuban-American actor
April 18 – Eric Roberts, American actor
April 30 – Lars von Trier, Danish director
May 9 – Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress
May 10
- Paige O'Hara, American actress, voice actress, singer and painter
- Jonathan Roberts, American screenwriter, producer and author
May 12 – Kimiko Yo, Japanese actress
June 4 – Keith David, American actor
July 1 – Alan Ruck, American actor
July 9 – Tom Hanks, American actor and director
July 11 – Sela Ward, American actress
July 31 – Michael Biehn, American actor
August 12 – Bruce Greenwood, Canadian actor
August 20 – Joan Allen, American actress
August 21 – Kim Cattrall, English-born Canadian actress
August 28 - Luis Guzman, Puerto Rican character actor
September 20 – Gary Cole, American actor
September 26 – Linda Hamilton, American actress
October 4 – Christoph Waltz, Austrian-German actor
October 20 – Danny Boyle, English director and producer
October 21 – Carrie Fisher, American actress (d. 2016)
October 26 – Rita Wilson, American actress and producer
November 8 – Richard Curtis, New Zealand-born British director and screenwriter
November 20 – Bo Derek, American actress and model
November 22 - Richard Kind, American actor and voice actor
December 17 – Peter Farrelly, American film director

Deaths

January 9 – Marion Leonard, 74, American early silent actress, The Prussian Spy, The Gibson Goddess
January 12 – Norman Kerry, 61, American actor, The Phantom of the Opera, The Unknown
January 19 – Charles Dingle, 68, American actor, Call Me Madam, State of the Union
January 23 – Alexander Korda, 62, Hungarian film director, the founder of London Films, That Hamilton Woman, The Private Life of Henry VIII
February 2
- Bob Burns, 65, American actor, Waikiki Wedding, Belle of the Yukon
- Charley Grapewin, 86, American actor, The Wizard of Oz, The Grapes of Wrath
February 26 – Elsie Janis, 66, American actress and screenwriter, A Regular Girl, Women in War
March 17 – Fred Allen, 61, American actor, It's in the Bag!, O. Henry's Full House
March 25 – Robert Newton, 50, English actor, Oliver Twist, Odd Man Out
April 15 – Kathleen Howard, 71, Canadian-American opera singer and actress, It's a Gift, Ball of Fire
April 21 – Charles MacArthur, 60, American screenwriter and playwright, Wuthering Heights, His Girl Friday
April 26 – Edward Arnold, 66, American actor, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Diamond Jim
May 12 – Louis Calhern, 61, American actor, Duck Soup, Notorious, The Asphalt Jungle, High Society
June 2 – Jean Hersholt, 69, Danish-American actor, Heidi
June 6 – Margaret Wycherly, 74, English-American actress, White Heat, Sergeant York
June 30 – Thorleif Lund, 76, Norwegian actor, Skibsrotten, Republikaneren
July 8 – Mona Mårtenson, 54, Swedish actress, Pippi Longstocking, The Saga of Gosta Berling
July 16 – Olof Winnerstrand, 80, Swedish actor, Torment, A Lesson in Love
August 16 – Bela Lugosi, 73, Hungarian-born American actor, Dracula, White Zombie, The Black Cat
August 23 – Kenji Mizoguchi, 58, Japanese director, The Life of Oharu, A Geisha
October 2 – George Bancroft, 74, American actor, Stagecoach, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
October 9 – Marie Doro, 74, American actress, Oliver Twist, Sally Bishop
October 17 – Anne Crawford, 35, British actress, Knights of the Round Table, Night Beat
November 6 – Paul Kelly, 57, American actor, Juvenile Court, Adventure in Sahara
November 10 – Victor Young, 56, American composer, Around the World in 80 Days, For Whom the Bell Tolls
November 26 – Tommy Dorsey, 56, American musician, The Fabulous Dorseys, DuBarry Was a Lady, Ship Ahoy
November 30 – Viggo Wiehe, 81, Danish actor, Doctor Nicholson and the Blue Diamond, Røverne fra Rold
December 12 – E. A. Dupont, 64, German writer, director, Jealousy, The Scarf
December 26 – Holmes Herbert, 74, British actor, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man

Film Debuts

Jean-Paul Belmondo – Molière
Michael Caine – Panic in the Parlor
James Garner – Toward the Unknown
Glenda Jackson – The Extra Day
Robert Loggia – Somebody Up There Likes Me
Robert Morse – The Proud and Profane
Leslie Nielsen – Ransom!
Joan Plowright – Moby Dick
Elvis Presley – Love Me Tender
John Schlesinger – Sunday in the Park
Maggie Smith – Child in the House
Rip Torn – Baby Doll
Cicely Tyson – Carib Gold
Robert Vaughn – The Ten Commandments
John Vernon – 1984
Tuesday Weld – Rock, Rock, Rock

Notes

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 358–359. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
^ ^a ^b The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ "Name Adler to Zanuck Post". Motion Picture Herald. February 11, 1956. p. 18. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
^ "Schary Leaves MGM at Year End". Motion Picture Herald. December 1, 1956. p. 9. Retrieved June 12, 2018.

[Finler-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 358–359. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.

[Mannix-2] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[3] "Name Adler to Zanuck Post". Motion Picture Herald. February 11, 1956. p. 18. Retrieved June 12, 2018.

[4] "Schary Leaves MGM at Year End". Motion Picture Herald. December 1, 1956. p. 9. Retrieved June 12, 2018.

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