RULE CHANGES
· Although Guild members still take part in the nomination process, only Academy members are allowed to cast ballots. The new ruling reduces the number of voters from 9,000 to 1,610.
· Awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, Special Effects and Musical Scoring now voted on by entire Academy membership, not special committees of respective branch members.
· No Feature Documentary nominations or Award this year.

SINS OF OMISSION
Picture: Notorious, Gilda, Brief Encounter, My Darling Clementine
Director: Alfred Hitchcock - Notorious
Actor: Humphrey Bogart - The Big Sleep, Henry Fonda - My Darling Clementine
Actress: Ingrid Bergman - Notorious
Supporting Actress: Donna Reed - It's a Wonderful Life
Song: "The Anniversary Song," "Personality," "You Make Me Feel So Young"

ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID...
Despite a vigorous campaign for votes, Rosalind Russell went home empty-handed. Sister Kenny was her second of four unsuccessful Best Actress nominations.

UNMENTIONABLES
· To create a more realistic feel, female cast members of The Best Years of Our Lives wore regular street makeup. The men wore none.
· David O. Selznick authorized teaser ads for Duel in the Sun that appeared as early as June, 1945, a full year-and-a-half before the movie was released.
· Laurence Olivier had asked William Wyler to direct Henry V. "Do it yourself," Wyler said, and Olivier did, filming in Ireland in 1944.
· The National Board of Review selected Henry V as Best Picture, Olivier as Best Actor and Open City's Anna Magnani as Best Actress. The NY Film Critics kept it domestic with The Best Years of Our Lives and William Wyler, but then went British in its acting choices, Olivier again and Celia Johnson for Brief Encounter. Daily Variety headlined: CRITICS SLAP HOLLYWOOD BY PICKING FOREIGN PIX IN THEIR 10 BEST OF YEAR. Hollywood really started getting antsy.
· Laurence Olivier was well aware of the anti-British mood among Academy voters and stayed clear of the ceremony despite his Special Award for Henry V.
· Olivia De Havilland was concerned that a split in the voting between her performances in To Each His Own and The Dark Mirror might deprive her of an Oscar®. She decided that aging 30 years and suffering nobly in Paramount's well-mounted soap opera would get more votes than playing good-and-evil twins in Universal's psychological mystery melodrama, and she asked Universal to quit campaigning for her nomination for The Dark Mirror.
· Because of the move to the massive Shrine Auditorium (6,700 seats), the Awards show wasn't even close to being a sellout. So anyone could get in for the price of a ticket, and scores of leftover tickets were given to servicemen who were milling around outside. Although the Academy had expressly required black tie, less than half of those attending came formally dressed. Sneered one Hollywood veteran, "That's what happens when you let in John Q. Public."
· Somehow, the idea of performing live before such a large crowd began to daunt some of the performers and presenters who had committed to the ceremony. Bing Crosby, who had caused trouble for the Academy in this area the year before, declined to sing "I Can't Begin to Tell You." Dick Haymes was tapped for the honor. Then, a couple of days before the show, Frank Sinatra, who had agreed to sing "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song," got wind of Crosby's refusal. He informed the Academy that he wasn't going to appear on the show after all -- he was merely "following Crosby's footsteps." Singing heartthrob Andy Russell took over. The night before the Awards, with everyone having rehearsed and everything set to roll, Judy Garland decided that she had stage fright and would have to cancel, leaving show producer Mervyn LeRoy with no one to sing "On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe." But Dinah Shore came through; she was going to be singing "All Through the Day" and volunteered to to Garland's number, too.
· Having given out the Best Actor Award, Joan Fontaine -- substituting for Joan Crawford, who'd declined to attend -- rushed backstage to congratulate her Best Actress sister. She approached Olivia De Havilland, who, in the darkness, seemed not to recognize her sibling. Olivia reached out her hand, suddenly realized who was coming toward her and abruptly turned away.