Kings Row
US (1942): Drama/Romance
The highest expression of the soap-opera device of tearing the facade from small-town life to discover the seething pit of rivalries, petty jealousies, and squalid affairs that lie beneath. In pre-WW I mid-America, two young men (Ronald Reagan and Robert Cummings) grow tangled roots in a small town touched by madness and murder. Considered to be Reagan's best performance (not including Commander-in-Chief). Cinematographer James Wong Howe gave production designer William Cameron Menzies full credit for the look of Kings Row: "He did the sketches for the shots; he'd tell you how high the camera should be. I simply followed orders." Cast also includes Ann Sheridan, Betty Field, Charles Coburn, Claude Rains, Judith Anderson, Maria Ouspenskaya and Harry Davenport. (amctv.com)
3 nominations
· Best Picture 1942: Hal B. Wallis, producer (Warner Bros.)
· Directing 1942: Sam Wood
· Cinematography (Black and White) 1942: James Wong Howe