1931 in film

The following is an overview of 1931 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

January 5: acquires the producing and distribution arm of Pathé for $4.6 million.^[8]

RKO

March 14: , the first Indian-made sound film, premieres at the Majestic Cinema in Bombay.

Alam Ara

June 20: releases its first film, Ships of Hate.^[9]

Monogram Pictures

July 7: Anti-competitive practices disclosed about certain distributors and producers in Canada.

[10]

November 17: E. R. Tinker elected president of replacing Harley L. Clarke.^[10]

Fox Films

December 14: RKO refinancing plan approved.

[10]

: Cimarron – RKO

Best Picture

: Norman Taurog – Skippy

Best Director

: Lionel Barrymore – A Free Soul

Best Actor

: Marie Dressler – Min and Bill

Best Actress

The 4th Academy Awards were awarded to films completed and screened released between August 1, 1930, and July 31, 1931, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Most Nominations: Cimarron (RKO Pictures) – 7

Major Awards

Most Awards: Cimarron – 3 (Best Picture; Best Adaptation and Best Art Direction)

Cimarron was the first Western to win Best Picture, and would remain the only one to do so for 59 years (until Dances with Wolves won in 1991). It received a then-record seven nominations, and was the first film to win more than two awards.

The 5th Academy Awards were conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932,^[12] at a ceremony held at The Ambassador Hotel^[12] in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Conrad Nagel.^[12] Films screened in Los Angeles between August 1, 1931, and July 31, 1932, were eligible to receive awards.^[12]

Most nominations: Arrowsmith (Samuel Goldwyn Productions) and The Champ (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) – 4

Major Awards

Most Awards: Bad Girl (Best Director and Best Adaptation) and The Champ (Best Actor and Best Original Story) – 2

Note: The Academy Award for Best Picture went to 1932's Grand Hotel.

The Criminal Code

Trader Horn

The Speckled Band

, directed by Marion Gering, starring Clive Brook, Kay Francis and Miriam Hopkins

24 Hours

Battling with Buffalo Bill

Danger Island

Finger Prints

, starring Harold Grange

The Galloping Ghost

Heroes of the Flames

King of the Wild

, starring Rin Tin Tin

The Lightning Warrior

The Mystery Trooper

The Phantom of the West

The Sign of the Wolf

The Spell of the Circus

The Vanishing Legion

(1921–1943)

Laurel and Hardy

(1924–1940)

Charley Chase

(1917–1941)

Buster Keaton

(1922–1944)

Our Gang

(1921–1933)

Aesop's Film Fables

(1925–1940)

Krazy Kat

(1927–1938)

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Mickey Mouse

Silly Symphonies

(1929–1938)

Screen Songs

Talkartoons

(1930–1969)

Looney Tunes

(1930–1933)

Flip the Frog

(1930–1964)

Terrytoons

(1930-1931)

Toby the Pup

(1931–1969)

Merrie Melodies

(1931–1941)

Scrappy

(1931–1933)

Tom and Jerry (Van Beuren)

January 3 – , né Biedrzycki, American actor and producer (died 2017)

Conrad Brooks

January 5 – , American actor and director

Robert Duvall

January 9 - , American actor (died 2013)

Paul Mantee

January 13 - , American actor (died 1996)

Scott Beach

January 14 – , French singer and actress

Caterina Valente

January 17 – , American actor

James Earl Jones

January 22 - , American actress (died 1998)

Mary Castle

January 25 - , American actor (died 2015)

Dean Jones

January 26 – , American actress (died 2011)

Mary Murphy

January 29 – , English-born film composer and lyricist (died 2021)

Leslie Bricusse

January 30 - , American actor (died 2022)

Read Morgan

Bryan O'Byrne

February 8 – , American actor (died 1955)

James Dean

February 9 - , English actress (died 2023)

Barbara Young

Charles Hyatt

Claire Bloom

February 18 - , Spanish television presenter and actress (died 2023)

Laura Valenzuela

February 20 - , Austrian producer (died 2022)

Karl Spiehs

February 24 – , American actor

Dominic Chianese

February 26 - , Irish character actor (died 2010)

Shay Duffin

February 28 - , American actor (died 2021)

Gavin MacLeod

March 5 - , Australian director and actor (died 2020)

George Ogilvie

March 8 - , British-Canadian director, writer, producer and animator (died 2022)

Gerald Potterton

March 15 - , Irish actor (died 2014)

James Ellis

March 20 – , American actor, director and musician

Hal Linden

March 22 – , Canadian actor

William Shatner

March 26 – , American actor and director (died 2015)

Leonard Nimoy

March 27 - , American actress (died 2022)

Marion Brash

April 1 – , Estonian actress (died 2023)

Ita Ever

April 8 – , American actor and diplomat (died 2018)

John Gavin

April 17 – , Mexican voice actor (died 2013)

Esteban Siller

May 5 - , British actor (died 2001)

Brian O'Shaughnessy

May 10 – , Italian director and screenwriter (died 2016)

Ettore Scola

May 15 - , Indian director and screenwriter (died 2021)

K. S. Sethumadhavan

May 16 - , American actor (died 2015)

Frank Albanese

May 18 – , American actor and singer (died 2022)

Robert Morse

May 19 - , Northern Irish actor (died 2021)

James Greene

Barbara Barrie

May 24 – , British-French actor (died 2020)

Michael Lonsdale

Carroll Baker

June 2 - , Australian character actor

Peter Cummins

June 3 – , American supermodel and actress

Carmen Dell'Orefice

June 7 - , English actress

Virginia McKenna

June 14 – , American actress, singer, comedian, writer and producer

Marla Gibbs

Olympia Dukakis

July 1 – , French actress and dancer

Leslie Caron

Robert Ito

July 4 – , Irish actor (died 1977)

Stephen Boyd

July 5 – , Portuguese filmmaker, writer, university professor and lecturer (died 2017)

António de Macedo

Donal Donnelly

July 10 – , American actor and screenwriter (died 1968)

Nick Adams

July 11 – , American actor and singer (died 2018)

Tab Hunter

July 14 – , Kenyan photographer, writer and actress

Mirella Ricciardi

July 24 – , Italian director and screenwriter (died 2018)

Ermanno Olmi

July 27 – , American actor, musician and comedian (died 2018)

Jerry Van Dyke

July 28 – , American actor, voice artist, screenwriter and television executive (died 2024)

Darryl Hickman

Elena Cotta

August 23 – , American actress

Barbara Eden

August 12 – , American screenwriter and novelist (died 2018)

William Goldman

August 31 – , American actor (died 2004)

Noble Willingham

September 4 – , American actress, singer and dancer

Mitzi Gaynor

September 10 – , American actor (died 2022)

Philip Baker Hall

Ian Holm

September 13 – , American actress

Barbara Bain

September 17 – , American actress (died 2005)

Anne Bancroft

September 20 - , American producer (died 2009)

Ned Tanen

September 21 – , American actor and director (died 2012)

Larry Hagman

Eddie Barth

September 30 – , American actress

Angie Dickinson

October 10 – , Venezuelan director (died 2023)

Román Chalbaud

October 12 - , Scottish actress (died 2018)

Yvonne Gilan

October 19 - , Brazilian actor (died 2008)

Rubens de Falco

October 21 – , English actress

Vivian Pickles

October 30 - , American costume designer and actress

Ann Roth

November 3 – , Italian actress (died 2022)

Monica Vitti

November 5 - , American actor (died 2016)

Gil Hill

November 6 – , German-born director (died 2014)

Mike Nichols

November 10 – , English actor (died 1997)

Don Henderson

November 12 – , American actress, singer and comedian

Mary Louise Wilson

November 18 - , American character actor (died 2008)

Brad Sullivan

November 30 – , American actor (died 2022)

Jack Ging

December 2 – , Serbian actress (died 2019)

Nadja Regin

December 3 - , retired American singer, actress and game show panelist

Jaye P. Morgan

Paddi Edwards

Anne Heywood

December 14 - , American singer and actress

Abbe Lane

December 20 - , American actress (died 2007)

Mala Powers

December 23 – , American actor and stand-up comedian

Ronnie Schell

December 24 - , American actor (died 1997)

Robert Ridgely

December 28 – . American actor (died 2015)

Martin Milner

March 11 – , German director (born 1888)

F. W. Murnau

Charles Clary

April 9 - , American screen actor (born 1880)

Thomas Santschi

June 7 – , German actor (born 1880)

Viktor Schwanneke

August 14 – , French actress (born 1908)

Janie Marèse

September 13 – , English actor (born 1853)

Lawrence D'Orsay

October 18 - , inventor (born 1847)

Thomas Edison

November 27 – , Hungarian actress (born 1899)

Lya De Putti

December 23 – , stage and film veteran, father of movie star Tyrone Power (born 1869)

Tyrone Power, Sr.

at IMDb

List of 1931 films

at IMDb

List of 1931 deaths

at IMDb