1941 in film

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The year 1941 in film involved some significant events.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1941 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1941
Rank	Title	Studio	Box-office gross rental
1	Sergeant York	Warner Bros.	$6,075,000[1]
2	How Green Was My Valley	20th Century Fox	$3,000,000[2]
3	Honky Tonk	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	$2,893,000[3]
4	Louisiana Purchase	Paramount Pictures	$2,800,000[4]
5	A Yank in the R.A.F.	20th Century Fox	$2,750,000[2]
6	Charley's Aunt	20th Century Fox	$2,400,000[2]
7	Babes on Broadway	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	$2,363,000[3]
8	Sun Valley Serenade	20th Century Fox	$2,250,000[2]
9	Caught in the Draft Ball of Fire	Paramount Pictures RKO Radio Pictures/Samuel Goldwyn Productions	$2,200,000[4][5]
10	The Little Foxes Road to Zanzibar	RKO Radio Pictures/Samuel Goldwyn Productions Paramount Pictures	$2,100,000[4]

Events

January 17 – Gone with the Wind goes into general release after touring in a roadshow version during 1940. Becoming a cultural phenomenon, it sold an estimated 60 million tickets in 1941 alone. Adjusted for inflation with numerous rereleases, it remains the highest grossing domestic film of all time with $1.8 billion.[6]
May 1 – Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released.
July 2 – Sergeant York, the film biopic of World War I hero Alvin C. York, starring Gary Cooper in the title role, was released. A critical and a commercial success, it became the highest-grossing picture of 1941 and earned Cooper the first of two Academy Awards for Best Actor.
October 3 – The Maltese Falcon, considered one of the greatest films noir, is released.
October 23 – Dumbo was released, becoming Disney's only big hit in the 1940s and one of the most acclaimed animated films ever made. Praised for mastering sophisticated simplicity and economic story, it is the favorite film of Animation Pioneer John Lasseter.

Academy Awards

Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley – 20th Century-Fox
Best Actor: Gary Cooper – Sergeant York
Best Actress: Joan Fontaine – Suspicion
Best Supporting Actor: Donald Crisp – How Green Was My Valley
Best Supporting Actress: Mary Astor – The Great Lie
Best Director: John Ford – How Green Was My Valley

1941 film releases

United States unless stated

January–March

January 1941
- 1 January
  - Princess Iron Fan (China)
- 16 January
  - The Face Behind the Mask
- 21 January
  - High Sierra
- 23 January
  - Suvorov
- 24 January
  - Life with Henry
  - The Saint in Palm Springs
- 28 January
  - Sullivan's Travels
- 31 January
  - Buck Privates
  - Mr. & Mrs. Smith
February 1941
- 7 February
  - Back Street
- 18 February
  - Adam Had Four Sons
- 20 February
  - Tobacco Road
- 21 February
  - Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
  - Nice Girl?
  - The Strawberry Blonde
  - Western Union
- 25 February
  - The Lady Eve
March 1941
- 1 March
  - Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (Japan)
- 7 March
  - Rage in Heaven
- 8 March
  - Footsteps in the Dark
- 10 March
  - Flying Wild
- 21 March
  - The Sea Wolf
- 26 March
  - I Wanted Wings
- 28 March
  - Man Made Monster

April–June

April 1941
- 4 April
  - The Devil and Miss Jones
  - Ohm Krüger (Germany)
- 6 April
  - The Flame of New Orleans
- 10 April
  - Piccolo mondo antico (Italy)
- 11 April
  - Road to Zanzibar
  - That Night in Rio
- 12 April
  - The Great Lie
- 19 April
  - The Farmer's Wife (Britain)
  - Hatter's Castle (Britain)
  - Quiet Wedding (GB)
- 24 April
  - Crook's Tour (Britain)
  - Penny Serenade
- 25 April
  - They Met in Argentina
  - Ziegfeld Girl
- 30 April
  - That Hamilton Woman (GB)
May 1941
- 1 May
  - Citizen Kane
- 2 May
  - The Black Cat
- 3 May
  - Meet John Doe
- 5 May
  - Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It (GB)
- 7 May
  - Sheriff of Tombstone
- 9 May
  - U-Boat Course West! (Germany)
- 10 May
  - Spellbound
- 22 May
  - Blood and Sand
- 23 May
  - A Woman's Face
- 24 May
  - Crook's Tour
- 30 May
  - In the Navy
June 1941
- 7 June
  - Shining Victory
- 11 June
  - The Gang's All Here
- 13 June
  - Broadway Limited
  - Man Hunt
  - One Night in Lisbon
- 18 June
  - Moon Over Miami
- 20 June
  - The Big Store
  - The Reluctant Dragon
- 26 June
  - Blossoms in the Dust
- 27 June
  - Hit the Road
- 28 June
  - Kipps
  - Love on the Dole (GB)

July–September

July 1941
- 2 July
  - The Sea Wolf
  - Sergeant York
- 4 July
  - Caught in the Draft
  - A Charming Man (Czechoslovakia)
- 12 July
  - The Bride Came C.O.D.
- 18 July
  - The Shepherd of the Hills
- 25 July
  - Target for Tonight (GB)
- 26 July
  - Bad Men of Missouri
  - Pimpernel Smith
August 1941
- 1 August
  - Bowery Blitzkrieg
  - Charley's Aunt
- 2 August
  - Major Barbara (GB)
- 6 August
  - Hold That Ghost
- 7 August
  - Here Comes Mr. Jordan
- 8 August
  - Six Gun Gold
- 9 August
  - Manpower
- 12 August
  - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- 15 August
  - Life Begins for Andy Hardy
- 21 August
  - Sun Valley Serenade
- 28 August
  - The Blue Star Hotel (Czechoslovakia)
- 29 August
  - The Little Foxes
September
- 1 September
  - Lady Be Good
- 5 September
  - Charlie Chan in Rio
- 6 September
  - Cottage to Let (GB)
- 18 September
  - Ladies in Retirement
- 19 September
  - The Tyrant Father (Portugal)
- 25 September
  - You'll Never Get Rich
- 26 September
  - Hold Back the Dawn
  - It Started with Eve
  - A Yank in the RAF

October–December

October 1941
- 2 October
  - Honky Tonk
  - One Foot in Heaven
- 8 October
  - 49th Parallel
  - Week-End in Havana
- 10 October
  - Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
- 17 October
  - The Devil and Daniel Webster
  - Jesse James at Bay
- 18 October
  - The Maltese Falcon
- 22 October
  - You Belong to Me
- 23 October
  - Dumbo
- 24 October
  - Spooks Run Wild
- 25 October
  - The Tell-Tale Heart
- 28 October
  - How Green Was My Valley
- 31 October
  - The Chocolate Soldier
November 1941
- 7 November
  - Unexpected Uncle
- 14 November
  - I Wake Up Screaming
  - Suspicion
- 15 November
  - Blues in the Night
- 21 November
  - Look Who's Laughing
  - Shadow of the Thin Man
  - Skylark
  - They Died with Their Boots On
- 27 November
  - Stormy Waters (France)
- 28 November
  - The Corsican Brothers
  - Keep 'Em Flying
December 1941
- 1 December
  - The 47 Ronin (Part 1) (Japan)
  - Tarzan's Secret Treasure
- 2 December
  - Ball of Fire
- 5 December
  - Mr. Bug Goes to Town
- 12 December
  - Among the Living
  - Red River Valley
  - The Wolf Man
- 18 December
  - H.M. Pulham, Esq.
  - Kathleen
- 21 December
  - The Heavenly Play (Sweden)
- 25 December
  - Louisiana Purchase
  - The Shanghai Gesture
- 26 December
  - Hellzapoppin'
  - The Sausage-Maker Who Disappeared (Norway)
- 31 December
  - Babes on Broadway

Notable films released in 1941

United States unless stated

#

The 47 Ronin (Genroku chushingura), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi – (Japan)
49th Parallel, directed by Michael Powell, starring Leslie Howard and Laurence Olivier – (GB)

P

Penn of Pennsylvania, starring Clifford Evans and Deborah Kerr – (GB)
Penny Serenade, starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant
Piccolo mondo antico (Old-Fashioned World), starring Alida Valli – (Italy)
Pimpernel Smith, directed by and starring Leslie Howard – (GB)
A Place to Live
Pride of the Bowery, starring the East Side Kids
Princess Iron Fan (Tie shan gong zhu) – (China)

Q-R

Quiet Wedding, directed by Anthony Asquith, starring Margaret Lockwood – (GB)
Rage in Heaven, starring Robert Montgomery and Ingrid Bergman
Red River Valley, directed by Joseph Kane, starring Roy Rogers
The Reluctant Dragon, starring Robert Benchley
Road to Zanzibar, starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby

S

The Saint in Palm Springs, starring George Sanders
The Sausage-Maker Who Disappeared (Den forsvundne pølsemaker) – (Norway)
The Sea Wolf, starring Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield
Sergeant York, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan
Shadow of the Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy
The Shanghai Gesture, starring Gene Tierney
The Shepherd of the Hills, starring John Wayne
Sheriff of Tombstone, starring Roy Rogers
Shining Victory, starring James Stephenson and Geraldine Fitzgerald
Sikandar (Alexander the Great) – (India)
Six Gun Gold, starring Tim Holt
Skylark, starring Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland
Spellbound, starring Derek Farr – (GB)
Spooks Run Wild, starring East Side Kids and Bela Lugosi
Stormy Waters (Remorques), starring Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan – (France)
The Strawberry Blonde, starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth
Sullivan's Travels, directed by Preston Sturges, starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake
Sun Valley Serenade, starring Sonja Henie
Suspicion, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant
Suvorov – (U.S.S.R.)
Swamp Water, directed by Jean Renoir, starring Walter Brennan and Walter Huston

T-V

The Tale of the Fox (Le Roman de Renard) – (France)
Target for Tonight, a propaganda documentary – (GB)
Tarzan's Secret Treasure, starring Johnny Weissmuller
Teresa Venerdì, directed by and starring Vittorio De Sica – (Italy)
That Hamilton Woman (aka Lady Hamilton), starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier – (GB)
That Night in Rio, starring Don Ameche, Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda
The Tell-Tale Heart, starring Joseph Schildkraut
They Died with Their Boots On, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland
They Met in Argentina, starring Maureen O'Hara and James Ellison
Tobacco Road, starring Gene Tierney
Tosca, directed by Jean Renoir, starring Imperio Argentina and Michel Simon (Italy)
Turned Out Nice Again, starring George Formby – (GB)
The Tyrant Father (O Pai Tirano) – (Portugal)
U-Boat Course West! (U-Boote westwärts) – (Germany)
Unexpected Uncle, starring Anne Shirley, James Craig, Charles Coburn
Unholy Partners, starring Edward G. Robinson and Laraine Day

W-X

Week-End in Havana, starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Carmen Miranda and Cesar Romero
Western Union, starring Randolph Scott
When Ladies Meet, starring Joan Crawford, Greer Garson, Robert Taylor and Herbert Marshall
The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney, Jr.
A Woman's Face, starring Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas

Y-Z

A Yank in the RAF, starring Tyrone Power and Betty Grable
You Belong to Me, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda
You'll Never Get Rich, starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth
Ziegfeld Girl, starring Judy Garland and James Stewart

Serials

The Adventures of Captain Marvel, starring Tom Tyler, directed by William Witney and John English
Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc, starring Ralph Byrd, directed by William Witney and John English
The Green Hornet, starring Gordon Jones
Holt of the Secret Service, directed by James W. Horne
The Iron Claw, directed by James W. Horne
Jungle Girl, starring Frances Gifford, directed by William Witney and John English
King of the Texas Rangers, directed by William Witney and John English
Riders of Death Valley, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
Sea Raiders, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
Sky Raiders, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
The Spider Returns, starring Warren Hull, directed by James W. Horne
White Eagle, directed by James W. Horne

Comedy film series

Animated short film series

Mickey Mouse (1928–1942, 1947–1953)
Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
- Bugs Bunny (1941–1964)
- Daffy Duck (1938–1968)
- Porky Pig (1936–1946, 1948–1951)
- Sniffles (1939–1946)
- Inki (1939–1950)
Terrytoons (1930–1964)
Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
Scrappy (1931-1941)
Popeye (1933–1957)
Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
Donald Duck (1937–1956)
Walter Lantz Cartunes (also known as New Universal Cartoons or Cartune Comedies) (1938–1942)
Goofy (1939–1955)
Andy Panda (1939–1949)
Tom and Jerry (1940–1958, 1961–1967)
- The Midnight Snack
- The Night Before Christmas
Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949,1951–1972)
Swing Symphonies (1941–1945)
The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
Superman (1941–1943)

Births

January 1 – Eva Ras, Serbian actress, writer, and painter
January 14 – Faye Dunaway, American actress
January 31 – Jessica Walter, American actress
February 8 – Nick Nolte, American actor and producer
February 10 – Michael Apted, English director, producer and screenwriter
March 4 – Adrian Lyne, English director and producer
March 14 – Wolfgang Petersen, German director, producer and screenwriter
March 16 – Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian director (died 2018)
April 7 – Danny Wells, Canadian actor and comedian (died 2013)
April 14 – Julie Christie, English actress and sex symbol
April 20 – Ryan O'Neal, American actor
April 28 – Ann-Margret, Swedish-born American actress, dancer and singer
May 13 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress and producer
June 2 – Stacy Keach, American actor
June 5 – Spalding Gray, American actor and screenwriter (died 2004)
June 10 – Jürgen Prochnow, German actor
June 20 – Stephen Frears, English film director
June 21 – Joe Flaherty, Canadian-American actor and comedian
June 22 – Michael Lerner, American actor
June 25 – Denys Arcand, Canadian director and screenwriter
June 27 – Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director (died 1996)
July 28 - Peter Cullen, Canadian voice actor
July 29 – David Warner, English actor
September 26 – Martine Beswick, English actress and model
October 6 – Billy Murray, English actor
October 10 – Peter Coyote, American actor
October 19 – Simon Ward, English actor
October 23 – Mel Winkler, American actor
October 25 - Gordon Tootoosis, Aborginal Canadian actor (died 2011)
October 31 – Sally Kirkland, American actress
November 1 – Robert Foxworth, American actor
November 18 – David Hemmings, English actor, director and producer (died 2003)
November 23 – Franco Nero, Italian actor
November 25 – Tiit Lilleorg, Estonian actor
December 4 – Leila Säälik, Estonian actress
December 9 – Beau Bridges, American actor

Deaths

January 4 – Henri Bergson, 81, French writer
January 10 – Joe Penner, 36, American comedian, actor, The Boys from Syracuse, Millionaire Playboy, The Day the Bookies Wept, Mr. Doodle Kicks Off
March 13 – Stuart Walker, 63, American director, White Woman, Great Expectations
May 8 – Tore Svennberg, 83, Swedish actor, The Phantom Carriage, A Woman's Face
May 12 – Ruth Stonehouse, 48, American actress, film director, The Satin Woman
May 22 – Ida Waterman, 89, American actress, Stella Maris, The Enchanted Cottage, Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley, Esmerelda
August 13 – J. Stuart Blackton, 66, British-American film producer and director, co-founder of Vitagraph Studios, The Glorious Adventure
October 9 – Helen Morgan, 41, American actress and singer, You Belong to Me, Applause, Show Boat
October 26 – Victor Schertzinger, 41, American director, Paramount on Parade, Road to Zanzibar
November 2 – Bengt Djurberg, 43, Swedish actor, Troll-Elgen
December 21 – David Howard, 45, American film director, Daniel Boone

Film Debuts

Yvonne De Carlo – Harvard, Here I Come
Cyd Charisse – The Gay Parisian
Eva Gabor – Forced Landing
Ava Gardner – Fancy Answers
Jackie Gleason – Navy Blues
Sterling Hayden – Virginia
Charlton Heston – Peer Gynt
Deborah Kerr – Major Barbara
Bruce Lee – Golden Gate Girl
Norman Lloyd – The Forgotten Man
Agnes Moorehead – Citizen Kane
Margaret O'Brien – Babes on Broadway
Donna Reed – The Get-Away
Frank Sinatra – Las Vegas Nights
Marie Windsor – Unexpected Uncle
Teresa Wright – The Little Foxes

References

Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 28 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 219
The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
Annual US Box Office Chart of 1941
"101 Pix Gross in Millions." Variety, January 6, 1943. p. 58.
"All Time Box Office Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-07.

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[warners-1] Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 28 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551

[FoxFinancialBook-2] Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 219

[Mannix-3] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[1941AnnualBoxOfficeChart-4] Annual US Box Office Chart of 1941

[101PixGross-5] "101 Pix Gross in Millions." Variety, January 6, 1943. p. 58.

[6] "All Time Box Office Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-07.