Off the top of my head, I've compiled a list of movies in which another movie has, quite honestly, become better known for that year in question over the actual Best Picture winner.

Of course, the biggest one here, Wizard of Oz over Gone With The Wind.

To me, Gone With the Wind is too dated (not just because of the civil war), too long and Gable's performance is lacking IMO.

Wizard of Oz, of course, reshown constantly, reworked into other shows and movies, quoted left and right. Who doesnt know the story?

But basically, it all comes down to when the movie is shown today, if at all, if the movie makes 'Where Are They Now?' programs, how well known and recognized the movie is.

I've included one, ET, never a fave of mine, but I suppose a generation loves this story. Who on Earth watches Ghandi nowadays?

I included Goonies, simply because I have seen 'Where Are They Now?' about the kids. Who even knows the story of Out Of Africa?

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has appeared on Broadway recently. Oliver! hasn't.

I included Nine To Five for the same reason, as it has just turned up on Broadway, while Ordinary People (Best Picture) hasn't, nor has Fame, Coalminer's Daughter or The Rose, all musical films to begin with.

Willie Wonka was (poorly, IMO) remade, while no one is recollecting anything about French Connection.

Who can think of some others?

1939 - Wizard of Oz over Gone With the Wind

1946 - It's a Wonderful Life over Best Year of Our Lives

1952 - Singing In The Rain or Quiet Man over Greatest Show On Earth

1956 - Ten Commandments over King and I

1964 - Mary Poppins over My Fair Lady

1965 - Sound of Music over Doctor Zhivago

1968 - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang over Oliver!

1971 - Willie Wonka over French Connection

1977 - Star Wars over Annie Hall

1980 - Nine To Five over The Rose, Ordinary People, Coalminer's Daughter or Fame

1982 - ET over Ghandi

1983 - A Christmas Story over Terms of Endearment

1985 - Goonies over Out of Africa

I prefer OZ today over GWTW but the first time I saw the former I was disappointed but so entralled with the latter that I went to see it again a few days later! That was back in the 1960's.


Of your comparisons from The Golden Age upto the 1970 often there is a hard choice between the two but I must confess I don't think I have seen IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and I pride myself on not having ever seen WILLIE WONKA.


OLIVER is currently playing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London and I'm sure it'll find it's way to Broadway.

"Sunrise" over "Wings" (1927).
"City Lights" (not nominated) over "Cimarron" (1931).
"42nd Street" over "Cavalcade" (1933).
"The Awful Truth" over "The Life of Emile Zola" (1937).
"Citizen Kane" over "How Green Was my Valley" (1941).
"Random Harvest" over "Mrs. Miniver" (1942).
"It's a Wonderful Life" over "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946).
"The Treasure of Sierra Madre" over "Hamlet" (1948).
"Singin' in the Rain" (not nominated) over "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952).
"A Star is Born" (not nominated) over "On the Waterfront" (1954).
"Chinatown" over "The Godfather Part II" (1974).
"Raging Bull" over "Ordinary People" (1980).
"The Dresser" over "Terms of Endearment" (1983).
"Hannah and her Sisters" over "Platoon" (1986).
"Fatal Attraction" over "The Last Emperor" (1987).
"Dogfight" (not nominated) over "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991).
"Pulp Fiction" over "Forrest Gump" (1994).
"Little Miss Sunshine" over "The Departed" (2006).

ALL my above choices are, today, more popular and more often seen, than the actual "winners" of the Best Picture award. Tell me: WHEN is the last time anybody watched "Cavalcade?"

Cheers,
Dan

Its definitely generational, but the original Wonka has people inquiring as to where the kids are today (mainly Charlie and the girls as Charlie never did anything else and is today a veterinarian).

As you are aware of what is appearing in London on Drury Lane, I take it you aren't American.

Wonderful Life is a predominantly American story, but then so is Best Picture Winner 'Best Years of Our Lives'.

I can see the Americanisms in Wizard of Oz, and being from Mississippi, I can attest that Gone With The Wind really doesn't have an American flavor and is more the 'story of one woman's struggles' thing.

I used to always hold on to the 'mystique' of the academy awards as to why Green Valley won over Citizen Kane (a movie I watched only once and wasn't impressed with), until I finally saw Green Valley and was floored by how tepid it was.

It seemed obvious to me the politics that was going on; 'dont vote for Orson Welles, so vote for the next one on the ballot . . . . . How Green Was My Valley.'

A piece ran on the academy awards years ago while Irene Cara sung a song in which it showed movies that were nominated and none of them won Best Picture.

Needless to say, the list was stunning.

For me it comes down to whether you think a movie is the "best" of the year rather than more well known today though in some cases yes some films that won Best Picture are comparatively forgotten while losers like It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Singin' In the Rain (1952) are iconic classics. I think its close between GWTW and Oz for iconic status these days though Oz used to be yearly event on UK TV at Christmas.

I've always liked Oliver! (1968) and thought it was a far better film than Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) but maybe its true that the latter is better known as it hit the West End earlier and is more child friendly ?

So for my money better even if in many cases not better remembered, in some cases a few more titles apart from the one I've mentioned I'd say are better than the Best Picture winner :

Sunrise (1927) over Wings (1927)
City Lights (1931) over Cimarron (1931)
Love Me Tonight (1932) over Grand Hotel (1932)
King Kong (1933) over Cavalcade (1933)
The 39 Steps (1935) (again revived in the West End) over Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Modern Times (1936) over The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
La Grande Illusion (1937) over The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) over You Can't Take It With You (1938)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) over Rebecca (1940)
Citizen Kane (1941) over How Green Was My Valley (1941)
To Be or Not To Be (1942) over Mrs Miniver (1942)
Double Indemnity (1944) over Going My Way (1944)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) over Hamlet (1948)
The Third Man (1949) over All the King's Men (1949)
Sunset Boulevard (1950) over All About Eve (1950)
Singin' In the Rain (1952) over The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
The Searchers (1956) over Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Paths of Glory (1957) over Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Vertigo (1958) over Gigi (1958)
Some Like It Hot (1959) over Ben Hur (1959)
Psycho (1960) over The Apartment (1960)

Guess when I made out my list of "Better than Best Pictures" I was fixated on selecting those that I thought were best, rather than answering the OP's question: Which of those Oscar-spurned films are better remembered today than the pics that won?

Classic Movie Man, going over your list, I'd say that

Sunrise (1927).
City Lights (1931),
King Kong (1933),
Citizen Kane (1941),
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948), and
Singin' in the Rain (1952)

are all not only better remembered, but are much better pictures than the movies that won the Oscar.

Cheers,
Dan

One of my favorite topics! And the subject of one of my favorite books. Danny Peary's "Alternate Oscars". Gods I love that book and in most cases I agree with him (especially in the classic era pre-1960). Sunrise, City Lights, King Kong, Singin' in the Rain, The Searchers are all so much better than the movies that did win.