Academy Award For Best Visual Effects - Early Awards For Special Effects

Early Awards For Special Effects

Engineering Effects

• 1927-1928: Wings - Roy Pomeroy
  • The Jazz Singer - Nugent Slaughter
  • The Private Life of Helen of Troy - Ralph Hammeras

Special Awards
"For outstanding achievement in creating special photographic and sound effects"

• 1938: Spawn of the North - Gordon Jennings, assisted by Jan Domela, Dev Jennings, Irmin Roberts and Art Smith; transparencies by Farciot Edouart, assisted by Loyal Griggs (Note: Award also given to sound effects artists as well)

Special Effects (Note: From 1939 to 1962, Visual Effects nominations were shared with Sound Effects nominations as a combined Special Effects category. Only visual effects artists are listed below unless specifically noted.)

• 1939: The Rains Came - E. H. Hansen
  • Gone with the Wind - Jack Cosgrove
  • Only Angels Have Wings - Roy Davidson
  • The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex - Byron Haskin
  • Topper Takes a Trip - Roy Seawright
  • Union Pacific - Farciot Edouart
  • The Wizard of Oz - A. Arnold Gillespie

• 1940: The Thief of Bagdad - Lawrence Butler
  • The Blue Bird - Fred Sersen
  • Boom Town - A. Arnold Gillespie
  • The Boys from Syracuse - John P. Fulton
  • Dr. Cyclops - Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings
  • Foreign Correspondent - Paul Eagler
  • The Invisible Man Returns - John P. Fulton
  • The Long Voyage Home - R.T. Layton and Ray Binger
  • One Million B.C. - Roy Seawright
  • Rebecca - Jack Cosgrove
  • The Sea Hawk - Byron Haskin
  • Swiss Family Robinson - Vernon L. Walker
  • Typhoon - Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings
  • Women in War - Howard Lydecker, William Bradford and Ellis J. Thackery

• 1941: I Wanted Wings - Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings
  • Aloma of the South Seas - Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings
  • Flight Command - A. Arnold Gillespie
  • The Invisible Woman - John P. Fulton
  • The Sea Wolf - Byron Haskin
  • That Hamilton Woman - Lawrence Butler
  • Topper Returns - Roy Seawright
  • A Yank in the R.A.F. - Fred Sersen

• 1942: Reap the Wild Wind - Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings and William L. Pereira
  • The Black Swan - Fred Sersen
  • Desperate Journey - Byron Haskin
  • Flying Tigers - Howard Lydecker
  • Invisible Agent - John P. Fulton
  • The Jungle Book - Lawrence Butler
  • Mrs. Miniver - A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe
  • The Navy Comes Through - Vernon L. Walker
  • One of Our Aircraft is Missing - Ronald Neame
  • Pride of the Yankees - Jack Cosgrove and Ray Binger

• 1943: Crash Dive - Fred Sersen
  • Air Force - Hans Koenekamp and Rex Wimpy
  • Bombardier - Vernon L. Walker
  • The North Star - Clarence Slifer and Ray Binger
  • So Proudly We Hail! - Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings
  • Stand by for Action - A. Arnold Gillespie and Donald Jahraus

• 1944: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo - A. Arnold Gillespie, Donald Jahraus and Warren Newcombe
  • The Adventures of Mark Twain - Paul Detlefson and John Crouse
  • Days of Glory - Vernon L. Walker
  • Secret Command - David Allen, Ray Cory and Robert Wright
  • Since You Went Away - Jack Cosgrove
  • The Story of Dr. Wassell - Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings
  • Wilson - Fred Sersen

• 1945: Wonder Man - John P. Fulton
  • Captain Eddie - Fred Sersen and Sol Halprin
  • Spellbound - Jack Cosgrove
  • They Were Expendable - A. Arnold Gillespie, Donald Jahraus and R.A. MacDonald
  • A Thousand and One Nights - L.W. Butler

• 1946: Blithe Spirit - Thomas Howard
  • A Stolen Life - William C. McGann

• 1947: Green Dolphin Street - A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe
  • Unconquered - Farciot Edouart, Devereux Jennings and Gordon Jennings

• 1948: Portrait of Jennie - Paul Eagler, J. McMillan Johnson, Russell Shearman and Clarence Slifer
  • Deep Waters - Ralph Hammeras, Fred Sersen and Edward Snyder

• 1949: Mighty Joe Young - No nominees named
  • Tulsa - No nominees named

• 1950: Destination Moon - No nominees named
  • Samson and Delilah - No nominees named

• 1951: When Worlds Collide - No nominees named
  (When Worlds Collide was the sole nominee and won the award outright.)

• 1952: Plymouth Adventure - No nominees named
  (Plymouth Adventure was the sole nominee and won the award outright.)

• 1953: The War of the Worlds - No nominees named
  (War of the Worlds was the sole nominee and won the award outright.)

• 1954: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - No nominees named
  • Hell and High Water - No nominees named
  • Them! - No nominees named

• 1955: The Bridges at Toko-Ri - No nominees named
  • The Dam Busters - No nominees named
  • The Rains of Ranchipur - No nominees named

• 1956: The Ten Commandments - John P. Fulton
  • Forbidden Planet - A. Arnold Gillespie, Irving Ries and Wesley C. Miller

• 1957: The Enemy Below - Sound Effects by Walter Rossi (Note: Listed for reference only; this is not a Visual Effects award win.)
  • The Spirit of St. Louis - Visual Effects by Louis Lichtenfield

• 1958: tom thumb - Visual Effects by Tom Howard
  • Torpedo Run - Visual Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie

• 1959: Ben-Hur - Visual Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie and Robert MacDonald
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth - Visual Effects by L.B. Abbott and James B. Gordon

• 1960: The Time Machine - Visual Effects by Gene Warren and Tim Baar
  • The Last Voyage - Visual Effects by A.J. Lohman

• 1961: The Guns of Navarone - Visual Effects by Bill Warrington
  • The Absent-Minded Professor - Visual Effects by Robert A. Mattey and Eustace Lycett

• 1962: The Longest Day - Visual Effects by Robert MacDonald
  • Mutiny on the Bounty - Visual Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie