15th Academy Awards 15th Academy Awards The 15th Academy Awards was held in the Cocoanut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles honoring the films of 1942. Best Picture honors went to the film "Mrs. Miniver". The ceremony is most famous for the speech by the film’s Oscar-winning actress Greer Garson. Garson’s acceptance speech as Best Actress ran nearly 6 minutes and is generally considered to be the longest acceptance speech at an Academy Awards ceremony. "Mrs. Miniver" was the second film (after "My Man Godfrey" in 1936) to receive nominations in all four acting categories, as well as the first film
William Wyler films that could be considered anti-Nazi were banned by the Hays Office. U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, Joseph Kennedy, told the studios to stop making pro-British and anti-German films. Kennedy felt that British defeat was imminent. But MGM producer Eddie Mannix disagreed, saying that "someone should salute England. And even if we lose $100,000, that'll be okay." "Mrs. Miniver" went on to win six Academy Awards, becoming the top box office hit of 1942. It was Wyler's first Academy Award for Best Director. President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill both loved the film, said historian Emily Yellin,