The Irving G. Thalberg Award is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to those “whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.” The honor is only presented periodically, and has only been awarded 38 times since the first was given to Darryl Zanuck in 1937. At the 14th Academy Awards in 1942, Walt Disney was awarded the Oscar for Best Short Subject (Cartoon) for Lend a Paw, Dumbo won for Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture). During that same ceremony, he was also presented with a special award for the creation of Fantasound—an innovative and pioneering precursor to modern surround sound.
But most notably that night, Walt Disney became the fourth recipient of the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Award. It is interesting to note that Walt’s “body of work” to that time consisted of cartoon shorts and just a few features—Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Dumbo (Bambi had not yet been released)—but the Academy felt that his contribution to motion pictures was not only significant, but worthy of one of its highest recognitions.
For more detailed information and history on the Irving G. Thalberg Award, visit www.oscars.com by clicking here.
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Anel Muller
Registrar/Curatorial Assistant at The Walt Disney Family Museum