Best Documentary, 1947

Awards presented March 20, 1948

The nominees were ... 

(Feature) 

(Short Subject) 
And the Oscar went to ... 
(Feature) 
Design for Death, Sid Rogell, executive producer; Theron Warth and Richard O. Fleischer, producers.

A portrayal of Japanese culture based on an Army training film, Our Job in Japan, for troops stationed in postwar Japan. It was written by Theodor S. Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, and his wife, Helen. Rogell, an RKO producer, took on the job of turning it into a feature for postwar audiences. Editor Elmo Williams claimed that he and Geisel did all the work and that Fleischer (who would later direct the Pearl Harbor movie Tora! Tora! Tora!) and Warth, an RKO editor, made minimal contributions. The portrayal of prewar Japan as "old, backward, superstitious" and the Shinto religion as "out of date" is simplistic and offensive, but wartime animosities die hard. The film, in any case, is rarely seen today, though its source, Our Job in Japan, is available on YouTube. 



(Short Subject) 
First Steps, United Nations Division of Films and Visual Information.

A very upbeat short film about physical and occupational therapy for children with disabilities. Written by Al Wasserman, who later became a writer, director, and producer for NBC News. 



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