And so we bid farewell to a category that probably never meant much to anyone except those who won. Giving an award for assistant director was like giving an award for managing: It's only noticeable when it fails.
The nominees were ...
- C.C. Coleman Jr., Lost Horizon
- Russ Saunders, The Life of Emile Zola
- Eric Stacey, A Star Is Born
- Hal Walker, Souls at Sea
- Robert Webb, In Old Chicago
And the Oscar went to ...
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| Webb, right, with Elvis Presley |
Webb went on to be a director in his own right, most notably on Elvis Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, and the early Cinemascope feature Beneath the 12-Mile Reef. In Old Chicago is notable mainly for its depiction of the Chicago fire of 1871, which involved special effects and stunt work by a crew that included Yakima Canutt.
