The history of The Oscars is long and storied, and throughout its many years of existence, there have been plenty of fascinating moments, nominations, and wins. From incredible moments like Parasite‘s historic Oscars win in 2020, to the insane and unexpected Will Smith slap at the 2022 Oscars heard around the world, the Academy Awards have been a staple of Hollywood since their inception, continuing to this day with the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. One film, starring classic Western icon Henry Fonda, made Oscars history with its unique Best Picture nomination in 1944, a feat which has yet to be repeated.
Henry Fonda was an American actor born in 1905, who began as a Broadway actor before moving to Hollywood in the 1930s, becoming very well-known for his complex characters in films such as the nearly perfect 12 Angry Men and My Darling Clementine. He earned two Academy Award nominations over his career for Best Actor, earning Fonda the title of the oldest winner of the award for his last theatrically released film, On Golden Ponds. However, one other film that he starred in, The Ox-Bow Incident, earned an Oscars achievement that has not been replicated in the many years since.
The Ox-Bow Incident Is The Only Movie To Be Nominated In Best Picture Alone
Every Other Best Picture Movie Had At Least One More Nomination
The Ox-Bow Incident was a Henry Fonda Western from 1943, also starring Dana Andrews and Mary Beth Hughes, which told the story of a pair of cowboys who join with a group of townspeople to catch a group of people who killed a rancher and stole his cattle. The film was received very positively, eventually earning itself a Best Picture nomination at the 16th Academy Awards. The interesting wrinkle with this film in particular is that Best Picture is the only award it was nominated for, with no representation in any other category.
The film to earn Best Picture at the 16th Academy Awards was
Casablanca
, which was nominated for seven other awards, winning three in total.
Plenty of films throughout the years have only earned a single nomination, but The Ox-Bow Incident stands alone with its singular Best Picture nomination, as no film since 1944 has received the same, even up through the 2025 Best Picture candidates. That ceremony in particular was one of the few times that 10 films were nominated for Best Picture, so while the actual reasons that Ox-Bow didn’t receive any nominations outside of Best Picture can’t be known, it is likely that the film only just made the cut as a nominee, and the other categories were already mostly locked in.
Why No Other Film Has Matched The Ox-Bow Incident’s Oscars Accomplishment
Why It Hasn’t Happened At All Since 1944
While at first, it seems surprising that there is only one film to earn this combination of nominations, it does make sense, as the categories that surround Best Picture are all factors that go into deciding how good a film is. Best Picture nominees are meant to be the best films of the year, which usually involves excellence in one or more other categories, such as the Best Screenplay or Best Actor categories. Based on the 2025 Oscars nominations that have continued this achievement’s rarity, it might be some time before another film achieves what The Ox-Bow Incident did.
Oscars
The Oscars, also known as The Academy Awards, is an annual awards show celebrating workers in the film industry for their artistic and technical abilities. The Oscars are often considered the most prestigious awards show in the industry and date back to 1929. The 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10, 2024, and be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC.
