1938 in film

The year 1938 in film involved some significant events, notably the release of Sergei Eisenstein's classic historical drama, Alexander Nevsky, with a score by Sergei Prokofiev; it was Eisenstein's first sound film.[1]. Leni Riefenstahl's documentary Olympia, a propaganda film documenting the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, proves both controversial and influential[2].

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1938 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1938
Rank Title Distributor Domestic rentals
1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs RKO/Walt Disney $3,996,000[3][4]
2 Boys Town MGM $2,828,000[5]
3 Alexander's Ragtime Band 20th Century Fox $2,630,000[6]
4 Test Pilot MGM $2,431,000[5]
5 You Can't Take It with You Columbia $2,182,000[6]
6 Sweethearts MGM $2,017,000[7]
7 In Old Chicago 20th Century Fox $1,964,000[6]
8 The Adventures of Robin Hood Warner Bros. $1,928,000[8]
9 Love Finds Andy Hardy MGM $1,637,000[5]
10 Marie Antoinette $1,633,000[5]

Events

Academy Awards

Notable films

United States unless stated

A

B

C

D

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

O

P

R

S

T

U-V

W

Y

Z

1938 film releases

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Serials

Comedy film series

Animated short film series

Births

Deaths

Film debuts

References

  1. ^ a b Peter Rollberg (2016). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. US: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 40. ISBN 978-1442268425.
  2. ^ a b "All-Time 100 Movies". Time. 12 February 2005. Archived from the original on May 23, 2005. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  3. ^ Jewell, Richard B. (1994). "RKO Film Grosses, 1929-1951: the C.J. Tevlin ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 14 (1): 37–49. doi:10.1080/01439689400260031.
  4. ^ Jewell, Richard B. (1994). "Appendix 1". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 14 (S1): 1–11. doi:10.1080/01439689408604545.
  5. ^ a b c d The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  6. ^ a b c "All-time Film Rental Champs". Variety. October 15, 1990.
  7. ^ Turk, Edward Baron "Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald" (University of California Press, 1998)
  8. ^ Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p 18 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  9. ^ "News of the Screen". New York Times. Mar 12, 1938.
  10. ^ Andrew Pike; Ross Cooper (1998). Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production. Oxford University Press. p. 181.
  11. ^ a b "Pearl White, Famous in Early Movie Thriller, Dies of Liver Ailment". Herald-Journal. August 5, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  12. ^ a b "The Lady Vanishes". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024.
  13. ^ McFarlane, Brian (2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film (fourth ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 1887. ISBN 9781526111968.
  14. ^ Handbook of Latin American Studies. University of Florida Press. 1981. p. 720.
  15. ^ LoBianco, Lorraine. "Algiers". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Sixty Glorious Years (1938)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016.
  17. ^ Mexican Cinema. British Film Institute. 1995. p. 283. ISBN 9780851705156.
  18. ^ Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia (1989). 34th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, 18-21 December 1989. Organizing Committee of 34th Asia-Pacific Film Festival.
  19. ^ "Michèle GIRARDON". notreCinema. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  20. ^ Chase's Calendar of Events 2017: The Ultimate Go-To Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months. Bernan Press. 2016. p. 420. ISBN 9781598888591.
  21. ^ Bartlett, Rhett (April 15, 2019). "Susan Harrison, 'Sweet Smell of Success' Actress, Dies at 80". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  22. ^ "Jean Seberg Found Dead in Paris; Actress Was Missing for 10 Days; A Life of Personal Tragedy". The New York Times. September 9, 1979. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  23. ^ "Neil Connery obituary". thetimes.com. The Times. May 14, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  24. ^ Donald Crafton (1979). Emile Cohl and the Origins of the Animated Film. Yale University. p. 208.
  25. ^ Uusitalo, Kari. "Adams, Abel (1879–1938) | Biografiakeskus, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura". Biografiakeskus, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  26. ^ "Florence Lawrence – Women Film Pioneers Project". wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2019.