John Ford won his third Best Director award for How Green Was My Valley, becoming the second to do so (after Frank Capra), and the first to win the award in consecutive years (following The Grapes of Wrath in 1940).
The Little Foxes set a record by receiving nine nominations without winning a single Oscar; this mark was matched by Peyton Place in 1957, and exceeded by The Turning Point and The Color Purple, both of which received 11 nominations without a win.
Bette Davis had sought to open the ceremony to the public for the benefit of the American Red Cross, but was turned down and she ended up resigning from her post as President of AMPAS over this.[1]
A portion of the ceremony was broadcast by CBS Radio.[3]