Best Music: 1940s

Best Original Score:

1940: Rebecca (Franz Waxman)*

Oscar winner: Pinocchio (Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, and Ned Washington)

Was this nominated?: Yes

1941: Citizen Kane (Bernard Herrmann)

Oscar winner: All That Money Can Buy (Bernard Herrmann)

Was this nominated?: Yes
 

1942: Now, Voyager (Max Steiner)

Oscar winner: Now, Voyager (Max Steiner)

 

1943: Casablanca (Max Steiner)

Oscar winner: The Song of Bernadette (Alfred Newman)

Was this nominated?: Yes
 

1944: Double Indemnity (Miklos Rozsa)

Oscar winner: Since You Went Away (Max Steiner)

Was this nominated?: Yes
 

1945: Spellbound (Miklos Rozsa)

Oscar winner: Spellbound (Miklos Rozsa)
 

1946: Duel in the Sun (Dimitri Tiomkin)

Oscar winner: The Best Years of Our Lives (Hugo Friedhofer)

Was this nominated?: No

1947: Odd Man Out (William Alwyn)

Oscar winner: A Double Life (Miklos Rozsa)
Was this nominated?: No

1948: The Red Shoes (Brian Easdale)

Oscar winner: The Red Shoes (Brian Easdale)

1949: The Third Man (Anton Karas)

Oscar winner: The Heiress (Aaron Copland)

Was this nominated?: No (not eligible until 1950)

*1940's winner is out of the Best Original Score Oscar category. The other winners are from the Best Music Score (Drama/Comedy) category.* 

Best Original Song:

1940: "When You Wish Upon a Star" - Pinocchio

Oscar winner: "When You Wish Upon a Star" - Pinocchio

1941: "When I See An Elephant Fly" - Dumbo

Oscar winner: "The Last Time I Saw Paris" - Lady Be Good
Was this nominated?: No

1942: "White Christmas" - Holiday Inn

Oscar winner: "White Christmas" - Holiday Inn

1943: "Fort Holland Calypso Song" - I Walked with a Zombie

Oscar winner: "You'll Never Know" - Hello Frisco, Hello
Was this nominated?: No

1944: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Meet Me in St. Louis

Oscar winner: "Swinging on a Star" - Going My Way

Was this nominated?: No

1945: "I Fall in Love Too Easily" - Anchors Aweigh

Oscar winner: "It Might as Well Be Spring" - State Fair
Was this nominated?: Yes

1946: "Put the Blame on Mame" - Gilda

Oscar winner: ""On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe" - The Harvey Girls

Was this nominated?: No

1947: "Life Can Be Beautiful" - Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman

Oscar winner: "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" - Song of the South

Was this nominated?: No

1948: "The Ruins of Berlin" - A Foreign Affair+

Oscar winner: "Buttons and Bows" - The Paleface

Was this nominated?: No

1949: No winner yet

+ - Possible spoilers in the A Foreign Affair clip.

Updated: 5/13/14