17th Academy Awards

The 17th Academy Awards were held on March 15, 1945, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, honoring the films of 1944. This was the first time the complete awards ceremony was broadcast nationally, on the Blue Network (later ABC Radio). Bob Hope hosted the 70-minute broadcast, which included film clips that required explanation for the radio audience. Darryl F. Zanuck and 20th Century-Fox spent a fortune promoting Wilson out of determination to have it win the Best Picture Oscar, but it lost to Going My Way, which made Zanuck bitter.