The twenty first Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 24, 1949 at the Academy Theater in Hollywood.  Robert Montgomery was the host.  The nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role were Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda, Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc, Olivia de Havilland in The Snake Pit, Irene Dunne in I Remember Mama and Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number.

It was Barbara Stanwyck’s fourth nomination and her fourth disappointment. Although her performance in Sorry, Wrong   Number was outstanding and the film one of her best, the Academy preferred Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda.

The photos below were taken before the ceremony and Ms.Stanwyck looks nervous and excited.  She was accompanied, of course, by her husband Robert Taylor.  Barbara Stanwyck looked glamorous and every inch the movie star in her elegant gown and fur jacket while  Mr. Taylor looked sophisticated and suave in his tuxedo.

Left to right: arriving on the red carpet; checking out the program.

Left to right: chatting with Edith Head and her companion.

Waiting-Ms. Stanwyck looks excited and nervous.

Waiting for the stars to arrive.

About that statuette:

No model was used during the design process of the Oscar statuette. Sculptor George Stanley  modeled Cedric Gibbons’s design in clay and Sachin Smith cast the statuette in 92.5 percent tin and 7.5 percent copper and then gold-plated it. The only addition to the Oscar since it was created is a minor streamlining of the base.  (Adapted from Wikipedia)