Film Data For 1956

The Film Daily Polls (Selected by the critics of America in a poll conducted by the Film Daily- includes some late 1955 releases)


The 10 Best Pictures of 1956
1) The King and I- 245 votes
2) Giant- 236
3) War and Peace- 212
4) Friendly Persuasion- 193
5) Anastasia- 185
6) Moby Dick- 176
7) Picnic (1955)- 172
8) The Ten Commandments- 137
9) Tea & Sympathy- 133
10) The Rose Tattoo (1955)- 131

The Honor Roll
11) Lust for Life- 130
12) I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)- 125
13) The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)- 123
14) High Society- 94
15) Trapeze- 86
16) Bus Stop- 75
17) The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit- 67
18) The Eddy Dunchin Story- 64
19) Carousel- 62
20) The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)- 54
      The Solid Gold Cadillac- 54
22) The Man Who Knew Too Much- 49
23) Somebody Up There Likes Me- 44
24) Around the World in 80 Days (finished #1 for 1957 in polling)- 34
25) The Searchers- 32
26) The Harder They Fall- 30
27) Attack!- 29
28) The Ladykillers- 25
29) Baby Doll- 21
30) The Benny Goodman Story- 20
      The Proud and the Profane- 20
32) Helen of Troy- 16
33) Alexander the Great- 13

No numbers were given for the rest of the catergories, although I believe the Film Daily lists them in the order of preference:

Best Performances by Male Stars
1) Yul Brynner in The King and I
2) Frank Sinatra in The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)
3) Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life
4) Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments
5) Paul Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me

Best Performances by Female Stars
1) Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo (1955)
2) Susan Hayward in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
3) Deborah Kerr in Tea & Sympathy
4) Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace
5) Deborah Kerr in The King and I


Best Performances by Supporting Actors
1) Anthony Perkins in Friendly Persuasion
2) Oscar Homolka in War and Peace
3) James Dean in Giant
4) Arthur O'Connell in Picnic (1955)
5) Rod Steiger in The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)

Best Performances by Supporting Actresses
1) Rosalind Russell in Picnic (1955)
2) Celeste Holm in High Society
3) Eileen Heckart in The Bad Seed
4) Jo Van Fleet in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
5) Susan Strasberg in Picnic (1955)

Best Performances by Juvenile Actors
1) Richard Eyer in Friendly Persuasion
2) Sal Mineo in Somebody Up There Likes Me
3) Rex Thompson in The Eddy Dunchin Story
4) Andres Velasques in The Littlest Outlaw
5) Sal Mineo in Crime in the Streets

Best Performances by Juvenile Actresses
1) Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed
2) Susan Strasberg in Picnic (1955)
3) Natalie Wood in The Searchers
4) Betty Lou Keim in Teenage Rebel
5) Carroll Baker in Giant

Outstanding "Finds" of the Year
1) Anthony Perkins in Friendly Persuasion
2) Don Murray in Bus Stop
3) Paul Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me
4) Carroll Baker in Giant
5) Susan Strasberg in Picnic

Glad to see Perkins finish on top for Persuasion. I'm not sure what happened to Ingrid Bergman here- The Film Daily liked Anastasia, but didn't place her work in the top five. Strasberg placed three times, not bad for her second film.

The National Board of Review (results announced on December 20, 1956)

The Top Ten Pictures (in order of preference):
1) Around the Worlds in 80 Days
2) Moby Dick
3) The King and I
4) Lust for Life
5) Friendly Persuasion
6) Somebody Up There Likes Me
7) The Catered Affair
8) Anastasia
9) The Man Who Never Was
10) Bus Stop

Best Director
John Huston for Moby Dick

Best Actor
Yul Brynner for The King and I, Anastasia, and The Ten Commandments (what a year!)

Best Actress
Dorothy McGuire for Friendly Persuasion

Best Supporting Actor
Richard Basehart for Moby Dick

Best Supporting Actress
Debbie Reynolds for The Catered Affair

Best Foreign Films (in order of preference, I think)
The Silent World (France)
War and Peace (U.S./Italy)
Richard III (U.K.)
La Strada (Italy)
Rififi (France)

The New York Film Critics
(Winners were announced on December 27, 1956. Awards were presented on January 19, 1957. Sources: Tom Oneil's Movie Awards, 2001 and Donald Lyons, "The Lights of New York," Film Comment, March-April, 1993)

Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days (13 votes on ballot II)
Runner-up: Giant (2 votes)
3rd Place: Moby Dick (1 vote)

Best Director
John Huston for Moby Dick (11 votes on ballot III)
Runner-up: Elia Kazan for Baby Doll (3 votes)

Best Actor
Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life (11 votes on ballot IV)
Runner-up: Yul Brynner in Anastasia, The King and I and The Ten Commandments (3 votes)
3rd Place: Laurence Oliver in Richard III (2 votes)

Best Actress
Ingrid Bergman in Anastasia (12 votes on ballot III)
Runner-up: Deborah Kerr in The King and I  and Tea and Sympathy (3 votes)
3rd Place: Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace (1 vote)

Best Screenplay
S. J. Perelman for Around the World in 80 Days (according to Tom O'Neil, the Writers Guild of America stated James Poe and John Farrow should also have been given screenplay credit)
Runner-up: Ray Bradbury and John Huston for Moby Dick (no vote amount listed)
3rd Place (tie): Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat for Giant (no vote total mentioned)
Ernest Lehman for The King and I and Somebody Up There Likes Me 

Best Foreign Film
La Strada (Italy)

The Golden Globe Awards (Nominations were announced on January 20, 1957. Awards were presented on February 28, 1957).

Winners in bold print

Best Drama
Around the World in 80 Days
Giant
Lust for Life
The Rainmaker
War and Peace

Best Comedy or Musical
Bus Stop
The King and I
The Opposite Sex
The Solid Gold Cadillac
The Teahouse of the August Moon

Best Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding
Battle Hymn
The Brave One
Friendly Persuasion
The King and I
The Teahouse of the August Moon

Best Director
Michael Anderson for Around the World in 80 Days
Elia Kazan for Baby Doll
Vincente Minnelli for Lust For Life
George Stevens for Giant
King Vidor for War and Peace

Best Actor, Drama
Gary Cooper in Friendly Persuasion
Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life
Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments
Burt Lancaster in The Rainmaker
Karl Malden in Baby Doll

Best Actress, Drama
Carroll Baker in Baby Doll
Ingrid Bergman in Anastasia
Helen Hayes in Anastasia
Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace
Katharine Hepburn in The Rainmaker

Best Actor, Comedy or Musical
Marlon Brando in The Teahouse of the August Moon
Yul Brynner in The King and I
Cantinflas in Around the World in 80 Days
Glenn Ford in The Teahouse of the August Moon
Danny Kaye in The Court Jester

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical
Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac
Deborah Kerr in The King and I
Machiko Kyo in The Teahouse of the August Moon
Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop
Debbie Reynolds in Bundle of Joy

Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Albert in The Teahouse of the August Moon
Earl Holliman in The Rainmaker
Oscar Homolka in War and Peace
Anthony Quinn in Lust for Life
Eli Wallach in Baby Doll

Best Supporting Actress
Mildred Dunnock in Baby Doll
Eileen Heckart in The Bad Seed
Marjorie Main in Friendly Persuasion
Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind
Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed

Best Motion Picture Story
Dalton Trumbo for The Brave One (originally awarded to "Robert Rich" due to the Blacklist)
Leo Katcher for The Eddy Dunchin Story
Edward Bernds and Elwood Ullman for High Society (withdrawn from ballot- writers of a Bowery Boys comedy, not the Bing Crosy-Grace Kelly-Frank Sinatra musical with the same title)
Jean-Paul Sartre for The Proud and the Beautiful
Cesare Zavattini for Umberto D.

Best Adapted Screenplay
James Poe, John Farrow and S.J. Perelman for Around the World in 80 Days
Tennessee Williams for Baby Doll
Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat for Giant
Norman Corwin for Lust for Life
Michael Wilson for Friendly Persuasion (Wilson's name was not listed. The writer was blacklisted at the time, so the Academy placed a "Writer ineligible for nomination under Academy bylaws" disclaimer with the nomination)

Best Original Screenplay
Robert Lewin for The Bold and the Brave
Andrew L. Stone for Julie
Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli for La Strada
William Rose for The Ladykillers
Albert Lamorisse for The Red Ballon

Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)
Boris Kaufman for Baby Doll
Hal Rosson for The Bad Seed
Burnett Guffey for The Harder They Fall
Joseph Ruttenberg for Somebody Up There Likes Me
Walter Strenge for Stagecoach to Fury

Best Cinematography (Color)
Lionel Lindon for Around the World in 80 Days
Harry Stradling for The Eddy Dunchin Story
Leon Shamroy for The King and I
Loyal Griggs for The Ten Commandments
Jack Cardiff for War and Peace

Art Direction-Set Direction (Black-and-White)
Takashi Matsuyama for The Magnificent Seven (a.k.a. The Seven Samurai)
Hal Pereira and A. Earl Hedrick; Samuel M. Comer and Frank R. McKelvy for The Proud and the Profane
William R. Kiernan and Louis Diage for The Solid Gold Cadillac
Cedric Gibbons and Malcolm F. Brown; Edwin B. Willis and F. Keogh Gleason for Somebody Up There Likes Me
Lyle R. Wheeler and Jack Martin Smith; Walter M. Scott and Stuart A. Reiss for Teenage Rebel

Art Direction-Set Direction (Color)
James W. Sullivan and Ken Adam; Ross J. Dowd for Around the World in 80 Days
Boris Leven; Ralph S. Hurst for Giant
Lyle R. Wheeler and John DeCuir; Walter M. Scott and Paul S. Fox for The King and I
Cedric Gibbons, Hans Peters and Preston Ames; Edwin B. Willis and F Keogh Gleason for Lust for Life
Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler and Albert Nozaki; Sam M. Comer and Ray Moyer for The Ten Commandments

British Academy Awards

Best Film From Any Source and Best British Film
Amici Per la Belle (Italy)
Baby Doll (U.S.)
Battle of the River Plate (Great Britain)
Gervaise (France)- won Best Film From Any Source
The Grasshopper (USSR)
Guys and Dolls (U.S.- 1955)
The Killing (U.S.)
Le Defroque (France)
The Man Who Never Was (G.B.)
The Man With the Golden Arm (U.S.- 1955)
Picnic (U.S.) (1955)
Reach for the Sky (G.B.)- won Best British Film
Rebel Without a Cause (U.S.- 1955)
The Shadow (Poland)
Smiles of a Summer Night (Sweden)
A Town Like Alice (G.B.)
The Trouble With Harry (U.S.- 1955)
War and Peace (Italy/U.S.)
Yield to the Night (G.B.)

Best British Actor
Peter Finch in A Town Like Alice
Jack Hawkins in The Long Arm
Kenneth More in Reach for the Sky


Best British Actress
Dorothy Alison in Reach for the Sky
Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace
Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice

Best Foreign Actor
Gunnar Bjornstrand in Smiles of a Summer Night
James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause
Pierre Fresney in Le Defroque
William Holden in Picnic (1955)
Karl Malden in Baby Doll
Francois Perier in Gervaise
Frank Sinatra in The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)
Spencer Tracy in The Mountain

Best Foreign Actress
Carroll Baker in Baby Doll
Eva Dahlbeck in Smiles of a Summer Night
Ava Gardner in Bhowani Junction
Susan Hayward in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
Shirley MacLaine in The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo (1955)
Kim Novak in Picnic (1955)
Marisa Pavan in The Rose Tattoo (1955)
Maria Schell in Gervaise
Jean Simmons in Guys and Dolls (1955)

Most Promising Newcomer
Stephen Boyd in The Man Who Never Was
Don Murray in Bus Stop
Susan Strasberg in Picnic (1955)
Eli Wallach in Baby Doll
Elizabeth Wilson in Patterns of Power (Patterns)


Best British Screenplay
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger for The Battle of the River Plate
Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder for The Green Man
Nigel Balchin for The Man Who Never Was
Frank Harvey and John Boulting for Private's Progress
Lewis Gilbert for Reach for the Sky
Moore Raymond and Anthony Kimmins for Smiley
Hubert Gregg and Vernon Harris for Three Men in a Boat
W.P. Lipscomb and Richard Mason for A Town Like Alice
John Cresswell and Joan Henry for Yield to the Night

Best Documentary
Foothold in Antarctica (G.B.)
Generator 4 (Canada)
On the Bowery (U.S.)
The Silent World (France)
Under the Same Sky (Poland)

Special Award
The Door in the Wall (G.B.)
Man in Space (U.S.)
On the Twelfth Day (G.B.)
The Red Ballon (France)
The Ruthless One (G.B.)
Underwater Symphony (Italy)

Best Animated Film
Calling All Salesmen (G.B.)
Christopher Crumpet's Playmate (U.S.)
Gerald McBoing-Boing on Planet Moo (U.S.)
History of the Cinema (G.B.)
The Invisible Moustache of Raoul Dufy (U.S.)
Love and the Zeppelin (Czechoslovakia)
Rhythmetic (Canada)

United Nations Award
The Great Locomotive Chase (U.S.)
Pacific Destiny (G.B.)
Race for Life (G.B.)
To Your Health (G.B.)
Under the Same Sky (Poland)

The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956 (According to Variety Weekly, January 8, 1957. Includes actual and estimated domestic rentals to theaters in U.S. and Canada, not box-office takes, which would be higher. If the final first-run rental take for films gaining $4,000,000 or more in rentals varies from the total originally listed in 1956, I'm showing that figure after the 1956 total. Final first-run rentals data comes from Variety's January 10, 1962 "All-Time Top Film Grosses" list (only films taking $4,000,000 or more in rentals were mentioned on the "All-Time" list; unfortunately, I have no data for films with a final gross under $4,000,000 that may have ended up with a higher take than shown below). Ocassionally a film will end up on the "All-Time" list with a lower rental box-office take than when the film originally appeared on the yearly list of top box-office films. This is due to the estimated rentals, which were sometimes revised to a lower amount for the All-Time list).


1) Guys and Dolls $9,000,000 (final first-run rentals of $8,000,000)
2) The King and I $8,500,000
3) Trapeze $7,500,000
4) High Society $6,500,000
    I'll Cry Tomorrow $6,500,000
6) Picnic $6,300,000
7) War and Peace $6,250,000
8) The Eddy Dunchin Story $5,300,000
9) Moby Dick $5,200,000
10) The Searchers $4,800,000
11) The Conqueror $4,500,000
      Rebel Without a Cause $4,500,000
13) The Man With the Golden Arm $4,350,000
      The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit $4,350,000
15) Bus Stop $4,250,000
16) The Rose Tattoo $4,200,000
17) The Bad Seed $4,100,000
      The Man Who Knew Too Much $4,100,000
19) Friendly Persuasion $4,000,000
20) The Proud and the Profane $3,900,000

21) Artists and Models $3,800,000
22) Carousel $3,750,000
      Love Me Tender $3,750,000 (final first-run rentals of $4,500,000)
24) Pardners $3,600,000
25) Away All Boats $3,500,000
26) Helen of Troy $3,200,000
27) All That Heaven Allows $3,100,000
28) The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell $3,000,000
29) The Benny Goodman Story $2,700,000
30) Forever Darling $2,600,000
      The Rains of Ranchipur $2,600,000
32) Alexander the Great $2,500,000
33) The Indian Fighter $2,450,000
34) Meet Me in Las Vegas $2,400,000
      The Solid Gold Cadillac $2,400,000
36) The Lieutenant Wore Skirts $2,250,000
      The Best Things in Life Are Free $2,250,000
38) Blood Alley $2,200,000
      The Court Jester $2,200,000
      Toward the Unknown $2,200,000
      The Fastest Gun Alive $2,200,000
42) Anything Goes $2,100,000
     Bhowani Junction $2,100,000


44) Attack $2,000,000
      Between Heaven and Hell $2,000,000
     Hell on Frisco Bay $2,000,000
     The Revolt of Mamie Stover $2,000,000
     Santiago $2,000,000
     Somebody Up There Likes Me $2,000,000
     Tea and Sympathy $2,000,000
51) D-Day the Sixth of June $1,950,000
52) Johnny Concho $1,900,000
      The Swan $1,900,000
54) The Birds and the Bees $1,800,000
     Jubal $1,800,000
     The Mountain $1,800,000
57) The Last Hunt $1,750,000
      Teen-Age Rebel $1,750,000
59) The Great Locomotive Race $1,700,000
60) Bandido $1,650,000
61) Backlash $1,600,000
      Forbidden Planet $1,600,000
     The Littlest Outlaw $1,600,000
     Never Say Goodbye $1,600,000
65) The Lone Ranger $1,550,000
66) The Ambassador's Daughter $1,500,000
      Back From Eternity $1,500,000
      The Burning Hills $1,500,000
     The Last Wagon $1,500,000
     Pillars of the Sky $1,500,000
     Serenade $1,500,000
     You Can't Run Away From It $1,500,000
     Walk the Proud Land $1,500,000
74) The Bold and the Brave $1,400,000
      Miracle in the Rain $1,400,000
      The Proud Ones $1,400,000
      Safari $1,400,000
      The Second Greatest Sex $1,400,000
      The Spoilers $1,400,000
      Tension at Table Rock $1,400,000
      The Toy Tiger $1,400,000
      The Vagabond King $1,400,000
83) The Harder They Fall $1,350,000
84) The Kettles in the Ozarks $1,300,000
85) Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers $1,250,000
      Kismet $1,250,000
      Ransom $1,250,000
      Run for the Sun $1,250,000


89) Invasion of the Body Snatchers $1,200,000
      Crime in the Streets $1,200,000
      Francis in the Haunted House $1,200,000
      Tribute to a Bad Man $1,200,000
93) Comanche $1,150,000
      On the Threshold of Space $1,150,000
95) Autumn Leaves $1,100,000
      Beyond a Reasonable Doubt $1,100,000
      Bottom of the Bottle $1,100,000
     The Man Who Never Was $1,100,000
     Rock Around the Clock $1,100,000
     Tarantula $1,100,000
101) At Gunpoint $1,000,000
       The First Texan $1,000,000
       Hilda Crane $1,000,000
      Foreign Intrigue $1,000,000
      The Last Frontier $1,000,000
     The Rawhide Years $1,000,000
     The Square Jungle $1,000,000
     There's Always Tomorrow $1,000,000
     23 Paces to Baker Street $1,000,000

The Top Ten Box-Office Stars of 1956 (according to Quigley Publishing's poll of film exhibitors)
1) William Holden
2) John Wayne
3) James Stewart
4) Burt Lancaster
5) Glenn Ford
6) Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis
7) Gary Cooper
8) Marilyn Monroe
9) Kim Novak
10) Frank Sinatra

The Next Fifteen:
11) Rock Hudson
12) Doris Day
13) Susan Hayward
14) Marlon Brando
15) June Allyson
16) Grace Kelly
17) Audie Murphy
18) Jeff Chandler
19) Gregory Peck
20) Bing Crosby
21) Yul Brynner
22) Ernest Borgnine
23) Jane Wyman
24) Randolph Scott
25) Alan Ladd

Britain's Top Ten British Box-Office Stars of 1956 (according to the Quigley Publishing's poll of Britain's film exhibitors)
1) Kenneth More
2) Jack Hawkins
3) Dirk Bogarde
4) Virginia McKenna
5) Norman Wisdom
6) Anthony Steel
7) Peter Finch
8) Alec Guinness
9) John Gregson
10) John Mills

Britain's Top Ten International Box-Office Stars of 1956 (according to the Quigley Publishing's poll of Britain's film exhibitors)
1) Kenneth More
2) James Stewart
3) Burt Lancaster
4) Audie Murphy
5) Jeff Chandler
6) Doris Day
7) Danny Kaye
8) Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis
9) Frank Sinatra
10) Robert Mitchum

BoxOffice Magazine's All-American Favorites of 1956- 20th annual poll* (Source: Boxoffice, February 9th, 1957)
1) Kim Novak
2) Willian Holden
3) Doris Day
4) Marilyn Monroe
5) Susan Hayward
6) Deborah Kerr
7) Marlon Brando
8) Frank Sinatra
9) Grace Kelly
10) Elizabeth Taylor
11) June Allyson
12) John Wayne

Male Stars:                 The Runners-up:
1) William Holden       13) Ernest Borgnine  29) Montgomery Clift
2) Marlon Brando        14) Yul Brynner        30) Charlton Heston
3) Frank Sinatra           15) James Dean         31) Richard Widmark
4) John Wayne             16) Bing Crosby        32) Bob Hope
5) James Stewart          17) Jeff Chandler      33) Jose Ferrer
6) Gary Cooper            18) James Cagney     34) Danny Kaye
7) Burt Lancaster         19) Alec Guinness     35) Jack Lemmon
8) Glenn Ford              20) Kirk Douglas       36) Stewart Granger
9) Gregory Peck          21) Henry Fonda        37) Tab Hunter
10) Rock Hudson         22) Cary Grant          38) Robert Mitchum
11) Clark Gable           23) Spencer Tracy     39) Randolph Scott
12) Humphrey Bogart  24) Audie Murphy    40) Gordon MacRae
                                     25) Alan Ladd           41) Fredric March
                                     26) Tony Curtis         42) James Mason
                                     27) Tyrone Power      43) Rod Steiger
                                     28) Dean Martin/       44) Joseph Cotton
                                           Jerry Lewis          45) Paul Newman

Female Stars:            The Runners-up:
1) Kim Novak             13) Gina Lollobrigida    31) Pier Angeli
2) Doris Day               14) Eva Marie Saint       32) Julie Harris
3) Marilyn Monroe     15) Jennifer Jones          33) Rosalind Russell
4) Susan Hayward      16) Cyd Charisse            34) Dorothy Malone
5) Deborah Kerr         17) Judy Holliday           35) Mitzi Gaynor
6) Grace Kelly            18) Bette Davis               36) Eleanor Parker
7) Elizabeth Taylor     19) Natalie Wood           37) Olivia de Havilland
8) June Allyson           20) Jean Simmons          38) Lucille Ball
9) Jane Wyman           21) Barbara Stanwyck    39) Ann Blyth
10) Audrey Hepburn   22) Joan Crawford         40) Dana Wynter
11) Debbie Reynolds  23) Jane Russell             41) Ingrid Bergman
12) Ava Gardner         24) Esther Williams       42) Greer Garson
                                    25) Janet Leigh               43) Shelley Winters
                                    26) Anna Magnani          44) Ethel Barrymore
                                    27) Leslie Caron             45) Sheree North
                                    28) Anita Ekberg            46) Donna Reed
                                    29) Katharine Hepburn   47) Lana Turner
                                    30) Judy Garland            48) Shirley Jones

How the Exhibitors Voted:

Overall:                      Male Stars:                   Female Stars:
1) Doris Day               1) John Wayne              1) Doris Day
2) Kim Novak             2) Glenn Ford                2) Kim Novak
3) Susan Hayward      3) William Holden         3) Susan Hayward
4) John Wayne           4) Gary Cooper              4) Jane Wyman
5) Jane Wyman          5) James Stewart           5) June Allyson
6) June Allyson          6) Burt Lancaster           6) Marilyn Monroe
7) Marilyn Monroe      7) Rock Hudson            7) Grace Kelly
8) Glenn Ford             8) Jeff Chandler             8) Elizabeth Taylor
9) William Holden       9) Marlon Brando          9) Jane Russell
10) Gary Cooper         10) Audie Murphy         10) Deborah Kerr
11) James Stewart      11) Gregory Peck          11) Debbie Reynolds
12) Burt Lancaster      12) Frank Sinatra           12) Ava Gardner

* Concerning the above poll, Boxoffice states the following:

"The All-American Screen Favorites Poll is conducted by sending ballots listing eligible stars to the following individuals and groups:
              1. Motion picture editors of newspapers and magazines.
              2. Theaters- circuits and independents in both large cities and
                  small towns.
              3. The working press comprising domestic, foreign and radio
                  personalities.
              4. Radio and TV commentators.
              5. National Screen Council members, who each month select the film most suitable for family entertainment to be given the BOXOFFICE Blue Ribbon Award. The Council is composed of motion picture editors, radio film commentators and representatives of better films councils, women's club, civic and educational organizations.'

Boxoffice Magazine's Blue Ribbon Award Winners for 1956 (films deemed "most suitable for family entertainment"):

January- Guys and Dolls
February- The Benny Goodman Story
March- Carousel
April- The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
May- The Swan
June- The Man Who Knew Too Much
July- The King and I
August- The Eddy Duchin Story
September- War and Peace
October- The Solid Gold Cadillac
November- Friendly Persuasion
December- Oklahoma!