Pulitzer Meets Oscar

Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize in drama for this romantic comedy, adapted for film the following year by Frank Capra. Capra also won the Best Director Oscar for the movie — his third such award at the time.

"Gone with the Wind" was the first color film to win Best Picture, and Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to be nominated for — and win — an Oscar for her performance as "Mammy." Other cast members included Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland, with Victor Fleming directing. The film's portrayal of Southern life and slavery, however, has been considered problematic from the release of the movie to present, as has Margaret Mitchell's 1936 Pulitzer-winning novel.

Broderick Crawford played politician Willie Stark in Robert Rossen's noir adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of Southern political intrigue. Crawford also was recognized by the Academy, beating out John Wayne to win the Best Actor Oscar that year. The movie was remade in 2006, with Sean Penn in the lead role.

Morgan Freeman reprised his stage role as Hoke Colburn in the screen adaptation of Alfred Uhry's play. Jessica Tandy won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Daisy Werthan.

The Boston Globe's Public Service-winning journalism, exposing widespread abuse of children by priests and the Catholic Church's coverup, was turned into the film "Spotlight." Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer also won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.