# Frank Capra filmography

Frank Capra (May 5, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s and 1940s. Capra directed a total of 36 feature-length films (34 of which are known to survive) and 16 documentary films during his lifetime.
His movies It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and It Happened One Night are often cited among the greatest films ever made.
The following are the films directed by Frank Capra, along with a listing of his awards.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Production Co. | Cast | Notes |
| Silent films |||||
| 1921 | La Visita Dell'Incrociatore Italiano Libya a San Francisco | independent | ---- | short news film; directorial debut |
| 1922 | Fultah Fisher's Boarding House | Fireside Productions | Mildred Owens/Ethan Allen/Olaf Skavlan | short film |
| 1926 | The Strong Man | Harry Langdon Corporation | Harry Langdon | |
| 1927 | Long Pants | Harry Langdon Corporation | Harry Langdon | |
| 1927 | For the Love of Mike | Robert Kane Productions | Claudette Colbert / Ben Lyon | lost |
| 1928 | That Certain Thing | Columbia | Viola Dana | |
| 1928 | So This Is Love? | Columbia | Shirley Mason | |
| 1928 | The Matinee Idol | Columbia | Bessie Love / Johnnie Walker | |
| 1928 | The Way of the Strong | Columbia | Mitchell Lewis / Alice Day / William Norton Bailey | |
| 1928 | Say It with Sables | Columbia | Helene Chadwick / Francis X. Bushman / Margaret Livingston | lost |
| 1928 | Submarine | Columbia | Jack Holt / Ralph Graves / Dorothy Revier | |
| 1928 | The Power of the Press | Columbia | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. / Jobyna Ralston | |
| Sound films |||||
| 1929 | The Younger Generation | Columbia | Ricardo Cortez | partially silent |
| 1929 | The Donovan Affair | Columbia | Jack Holt | lost soundtrack |
| 1929 | Flight | Columbia | Jack Holt / Ralph Graves | |
| 1930 | Ladies of Leisure | Columbia | Barbara Stanwyck / Ralph Graves | |
| 1930 | Rain or Shine | Columbia | Joe Cook | |
| 1931 | Dirigible | Columbia | Jack Holt / Ralph Graves / Fay Wray | |
| 1931 | The Miracle Woman | Columbia | Barbara Stanwyck | |
| 1931 | Platinum Blonde | Columbia | Loretta Young / Robert Williams / Jean Harlow | |
| 1932 | Forbidden | Columbia | Barbara Stanwyck / Adolphe Menjou | |
| 1932 | American Madness | Columbia | Walter Huston | |
| 1933 | The Bitter Tea of General Yen | Columbia | Barbara Stanwyck / Nils Asther | |
| 1933 | Lady for a Day | Columbia | May Robson / Warren William / Guy Kibbee | |
| 1934 | It Happened One Night | Columbia | Clark Gable / Claudette Colbert | |
| 1934 | Broadway Bill | Columbia | Warner Baxter / Myrna Loy | |
| 1936 | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Columbia | Gary Cooper / Jean Arthur | |
| 1937 | Lost Horizon | Columbia | Ronald Colman / Jane Wyatt | |
| 1938 | You Can't Take It with You | Columbia | Lionel Barrymore / Jean Arthur / James Stewart | |
| 1939 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Columbia | James Stewart / Jean Arthur | |
| 1941 | Meet John Doe | Warner Bros. | Gary Cooper / Barbara Stanwyck | |
| 1944 | Arsenic and Old Lace | Warner Bros. | Cary Grant / Priscilla Lane | Filmed in 1941. |
| 1946 | It's a Wonderful Life | Liberty Films | James Stewart / Donna Reed | |
| 1948 | State of the Union | Liberty Films | Spencer Tracy / Katharine Hepburn | |
| 1950 | Riding High | Paramount Pictures | Bing Crosby | Remake of Broadway Bill |
| 1951 | Here Comes the Groom | Paramount Pictures | Bing Crosby / Jane Wyman | |
| 1956 | Our Mr. Sun | Bell Laboratories | Eddie Albert / Lionel Barrymore | Educational documentary / Producer and writer |
| 1957 | Hemo the Magnificent | Bell Laboratories | Richard Carlson / Dr. Frank Baxter / Mel Blanc | Educational documentary / Producer and writer |
| 1957 | The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays | Bell Laboratories | | Educational documentary |
| 1959 | A Hole in the Head | Sincap Productions | Frank Sinatra / Edward G. Robinson | First narrative color film |
| 1961 | Pocketful of Miracles | Franton Production | Glenn Ford / Hope Lange / Bette Davis | Final Theatrical Feature Film / Remake of Lady for a Day |
| 1964 | Rendezvous In Space | Martin Marietta Corporation | Marcia McBroom / Jim Backus / Mel Blanc | Final Film |

### War Films

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1942 | Why We Fight: Prelude to War | Co-directed with Anatole Litvak |
| 1943 | Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike | Short film / Co-directed with Anatole Litvak |
| 1943 | Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer | Co-directed with Anatole Litvak |
| 1943 | Why We Fight: The Battle of Britain | Co-directed with Anthony Veiller |
| 1943 | Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia | Co-directed with Anatole Litvak |
| 1944 | Why We Fight: The Battle of China | Co-directed with Anatole Litvak |
| 1944 | Tunisian Victory | Co-directed with Hugh Stewart |
| 1944 | The Negro Soldier | Capra is producer only; Stuart Heisler, director |
| 1945 | Your Job in Germany | Short film |
| 1945 | Two Down and One to Go | Short film |
| 1945 | Why We Fight: War Comes to America | Co-directed with Anatole Litvak |
| 1945 | Know Your Enemy: Japan | Co-directed with Joris Ivens |
| 1945 | Here Is Germany | |

### Films directed by Capra nominated for Academy Awards

| Year | Film | Oscar Nominations | Oscar Wins | Performances Nominations |
| 1933 | Lady for a Day | 4 | 0 | Best Actress for May Robson (nom) |
| 1934 | It Happened One Night | 5 | 5 | Best Actor for Clark Gable Best Actress for Claudette Colbert |
| 1936 | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | 5 | 1 | Best Actor for Gary Cooper (nom) |
| 1937 | Lost Horizon | 7 | 2 | Best Supporting Actor for H. B. Warner (nom) |
| 1938 | You Can't Take It With You | 7 | 2 | Best Supporting Actress for Spring Byington (nom) |
| 1939 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | 11 | 1 | Best Actor for James Stewart (nom) Best Supporting Actor for Harry Carey (nom) Best Supporting Actor for Claude Rains (nom) |
| 1941 | Meet John Doe | 1 | 0 | |
| 1942 | Prelude to War | 1 | 1 | Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature |
| 1943 | The Battle of Russia | 1 | 0 | Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (nom) |
| 1946 | It's a Wonderful Life | 5 | 0 | Best Actor for James Stewart (nom) |
| 1951 | Here Comes the Groom | 2 | 1 | |
| 1959 | A Hole in the Head | 1 | 1 | |
| 1961 | Pocketful of Miracles | 3 | 0 | Best Supporting Actor for Peter Falk (nom) |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Film | Award | Winner |
| 1933 | Lady for a Day | Outstanding Production | Winfield Sheehan – Cavalcade |
| 1933 | Lady for a Day | Best Director | Frank Lloyd – Cavalcade |
| 1934 | It Happened One Night | Outstanding Production | Y With Harry Cohn |
| 1934 | It Happened One Night | Best Director | Y |
| 1936 | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Outstanding Production | Hunt Stromberg – The Great Ziegfeld |
| 1936 | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Best Director | Y |
| 1937 | Lost Horizon | Outstanding Production | Henry Blanke – The Life of Emile Zola |
| 1938 | You Can't Take It With You | Outstanding Production | Y |
| 1938 | You Can't Take It With You | Best Director | Y |
| 1939 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Outstanding Production | David O. Selznick – Gone with the Wind |
| 1939 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Best Director | Victor Fleming – Gone with the Wind |
| 1943 | Prelude to War | Best Documentary | Y |
| 1944 | The Battle of Russia | Best Documentary, Features | Desert Victory |
| 1946 | It's a Wonderful Life | Best Motion Picture | Samuel Goldwyn – The Best Years of Our Lives |
| 1946 | It's a Wonderful Life | Best Director | William Wyler – The Best Years of Our Lives |

### American Film Institute

* Life Achievement Award (1982)

### Directors Guild of America

* Best Director Nomination for A Hole in the Head (1959)
* Life Achievement Award (1959)
* Best Director Nomination for Pocketful of Miracles (1961)

### Golden Globe Award

* Best Director Award for It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

### Venice Film Festival

* Mussolini Cups for best foreign film Nomination for It Happened One Night (1934)
* Mussolini Cups for best foreign film Nomination for Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
* Golden Lion (1982)

### American Film Institute recognition

* AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)
** It's a Wonderful Life...# 20
** Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...# 26
** It Happened One Night...# 46
* AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers
** It's a Wonderful Life...# 1
** Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...# 5
** Meet John Doe...# 49
** Mr. Deeds Goes to Town...# 83
* AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs
** It Happened One Night...# 8
** Arsenic and Old Lace...# 30
** Mr. Deeds Goes to Town...# 70
* AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions
** It's a Wonderful Life...# 8
** It Happened One Night...# 38
* AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains
** 50 greatest movie heroes
** It's a Wonderful Life...George Bailey ...# 9
** Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...Jefferson Smith ...# 11
** 50 greatest movie villains
** It's a Wonderful Life...Mister Potter ...# 6
* AFI's 10 Top 10
** Fantasy
*** It's a Wonderful Life...# 3
** Romantic Comedies
*** It Happened One Night...# 3

### United States National Film Registry

* The Strong Man (1926)
* The Power of the Press (1928)
* It Happened One Night (1934)
* Lost Horizon (1937)
* Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
* Why We Fight Series of seven films (1942)
* It's a Wonderful Life (1946)