Cimarron (1931)

Directed by Wesley Ruggles

Starring Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor, Nance O'Neil, William Collier Jr., Roscoe Ates, George E. Stone, Stanley Fields, Robert McWade, Edna May Oliver, Judith Barrett, and Eugene Jackson

As of this writing, eighty-one movies have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. This is the worst. It's pretty much terrible in every aspect except the reliable Irene Dunne, who gives a pretty good performance. Richard Dix overacts shamelessly, the story is uninteresting, and worst of all, it's terribly racist. Eugene Jackson plays a young black servant named Isaiah who fulfills almost every possible black stereotype. He even salivates over a barrell of watermelons as the family enters a new town. This may have not been a big deal in 1931, but when seen today, it's simply nauseating. It takes a lot to beat out stinkers like The Broadway Melody and The Greatest Show on Earth, but Cimarron has what it takes to do it.

Other nominees: East Lynne (Frank Lloyd), The Front Page (Lewis Milestone), Skippy (Norman Taurog), and Trader Horn (W.S. Van Dyke)