Two films about show business dominated the 1950 Oscars.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ All About Eve, which was set in the theatre world, and Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, which was set in the film world, were both fascinating films that have endured through the years. Though both films are greatly identified with their female stars, Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson, respectively, neither incredibly was their director’s first choice.

Claudette Colbert was the original choice for All About Eve’s Margo Channing , but she had to bow out for health reasons. Wilder wanted either Mae West or Mary Pickford, two distinctly different performers for the faded star of Sunset Boulevard, but settled for Gloria Swanson, another star who hadn’t been seen on screen for a while.

All About Eve was nominated for a record 14 Oscars, eventually winning five while Sunset Boulevard was nominated for 11, taking home four. The Best Actress award had been considered a horse race between Davis and Swanson, but went instead to newcomer Judy Holliday in George Cukor’s comedy, Born Yesterday.

Born Yesterday and Vincente Minnelli’s equally popular comedy, Father of the Bride, joined All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard in the Best Picture race. The adventure film, King Solomon’s Mines was the fifth nominee.

Mankiewicz,Wilder and Cukor, as expected, were nominated for Best Director. Joining them were Carol Reed for The Third Man and John Huston for The Asphalt Jungle, two films widely anticipated to be among the five Best Picture nominees. An expanded list of ten would surely have included both of them. The Third Man had to settle for three nominations and one win, The Asphalt Jungle for four nominations.

That gives us seven contenders in a ten picture slate. What would have been the other three had Oscar nominated ten instead of five?

Certainly the comedy classic Adam’s Rib, also directed by George Cukor (one nomination, no win) would have been considered. So, too, would the British comedy classic, Kind Hearts and Coronets, even though it received no other nominations. Henry Koster’s Harvey (two nominations, one win) and the musical comedy, Annie Get Your Gun (four nominations, one win) were other popular light entertainments that might well have been considered.

On the dramatic front, there were Nicholas Ray’s In a Lonely Place (no nominations), Fred Zinnemann’s The Men (one nomination, no win) and Elia Kazan’s Panic in the Streets (one nomination, no win).

Several popular westerns including Delmer Daves’ Broken Arrow (three nominations, no wins), Anthony Mann’s Winchester ’73 (no nominations), Henry King’s The Gunfighter (one nomination, no win) and John Ford’s Rio Grande (no nominations) would also have to be considered.

Narrowing those eleven down to three would be tough, but I’d expect Adam’s Rib, Harvey and The Men would have pulled out ahead.