Which 1931 Western won Best Picture at the 4th Academy Awards?

The 1931 Western that won Best Picture at the 4th Academy Awards is Cimarron. Directed by Wesley Ruggles and based on Edna Ferber's 1930 novel, the film follows Yancey Cravat, played by Richard Dix, across several decades of Oklahoma history, including the 1889 Land Rush.

Cimarron was produced by RKO and became the first Western to win Hollywood's top film award. At the ceremony held on November 10, 1931, it received seven nominations and won three awards: Best Picture, Best Adaptation, and Best Art Direction. Its scale and historical sweep helped distinguish it from many shorter Westerns of the period.

The award category was then called Outstanding Production rather than Best Picture, though modern references treat it as the same honor. Cimarron remained the only Western to win until Dances with Wolves received the award decades later. The Front Page and Trader Horn were nominees at the same ceremony, not winners.