50th Academy Awards

50th Academy Awards
Date	April 3, 1978
Site	Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Hosted by	Bob Hope
Produced by	Howard W. Koch
Directed by	Marty Pasetta
Highlights
Best Picture	Annie Hall
Most awards	Star Wars (6)
Most nominations	Julia and The Turning Point (11)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Duration	3 hours, 30 minutes
Ratings	39.73 million; 31.1% (Nielsen ratings)[1]

The 50th Academy Awards were held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California on April 3, 1978. The ceremonies were presided over by Bob Hope, who hosted the awards for the nineteenth and last time.

Two of the year's biggest winners were Star Wars, which swept the technical categories by winning 6 out of its 10 nominations and a Special Achievement for Sound Effects Editing, and Annie Hall, winning 4 out of 5 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Director. The awards show was also notable for a very politically charged acceptance speech by Vanessa Redgrave.

The Turning Point set the record for the most nominations without a win (11), previously held by Peyton Place and The Little Foxes, which each had 9 nominations with no wins. This record, later tied by The Color Purple, still stands as of 2018.

Annie Hall was the last Best Picture winner to be nominated for just five awards until The Departed 29 years later in 2006.

Jason Robards became the fourth actor to win back-to-back Oscars, following Luise Rainer, Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn.

For the only time to date, both Best Actor and Best Actress winners won for roles in two different romantic comedies.

The animated opening sequence, as well as promos for the Awards show, were designed by British graphic designer Harry Marks, who outsourced the animated sequences to Robert Abel and Associates. Marks also designed animated sequences for the top nominated categories, which weren't used for the final telecast.

Awards

Woody Allen, Best Director winner

Richard Dreyfuss, Best Actor winner

Diane Keaton, Best Actress winner

Jason Robards, Best Supporting Actor winner

Vanessa Redgrave, Best Supporting Actress winner

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger ().^[2]

Best Picture	Best Director
Annie Hall – Charles H. Joffe, producer The Goodbye Girl – Ray Stark, producer Julia – Richard Roth, producer Star Wars – Gary Kurtz, producer The Turning Point – Herbert Ross and Arthur Laurents, producers	Woody Allen – Annie Hall Steven Spielberg – Close Encounters of the Third Kind Fred Zinnemann – Julia George Lucas – Star Wars Herbert Ross – The Turning Point
Best Actor	Best Actress
*Richard Dreyfuss – The Goodbye Girl* as Elliot Garfield** Woody Allen – Annie Hall as Alvy "Max" Singer Richard Burton – Equus as Doctor Martin Dysart Marcello Mastroianni – A Special Day as Gabriele John Travolta – Saturday Night Fever as Anthony "Tony" Manero	*Diane Keaton – Annie Hall* as Annie Hall** Anne Bancroft – The Turning Point as Emma Jacklin Jane Fonda – Julia as Lillian Hellman Shirley MacLaine – The Turning Point as DeeDee Rodgers Marsha Mason – The Goodbye Girl as Paula McFadden
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
*Jason Robards – Julia* as Dashiell Hammett** Mikhail Baryshnikov – The Turning Point as Yuri Kopeikine Peter Firth – Equus as Alan Strang Alec Guinness – Star Wars as Obi Wan Kenobi Maximilian Schell – Julia as Johann	*Vanessa Redgrave – Julia* as Julia** Leslie Browne – The Turning Point as Emilia Rodgers Quinn Cummings – The Goodbye Girl as Lucy McFadden Melinda Dillon – Close Encounters of the Third Kind as Jillian Guiler Tuesday Weld – Looking for Mr. Goodbar as Katherine Dunn
Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen	Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Annie Hall – Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman The Goodbye Girl – Neil Simon The Late Show – Robert Benton Star Wars – George Lucas The Turning Point – Arthur Laurents	Julia – Alvin Sargent based on the novel Pentimento by Lillian Hellman Equus – Peter Shaffer based on his play I Never Promised You a Rose Garden – Gavin Lambert and Lewis John Carlino based on the novel by Hannah Greene Oh, God! – Larry Gelbart based on the novel by Avery Corman That Obscure Object of Desire – Luis Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carrière based on the novel La Femme et le pantin by Pierre Louÿs
Best Foreign Language Film	Best Documentary Feature
Madame Rosa (France) Iphigenia (Greece) Operation Thunderbolt (Israel) A Special Day (Italy) That Obscure Object of Desire (Spain)	Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? – John Korty The Children of Theatre Street – Robert Dornhelm and Earle Mack High Grass Circus – Tony Ianzelo and Torben Schioler Homage to Chagall: The Colours of Love – Harry Rasky Union Maids – Jim Klein, Miles Mogulescu and Julia Reichert
Best Documentary Short Subject	Best Live Action Short Film
Gravity Is My Enemy – John C. Joseph and Jan Stussy Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country First Edition Of Time, Tombs and Treasures The Shetland Experience	I'll Find a Way – Beverly Shaffer and Yuki Yoshida The Absent-Minded Waiter – William E. McEuen Floating Free – Jerry Butts Notes on the Popular Arts – Saul Bass Spaceborne – Philip Dauber
Best Animated Short Film	Best Original Score
The Sand Castle – Co Hoedeman Bead Game – Ishu Patel The Doonesbury Special – John Hubley (posthumous nomination), Faith Hubley and Garry Trudeau Jimmy the C – James Picker, Robert Grossman and Craig Whitaker	Star Wars – John Williams Close Encounters of the Third Kind – John Williams Julia – Georges Delerue Mohammad, Messenger of God – Maurice Jarre The Spy Who Loved Me – Marvin Hamlisch
Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score	Best Original Song
A Little Night Music – Jonathan Tunick Pete's Dragon – Songs: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn; Adaptation: Irwin Kostal The Slipper and the Rose – Songs: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; Adaptation: Angela Morley	*"You Light Up My Life" from You Light Up My Life* – Music and Lyrics by Joseph Brooks** "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon – Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn "Nobody Does It Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me – Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager "The Slipper and the Rose Waltz (He Danced with Me/She Danced with Me)" from The Slipper and the Rose – Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman "Someone's Waiting for You" from The Rescuers – Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins
Best Sound	Best Costume Design
Star Wars – Don MacDougall, Ray West, Bob Minkler and Derek Ball Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don MacDougall and Gene Cantamessa The Deep – Walter Goss, Dick Alexander, Tom Beckert and Robin Gregory Sorcerer – Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Richard Tyler and Jean-Louis Ducarme The Turning Point – Theodore Soderberg, Paul Wells, Douglas Williams and Jerry Jost	Star Wars – John Mollo Airport '77 – Edith Head and Burton Miller Julia – Anthea Sylbert A Little Night Music – Florence Klotz The Other Side of Midnight – Irene Sharaff
Best Art Direction	Best Cinematography
Star Wars – Art Direction: John Barry, Norman Reynolds and Leslie Dilley; Set Decoration: Roger Christian Airport '77 – Art Direction: George C. Webb; Set Decoration: Mickey S. Michaels Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Art Direction: Joe Alves and Daniel A. Lomino; Set Decoration: Phil Abramson The Spy Who Loved Me – Art Direction: Ken Adam and Peter Lamont; Set Decoration: Hugh Scaife The Turning Point – Art Direction: Albert Brenner; Set Decoration: Marvin March	Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Vilmos Zsigmond Islands in the Stream – Fred J. Koenekamp Julia – Douglas Slocombe Looking for Mr. Goodbar – William A. Fraker The Turning Point – Robert Surtees
Best Film Editing	Best Visual Effects
Star Wars – Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Michael Kahn Julia – Walter Murch Smokey and the Bandit – Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross The Turning Point – William H. Reynolds	Star Wars – John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Grant McCune and Robert Blalack Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Gregory Jein, Roy Arbogast, Douglas Trumbull, Matthew Yuricich and Richard Yuricich

Special Achievement Awards

Ben Burtt for the creation of the alien, creature, and robot voices in Star Wars
Frank Warner for sound effects editing in Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Ceremony

Debby Boone's performance of You Light Up My Life was accompanied by schoolgirls described as "affiliated with the John Tracy Clinic for the Deaf" interpreting the lyrics in sign language. After complaints that their signing was incomprehensible, it was revealed the girls were not deaf and had been taught rudimentary signing specifically for the performance. This prompted protests from the Alliance for Deaf Artists.^[3]

Redgrave speech

During the ceremony, Vanessa Redgrave won the Best Supporting Actress award for Julia, and, aware of members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) protesting outside,^[4] made the following comments:

“

My dear colleagues, I thank you very much for this tribute to my work. I think that Jane Fonda and I have done the best work of our lives, and I think this is in part due to our director, Fred Zinnemann. [Audience applause.]

And I also think it's in part because we believed and we believe in what we were expressing—two out of millions who gave their lives and were prepared to sacrifice everything in the fight against fascist and racist Nazi Germany.

And I salute you, and I pay tribute to you, and I think you should be very proud that in the last few weeks you've stood firm, and you have refused to be intimidated by the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums [gasps from the audience, followed by a smattering of boos and clapping] whose behavior— [continuation of booing until it quieted down] whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression. [General applause]

And I salute that record and I salute all of you for having stood firm and dealt a final blow against that period when Nixon and McCarthy launched a worldwide witch hunt against those who tried to express in their lives and their work the truth that they believe in. [some boos and hissing] I salute you and I thank you and I pledge to you that I will continue to fight against anti-Semitism and fascism.

”

Two hours later,^[5] when it came his turn to announce the winners for the two Best Screenplay awards, Paddy Chayefsky, perturbed by what he perceived as "cracks about Jews"^[5] at the Academy Awards, replied:

“

Before I get on to the writing awards, there's a little matter I'd like to tidy up—at least if I expect to live with myself tomorrow morning. I would like to say—personal opinion, of course—that I'm sick and tired of people exploiting the occasion of the Academy Awards [loud applause] for the propagation of their own personal political propaganda. [Loud applause]

I would like to suggest to Miss Redgrave that her winning an Academy Award is not a pivotal moment in history, does not require a proclamation, and a simple 'thank you' would have sufficed. [Loud applause]

”

Presenters and performers

The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.

Presenters

Name	Role
Hank Simms	Announcer for the 50th annual Academy Awards
Howard W. Koch (AMPAS President)	Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony
Bette Davis Gregory Peck	Explained the voting rules to the public
John Travolta	Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress
Mark Hamill R2-D2 C-3PO	Presenters of the Special Achievement Award
Jodie Foster Mickey Mouse Paul Williams	Presenters of the Short Subjects Awards
William Holden Barbara Stanwyck	Presenters of the Best Sound
Joan Fontaine	Presenter of the award for Best Visual Effects
Kirk Douglas Raquel Welch	Presenters of the Documentary Awards
Billy Dee Williams	Presenter of the Scientific & Technical Awards
Greer Garson Henry Winkler	Presenters of the award of Best Art Direction
Eva Marie Saint Jack Valenti	Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film
Michael Caine Maggie Smith	Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actor
Natalie Wood	Presenter of the award for Best Costume Design
Johnny Green Henry Mancini Olivia Newton-John	Presenters of the Music Awards
Goldie Hawn Jon Voight	Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography
Bette Davis	Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Charlton Heston
Olivia de Havilland	Presenter of the Honorary Award to Margaret Booth
Farrah Fawcett Marcello Mastroianni	Presenters of the award for Best Film Editing
Fred Astaire	Presenter of the award for Best Original Song
Cicely Tyson King Vidor	Presenters of the award for Best Director
Paddy Chayefsky	Presenter of the awards for Best Original and Adapted Screenplay
Janet Gaynor Walter Matthau	Presenters of the award for Best Actress
Sylvester Stallone	Presenter of the award for Best Actor
Stanley Kramer	Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Walter Mirisch
Jack Nicholson	Presenter of the award for Best Picture

Performers

Performer	Role	Performed
Nelson Riddle	Musical arranger and conductor	Orchestral
Debbie Reynolds	Performer	"Look How Far We've Come"
Debby Boone	Performer	"You Light Up My Life" from You Light Up My Life
Gloria Loring	Performer	"Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon and "Someone's Waiting for You" from The Rescuers
Sammy Davis Jr. Marvin Hamlisch	Performers	"Come Light the Candles"
Aretha Franklin	Performer	"Nobody Does It Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me
Jane Powell	Performer	"The Slipper and the Rose Waltz (He Danced with Me)" from The Slipper and the Rose
Academy Awards Chorus	Performers	"That's Entertainment"

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations:

11 nominations: Julia and The Turning Point
10 nominations: Star Wars
8 nominations: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
5 nominations: Annie Hall and The Goodbye Girl
3 nominations: Equus and The Spy Who Loved Me
2 nominations: Airport '77, A Little Night Music, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Pete's Dragon, The Slipper and the Rose, A Special Day and That Obscure Object of Desire

The following films received multiple awards.

6 wins: Star Wars (also won a special award)
4 wins: Annie Hall
3 wins: Julia

Tribute

Sammy Davis Jr. and Marvin Hamlisch performed "Come Light the Candles" in tribute to:

References

↑ Bialik, Carl (February 26, 2008). "And the Oscar Goes to… Fewer TV Viewers". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 4, 2008.
↑ "The 50th Academy Awards (1978) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
↑ Crouse, Richard (October 22, 2005). Reel Winners: Movie Award Trivia. Dundurn. pp. 138–139. ISBN 9781770701991. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
↑ King, Susan A brief history of Academy Awards controversies (no, #OscarsSoWhite is not the first) Los Angeles Times February 6, 2016
1 2 John Bradey, "The craft of the screenwriter", 1981. Page 57

External links

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[1] Bialik, Carl (February 26, 2008). "And the Oscar Goes to… Fewer TV Viewers". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 4, 2008.

[Oscars1978-2] "The 50th Academy Awards (1978) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2011.

[Crouse2005-3] Crouse, Richard (October 22, 2005). Reel Winners: Movie Award Trivia. Dundurn. pp. 138–139. ISBN 9781770701991. Retrieved November 6, 2015.

[4] King, Susan A brief history of Academy Awards controversies (no, #OscarsSoWhite is not the first) Los Angeles Times February 6, 2016

[John_Bradey_1981._Page_57-5] 1 2 John Bradey, "The craft of the screenwriter", 1981. Page 57