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The 50th Annual Academy Awards

Year:

1978

IMDB rate:

8.1

Director:

Marty Pasetta

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys.

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1978-04-03

Filming Locations: California, USA

Cast

Actor

Character

Bob Hope

Himself - Host

Jack Albertson

Himself - Past Winner

Irwin Allen

Himself - Past Winner

Edward Anhalt

Himself - Past Winner

Fred Astaire

Himself - Presenter: Best Original Song

Priscilla Barnes

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

John Barry

Himself - Winner: Best Art Direction

Anne Baxter

Herself - Past Winner

Robert Benton

Himself - Nominee: Best Original Screenplay

Tony Bill

Himself - Past Winner

Karen Black

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

Robert Blalack

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Debby Boone

Herself - Performer

Margaret Booth

Herself - Honorary Award Recipient

Ernest Borgnine

Himself

Marshall Brickman

Himself - Winner: Best Original Screenplay

Garrett Brown

Himself - Winner: Scientific or Technical Award Class I

Leslie Browne

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Richard Burton

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Ben Burtt

Himself - Winner: Special Achievement Award

Red Buttons

Himself - Past Winner

Michael Caine

Himself - Presenter: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Richard Carlson

Himself - Memorial Tribute (archive footage)

Stockard Channing

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design

Cyd Charisse

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

Paddy Chayefsky

Himself - Presenter: Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay

Richard Chew

Himself - Winner: Best Film Editing

Roger Christian

Himself - Winner: Best Art Direction

Joan Crawford

Herself - Memorial Tribute (archive footage)

Bing Crosby

Himself - Memorial Tribute (archive footage)

Quinn Cummings

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Anthony Daniels

C-3PO

Sammy Davis Jr.

Himself - Performer

Bette Davis

Herself - Presenter: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Olivia de Havilland

Herself - Presenter: Honorary Award to Margaret Booth

Ed Di Giulio

Himself - Winner: Scientific or Technical Award Class I

Leslie Dilley

Himself - Winner: Best Art Direction

Melinda Dillon

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Kirk Douglas

Himself - Presenter: Documentary Feature and Documentary Short

Richard Dreyfuss

Himself - Winner: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Patty Duke

Herself - Past Winner (as Patty Duke Astin)

John Dykstra

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Richard Edlund

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Kermit Eller

Himself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

Mia Farrow

Herself - Audience Member

Farrah Fawcett

Herself - Presenter: Best Film Editing (as Farrah Fawcett-Majors)

Peter Finch

Himself - Memorial Tribute (archive footage)

Peter Firth

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Louise Fletcher

Herself - Past Winner

Jane Fonda

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Joan Fontaine

Herself - Presenter: Best Visual Effects

Jodie Foster

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Animated Short Film and Best Live Action Short Film

Aretha Franklin

Herself - Performer

Peggy Ann Garner

Herself

Greer Garson

Herself - Presenter: Best Art Direction

Janet Gaynor

Herself - Presenter: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Susan George

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

Kenneth Grant Sr.

Dancer (as Ken Grant)

Johnny Green

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Original Score and Best Adapted Score

Joel Grey

Himself - Past Winner

Mark Hamill

Himself - Presenter: Special Technical Awards

Marvin Hamlisch

Perfomer for Memorial Tribute ('Come Light the Candles')

Goldie Hawn

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Cinematography

Mary Ann Hay

Dancer

Charlton Heston

Himself - Hersholt Award Recipient

Paul Hirsch

Himself - Winner: Best Film Editing

William Holden

Himself - Presenter: Best Sound Mixing

Burl Ives

Himself

Charles H. Joffe

Himself - Winner: Best Picture

Diane Keaton

Herself - Winner: Best Actress in a Leading Role

George Kennedy

Himself - Past Winner

Stanley Kramer

Himself - Presenter: Thalberg Award

Arthur Laurents

Himself - Nominee: Best Picture & Best Original Screenplay

Michele Lee

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

Gloria Loring

Herself - Performer

George Lucas

Himself - Nominee: Best Director & Best Original Screenplay

Marcia Lucas

Herself - Winner: Best Film Editing

Don MacDougall

Himself - Winner: Best Sound

Shirley MacLaine

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Dorothy Malone

Herself - Past Winner and Audience Member

Henry Mancini

Himself - Co-Presenter:Best Original Score and Best Adapted Score

Groucho Marx

Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)

Marsha Mason

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Marcello Mastroianni

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role & Co-Presenter: Best Film Editing

Walter Matthau

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Grant McCune

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Bob Minkler

Himself - Winner: Best Sound

Walter Mirisch

Himself - Thalberg Award Recipient

John Mollo

Himself - Winner: Best Costume Design

Dudley Moore

Himself - Audience Member

Rita Moreno

Herself - Audience Member

Zero Mostel

Himself - Memorial Tribute (archive footage)

Olivia Newton-John

Herself - Presenter: Best Original Score and Best Adapted Score

Jack Nicholson

Himself - Presenter: Best Picture

Edmond O'Brien

Himself - Past Winner

Margaret O'Brien

Herself

Eleanor Parker

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

Jane Powell

Herself - Performer

Elvis Presley

Himself - Memorial Tribute (archive footage)

Deborah Raffin

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

Vanessa Redgrave

Herself - Winner: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Donna Reed

Herself - Audience Member and Past Winner

Debbie Reynolds

Herself - Performer

Norman Reynolds

Himself - Winner: Best Art Direction

Cliff Robertson

Himself - Past Winner

Mickey Rooney

Himself - Audience Member

Herbert Ross

Himself - Nominee: Best Picture & Best Director

Eva Marie Saint

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film

Alvin Sargent

Himself - Winner: Best Adapted Screenplay

Neil Simon

Himself - Nominee: Best Original Screenplay

Maggie Smith

Herself - Presenter: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Gale Sondergaard

Herself - Past Winner

Camilla Sparv

Herself - Performer: Best Costume Design Award

Steven Spielberg

Himself - Nominee: Best Director

Sylvester Stallone

Himself - Presenter: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Barbara Stanwyck

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Sound

John Stears

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Beatrice Straight

Herself - Past Winner

John Travolta

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role & Presenter: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Claire Trevor

Herself - Past Winner

Cicely Tyson

Herself - Presenter: Best Director

Jack Valenti

Himself - Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film

King Vidor

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Director

Jon Voight

Himself - Presenter: Best Cinematography

Robert Wagner

Himself - Audience Member

Raquel Welch

Herself - Co-Presenter: Documentary Feature and Documentary Short

Tuesday Weld

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Ray West

Himself - Winner: Best Sound

Haskell Wexler

Himself - Past Winner

Billy Dee Williams

Himself - Presenter: Academy Award of Merit

John Williams

Himself - Winner: Best Original Score

Paul Williams

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Animated Short Film and Best Live Action Short Film

Henry Winkler

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Art Direction

Natalie Wood

Herself - Presenter: Best Costume Design

Smith Wordes

Dancer

Teresa Wright

Herself - Past Winner

Fred Zinnemann

Himself - Nominee: Best Director

Vilmos Zsigmond

Himself - Winner: Best Cinematography

Troy Garity

Himself - Audience Member (uncredited)

Tom Hayden

Himself - Audience Member (uncredited)

Vanessa Vadim

Herself - Audience Member (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Each of the five Best Picture nominees feature plots primarily driven by the actions or focus a principal female character: Annie Hall (1977) (Annie is the object of Alvy's affection), The Goodbye Girl (1977) (Paula's resolution of her domestic issues and romance with Elliot), Julia (1977) (Lilian's relationship with her closest friend, Julia) Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) (Princess Leia sending the droids to alert Obi-Wan Kenobi and her subsequent rescue), The Turning Point (1977) (Deedee and Emma are reconnected through Emilia; the catalyst for the two women's eventual conflict).

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This was the year in which the Academy Awards and Vanessa Redgrave collided over her political activism. Over the previous year, Redgrave had been an outspoken supporter of the Palestinians and their struggle to end their conflict with Israel. This made her a target of several Israeli militants and, on the evening of the Academy Awards protests gathered outside the and burned the actress in effigy. Redgrave had to be snuck in the back of an ambulance through a secret entrance to get her safely into the theater. The fury didn't just happen outside; when Redgrave won Best Supporting Actress for Julia (1977), she used her acceptance speech as a promotion for her political beliefs, calling attention to "a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums". Most people in the industry derided her for her comments and historians have cited it as one of the lowest moments in the history of the Academy Awards. After the ceremony, Redgrave went to dinner accompanied by her bodyguards and no one would speak to her.

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Some of the individuals who appeared onstage where given standing ovations. Fred Astaire was greeted that way, so was Janet Gaynor. Honorary Award recipient Margaret Booth was also given a standing ovation, but not from the entire audience, some persons even did not applaud for her (most notably actors Robert Blake and Diane Keaton). Some of those who stood and applauded avidly where Shilrey MacLaine, Greer Garson and her husband, Mickey Rooney, Richard Burton, Marsha Mason, Neil Simon, and Richard Dreyfuss. The fact that some in the audience not even applauded makes one of the most insulting moments in the Academy Award history.

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Quotes

Paddy Chayefsky: 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...

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Vanessa Redgrave: 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 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, whose behavior...

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