50th Academy Awards Information & 50th Academy Awards Links at HealthHaven.com

50th Academy Awards
Date	Monday, April 3, 1978
Site	Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
Host	Bob Hope
Producer	Howard W. Koch
Director	Marty Pasetta
	Highlights
Best Picture	Annie Hall
	TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Duration	3 hours, 30 minutes
Viewership	39.73 million; 31.1% (Nielsen ratings)

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 eighteenth 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 Annie Hall, winning 4 out of 5 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Director. This incarnation of the awards show was also notable for a very politically-charged acceptance speech by Vanessa Redgrave.

[edit] 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,^{[clarification needed]} 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 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,^[2] when it came his turn to announce an award winner (for Best Writing), Paddy Chayefsky, perturbed by what he perceived as "cracks about Jews"^[2] 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 Academy Awards [loud applause] for the propagation of their own personal propaganda.

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.]

”

[edit] Winners & Nominees

[edit] Best Foreign Language Film

Madame Rosa - France

[edit] Special honors

The Academy gave the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Walter Mirisch and The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Charlton Heston.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ The Numbers Guy : And the Oscar Goes to... Fewer TV Viewers
^ ^a ^b John Bradey, "The craft of the screenwriter", 1981. Page 57

[edit] External links

[0] The Numbers Guy : And the Oscar Goes to... Fewer TV Viewers

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

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[2]

Contents

[edit] Redgrave speech

[edit] Winners & Nominees

[edit] Best Picture

[edit] Best Director

[edit] Best Actor in a Leading Role

[edit] Best Actress in a Leading Role

[edit] Best Actor in a Supporting Role

[edit] Best Actress in a Supporting Role

[edit] Best Original Screenplay

[edit] Best Adapted Screenplay

[edit] Best Cinematography

[edit] Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

[edit] Best Costume Design

[edit] Best Sound

[edit] Best Film Editing

[edit] Best Effects, Visual Effects

[edit] Best Music, Original Song

[edit] Best Music, Original Score

[edit] Best Music, Original Song Score and its Adaptation

[edit] Best Short Film, Animated

[edit] Best Short Film, Live Action

[edit] Best Documentary, Short Subjects

[edit] Best Documentary, Features

[edit] Best Foreign Language Film

[edit] Special honors

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links