56th Academy Awards
| 56th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | April 9, 1984 |
| Site | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles |
| Hosted by | Johnny Carson |
| Produced by | Jack Haley Jr. |
| Directed by | Marty Pasetta |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Terms of Endearment |
| Most awards | Terms of Endearment (5) |
| Most nominations | Terms of Endearment (11) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 42 minutes |
| Ratings | 38.0 (Nielsen ratings) |
The 56th Academy Awards were presented April 9, 1984, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Johnny Carson.
The Best Supporting Actress winner this year was unique. 4’9” Linda Hunt won the award for her role as Billy Kwan – a male Chinese-Australian photographer – in Peter Weir's The Year of Living Dangerously, making her the first actor to win an Oscar for playing a character of the opposite sex.
Gordon Willis, a respected cinematographer most famous for his un-nominated work on The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and Woody Allen's Manhattan, received his first Best Cinematography nomination for Zelig.
Joe I. Tompkins becomes the first African-American to be nominated in Best Costume Design.
James L. Brooks won three Academy Awards this year, winning as producer, director and writer of Best Picture winner Terms of Endearment. Of its other eight nominations (the movie led all nominees with 11), two were for Best Actress; Shirley MacLaine won over Debra Winger in that category. The movie won five Oscars, the fifth being Jack Nicholson's second career Oscar (he won for Best Supporting Actor).
This ceremony ended with Sammy Davis Jr. and Liza Minnelli leading the crowd in "There's No Business Like Show Business" in tribute to Ethel Merman, who had died a month and a half before this Oscar ceremony. The performance occurred over the closing credits to the broadcast.
The Award for Best Makeup was not given this year.
While this year's ceremony was the first without the recitation of the Academy's voting procedure at the beginning of the telecast — it was moved to the end credits — those of the accounting firm Price Waterhouse who were responsible for tabulating the results and guarding their secrecy were still introduced.[1]
Awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[2]
Honorary Academy Award
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Special Achievement Academy Award
- Return of the Jedi – Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston and Phil Tippett for Visual Effects
Nomination announcements
The filmmakers and studio executives were very surprised by the five Academy Award nominations for Tender Mercies, which was released ten months before the nominations were announced and had received little campaigning. Universal Studios had already previously sold the video rights for Tender Mercies based on their lack of confidence in the film following poor test screenings; the studio was therefore unable to redistribute Tender Mercies after the Oscar nominations were announced, and cable companies ran the film on television one week before the Academy Award ceremony.[3]
Ceremony
When screenwriter Horton Foote won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for To Kill a Mockingbird, he was not present at the 1963 ceremony to collect it because he did not believe he was going to win and did not attend. As a result, Foote made sure he was present for the ceremony when he was nominated for Tender Mercies; he won that Oscar as well, this time for Best Original Screenplay.[3]
Presenters and performers
The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.
Presenters
Performers
| Name | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Quincy Jones | Musical arranger and conductor | Orchestral |
| Irene Cara The National Dance Institute |
Performers | "Flashdance... What a Feeling" from Flashdance |
| Herb Alpert Lani Hall |
Performers | "Maniac" from Flashdance |
| Mac Davis | Performer | "Over You" from Tender Mercies |
| Donna Summer | Performer | "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" from Yentl |
| Jennifer Holliday | Performer | "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from Yentl |
| Sammy Davis Jr. Liza Minnelli |
Performers | "There's No Business Like Show Business" |
Multiple nominations and awards
|
These films had multiple nominations:
|
The following films received multiple awards.
|
See also
- 41st Golden Globe Awards
- 4th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1983 in film
- Submissions for the 56th Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
- 26th Grammy Awards
- 35th Primetime Emmy Awards
- 36th Primetime Emmy Awards
- 37th British Academy Film Awards
- 38th Tony Awards
References
- ^ The Opening of the Academy Awards: 1984 Oscars on YouTube
- ^ "The 56th Academy Awards (1984) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Bruce Beresford, Robert Duvall, Horton Foote, Allan Hubbard, Gary Hertz (director), Tess Harper (2002-04-16). Miracles & Mercies (Documentary). West Hollywood, California: Blue Underground. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
{{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
- "The Official Academy Awards Database". awardsdatabase.oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
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External links
