The61st Academy Awardsceremony, organized by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS), honored the bestfilms of 1988and took place on Wednesday, March 29, 1989, at theShrine Auditoriumin Los Angeles, beginning at 6:00 p.m.PST/ 9:00 p.m.EST.[1]During the ceremony, AMPAS presentedAcademy Awards(commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States byABC,was produced byAllan Carrand directed by Jeff Margolis.[1]Ten days earlier, in a ceremony held at theBeverly Hills HotelinBeverly Hills, California,theAcademy Awards for Technical Achievementwere presented by hostAngie Dickinson.[2]
| 61st Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Date | March 29, 1989 |
| Site | Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Produced by | Allan Carr |
| Directed by | Jeff Margolis |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Rain Man |
| Most awards | Rain Man(4) |
| Most nominations | Rain Man(8) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 19 minutes |
| Ratings | 42.68 million 29.81% (Nielsen ratings) |
Rain Manwon four awards, includingBest Picture.Other winners includedWho Framed Roger Rabbitwith four awards,Dangerous Liaisonswith three, andThe Accused,The Accidental Tourist,A Fish Called Wanda,The Appointments of Dennis Jennings,Beetlejuice,Bird,Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie,The Milagro Beanfield War,Mississippi Burning,Pelle the Conqueror,Tin Toy,Working Girl,andYou Don't Have to Diewith one award each.
The telecast drew in over 42 million viewers in the United States, making it the most-viewed ceremony up to that point, until it was surpassed by the70th Academy Awardsin 1998, which garnered a viewership of over 57 million.[3][4]The ceremony featured changes such as the introduction of the phrase "And the Oscar goes to..." and the absence of a traditional host. The ceremony's opening number, featuringSnow WhiteandRob Lowe,received heavy criticism. Allan Carr faced significant backlash, leading the Academy to form a committee to address the criticisms and evaluate the ceremony's production.
Winners and nominees
editThe nominees for the 61st Academy Awards were announced on February 15, 1989, at theSamuel Goldwyn TheaterinBeverly Hills, California,by Richard Kahn, president of the Academy, and actressAnne Archer.[5]Rain Manled all nominees, with eight;Dangerous LiaisonsandMississippi Burningtied for second with seven each.[6]
The winners were announced at the award ceremony on March 29, 1989.[7]Best Actress winnerJodie Fosterbecame the eighth person in history to win the aforementioned category for a film with a single nomination. The last person to achieve this feat wasSophia Lorenwhen she won forTwo Womenin1961.Best Actor winnerDustin Hoffmanwas the fifth person to win the aforementioned category twice.[8]Sigourney Weaverbecame the fifth performer to receivetwo acting nominations in the same year[9]but did not win in either category.[10]John LasseterandWilliam Reeveswon Best Animated Short Film forTin Toy,which wasPixar's first Oscar ever and the firstCGIfilm to win an Oscar.[11]
Awards
edit
Winners are listed first, highlighted inboldfaceand indicated with double dagger (‡).[12]
Academy Honorary Awards
edit- Richard Williams"for the animation direction ofWho Framed Roger Rabbit".[15]
Films with multiple nominations and wins
edit|
The following 17 films received multiple nominations: |
The following three films received multiple awards:
Note:Who Framed Roger Rabbitreceived 3 competitiveAcademy Awards of Merit.In addition, the film received aSpecial Achievement Award. |
Presenters and performers
editThe following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers:[16]
Presenters
editPerformers
edit| Name(s) | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Marvin Hamlisch | Musical arranger | Orchestral |
| Army Archerd Eileen Bowman Coral Browne Cyd Charisse Dale Evans Alice Faye Merv Griffin Dorothy Lamour Rob Lowe Tony Martin Vincent Price Buddy Rogers Roy Rogers Lily Tomlin |
Performers |
"I Only Have Eyes for You"fromDames |
| Keith Coogan Patrick Dempsey Corey Feldman Joely Fisher Tricia Leigh Fisher Savion Glover Carrie Hamilton Melora Hardin Ricki Lake Matt Lattanzi Chad Lowe Tracy Nelson Patrick O'Neal Corey Parker D. A. Pawley Tyrone Power Jr. Holly Robinson Christian Slater Blair Underwood |
Performers | "(I Wanna Be an) Oscar Winner" |
The ceremony
edit
In an attempt to attract viewers to the telecast and increase interest in the festivities, the Academy hired film producer and veteran Oscar ceremony executive talent coordinatorAllan Carrto produce the 1989 ceremony.[17][18]In interviews with various media outlets, he expressed that it was a dream come true to produce the Oscars.[19]
Notable changes were introduced in the production of the telecast. For the first time, presenters announced each winner with the phrase "And the Oscar goes to..." rather than "And the winner is...".[20]The green room where Oscar presenters, performers, and winners gathered backstage was transformed into a luxurious suite complete with furniture, pictures, refreshments, and other amenities called "Club Oscar".[21]Instead of hiring a host for the proceedings, Carr heavily relied on presenters, often grouped in pairs that had some connection, either through family or the film industry (a theme he billed as "couples, companions, costars, and compadres" );[22][23][24][25]not until2019would another ceremony lack a host.[26]
Several other people were involved in the production of the ceremony. Jeff Margolis served as director of the telecast.[27]Lyricist and composerMarvin Hamlischwas hired as musical supervisor of the festivities.[28]Comedian and writerBruce Vilanchwas hired as a writer for the broadcast, a role he filled until 2014.[29]Carr had also rounded up eighteen young stars, includingPatrick Dempsey,Corey Feldman,Ricki Lake,andBlair Underwood,to perform in a musical number entitled "I Wanna Be an Oscar Winner".[30]Unlike in most Oscar ceremonies, however, Carr announced that none of the three songs nominated for Best Original Song would be performed live.[24]
The telecast was also remembered for being the final public appearance of actress and comedianLucille Ball,where she and co-presenterBob Hopewere given a standing ovation.[31]On April 26, almost a month after the ceremony, she died from adissecting aortic aneurysmat age 77.[32]
Opening number
editIn an effort to showcase more glamour and showmanship in the ceremony, producer Carr hired playwright Steve Silver to co-produce an opening number inspired by Silver's long-running musical revue,Beach Blanket Babylon.[33]The segment consisted of an elaborate stage show centered on actress Eileen Bowman, dressed asSnow WhitefromDisney'sSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,who comes to Hollywood and is entranced by its glamour.[33]LikeBeach Blanket Babylon,the opening act also featured dancers wearing giant, elaborate hats.[33]In a setting designed to resemble theCocoanut Grovenightclub, Hollywood dignitaries such as actressesAlice Faye,Dorothy Lamour,Cyd Charisse,her husbandTony Martin,as well asBuddy RogersandVincent Pricewere prominently featured, while singer and television producerMerv Griffinsang a rendition of the song "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts"(of which he had had a hit recording in 1949). Bowman and actorRob Lowethen sang a reworked version ofCreedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary",with lyrics rewritten to refer to the film industry; it is this song for which the act is infamously remembered.[33]
Critical reviews and public reaction
editThe majority of media outlets panned the show.Los Angeles Timestelevision criticHoward Rosenberglamented, "the Academy Awards telecast onABCwas surprisingly devoid of magic. It was on the musty side, and compared withlast month's Grammycast,absolutely moribund. "[34]Film criticJanet Maslinchastised the opening number, saying it "deserves a permanent place in the annals of Oscar embarrassments". She also bemoaned that the "I Wanna Be an Oscar Winner" number "was confusingly shot and inspired no confidence in Hollywood's future".[35]Television editor Tony Scott ofVarietycomplained, "The 61st Annual Academy Awards extravaganza—seen in 91 different countries including, for the first time, theSoviet Union—turned out to be a TVnyet"He also observed that the" Break-Out Superstars number "looked like they were" cavorting around a giant Oscar as if it were thegolden calf".[36]
The telecast also received a mixed reception from professionals within the show business industry. Talent agentMichael Ovitzpraised Carr, saying that he had "brought show business back to the movie business". ActressJennifer Jonesthanked Carr in a written letter to the producer, which read, "You delivered."[37]On the other hand, seventeen people, including actorsPaul Newman,Gregory Peck,andJulie Andrews,and directorsBilly WilderandJoseph L. Mankiewicz,signed an open letter deriding the telecast as "an embarrassment to both the Academy and the entire motion picture industry".[38]
Just outside the auditorium, on Jefferson Boulevard, a group of San Franciscodrag queens,calling themselves the Sisters of Perpetual Indignity, stood inMae Westwigs and gowns, saying that they had come “to show our support for Allan Carr” for producing the first “gay Oscars.”[39]There has been speculation that some of the blowback against the ceremony, which was the first produced by anopenly gayperson and which prominently featured a musical number based on agay nightclubshow, washomophobicin nature,[40]although others, such as Bruce Vilanch and David Geffen, have challenged that assessment.[41]
In addition,The Walt Disney Companyfiled suit againstAMPASfor use of the likeness of Snow White.[42]The lawsuit demanded unspecified damages for "copyright infringement, unfair competition, and dilution of business reputation".[4]Academy President Richard Kahn immediately issued an apology to the studio, and the lawsuit was subsequently dropped.[43]
Bowman has claimed that she was made to sign agag orderthe next day, prohibiting her from speaking to the press about her performance for the next 13 years. She finally spoke about it publicly in a 2013 interview, in which she described the performance as looking "like a gaybar mitzvah".[44]
Ratings and aftermath
editDespite the criticism regarding the production of the ceremony, the American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 42.68 million people over its length, which was a 1% increase from theprevious year's ceremony.[3][45]The show also drew higherNielsen ratingscompared to the previous ceremony, with 29.81% of households watching over a 50.41 share.[3]It was the highest-rated Oscar broadcast since the56th ceremony,held in 1984.[4]
Nevertheless, AMPAS created an Awards Presentation Review Committee to evaluate and determine why the telecast earned such a negative reaction from the media and the entertainment industry.[4]The committee later determined that Carr's biggest mistake was allowing the questionable opening number to run for 12 minutes. Producer and formerDirectors Guild of AmericapresidentGilbert Cates,who headed the committee, said that Carr would not have received such harsh criticism if the number had been much shorter.[4]Cates was subsequently hired as producer of thesucceeding year's telecast.[46]
According to various showbiz insiders and reporters, the criticism and backlash from the ceremony resulted in Carr never again producing a film or theatrical show. He died from complications resulting fromliver canceron June 29, 1999, at the age of 62.[33][4]
Box office performance of nominees
editAt the time of the nominations announcement on February 15, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $188 million, with an average of $37.7 million per film.[47]Rain Manwas the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees, with $97 million in domestic box office receipts.[47]The film was followed byWorking Girl($42.1 million),The Accidental Tourist($24.2 million),Mississippi Burning($18.6 million), and finallyDangerous Liaisons($6.69 million).[47]
Of the top 50 grossing movies of the year, 52 nominations went to 13 films. OnlyBig(3rd),Rain Man(5th),Working Girl(21st),The Accused(32nd),The Accidental Tourist(38th),Gorillas in the Mist(40th),Mississippi Burning(45th), andTucker: The Man and His Dream(50th) were nominated for Best Picture, directing, acting, or screenwriting. The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations wereWho Framed Roger Rabbit(1st),Coming to America(2nd),Die Hard(7th),Beetlejuice(9th), andWillow(12th).
See also
edit
References
edit- ^abOsborne 2008,p. 296
- ^"Past Scientific & Technical Awards Ceremonies".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Archived fromthe originalon February 13, 2014.RetrievedJuly 31,2013.
- ^abcGorman, Bill (February 17, 2009)."Academy Awards Show Ratings".TV by the Numbers.Tribune Media.Archived fromthe originalon November 9, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 5,2013.
- ^abcdefHofler, Robert (March 1, 2010)."Snow Job".Los Angeles.Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 13,2013.
- ^Williams, Jeannie (February 16, 1989). "Michael's high-profile feast".USA Today.p. 2D.
- ^Cieply, Michael (February 16, 1989)."'Rain Man' Given 8 Oscar Nominations; Sigourney 2: Hoffman Wins 6th Acting Nod ".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2013.RetrievedOctober 4,2013.
- ^Kehr, Dave (March 30, 1989)."'Rain Man' The Big Winner, But Upsets Put Zip In Oscars ".Chicago Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2013.RetrievedOctober 4,2013.
- ^O'Neil, Tom (February 23, 2009)."Sean Penn is the ninth actor to win two lead Oscars".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2013.RetrievedJune 6,2013.
- ^Levy 2003,p. 83
- ^Levy 2003,p. 283
- ^Price, David (2008).The Pixar Touch.New York:Alfred A. Knopf.p.106.ISBN978-0-307-26575-3.
- ^"The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2014.RetrievedOctober 27,2011.
- ^Solomon, Charles (March 24, 2000)."Drawing Attention to Canada, Winning Oscars in the Process".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 13,2013.
- ^"About the Governors Awards".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2013.RetrievedOctober 4,2013.
- ^"Who Framed Roger Rabbit".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2014.RetrievedNovember 4,2013.
- ^Mull, Marrison (March 26, 1989)."Calendar Goes to The Oscars: The Oscar Telecast: Live from the Shrine Auditorium, Wednesday, 6 P.M., ABC-TV (7, 3, 10, 42)".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 13,2013.
- ^Williams, Jeannie (October 11, 1988). "Twiggy's happy ending".USA Today.p. 2D.
- ^Volland, John (October 11, 1988)."TV & Video".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 14,2013.
- ^Culhane, John (March 26, 1989)."For Oscar's Producer, the Key Is C".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2013.RetrievedOctober 4,2013.
- ^Pond 2005,p. 11
- ^Uricchio, Marylynn (March 29, 1989)."Awards show producer is putting posh on Oscar".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.p. 12.Archivedfrom the original on April 18, 2021.RetrievedOctober 4,2013.
- ^Hofler, Robert (March 1, 2010)."The Worst Oscars Ever".Los Angeles Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on January 24, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 12,2020.
- ^Pond 2005,p. 5
- ^abSiskel, Gene (March 26, 1989)."One Man's War Against The Dullest Night On Television".Chicago Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2013.RetrievedOctober 5,2013.
- ^Romero, Frances (March 1, 2011)."No Hosts – Top 10 Worst Awards-Show Hosts".Time.Archivedfrom the original on September 21, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 19,2013.
- ^Keegan, Rebecca (February 20, 2019)."The Politics of Oscar: Inside the Academy's Long, Hard Road to a Hostless Show".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on February 25, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 25,2019.
- ^"Credits".Jeff Margolis Productions. Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2013.RetrievedOctober 4,2013.
- ^Voland, John (October 27, 1988)."Movies".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 29, 2013.RetrievedOctober 24,2013.
- ^Vary, Adam B. (February 5, 2010)."An Oscar Insider Tells All".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2015.RetrievedOctober 4,2013.
- ^Pond 2005,p. 8
- ^"Coemdian Lucille Ball suffers a heart attack".The Spokesman-Review.April 19, 1989.Archivedfrom the original on April 6, 2023.RetrievedOctober 5,2013.
- ^Flint, Peter B. (April 27, 1989)."Lucille Ball, Spirited Doyenne of TV Comedies, Dies at 77".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2013.RetrievedOctober 5,2013.
- ^abcdePond, Steve (February 27, 2005)."And the loser is..."Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon October 6, 2013.RetrievedOctober 5,2013.
- ^Rosenberg, Howard (March 30, 1989)."Overcast for Allan Carr's Oscarcast".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 17,2013.
- ^Maslin, Janet (March 31, 1989)."Review/Television; The Oscars as Home Entertainment".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 17,2013.
- ^Hofler 2010,p. 416
- ^Champlin, Charles (April 4, 1989)."Allan Carr: 'We Won the Town'".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2013.RetrievedOctober 5,2013.
- ^Speers, W. (April 29, 1989)."Judge Orders James Brown's Autograph".The Philadelphia Inquirer.Archived fromthe originalon October 4, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 17,2013.
- ^Schulman, Michael (2023).Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears.Harper Collins. p. 260.ISBN9780062859051.
- ^Little, Becky (January 22, 2019)."The Scathing Reaction to the Last Oscars With No Host".History.Archivedfrom the original on January 24, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 23,2019.
- ^Hofler, Robert (March 1, 2010)."The Worst Oscars Ever".Los Angeles Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on January 24, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 23,2019.
- ^Easton, Nina (March 31, 1989)."Disney Sues Over Use of Snow White at Oscars".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 5, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 17,2013.
- ^Vaughan, Vicki (April 7, 1989)."Disney Accepts Apology, Drops Academy Suit".Orlando Sentinel.Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2013.RetrievedOctober 5,2013.
- ^Abramovitch, Seth (February 20, 2013)."'I Was Rob Lowe's Snow White': The Untold Story of Oscar's Nightmare Opening ".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on May 18, 2013.RetrievedJune 7,2013.
- ^Johnson, Greg (March 18, 1999)."Call It the Glamour Bowl".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 14,2013.
- ^Wiley & Bona 1996,p. 768
- ^abc"1988 Academy Award Nominations and Winner for Best Picture".Box Office Mojo.Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2013.RetrievedOctober 5,2013.
Bibliography
edit- Hofler, Robert (2010).Party Animals: A Hollywood Tale of Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll Starring the Fabulous Allan Carr.Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States:Da Capo Press.ISBN978-0-306-81655-0.OCLC779680732.
- Levy, Emanuel (2003).All About Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards.New York, United States:Continuum International Publishing Group.ISBN0-8264-1452-4.
- Osborne, Robert (2008).80 Years of the Oscar: The Complete History of the Academy Awards.New York, United States:Abbeville Publishing Group.ISBN978-0-7892-0992-4.
- Pond, Steve (2005).The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards.New York, United States:Faber and Faber.ISBN0-571-21193-3.
- Wiley, Mason; Bona, Damien (1996).Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards(5 ed.). New York, United States:Ballantine Books.ISBN0-345-40053-4.OCLC779680732.
External links
edit
Official websites
edit- Academy Awards Official websiteArchivedMarch 4, 2009, at theWayback Machine
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Official websiteArchivedJanuary 22, 2009, at theWayback Machine
- Oscar's ChannelArchivedOctober 2, 2018, at theWayback Machineat YouTube (run by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
Analysis
edit- 1988 Academy Awards Winners and HistoryArchivedOctober 17, 2013, at theWayback MachineFilmsite.org
- Academy Awards, USA: 1989ArchivedAugust 9, 2017, at theWayback MachineInternet Movie Database