40th Academy Awards

40th Academy Awards
40th Academy Awards
	Official poster with original date
Date	April 10, 1968
Site	Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California
Hosted by	Bob Hope
Produced by	Arthur Freed
Directed by	Richard Dunlap
Highlights
Best Picture	In the Heat of the Night
Most awards	In the Heat of the Night (5)
Most nominations	Bonnie and Clyde and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (10)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
	← 39th ; Academy Awards ; 41st →;

Last updated November 27, 2024

The 40th Academy Awards were held on April 10, 1968, to honor film achievements of 1967. Originally scheduled for April 8, the awards were postponed to two days later due to the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. ^[1] Bob Hope was once again the host of the ceremony.

This year, due to the waning popularity of black-and-white films, Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design, previously divided into separate awards for color and monochrome films, were merged into single categories. This was the first Oscars since 1948 to feature clips from the Best Picture nominees.

This year marked the first of two times that three different films were nominated for the "Big Five" Oscars (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay): Bonnie and Clyde , The Graduate and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner . While all three won major Oscars, Best Picture was awarded to Norman Jewison's thriller/mystery film, In the Heat of the Night . The same thing happened again at the ceremony for films from 1981 where the Best Picture winner was not one of the three films with "Big Five" nominations.

The Graduate became the seventh film to win Best Director and nothing else, and the last until the 94th Academy Awards. For the first time since the introduction of the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 1948, Edith Head did not receive a nomination, after tallying 30 nominations and 7 wins over the previous 18 years.

Due to an all-out push by Academy President Gregory Peck, 18 of the 20 acting nominees were present at the ceremony.^[1] Only Katharine Hepburn and the late Spencer Tracy, who was nominated posthumously, were missing. Edith Evans was the last performer born in the 1880s to receive an acting nomination (Best Actress, for her role in The Whisperers ).

Winners and nominees

Rod Steiger, Best Actor winner

Katharine Hepburn, Best Actress winner

George Kennedy, Best Supporting Actor winner

Estelle Parsons, Best Supporting Actress winner

Elmer Bernstein, Best Original Score winner

Nominations were announced on February 19, 1968. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger (‡).^[2]

Best Picture	Best Director
In the Heat of the Night — Walter Mirisch, producer‡ Bonnie and Clyde — Warren Beatty, producer Doctor Dolittle — Arthur P. Jacobs, producer The Graduate — Lawrence Turman, producer Guess Who's Coming to Dinner — Stanley Kramer, producer	Mike Nichols – The Graduate ‡ Arthur Penn – Bonnie and Clyde Stanley Kramer – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Richard Brooks – In Cold Blood Norman Jewison – In the Heat of the Night
Best Actor	Best Actress
*Rod Steiger – In the Heat of the Night* as Police Chief Bill Gillespie*‡ Warren Beatty – Bonnie and Clyde* as Clyde Barrow Dustin Hoffman – The Graduate as Benjamin Braddock Paul Newman – Cool Hand Luke as Lucas "Cool Hand Luke" Jackson Spencer Tracy (posthumous nomination) – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner as Matt Drayton	*Katharine Hepburn – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* as Christina Drayton*‡ Anne Bancroft – The Graduate* as Mrs. Robinson Faye Dunaway – Bonnie and Clyde as Bonnie Parker Edith Evans – The Whisperers as Mrs. Ross Audrey Hepburn – Wait Until Dark as Susy Hendrix
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
*George Kennedy – Cool Hand Luke* as Dragline*‡ John Cassavetes – The Dirty Dozen* as Victor Franko Gene Hackman – Bonnie and Clyde as Buck Barrow Cecil Kellaway – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner as Monsignor Ryan Michael J. Pollard – Bonnie and Clyde as C.W. Moss	*Estelle Parsons – Bonnie and Clyde* as Blanche Barrow** ‡ Carol Channing – Thoroughly Modern Millie as Muzzy Van Hossmere Mildred Natwick – Barefoot in the Park as Ethel Banks Beah Richards – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner as Mrs. Mary Prentice Katharine Ross – The Graduate as Elaine Robinson
Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen	Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – William Rose ‡ Bonnie and Clyde – David Newman and Robert Benton Divorce American Style – Screenplay by Norman Lear; Story by Robert Kaufman Two for the Road – Frederic Raphael The War Is Over – Jorge Semprún	In the Heat of the Night – Stirling Silliphant based on the novel by John Ball ‡ Cool Hand Luke – Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson based on the novel by Donn Pearce The Graduate – Buck Henry and Calder Willingham based on the novel by Charles Webb In Cold Blood – Richard Brooks based on the novel by Truman Capote Ulysses – Joseph Strick and Fred Haines based on the novel by James Joyce
Best Foreign Language Film	Best Documentary Feature
Closely Watched Trains (Czechoslovakia)‡ El amor brujo (Spain) I Even Met Happy Gypsies (Yugoslavia) Live for Life (France) Portrait of Chieko (Japan)	The Anderson Platoon ‡ Festival Harvest A King's Story A Time for Burning
Best Documentary Short Subject	Best Live Action Short Subject
The Redwoods – Mark Harris and Trevor Greenwood‡ Monument to the Dream A Place to Stand See You at the Pillar While I Run This Race	A Place to Stand – Christopher Chapman and Cam McWhirt‡ Paddle to the Sea – Julian Biggs Sky over Holland – John Ferno Stop Look and Listen – Len Janson and Chuck Menville
Best Short Subject – Cartoons	Best Original Music Score
The Box ‡ Hypothese Beta What on Earth!	Thoroughly Modern Millie – Elmer Bernstein ‡ Cool Hand Luke – Lalo Schifrin Doctor Dolittle – Leslie Bricusse Far from the Madding Crowd – Richard Rodney Bennett In Cold Blood – Quincy Jones
Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score	Best Song
Camelot – Alfred Newman and Ken Darby ‡ Doctor Dolittle – Lionel Newman and Alexander Courage Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – Frank De Vol Thoroughly Modern Millie – André Previn and Joseph Gershenson Valley of the Dolls – John Williams	*"Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle* — Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse** ‡ "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book — Music and Lyrics by Terry Gilkyson "The Eyes of Love" from Banning — Music by Quincy Jones; Lyrics by Bob Russell "The Look of Love" from Casino Royale — Music by Burt Bacharach; Lyrics by Hal David "Thoroughly Modern Millie" from Thoroughly Modern Millie — Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Best Costume Design	Best Art Direction
Camelot – John Truscott ‡ Bonnie and Clyde – Theadora Van Runkle The Happiest Millionaire – Bill Thomas The Taming of the Shrew – Danilo Donati and Irene Sharaff Thoroughly Modern Millie – Jean Louis	Camelot – Art Direction: John Truscott and Edward Carrere; Set Decoration: John W. Brown ‡ Doctor Dolittle – Art Direction: Mario Chiari, Jack Martin Smith and Ed Graves; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Stuart A. Reiss Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – Art Direction: Robert Clatworthy; Set Decoration: Frank Tuttle The Taming of the Shrew – Art Direction: Renzo Mongiardino, John DeCuir, Elven Webb and Giuseppe Mariani; Set Decoration: Dario Simoni and Luigi Gervasi Thoroughly Modern Millie – Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen and George C. Webb; Set Decoration: Howard Bristol
Best Cinematography	Best Sound
Bonnie and Clyde – Burnett Guffey ‡ Camelot – Richard H. Kline Doctor Dolittle – Robert L. Surtees The Graduate – Robert L. Surtees In Cold Blood – Conrad L. Hall	In the Heat of the Night – Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department‡ Camelot – Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Studio Sound Department The Dirty Dozen – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department Doctor Dolittle – 20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department Thoroughly Modern Millie – Universal City Studio Sound Department
Best Sound Effects	Best Film Editing
The Dirty Dozen – John Poyner ‡ In the Heat of the Night – James Richard	In the Heat of the Night – Hal Ashby ‡ Beach Red – Frank P. Keller The Dirty Dozen – Michael Luciano Doctor Dolittle – Samuel E. Beetley and Marjorie Fowler Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – Robert C. Jones
Best Special Visual Effects
Doctor Dolittle – L. B. Abbott ‡ Tobruk – Howard A. Anderson Jr. and Albert Whitlock

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Gregory Peck

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

Alfred Hitchcock

Honorary Oscar

Arthur Freed was presented for distinguished service to the Academy and the production of six top-rated Awards telecasts.

Trivia

This was the last Oscars broadcast by network radio in the US. The ABC radio network (which had just split into four separate services) carried the ceremony over the ABC Entertainment network.
Of the 20 performers nominated in the acting categories only two didn't attend: Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Hepburn, whose award for Best Actress was accepted by George Cukor, was in France filming The Lion in Winter , and Tracy, whose nomination was posthumous as he had died ten months before the ceremony occurred.
There was no Governor's Ball.
Prior to the two-day postponement, four African-American stars who were scheduled to take part in the ceremony: Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong, and Diahann Carroll, announced they were withdrawing in mourning for Dr. King. Prior to the postponement, Jack Lemmon was announced as a replacement for Poitier, and Shirley Jones for Davis, but once the event was delayed, the original quartet returned.
Alfred Hitchcock's acceptance speech is on record as one of the shortest in Academy Awards history: "Thank you very much indeed". This is one word longer than William Holden's acceptance speech for Stalag 17 at the 26th Academy Awards, which was simply "Thank you ... thank you."
This was the only year in which two films ( Bonnie and Clyde and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ) received nominations in all four acting categories.
Legendary film composer John Williams received his first nomination for scoring Valley of the Dolls . He would go on to receive 50 more nominations, winning 5.
Edith Evans was the last performer born in the 1880s to receive an acting nomination (Best Actress, for her role in The Whisperers).

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations:

10 nominations: Bonnie and Clyde and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
9 nominations: Doctor Dolittle
7 nominations: The Graduate , In the Heat of the Night and Thoroughly Modern Millie
5 nominations: Camelot
4 nominations: Cool Hand Luke , The Dirty Dozen and In Cold Blood
2 nominations: A Place to Stand and The Taming of the Shrew

The following films received multiple awards.

5 wins: In the Heat of the Night
3 wins: Camelot
2 wins: Bonnie and Clyde , Doctor Dolittle and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

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 40th Academy Awards
Gregory Peck (AMPAS President)	Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony
Bill Miller	Explained the eligibility and voting rules to the public
Carol Channing	Presenter of the award for Best Sound
Patty Duke	Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actor
Dustin Hoffman Katharine Ross	Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography
Macdonald Carey Diahann Carroll	Presenters of the Short Subjects Awards
Robert Morse Barbara Rush	Presenters of the Documentary Awards
Eva Marie Saint	Presenter of the award for Best Costume Design
Bob Hope (host)	Presenter of the Honorary Award to Arthur Freed
Natalie Wood	Presenter of the award for Best Special Visual Effects
Richard Crenna Elke Sommer	Presenters of the award for Best Sound Effects
Walter Matthau	Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress
Edith Evans	Presenter of the award for Best Film Editing
Rosalind Russell	Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Gregory Peck
Danny Kaye	Presenter of the award for Best Foreign Language Film
Rock Hudson Shirley Jones	Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction
Bob Hope	Presenter of the Academy Awards' history montage
Angie Dickinson Gene Kelly	Presenters of the Music Awards
Barbra Streisand	Presenter of the award for Best Song
Sammy Davis Jr.	Accepted Leslie Bricusse's award on his behalf
Robert Wise	Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
Leslie Caron	Presenter of the award for Best Director
Claire Bloom Rod Steiger	Presenters of the Writing Awards
Audrey Hepburn	Presenter of the award for Best Actor
Sidney Poitier	Presenter of the award for Best Actress
Julie Andrews	Presenter of the award for Best Picture

Performers

Name	Role	Performed
Elmer Bernstein	Musical arranger and conductor	Orchestral
Louis Armstrong	Performer	"The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book
Lainie Kazan	Performer	"The Eyes of Love" from Banning
Sérgio Mendes Brasil '66	Performer	"The Look of Love" from Casino Royale
Sammy Davis Jr.	Performer	"Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle
Angela Lansbury	Performer	"Thoroughly Modern Millie" from Thoroughly Modern Millie ^[3]
Academy Awards Orchestra	Performers	"Hooray for Hollywood/There's No Business like Show Business" (orchestral) during the closing credits

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References

1 2 Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 844. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.
↑ "The 40th Academy Awards (1968) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
↑ Angela Lansbury performing "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on show on YouTube

External links

40th Academy Awards at IMDb
A Place to Stand , 1967, Archives of Ontario YouTube Channel (winner of Best Live Action Short Subject)

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[Oscars_'67_Notes-1] 1 2 Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 844. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.

[Oscars1968-2] "The 40th Academy Awards (1968) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2011.

[3] Angela Lansbury performing "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on show on YouTube

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