James Stewart– "For his fifty years of memorable performances, for his high ideals both on and off the screen, with the respect and affection of his colleagues."[15]
National Endowment for the Arts– "In recognition of its 20th anniversary and its dedicated commitment to fostering artistic and creative activity and excellence in every area of the arts."[15]
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
The award recognizes individuals whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the motion picture industry.[16]
Determined to revive interest surrounding the awards and reverse declining ratings, the Academy recruited a four-person committee in December 1984 comprised of actor Gregory Peck, director Robert Wise, screenwriter Larry Gelbart, and AMPAS president Gene Allen to oversee producing duties.[21] The following month, it was announced that actor Jack Lemmon would preside over emceeing duties for the 1985 ceremony. Allen explained the decision to hire Carson, saying, "Jack's untiring energy, zest for living, and imaginative talents have won respect and approval of everyone in the film community."[22]
In an effort to shorten the ceremony, ten actors (Candice Bergen, Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Michael Douglas, Gregory Hines, Amy Irving, William Hurt, Diana Ross, Tom Selleck, and Kathleen Turner) were announced as "co-hosts" and served as either presenters announcing two awards each or introducing other presenters and musical numbers.[23] In addition, producers warned nominees prior to the ceremony that winners would have 45 seconds to finish their speeches before a blinking red light would flash and the orchestra would begin playing them off.[24]
Marty Pasetta directed the telecast; Bill Conti served as conductor and musical director.[2] Oscar winner Theoni V. Aldredge served as costume designer for the ceremony which featured a segment showcasing the Best Costume Design nominees that included an elephant wearing costumes from A Passage to India.[25] In view of the Academy nominating movies reflecting life in the American heartland such as Places in the Heart, The River, and Songwriter, singers Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Lonette McKee performed a medley of country songs.[20]
Box office performance of Best Picture nominees
At the time of the nominations announcement on February 6, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $103million.[26]Places in the Heart was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees, with $31.2million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by Amadeus ($25.7million), A Soldier's Story ($21.4million), A Passage to India ($13.5million), and The Killing Fields ($11.7million).[26]
Critical reviews
Television critic Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The Oscar telecast was born to bore. It's unethical to tamper with failure. It's unholy. It's criminal. Now look what's happened. The Oscar telecast is good." He also noted that shortened acceptance speeches and well-disciplined production numbers made for a brisk-paced ceremony.[27] Jerry Coffey of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram commented, "Monday night's Academy Awards show was the best in recent memory, a snappy, disciplined event that sacrificed nothing of value and trimmed off much of the obligatory baggage and extraneous clutter." He also commended Lemmon's performance as host while also singling out James Stewart's Honorary Oscar acceptance speech as one of the emotional highlights of the night.[28]The Sacramento Bee's George Williams It was a classy show all the way, a pure Hollywood production. Jack Lemmon, a two-time Oscar winner himself, was at the helm with his consummate timing and irresistible likableness."[29]
Chicago Tribune television columnist Jon Anderson wrote, "Like a whale on a diet, Monday night's 57th Academy Awards ceremony on ABC-TV Channel 7 was leaner and trimmer than past shows, but seemed to have lost something. The show, still fat, lacked spirit." He reserved praise particularly for the Best Costume Design presentation and presenter Steve Martin, but compared host Lemmon's hosting performance as "luncheon-club amiability" to previous year's host Johnny Carson's "Las Vegas sharpness."[30] Michael Dougan of the San Francisco Examiner remarked, "Last night's extravaganza was more than 30 minutes shorter than the 1984 event, but not because the audience got less to look at." He criticized the decision to cut off various winner's speeches and several technical production errors such as flashing the Amadeus logo when The Killing Fields won Best Cinematography.[31]Harold Schindler, writing for the The Salt Lake Tribune, said despite the ceremony's shorter runtime, "It wasn't noticeably better, but it did provide plenty a copy for a TV bloopers and outtakes or a segment in 'Life's Most Embarrassing Moments' if ABC cares to use it someday."[32]
Ratings and reception
The American telecast on ABC drew in an audience of 38.9million.[33] Moreover, the show drew lower Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony, with 27.7% of households watching with a 45% share.[34] Nevertheless, the ceremony presentation received two nominations at the 37th Primetime Emmy Awards in August 1984.[35][36] The following month, the ceremony won one of those nominations for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety Program (Rene Lagler and Jeremy Railton).[37]
Franks, Don (2005), Entertainment Awards: A Music, Cinema, Theatre and Broadcasting Guide, 1928 Through 2003 (3rded.), Jefferson, North Carolina, United States: McFarland & Company, ISBN978-1-5791-2396-3, OCLC53937872
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