52nd Academy Awards

The 52nd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1979 and took place on April 14, 1980, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 22 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Howard W. Koch and directed by Marty Pasetta.[2] Comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson hosted the show for the second consecutive year. Three days earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on April 11, the Academy Scientific and Technical Awards were presented by hosts Cloris Leachman and William Shatner.[3]

52nd Academy Awards
Official poster promoting the 52nd Academy Awards in 1980.
Official poster
DateApril 14, 1980 (1980-04-14)
SiteDorothy Chandler Pavilion
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Hosted byJohnny Carson
Produced byHoward W. Koch
Directed byMarty Pasetta
Highlights
Best PictureKramer vs. Kramer
Most awardsKramer vs. Kramer (5)
Most nominationsAll That Jazz and Kramer vs. Kramer (9)
TV in the United States
NetworkABC
Duration3 hours, 15 minutes[1]
Ratings49 million
33.7% (Nielsen ratings)

Kramer vs. Kramer won five awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Benton, Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman, and Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep. Sally Field received Best Actress honors for Norma Rae, and Melvyn Douglas won Best Supporting Actor for Being There.[4] The telecast received a mixed reception with critics praising Carson's hosting performance but criticising the pacing and predictability of the ceremony. It garnered 49 million viewers in the United States which was a 6% increase on the previous year.

Winners and nominees

The nominees for the 52nd Academy Awards were announced on February 25, 1980, by Academy president Fay Kanin and actors Ed Asner and Yvette Mimieux.[5] All That Jazz and Kramer vs. Kramer tied for the most nominations with nine each.[6] The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on April 14. At age eight, Best Supporting Actor nominee Justin Henry became the youngest person nominated for an Oscar.[7]

Awards
A photograph of Dustin Hoffman in 2013
Dustin Hoffman, Best Actor winner
A photograph of Sally Field in 2018
Sally Field, Best Actress winner
A black-and-white photograph of Melvyn Douglas in 1939
Melvyn Douglas, Best Supporting Actor winner
A photograph of Meryl Streep in 2018
Meryl Streep, Best Supporting Actress winner
A photograph of Vittorio Storaro in 2001
Vittorio Storaro, Best Cinematography winner
A photograph of H. R. Giger in 2012
H. R. Giger, Best Visual Effects co-winner
A photograph of Carlo Rmabaldi in 2010
Carlo Rambaldi, Best Visual Effects co-winner

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[8]

Academy Honorary Awards
  • Hal Elias – "For his dedication and distinguished service to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."[9]
  • Alec Guinness – "For advancing the art of screen acting through a host of memorable and distinguished performances."[9]

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

The award recognizes individuals whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the motion picture industry.[10]

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

The award honors "creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production".[11]

Special Achievement Award

Academy Award for Technical Achievement
  • Mark Serrurier – "For the progressive development of the Moviola from the 1924 invention of his father, Iwan Serrurier, to the present Series 20 sophisticated film editing equipment."[14]

Multiple nominations and awards

Presenters and performers

The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.[15]

Presenters
Table featuring presenters for the 52nd Academy Awards
Name(s) Role
Hank Simms[16] Announcer of the 52nd Academy Awards
Fay Kanin (AMPAS president) Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony
Patrick Wayne Explained the voting rules to the public
Cloris Leachman
Jack Lemmon		 Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actress
Ann Miller
Mickey Rooney		 Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction
Dolly Parton
Ben Vereen		 Presenters of the awards for Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score and Best Original Score
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Robert Benjamin
Robert Hays
Kristy McNichol		 Presenters of the award for Best Costume Design
Farrah Fawcett
Harold Russell		 Presenters of the award for Best Visual Effects
Persis Khambatta
William Shatner		 Presenters of the awards Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short
Lauren Hutton
Telly Savalas		 Presenters of the awards for Best Animated Short Film and Best Live Action Short Film
Richard Gere Presenter of the Academy Award for Technical Achievement to Mark Serrurier
Ann-Margret
Jack Valenti		 Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film
Sally Kellerman
Rod Steiger		 Presenters of the award for Best Sound
Kirk Douglas Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Ray Stark
Jamie Lee Curtis
George Hamilton		 Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography
Gene Kelly
Olivia Newton-John		 Presenters of the award for Best Original Song
Bo Derek
Christopher Reeve		 Presenters of the award for Best Film Editing
Walter Matthau
Liza Minnelli		 Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actor
Dustin Hoffman Presenter of the Academy Honorary Award to Alec Guinness
Neil Simon Presenter of the awards for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Walter Mirisch Presenter of the Academy Honorary Award to Hal Elias
Jane Fonda Presenter of the award for Best Actor
Richard Dreyfuss Presenter of the award for Best Actress
Goldie Hawn
Steven Spielberg		 Presenters of the award for Best Director
Charlton Heston Presenter of the award for Best Picture

Performers
Table featuring performers for the 52nd Academy Awards
NameRolePerformed
Henry Mancini Musical arranger
Conductor		 Orchestral
Kermit the Frog Performer "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie
Dudley Moore
Helen Reddy		 Performers "Song from 10 (It's Easy to Say)" from 10
Melissa Manchester Performer "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles and "I'll Never Say Goodbye" from The Promise
Donald O'Connor Performer "Dancin' on the Silver Screen"
Dionne Warwick Performer "It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae
Academy Awards Chorus Performers "That's Entertainment" during the closing credits

Ceremony information
A black-and-white photograph of Johnny Carson in 1970
Johnny Carson hosted the 52nd Academy Awards.

In September 1979, the Academy hired film producer Howard W. Koch to produce the telecast for the sixth time.[17] Upon being named producer, Koch responded in a press release stating, "I plan to involve all the professional and creative talents of the motion picture community in this program, as the Academy Awards, in the public's mind, represents the entire field of filmmaking."[18] Two months later, it was announced that comedian and The Tonight Show host Johnny Carson would preside over emceeing duties for the 1980 ceremony.[19] "Johnny Carson is one of our national treasures. He was selected as this year's host because his wit and verve made him an outstanding master of ceremonies at last year's show," said Koch in a statement justifying his selection for host.[20]

Marty Pasetta directed the telecast.[21] Henry Mancini served as musical director and conductor for the ceremony where he conducted an overture performed by the orchestra at the beginning of the show.[22] A song-and-dance number featuring actor and singer Donald O'Connor paid tribute to choreography in film.[23]

Critical reviews

The ceremony received a mixed reception from critics. The Arizona Republic columnist Michael Maza wrote, "Watching last night's 52nd Annual Academy Award ceremonies was like sitting through three hours and 15 minutes of near-flawless close order drill. It wasn't long before the feet seemed to blur."[24] Jack Mathews of the Detroit Free Press commented, "In any event, the 52nd Academy Awards presentation will stand as one of the smoothest, most predictable, most reasonable Oscar nights in history. Also, alas, one of the most boring."[25] The Baltimore Sun television critic Bill Carter quipped, "We found out Monday night when this year's edition of the Oscarcast streamlined to the point of emaciation (and still more than three hours long), thudded along like some awards dinner of the meat-packing industry." He praised Carson's hosting performance, but said, "For all the excitement this parade of stars provided, they might as well have sent in their stand-ins, or maybe some robot, or well dressed mannequins from a boutique on Rodeo Drive. This just wasn't a little boring, this was mind-numbingly boring."[26]

Others received the broadcast more positively. Los Angeles Times film critic Charles Champlin mused, "As a show, the Marty Pasetta-Howard Koch special revealed again a gift for all that pizzazz." He added, "If nobody in fact was dozing, it was thanks to Carson's own relaxed and engaging presence. Among his virtues, he is an emcee who seems to love the movies."[27] Film critic Gene Siskel from the Chicago Tribune commented, "The show was a visual delight, thanks to special electronic effects that presented scenes from each nominated film as its title was announced."[28] Columnist Patrick Taggart of the Austin American-Statesman wrote, "Aren't we entitled to at least one upset victory among the nominees? The 52nd running of the Academy Awards was distinguished by the utter lack of any such color; but somehow, in spite of its slickness, Monday's show was a relatively good one."[29]

Ratings and reception

The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 49 million people over the length of the entire ceremony, which was a 6% increase from the previous year's ceremony.[30] However, the show drew lower Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 33.7% of households watching with a 55% share.[31] Furthermore, the ceremony presentation received five nominations at the 32nd Primetime Emmys, but failed to win any of its nominations.[32][33]

See also

References
  1. Labonte, Richard (April 15, 1980). "Academy Awards Ceremony Called a 'Show Biz Miracle'". Ottawa Citizen. p. 31.
  2. Osborne 2013, p. 413
  3. "Past Scientific & Technical Awards Ceremonies". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  4. Harmetz, Aljean (April 15, 1980). "Oscars Won by Kramer, Hoffman and Miss Field; All That Jazz Takes Craft Awards Kramer vs. Kramer Is the Oscar Leader 'New and Old Managements' Carson's 2d Year as Emcee Honorary Awards Streets Are Quieter". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  5. Thomas, Bob (February 26, 1980). "All That Jazz, Kramer Lead Oscar Nominations". The Spokesman-Review. p. 14.
  6. Arnold, Gary (February 26, 1980). "Kramer and Jazz . . ". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  7. Kinn & Piazza 2002, p. 219
  8. "The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  9. "Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  10. "Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  11. "Irvin G. Thalberg Memorial Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  12. "Hollywood Film Producer, Power Broker Ray Stark". The Washington Post. January 20, 2004. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  13. "Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  14. Kinn & Piazza 2002, p. 221
  15. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 578
  16. Terrance 2013, p. 14
  17. "Koch Again". South Bend Tribune. September 30, 1979. p. 61.
  18. "Howard W. Koch to Produce 52nd Annual Oscar Show". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. September 7, 1979. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  19. "Carson to Host Show". Reno Gazette-Journal. November 27, 1979. p. 10.
  20. "Johnny Carson Set As Master of Ceremonies for 52nd Annual Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. November 6, 2013. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  21. Boyer, Peter J. (April 14, 1980). "Marty Pasetta Has Hopes for a Lively Oscar Show". The Baltimore Sun. p. B6.
  22. Osborne 2013, p. 413
  23. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 580
  24. Maza, Michael (April 15, 1980). "Ho-Hum Oscars Was a 'Bowling Boquet of Stars'". The Arizona Republic. p. B5.
  25. Mathews, Jack (April 15, 1980). "How Divorce, War and Death Can Turn Into a Big Yawner". Detroit Free Press. p. 12C.
  26. Carter, Bill (April 16, 1980). "Oscarcast Without Silliness: How Boring". The Baltimore Sun. p. B4.
  27. Champlin, Charles (April 16, 1980). "The Oscar Derby: A Horse Race After All". Los Angeles Times. p. 100.
  28. Siskel, Gene (April 15, 1980). "Oscars to Field, Hoffman, Kramer". Chicago Tribune. p. 14.
  29. Taggart, Patrick (April 16, 1980). "Awards Show Sailed on Calm Waters". Austin American-Statesman. p. E7.
  30. Consoli, Jon (February 21, 2013). "Spotlight's on Oscars But for ABC, Ratings Wins Begin on Red Carpet". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  31. Margulies, Lee (April 18, 1980). "Ratings Race a Photo Finish?". Los Angeles Times. p. 119.
  32. "Primetime Emmy Awards Database". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  33. "Academy of TV Arts & Sciences 1979-80 Emmy Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Vol. 262, no. 48. August 8, 1980. pp. 5, 29. ProQuest 2598133563.

Bibliography
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