58th Academy Awards

The 58th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 24, 1986, 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 23 categories honoring films released in 1985. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Stanley Donen and directed by Marty Pasetta.[2] Actors Alan Alda, Jane Fonda, and Robin Williams co-hosted the show. Fonda hosted the gala for the second time, having previously been a co-host of the 49th ceremony held in 1977. Meanwhile, this was Alda and Williams's first Oscars hosting stint.[3] Eight days earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on March 16, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Macdonald Carey.[4]

58th Academy Awards
Official poster
DateMarch 24, 1986
SiteDorothy Chandler Pavilion
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Hosted byAlan Alda
Jane Fonda
Robin Williams
Produced byStanley Donen
Directed byMarty Pasetta
Highlights
Best PictureOut of Africa
Most awardsOut of Africa (7)
Most nominationsThe Color Purple and Out of Africa (11)
TV in the United States
NetworkABC
Duration3 hours, 11 minutes[1]
Ratings37.8 million
27.3% (Nielsen ratings)

Out of Africa won seven awards, including Best Picture. Meanwhile, fellow Best Picture nominee The Color Purple failed to win any of its eleven nominations.[5][6] Other winners included Cocoon and Witness with two awards and Anna & Bella, Back to the Future, Broken Rainbow, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mask, Molly's Pilgrim, The Official Story, Prizzi's Honor, Ran, The Trip to Bountiful, White Nights, and Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements with one. The telecast received both positive and negative reviews, and it garnered 37.8 million viewers in the United States.

Winners and nominees

The nominees for the 58th Academy Awards were announced on February 4, 1986, by Academy president Robert Wise and actress Patty Duke.[7] The Color Purple and Out of Africa led all nominees with eleven each.[8] Winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 24, 1986.[6] With its 11 nominations and zero wins, The Color Purple joined 1977's The Turning Point as the most nominated films in Oscar history without a single win.[9] At age 79, John Huston became the oldest person nominated for Best Director.[10] His daughter Anjelica's victory in the Best Supporting Actress category made her the first third-generation Oscar winner in history.[lower-alpha 1] For the first time in Oscars history, all lead acting nominees were born in the United States.[10] Argentina's The Official Story became the first Latin American film to win the Best Foreign Language Film category.[12]

Awards

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger ().[13]

Sydney Pollack, Best Director and Best Picture winner
William Hurt, Best Actor winner
Geraldine Page, Best Actress winner
Don Ameche, Best Supporting Actor winner
Anjelica Huston, Best Supporting Actress winner
John Barry, Best Original Score winner
Lionel Richie, Best Original Song winner
Ralph McQuarrie, Best Visual Effects co-winner

Honorary Academy Awards
  • Paul Newman – "In recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft."[14]
  • Alex North – "In recognition of his brilliant artistry in the creation of memorable music for a host of distinguished motion pictures."[14]

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

The award recognizes individuals whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the motion picture industry.[15]

  • Charles "Buddy" Rogers[16]

Multiple nominations and awards

Presenters and performers

The following individuals, in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.[17][18]

Presenters
Name(s) Role
Hank Simms Announcer of the 58th Academy Awards[19]
Richard Dreyfuss
Marsha Mason		 Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actress
Molly Ringwald Presenter of the award for Best Visual Effects
Jim Henson
Kermit the Frog
Scooter		 Presentation of the award for Best Animated Short Film
Audrey Hepburn Presenter of the award for Best Costume Design
Louis Gossett Jr. Presenter of the award for Best Documentary Feature
Teri Garr Presenter of the award for Best Makeup
Irene Cara Presenter of the award for Best Sound
Cher Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actor
Bob Hope Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Charles "Buddy" Rogers
Steve Guttenberg
Ally Sheedy		 Presenters of the award for Best Documentary Short Subject
Rebecca De Mornay
Michael J. Fox		 Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction
Sally Field Presenter of the Honorary Award to Paul Newman
Michael Winslow Presenter of the award for Best Sound Effects Editing
Quincy Jones Presenter of the Honorary Award to Alex North
Jim MacGeorge
Chuck McCann		 Presenters of the award for Best Live Action Short Film
F. Murray Abraham Presenter of the award for Best Actress
Jon Cryer Presenter of the award for Best Cinematography
Norma Aleandro
Jack Valenti		 Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film
Whoopi Goldberg Presenter of the award for Best Film Editing
Gene Kelly
Donald O'Connor
Debbie Reynolds		 Presenters of the awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song
Larry Gelbart Presenter of the Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Barbra Streisand Presenter of the award for Best Director
Sally Field Presenter of the award for Best Actor
John Huston
Akira Kurosawa
Billy Wilder		 Presenters of the award for Best Picture
Performers
Name Role Performed
Lionel Newman Musical arranger
Conductor		 Orchestral
Teri Garr Performer "Flying Down to Rio" during the opening number
Irene Cara Performer "Here's to the Losers" by Frank Sinatra during the tribute to Oscar losers throughout history
Gregg Burge Performer "Surprise, Surprise" from A Chorus Line
Tata Vega Performer "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" from The Color Purple
Stephen Bishop
Marilyn Martin		 Performers "Separate Lives" from White Nights
Huey Lewis and the News Performers "The Power of Love" from Back to the Future
Lionel Richie Performer "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights
June Allyson
Leslie Caron
Marge Champion
Cyd Charisse
Kathryn Grayson
Howard Keel
Ann Miller
Jane Powell
Debbie Reynolds
Esther Williams		 Performers "Once a Star, Always a Star" during the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals tribute
Barbra Streisand Performer "Putting It Together" from Sunday in the Park with George during the Best Director presentation
Academy Awards Orchestra Performers "Oh, Lady Be Good!" from Lady, Be Good (orchestral) during the closing credits

Ceremony information

Determined to revive interest surrounding the awards and reverse declining ratings, the Academy hired Stanley Donen in December 1985 to produce the telecast for the first time.[20] The following February, actor and comedian Robin Williams was selected as host of the 1986 telecast.[21] Actor Alan Alda and two-time Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda were later announced to join Williams in sharing emceeing duties.[22]

Several other people were involved with the production of the ceremony. Marty Pasetta was hired as director of the telecast.[2] Lionel Newman served as musical director and conductor for the ceremony.[23] Actress Teri Garr performed the titular song from Flying Down to Rio during the opening segment.[24] Singer Irene Cara sang the Frank Sinatra song "Here's to the Losers" in honor of unsuccessful Oscar nominees throughout history.[24] A song-and-dance number featuring actor and singer Howard Keel and several actresses including Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron, and Debbie Reynolds paid tribute to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals.[12]

Box office performance of nominated films

At the time of the nominations announcement on February 5, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $119 million with an average of $23.9 million.[25] Witness was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $68.7 million in the domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by Out of Africa ($55.6 million), The Color Purple ($46.4 million), Prizzi's Honor ($26.7 million) and Kiss of the Spider Woman ($13.4 million).[25]

Of the 50 grossing films of the year, 42 nominations went to 12 films on the list. Only Back to the Future (1st), Cocoon (4th), Witness (5th), Jagged Edge (20th), The Color Purple (21st), Prizzi's Honor (30th), Agnes of God (32nd) were nominated for Best Picture, directing, acting, or screenplay.[26] The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations were Rambo: First Blood Part II (2nd), Mask (14th), White Nights (22nd), Silverado (27th), Young Sherlock Holmes (44th), and Ladyhawke (46th).[26]

Critical reviews

Terrence O'Flaherty of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Last night's sustained-release Oscar pill moved faster through the system than most, but from a standpoint of taste it was the worst in years." Regarding Alda, Fonda, and Williams's hosting performance, he commented, "Together they immediately placed a fatal suggestion in the viewer's mind that there must be a shortage of elegant people in the movie business today."[27] Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel noted that after co-host Williams opened the ceremony with a slew of humorous jokes, "The show regrettably returned to its old bad habits with a boring onstage production number intended to be a tribute to old movies."[28] The Record's Joel Pisetzner remarked, "The program might as well have begun with the announcement 'Dead, from L.A. it's Academy night!' "[29]

Television columnist John J. O'Connor of The New York Times quipped, "Suddenly, it seemed, somebody had listened to the complaints that had grown deadeningly familiar over the years." He also added, "Mr. Williams's improvisational, on-the-precipice style of humor brought the event's comic tone thumpingly into the 1980s."[30] Yardena Arar from the Los Angeles Daily News said, "This time, the ABC telecast didn't drown in the thank yous–or, for that matter, boring presentation speeches and production numbers." Furthermore, she observed, "The writing was by and large brisk, the production numbers fair (in the case of the Oscar-nominated songs) to fabulous (Keel's medley with a bevy of former leading ladies)."[31] Houston Chronicle television critic Ann Hodges remarked, "Oscar 1986 goes into the record books as a very good year–the year the Academy parked the pompous and let the show biz show." She also lauded the winners' acceptance speeches and the various musical numbers during the broadcast.[32]

Ratings and reception

The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 37.8 million people over its length, which was a 2% decrease from the previous year's ceremony.[33] Moreover, the show drew lower Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 27.3% of households watching with a 43% share.[34] At the time, it earned the lowest viewership for an Academy Award telecast and the lowest ratings for any broadcast.[35]

In July 1986, the ceremony presentation received four nominations at the 38th Primetime Emmys.[36][37] The following month, the ceremony won one of those nominations for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety Program (Roy Christopher).[38]

See also
  • List of submissions to the 58th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

Notes
  1. Previously, John Huston and his father Walter won Best Director and Best Supporting Actor respectively for 1948's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.[11]

References
  1. Sharbutt, Jay (March 26, 1986). "Oscar Wins Its Slot, Still Loses Ground". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  2. "58th Annual Academy Awards Presentation". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  3. "Hosting Chores". Variety. February 13, 2005. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  4. "Past Scientific & Technical Awards Ceremonies". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  5. Harmetz, Aljean (March 25, 1986). "Oscars Go to Out of Africa and Its Director, Sydney Pollack". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  6. Baltake, Joe (March 25, 1986). "7 Oscars Come Out of Africa". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  7. "No Clear Favorite in Oscar Race". Vancouver Sun. February 5, 1986. p. D13.
  8. Matthews, Jack (February 5, 1986). "Out of Africa Ties 'Color Purple' as Oscar Nominees : 11 Citations; Spielberg Not Named". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.
  9. Friendly, David T. (March 27, 1986). "Academy Hits Racism Accusation". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  10. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 1151
  11. King, Susan. "Calendar Goes to the Oscars: Side Orders". Los Angeles Times. No. March 28, 1993. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  12. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 676
  13. "The 58th Academy Awards (1986) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  14. "Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  15. MacMinn, Aleene (January 14, 1993). "Morning Report: Movies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  16. Wilson, John M. (March 23, 1986). "Best Footage Forward". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  17. Mull, Marrison (March 23, 1986). "The Show, From Beginning To End". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  18. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 672
  19. Terrance 2013, p. 14
  20. Ryan, Desmond (December 15, 1985). "Why are old films tinted? Just blame it on the kids". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I2.
  21. Blakey, Scott (February 11, 1986). "KQEC's 3-2-1 Contact Tries 3-2-1 Blast-Off". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 45.
  22. "Alda, Fonda named hosts of Oscars". Montreal Gazette. February 28, 1986. p. D13.
  23. Osborne 2013, p. 413
  24. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 673
  25. "1985 Academy Award Nominations and Winner for Best Picture". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  26. "1985 Domestic Grosses (as of February 4, 1987)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  27. O'Flaherty, Terrence (March 25, 1986). "A Very Tacky Night in Hollywood". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 55.
  28. Siskel, Gene (March 25, 1986). "'Africa' Dominates With 7 Oscars While Purple Is Shut Out". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  29. Pisetzner, Joel (March 25, 1986). "Again the Stars Come Out for a Glorious Night of Blah". The Record. p. B1.
  30. O'Connor, John J. (March 25, 1986). "The Academy Awards Ceremony". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  31. Arar, Yardena (March 25, 1986). "The Real Winner Was the Audience". Los Angeles Daily News. p. 8.
  32. Hodges, Ann (March 25, 1986). "Hollywood Blowout Goes Down a Winner". Houston Chronicle. p. 5.
  33. Morales, Tatiana (March 24, 2003). "TV Ratings for Oscars Plunge". CBS News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  34. Schwed, Mark (March 30, 1993). "Kudocast's Nielsen ratings highest in 10 years". Variety. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  35. Pond 2005, p. 159
  36. "Primetime Emmy Award database". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  37. "Nominations for Prime-Time Emmys". Los Angeles Times. August 1, 1986. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  38. Margulies, Lee (September 8, 1986). "First Round : Fields, Olivier Shows Win Emmys". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.

Bibliography
  • Osborne, Robert (2013). 85 Years of the Oscar: The Complete History of the Academy Awards. New York, New York, United States: Abbeville Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-7892-1142-2. OCLC 856879222.
  • Pond, Steve (2005), The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards, New York, New York, United States: Faber and Faber, ISBN 978-0-5712-1196-8, OCLC 872595912
  • Terrance, Vincent (2013). Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936–2012 (5 ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina, United States: Ballantine Books, McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-1240-9. OCLC 844373010.
  • Wiley, Mason; Bona, Damien (1996), Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards (5 ed.), New York, New York, United States: Ballantine Books, ISBN 978-0-3454-0053-6, OCLC 779680732
Analysis
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