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Academy Awards

50th edition

  • April 3, 1978
  • United States

The 50th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1977 and took place on April 3, 1978, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. 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. Actor and comedian Bob Hope hosted the show for the 19th time. He first presided over the 12th ceremony held in 1940 and had last served as a co-host of the 47th ceremony held in 1975. Five days earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on March 29, the Academy Scientific and Technical Awards were presented by hosts Kirk Douglas and Gregory Peck.

Awards

Movie People Status
Best Picture
Annie Hall Charles H. Joffe - as producer(s) Winner
The Goodbye Girl Ray Stark - as producer(s) —
Julia Richard Roth - as producer(s) —
Star Wars Gary Kurtz - as producer(s) —
The Turning Point Herbert Ross, Arthur Laurents - as producer(s) —
Best Director
Annie Hall Woody Allen Winner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Steven Spielberg —
Julia Fred Zinnemann —
Star Wars George Lucas —
The Turning Point Herbert Ross —
Best Actor in a Leading Role
The Goodbye Girl Richard Dreyfuss Winner
Annie Hall Woody Allen —
Equus Richard Burton —
A Special Day Marcello Mastroianni —
Saturday Night Fever John Travolta —
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Annie Hall Diane Keaton Winner
The Turning Point Anne Bancroft —
Julia Jane Fonda —
The Turning Point Shirley MacLaine —
The Goodbye Girl Marsha Mason —
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Julia Jason Robards Winner
Julia Maximilian Schell —
The Turning Point Mikhail Baryshnikov —
Equus Peter Firth —
Star Wars Alec Guinness —
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Julia Vanessa Redgrave Winner
The Turning Point Leslie Browne —
The Goodbye Girl Quinn Cummings —
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Melinda Dillon —
Looking for Mr. Goodbar Tuesday Weld —
Best Original Screenplay
Annie Hall Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman Winner
The Goodbye Girl Neil Simon —
The Late Show Robert Benton —
Star Wars George Lucas —
The Turning Point Arthur Laurents —
Best Adapted Screenplay
Julia Alvin Sargent Winner
Equus Peter Shaffer —
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Gavin Lambert, Lewis John Carlino —
Oh, God! Larry Gelbart —
That Obscure Object of Desire Luis Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carrière —
Best International Feature Film
Madame Rosa Moshé Mizrahi Winner
Iphigenia Michael Cacoyannis —
Operation Thunderbolt Menahem Golan —
A Special Day Ettore Scola —
That Obscure Object of Desire Luis Buñuel —
Best Documentary Feature Film
Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? John Korty, Dan McCann, Warren L. Lockhart Winner
The Children of Theatre Street Robert Dornhelm, Earle Mack —
High Grass Circus Bill Brind, Torben Schioler, Tony Ianzelo —
Homage to Chagall: The Colours of Love Harry Rasky —
Union Maids James Klein, Julia Reichert, Miles Mogulescu —
Best Original Score
Star Wars John Williams Winner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind John Williams —
Julia Georges Delerue —
The Message Maurice Jarre —
The Spy Who Loved Me Marvin Hamlisch —
Best Cinematography
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Vilmos Zsigmond Winner
Islands in the Stream Fred J. Koenekamp —
Julia Douglas Slocombe —
Looking for Mr. Goodbar William A. Fraker —
The Turning Point Robert Surtees —
Best Film Editing
Star Wars Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew Winner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Michael Kahn —
Julia Walter Murch —
Smokey and the Bandit Walter Hannemann, Angelo Ross —
The Turning Point William Reynolds —
Best Sound
Star Wars Don MacDougall, Ray West, Bob Minkler, Derek Ball Winner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Robert Knudson, Robert J. Glass, Don MacDougall, Gene Cantamessa —
The Deep Walter Goss, Dick Alexander, Tom Beckert, Robin Gregory —
Sorcerer Robert Knudson, Robert J. Glass, Richard Tyler, Jean-Louis Ducarme —
The Turning Point Theodore Soderberg, Paul Wells, Douglas O. Williams, Jerry Jost —
Best Original Song Score
A Little Night Music Jonathan Tunick Winner
Pete's Dragon Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn, Irwin Kostal —
The Slipper and the Rose Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, Angela Morley —
Best Original Song
You Light Up My Life Joseph Brooks - "You Light Up My Life" Winner
Pete's Dragon Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn - "Candle on the Water" —
The Spy Who Loved Me Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager - "Nobody Does It Better" —
The Slipper and the Rose Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman - "The Slipper and the Rose Waltz (He Danced with Me/She Danced with Me)" —
The Rescuers Sammy Fain, Carol Connors, Ayn Robbins - "Someone's Waiting for You" —
Best Production Design
Star Wars John Barry, Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Roger Christian Winner
Airport '77 George C. Webb, Mickey S. Michaels —
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Joe Alves and Dan Lomino, Phil Abramson —
The Spy Who Loved Me Ken Adam, Peter Lamont, Hugh Scaife —
The Turning Point Albert Brenner, Marvin March —
Best Costume Design
Star Wars John Mollo Winner
Airport '77 Edith Head, Burton Miller —
Julia Anthea Sylbert —
A Little Night Music Florence Klotz —
The Other Side of Midnight Irene Sharaff —
Best Special Effects
Star Wars John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Grant McCune, Robert Blalack Winner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Roy Arbogast, Douglas Trumbull, Matthew Yuricich, Gregory Jein, Richard Yuricich —
Best Short Film (Live Action)
I'll Find a Way Beverly Shaffer, Yuki Yoshida Winner
The Absent-Minded Waiter William E. McEuen —
Floating Free Jerry Butts —
Notes on the Popular Arts Saul Bass —
Spaceborne Philip Dauber —
Best Documentary Short Film
Gravity Is My Enemy John Joseph, Jan Stussy Winner
Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country Moctesuma Esparza —
First Edition Helen Whitney, DeWitt L. Sage Jr. —
Of Time, Tombs and Treasures James R. Messenger, Paul N. Raimondi —
The Shetland Experience Douglas Gordon —
Best Animated Short Film
The Sand Castle Co Hoedeman Winner
The Bead Game Ishu Patel —
A Doonesbury Special John Hubley, Faith Hubley, Garry Trudeau —
Jimmy the C James Picker, Robert Grossman, Craig Whitaker —
Honorary Award
— Margaret Booth - for her exceptional contribution to the art of film editing in the motion picture industry. Winner
Special Achievement Award
Star Wars Benjamin Burtt Jr. - for the creation of the alien, creature and robot voices. Winner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Frank E. Warner - for the sound effects editing. Winner
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
— Charlton Heston Winner
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
— Walter Mirisch Winner

Annie Hall
Statistics

Most Awarded

2 or more wins
  • Star Wars 7
  • Annie Hall 4
  • Julia 3
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind 2

Most Nominated

3 or more nominations
  • Julia 11
  • Star Wars 11
  • The Turning Point 11
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind 9
  • Annie Hall 5
  • The Goodbye Girl 5
  • Equus 3
  • The Spy Who Loved Me 3

Most Unluckiest

wins / nominations
  • The Turning Point 0 / 11
  • Julia 3 / 11
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind 2 / 9
  • Star Wars 7 / 11
  • The Goodbye Girl 1 / 5
  • Equus 0 / 3
  • The Spy Who Loved Me 0 / 3

Only one nomination

34 movies:
  • The Absent-Minded Waiter
  • Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country
  • The Bead Game
  • The Children of Theatre Street
  • The Deep
  • A Doonesbury Special
  • First Edition
  • Floating Free
  • Gravity Is My Enemy
  • High Grass Circus
  • Homage to Chagall: The Colours of Love
  • I'll Find a Way
  • I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
  • Iphigenia
  • Islands in the Stream
  • Jimmy the C
  • The Late Show
  • Madame Rosa
  • The Message
  • Notes on the Popular Arts
  • Of Time, Tombs and Treasures
  • Oh, God!
  • Operation Thunderbolt
  • The Other Side of Midnight
  • The Rescuers
  • The Sand Castle
  • Saturday Night Fever
  • The Shetland Experience
  • Smokey and the Bandit
  • Sorcerer
  • Spaceborne
  • Union Maids
  • Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?
  • You Light Up My Life

Updated at