Best Picture: 1985

[Big Magilla]

Is it true that the following year (1977) Faye Dunaway feigned illness (or was it an accident?) and thus begged off presenting the Best Actor award because her former lover, Marcello Mastroianni, was nominated in that category for A Special Day?

No. Dunaway was the only one of the 1976 winners scheduled to present. She had to bow out at the last minute after being injured in a car wreck. Mastroianni was himself a co-presenter for Editing with Farrah Fawcett, the ABC TV star who deemed him enough of a name to accompany her after Cary Grant declined the honor They appeared between Olivia de Havilland, who presented an Honorary Awad to long-time editor Margaret Booth, and Fred Astaire, who presented Best Song.

The acting awards were presented by John Travolta (Supporting Actress); Michael Caine and Maggie Smith (Supporting Actor); Janet Gaynor and Walter Matthau (Actress) and Sylvester Stallone (Actor). The oddest couple of the evening was Greer Garson and Henry Winkler who presented the Scoring Awards. The nicest pairing was William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck who presented Best Sound. Holden's impromptu tribute to his Golden Boyco-star was one of the highlights of the evening.

[Reza]

I can't think of a film Pacino and Fonda made together.

It's hightime they did.

[Reza]

Even the biggest names won't help if the show itself is poorly produced.

One of the worst Oscar shows of all time was the notirous 1976 show which was produced by control freak William Friedkin who refused to allow Peter Finch's widow to accept the best actor Oscar in his bebalf should he win and appointed Paddy Chayefsky to accept instead. Of course, Chayefsky tricked him and invited Mrs. Finch to come to the podium and accept the award. It was the highlight of the evening.

Friedkin also drew the wrath of Old Holywood when he refused to allow Loretta Young to pay tribute to Rosalind Russell who had died during the year. This prompted the first In Memoriam segment the following year.

The show was co-hosted by Richard Pryor, Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn and Warren Beatty. The presenters were:

Tatum O'Neal, even though Lee Grant was in th audience as a nominee and presumably available (Supporting Actor); Tamara Dobson (Costume Design); short Marty Feldman (Short Films); Roy Scheider Special Effects); Marte Keller, then four time loser Al Pacino's girlfriend (Art Direction); Sylveser Stallone and Muhammed Ali - it was the year of Rocky and George Burns was apparently busy (Supporting Actress); William Holden (Editing); Red Skelton (Sound); Cicely Tyson (Thalberg Award to Pandro Berman); Donald Sutherland (Cinematography); Pearl Bailey (Foreign Film); Ann-Margret (Scoring); Lillian Hellman Documentaries); Neil Diamond (Song); Norman Mailer (Writing); Jeanne Moreau, then Mrs. Friedkin (Director); Liv Ullmann (Actor); Louise Fletcher (Actress); Jack Nicholson (Picture).

It was the lowest rated Oscar show ever.

Is it true that the following year (1977) Faye Dunaway feigned illness (or was it an accident?) and thus begged off presenting the Best Actor award because her former lover, Marcello Mastroianni, was nominated in that category for A Special Day?

[Big Magilla]

Even the biggest names won't help if the show itself is poorly produced.

One of the worst Oscar shows of all time was the notirous 1976 show which was produced by control freak William Friedkin who refused to allow Peter Finch's widow to accept the best actor Oscar in his bebalf should he win and appointed Paddy Chayefsky to accept instead. Of course, Chayefsky tricked him and invited Mrs. Finch to come to the podium and accept the award. It was the highlight of the evening.

Friedkin also drew the wrath of Old Holywood when he refused to allow Loretta Young to pay tribute to Rosalind Russell who had died during the year. This prompted the first In Memoriam segment the following year.

The show was co-hosted by Richard Pryor, Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn and Warren Beatty. The presenters were:

Tatum O'Neal, even though Lee Grant was in th audience as a nominee and presumably available (Supporting Actor); Tamara Dobson (Costume Design); short Marty Feldman (Short Films); Roy Scheider Special Effects); Marte Keller, then four time loser Al Pacino's girlfriend (Art Direction); Sylveser Stallone and Muhammed Ali - it was the year of Rocky and George Burns was apparently busy (Supporting Actress); William Holden (Editing); Red Skelton (Sound); Cicely Tyson (Thalberg Award to Pandro Berman); Donald Sutherland (Cinematography); Pearl Bailey (Foreign Film); Ann-Margret (Scoring); Lillian Hellman Documentaries); Neil Diamond (Song); Norman Mailer (Writing); Jeanne Moreau, then Mrs. Friedkin (Director); Liv Ullmann (Actor); Louise Fletcher (Actress); Jack Nicholson (Picture).

It was the lowest rated Oscar show ever.

[Reza]

Kingsley alone

I'm sure Sir Ben would love that.

Beatty and Christie would make a great pair as presenters provided Ms Bening has no issues.

[HarryGoldfarb]

I can't think of a film Pacino and Fonda made together.

Guess I meant Voight and Fonda...

[Greg]

I can't think of a film Pacino and Fonda made together.

[HarryGoldfarb]

Obviously Cruise is a big star, no matter how increasingly robotic the guy has become as the years go by, but maybe is the "current active status" of him and some other recent presenters that I do think the choices seem unimpressive. And yes, the academy still can do better, by making better introduction to the announcer itself, even with people currently working, by the means of choosing someone relevant to the award itself, with a proper intro. I mean, what about Foster and Hopkins? or for that matter the recently nominee (and attendant) Peter O'Toole (maybe with Omar Sharif?), the pair of (now) Academy Award winner Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, or Shariff with Julie Christie, Beatty with Dunaway, Hoffman and Voight, Pacino and Fonda, Kingsley alone, McLaine and Nicholson, Murray Abraham and Hulce, Redford and Streep, etc... Even Cruise would have make more sense in the company of Hoffman! Just imagine a clip of their respective films (not necessarily a BP winner but indeed a nominee of big cultural impact) and then the appearance of the presenter with their respective score playing back... That would be classy, and better in my humble opinion than the current thing...

[Reza]

Based on my early years of watching the Oscars, I came to expect the best picture presenter to be a truly big star who'd won an Oscar -- in those years: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Sidney Poitier -- or, if not a winner, someone who was a box office giant (Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood) or a legend (Fred Astaire, Lillian Gish).

HarryGoldfarb expressed disdain at the Academy choosing Tom Cruise to present Best Picture. While I agree with HarryGoldfarb, there is no denying the fact that not only is Cruise a huge ''box office giant'' but also a huge star. The likes of Newman, Peck, Gish, Liz Taylor and Huston do not exist anymore. Jack Nicholson, always a welcome and amusing presence, has also not made an appearance in a number of years (obviously due to his huge girth now, a la Brando). Slim pickings now unfortunately. However, the Academy still can do better if they want instead of constantly parading Spielberg and Hanks around the podium.

To present Best Picture in the future the Academy still does have quite a few choices left: How about Poitier, the two Julies - Andrews and Christie - Joanne Woodward, Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Maggie Smith, Gene Hackman, Liza, Faye Dunaway, Hoffman, Streisand and De Niro?

[Big Magilla]

I don't know how much of a last minute thing it was, but there is no mentioin of it in Inside Oscar. The three directors were intorudced with the titles of their films in the background so they clearly had enough time to prepare the presentation. Wilder announced the winner so there was nothing awkward in having Huston on stage.

Earlier Norma Aleandro had opened the envelope for Best Foreign Film and announced "The winner is - bless you - The Official Story". One wonders what she would have said if Colonel Redl had won. Barbra Steisand opended the envelope for Best Director singing "Memories..." reminding everyone that Sydney Pollack had directed her in The Way We Were. Pollack said at the after-party that he thought Huston would win.

[ITALIANO]

someone else had actually been scheduled to present alongside Wilder & Kurosawa but became unavailable at the very last minute.

Fellini.

Yes, those ceremonies used to be maybe a bit baroque and overlong (and sometimes, infamously, openly kitsch) but there was a real sense of "show" about them, and, I'd say, a genuine love of cinema. Now they are mainly directed at the TV viewers, the young TV viewers even, who not only wouldn't know anything about Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but probably have only heard about but haven't even seen The Godfather or Cabaret. And by pursuing rhythm, they end up being soulless.

[Mister Tee]

I wish Damien were here to confirm or deny this, but I have a faint recollection someone else had actually been scheduled to present alongside Wilder & Kurosawa but became unavailable at the very last minute and Huston agreed to fill in. It's possible I'm imagining this, but I know it seemed odd to me back than that Huston wold have been part of the team, and this story offered an explanation.

Based on my early years of watching the Oscars, I came to expect the best picture presenter to be a truly big star who'd won an Oscar -- in those years: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Sidney Poitier -- or, if not a winner, someone who was a box office giant (Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood) or a legend (Fred Astaire, Lillian Gish).

The problem with matching that profile now is, many of our biggest box office stars are robots or unfunny comics you wouldn't want within a mile of the Not-Kodak. As for the acting winners...look at the list of best actors/actresses in the past decade or so. On the female side, only Julia Roberts or (gulp) Sandra Bullock would meet the standard; among men, only Denzel truly qualifies, and they've already used him. This is why you see Hanks, Douglas, Nicholson and Spielberg into infinity.

Streep will presumable be occupied presenting best actor next year, but after that she's a good candidate for the job; Clooney as well. And, should either of them ever win, DiCaprio or Brad Pitt would also meet the celebrity/respect standard the category seems to call for.

[HarryGoldfarb]

Technically Huston wouldn't have been presenting the award to himself had Prizzi's Honor won. It was produced by John Foreman who would have accepted.

I know, but that was as if Scorsese or Eastwood would have presented Best Picture in 2006... Unconceivable by today standards, no matter what...

[Big Magilla]

Technically Huston wouldn't have been presenting the award to himself had Prizzi's Honor won. It was produced by John Foreman who would have accepted.

But, yes, the ceremony itself has deteriorated to the point where, aside from the current hot stars promoting their latest films, we tend to see the same presenters year afer year. Then again, is there anyone still alive, aside from the usual suspects, who we could reasonably expect to made an appearance at today's Oscars?

[HarryGoldfarb]

I'm hating some things about this "new" board... while writing a very long post about the 1986 ceremony, the site (without any warning) logged me out and I lost all the draft.

Anyway...

I recently saw on YouTube the video of Out of Africa winning the Best Picture award. The trio of presenters was a delight to see: Huston, Wilder and Kurosawa. But the I asked myself a couple of questions...

1. How come the producers choose to put Huston upthere to present this specific award? Wasn't this a bad sign for his own nominated film??

2. Why in recent times has the Academy (or for that matter, the producers of the show) lost its touch in choosing the presenters of this specific (the most important) award of the evening. My first Academy Award was back in 1992 and I was in awe by that video of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof showed prior to Taylor and Nemwn's entrance by the time Best Picture was to be announced. That's how you do it! But recent efforts seem very unimaginative (Tom Cruise? Really??). Spielberg and Hanks seem way too at hand and repetitive (5 of the last 11 Best Picture winners have been announced by any of them) as well as Nicholson and Douglas (Michael). These people doesn't have that kind of impact, maybe because they are currently and actively working within the industry or maybe it is a matter of over-presence, but something has to be done about this. I want a moment like that at the 1986's ceremony! (minus the Huston thing...)