52nd Annual Academy Awards Results and Commentary (1980)

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  • Date of Ceremony: Monday, April 14, 1980
  • For films released in: 1979
  • Host(s): Johnny Carson (video)
Other years:

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Johnny Carson hosted the 52nd Annual Academy Awards from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Monday, April 14th, 1980. Pointing out the increasing length of the telecasts and referencing the U.S. hostage situation in Iran, Carson joked that President Jimmy Carter was trying to negotiate their release from the ceremony.

Already loaded down with all the major critics awards, it was no surprise that Kramer vs. Kramer would take home five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Benton), Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman) and Best Supporting Actress (Meryl Streep).

Though Hoffman started off with a quip — looking at his Oscar and saying “He has no genitalia and he’s holding a sword. I’d like to thank my parents for not practicing birth control.” — he finished off by supporting his fellow actors.

“I refuse to believe that I beat Jack Lemmon, that I beat Al Pacino, that I beat Peter Sellers. I refuse to believe that Robert Duvall lost. We are a part of an artistic family. There are sixty thousand actors in this Academy — pardon me —- in the Screen Actors Guild, and probably a hundred thousand in Equity. And most actors don’t work, and a few of us are so lucky to have a chance to work with writing and to work with directing. Because when you’re a broke actor you can’t write; you can’t paint; you have to practice accents while you’re driving a taxi cab. And to that artistic family that strives for excellence, none of you have ever lost and I am proud to share this with you.” – Dustin Hoffman

The Best Actress Oscar went to Sally Field for Norma Rae. Field’s strongest praise was for her director, Martin Ritt.

“And mostly it was given to me because of Marty Ritt. Marty Ritt is Norma Rae. He has fought all his life to put on films that are courageous, that say things, that are part of him that he feels should be said, that have the box-office potential of seventy-five cents, sometimes less. And I thank him for that. He’s taught me a lot. And the best gift that Marty gave me was that he let me feel all the time that I was doing it myself, and I know that I didn’t.” – Sally Field

One of the highlights of the night was a salute to movie choreographers featuring Donald O’Connor and thirty-two dancers.

Results

Best Picture

  • Kramer vs. Kramer
    Stanley R. Jaffe [Producer]

Best Directing

  • Kramer vs. Kramer
    Robert Benton

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Best Actress in a Leading Role

  • Norma Rae
    Sally Field

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Being There
    Melvyn Douglas

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Best Foreign Language Film

  • The Tin Drum

Best Art Direction

  • All That Jazz
    Philip Rosenberg [Art Direction], Tony Walton [Art Direction], Edward Stewart [Set Decoration] and Gary Brink [Set Decoration]

Best Cinematography

  • Apocalypse Now
    Vittorio Storaro

Best Costume Design

  • All That Jazz
    Albert Wolsky

Best Documentary (Feature)

  • Best Boy
    Ira Wohl

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

  • Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist
    Saul J. Turell

Best Film Editing

  • All That Jazz
    Alan Heim

Best Music (Original Score)

  • A Little Romance
    Georges Delerue

Best Music (Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score)

  • All That Jazz
    Ralph Burns [Adaptation Score by]

Best Music (Original Song)

  • Norma Rae "It Goes Like It Goes"
    David Shire [Music by] and Norman Gimbel [Lyric by]

Best Short Film (Animated)

  • Every Child
    Derek Lamb

Best Short Film (Live Action)

  • Board and Care
    Sarah Pillsbury and Ron Ellis

Best Sound

  • Apocalypse Now
    Walter Murch, Mark Berger, Richard Beggs and Nat Boxer

Best Visual Effects

  • Alien
    H.R. Giger, Carlo Rambaldi, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder and Denys Ayling

Best Writing (Screenplay - based on material from another medium)

  • Kramer vs. Kramer
    Robert Benton

Best Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)

  • Breaking Away
    Steve Tesich

Special Achievement Award (Sound Editing)

  • The Black Stallion
    Alan Splet

Honorary Award

  • Alec Guinness
    Note: …for advancing the art of screen acting through a host of memorable and distinguished performances.
  • Hal Elias
    Note: …for his dedication and distinguished service to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Medal of Commendation

  • John O. Aalberg
    Note: …in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
  • Charles G. Clarke
    Note: …in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
  • John G. Frayne
    Note: …in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

  • Ray Stark

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

  • Robert Benjamin

Scientific or Technical Award (Academy Award of Merit)

  • Mark Serrurier
    Note: …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.

Scientific or Technical Award (Scientific and Engineering Award)

  • Neiman-Tillar Associates and Mini-Micro Systems Incorporated
    Note: To Neiman-Tillar Associates for the creative development and Mini-Micro Systems Incorporated for the design and engineering of an Automated Computer-Controlled Editing Sound System (ACCESS) for motion picture post-production.

Scientific or Technical Award (Technical Achievement Award)

  • Michael V. Chewey [of M-G-M Laboratories], Walter G. Eggers [of M-G-M Laboratories] and Allen Hecht [of M-G-M Laboratories]
    Note: …for the development of a Computer-controlled Paper Tape Programmer System and its applications in the motion picture laboratory.
  • Irwin Young [of Du Art Film Laboratories Incorporated], Paul Kaufman [of Du Art Film Laboratories Incorporated] and Fredrik Schlyter [of Du Art Film Laboratories Incorporated]
    Note: …for the development of a Computer-controlled Paper Tape Programmer System and its applications in the motion picture laboratory.
  • James S. Stanfield and Paul W. Trester
    Note: …for the development and manufacture of a device for the repair or protection of sprocket holes in motion picture film.
  • Zoran Perisic [of Courier Films Limited]
    Note: …for the Zoptic Special Optical Effects Device for motion picture photography.
  • A.D. Flowers and Logan R. Frazee
    Note: …for the development of a device to control flight patterns of miniature airplanes during motion picture photography.
  • Photo Research Division of Kollmorgen Corporation
    Note: …for the development of the Spectra Series II Cine Special Exposure Meter for motion picture photography.
  • Bruce Lyon and John Lamb
    Note: …for the development of a Video Animation System for testing motion picture animation sequences.
  • Ross Lowell [of Lowel-Light Manufacturing Incorporated]
    Note: …for the development of compact lighting equipment for motion picture photography.
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