54th Annual Academy Awards Results and Commentary (1982)

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©A.M.P.A.S.®
  • Date of Ceremony: Monday, March 29, 1982
  • For films released in: 1981
  • Host(s): Johnny Carson
Other years:

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Johnny Carson once again hosted as the 54th Annual Academy Awards were presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Monday, March 29th, 1982.

The Best Picture win for Chariots of Fire was a surprise to many who thought that the heavily-nominated Reds and On Golden Pond would take home the top prize.

Henry Fonda, who was last nominated for The Grapes of Wrath 41 years earlier, won Best Actor for On Golden Pond, his only competitive Oscar. Fonda was too ill to attend the ceremony and died just over four months later.

Fonda’s co-star, Katharine Hepburn, won her fourth Best Actress. It was her twelfth nomination.

Warren Beatty won Best Director for Reds, while his co-star Maureen Stapleton went home with Best Supporting Actress.

One touch moment occurred during the acceptance speech by Honorary Award winner Barbara Stanwyck. She and the late William Holden had presented together a few years earlier and he praised her for saving his career. At the end of her speech, an emotional Stanwyck said, “A few years ago I stood on this stage with William Holden as a presenter. I loved him very much, and I miss him. He always wished that I would get an Oscar. And so tonight, my golden boy, you got your wish.”

Results

Best Picture

  • Chariots of Fire
    David Puttnam [Producer]

Best Directing

  • Reds
    Warren Beatty

Best Actor in a Leading Role

  • On Golden Pond
    Henry Fonda

Best Actress in a Leading Role

  • On Golden Pond
    Katharine Hepburn

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Arthur
    John Gielgud

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Reds
    Maureen Stapleton

Best Foreign Language Film

  • Mephisto

Best Art Direction

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Norman Reynolds [Art Direction], Leslie Dilley [Art Direction] and Michael Ford [Set Decoration]

Best Cinematography

  • Reds
    Vittorio Storaro

Best Costume Design

  • Chariots of Fire
    Milena Canonero

Best Documentary (Feature)

  • Genocide
    Andrew Schwartzman and Rabbi Marvin Hier

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

  • Close Harmony
    Nigel Noble

Best Film Editing

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Michael Kahn

Best Makeup

  • An American Werewolf in London
    Rick Baker

Best Music (Original Score)

  • Chariots of Fire
    Vangelis

Best Music (Original Song)

  • Arthur "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
    Burt Bacharach [Music and Lyric by], Carole Bayer Sager [Music and Lyric by], Christopher Cross [Music and Lyric by] and Peter Allen [Music and Lyric by]

Best Short Film (Animated)

  • Crac
    Frédéric Back

Best Short Film (Live Action)

  • Violet
    Paul Kemp and Shelley Levinson

Best Sound

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker and Roy Charman

Best Visual Effects

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson and Joe Johnston

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

  • On Golden Pond
    Ernest Thompson

Best Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)

  • Chariots of Fire
    Colin Welland

Special Achievement Award (Sound Effects Editing)

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson

Honorary Award

  • Barbara Stanwyck
    Note: …for superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting.

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

  • Albert R. Broccoli

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

  • Danny Kaye

Gordon E. Sawyer Award

  • Joseph Walker

Scientific or Technical Award (Academy Award of Merit)

  • Fuji Photo Film Company Ltd.
    Note: …for the research, development and introduction of a new Ultra-high-speed color negative film for motion pictures.

Scientific or Technical Award (Scientific and Engineering Award)

  • Nelson Tyler
    Note: …for the progressive development and improvement of the Tyler Helicopter motion picture camera platform.
  • Leonard L. Sokolow and Howard T. Lazare
    Note: To Leonard Sokolow for the concept and design and to Howard T. Lazare for the development of the Consolidated Film Industries' Stroboscan motion picture film viewer.
  • Richard Edlund and Industrial Light and Magic Incorporated
    Note: …for the concept and engineering of a beam-splitter optical composite motion picture printer.
  • Richard Edlund and Industrial Light and Magic Incorporated
    Note: …for the engineering of the Empire Motion Picture Camera System.
  • Edward J. Blasko [of Eastman Kodak Company] and Dr. Roderick T. Ryan [of Eastman Kodak Company]
    Note: …for the application of the Prostar Microfilm Processor for motion picture title and special optical effects production.

Scientific or Technical Award (Technical Achievement Award)

  • Hal Landaker and Alan D. Landaker
    Note: To Hal Landaker for the concept and to Alan D. Landaker for the engineering of the Burbank Studios' Production Sound Department 24-frame color video system.
  • Bill Hogan [of Ruxton Ltd.], Richard J. Stumpf [of Universal City Studios' Production Sound Department] and Daniel R. Brewer [of Universal City Studios' Production Sound Department]
    Note: …for the engineering of a 24-frame color video system.
  • John DeMuth
    Note: …for the engineering of a 24-frame video system.
  • Ernst Nettmann [of Continental Camera Systems Inc.]
    Note: …for the development of a pitching lens for motion picture photography.
  • Bill Taylor [of Universal City Studios Inc.]
    Note: …for the concept and specifications for a Two Format, Rotating Head, Aerial Image Optical Printer.
  • Peter D. Parks [of Oxford Scientific Films]
    Note: …for the development of the OSF microcosmic zoom device for microscopic photography.
  • Dr. Louis Stankiewicz and H.L. Blachford
    Note: …for the development of Baryfol sound barrier materials.
  • Dennis Muren [of Industrial Light and Magic Incorporated] and Stuart Ziff [of Industrial Light and Magic Incorporated]
    Note: …for the development of a Motion Picture Figure Mover for animation photography.
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