47th Annual Academy Awards Results and Commentary (1975)

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©A.M.P.A.S.®
  • Date of Ceremony: Tuesday, April 8, 1975
  • For films released in: 1974
  • Host(s): Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope (video), Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra
Other years:

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The 47th Annual Academy Awards took place on Tuesday, April 8th, 1975, with the quartet of Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra handling the hosting duties.

Chinatown and The Godfather Part II led the way with eleven nominations each. Chinatown would only win Original Screenplay for Robert Towne, while The Godfather Part II took home six Oscars® including Best Picture, Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola) and a Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro. It’s Best Picture win made it the first sequel to win that category.

Art Carney’s performance in Harry and Tonto earned him Best Actor, while Ellen Burstyn won Best Actress for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The legendary Ingrid Bergman won her third Oscar, a Best Supporting Actress for Murder on the Orient Express.

During his acceptance speech for the Vietnam War documentary Hearts and Minds,
co-producer Bert Schneider read a telegram from the Viet Cong delegation to the Paris Peace Accords thank anti-war protesters “for all they have done on behalf of peace”. Co-host Frank Sinatra said later in the telecast, “Ladies and gentlemen, to deviate for one second. I’ve been asked by the academy to make the following statement regarding a statement that was made by a winner. ‘We are not responsible for any political references made on the program, and we are sorry they had to take place this evening.’” Apparently, the Academy had not asked Sinatra to say that. The retort had been written by Hope and reports have it that MacLaine was none too pleased about it and said, “You said you were speaking on behalf of the Academy! Well, I’m a member of the Academy and you didn’t ask me!”

Results

Best Picture

  • The Godfather Part II
    Francis Ford Coppola [Producer], Gray Frederickson [Co-Producer] and Fred Roos [Co-Producer]

Best Directing

  • The Godfather Part II
    Francis Ford Coppola

Best Actor

  • Harry and Tonto
    Art Carney

Best Actress

  • Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
    Ellen Burstyn

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Murder on the Orient Express
    Ingrid Bergman

Best Foreign Language Film

  • Amarcord

Best Art Direction

  • The Godfather Part II
    Dean Tavoularis [Art Direction], Angelo Graham [Art Direction] and George R. Nelson [Set Decoration]

Best Cinematography

  • The Towering Inferno
    Fred Koenekamp and Joseph Biroc

Best Costume Design

  • The Great Gatsby
    Theoni V. Aldredge

Best Documentary (Feature)

  • Hearts and Minds
    Peter Davis and Bert Schneider

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

  • Don't
    Robin Lehman

Best Film Editing

  • The Towering Inferno
    Harold F. Kress and Carl Kress

Best Music (Original Dramatic Score)

  • The Godfather Part II
    Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola

Best Music (Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation -or- Scoring: Adaptation)

  • The Great Gatsby
    Nelson Riddle [Adaptation Score by]

Best Music (Song)

  • The Towering Inferno "We May Never Love Like This Again"
    Al Kasha [Music and Lyrics by] and Joel Hirschhorn [Music and Lyrics by]

Best Short Film (Animated)

  • Closed Mondays
    Will Vinton and Bob Gardiner

Best Short Film (Live Action)

  • One-Eyed Men Are Kings
    Paul Claudon and Edmond Sechan

Best Sound

  • Earthquake
    Ronald Pierce and Melvin Metcalfe Sr.

Best Writing (Screenplay Adapted from Other Material)

  • The Godfather Part II
    Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

  • Chinatown
    Robert Towne

Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects)

  • Earthquake
    Frank Brendel, Glen Robinson and Albert Whitlock

Honorary Award

  • Howard Hawks
    Note: A master American filmmaker whose creative efforts hold a distinguished place in world cinema.
  • Jean Renoir
    Note: A genius who, with grace, responsibility and enviable devotion through silent film, sound film, feature, documentary and television, has won the world's admiration.

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

  • Arthur B. Krim

Scientific or Technical Award (Class II)

  • Joseph Kelly [of Glen Glenn Sound]
    Note: …for the design of new audio control consoles which have advanced the state of the art of sound recording and rerecording for motion picture production.
  • Burbank Studios Sound Department
    Note: …for the design of new audio control consoles engineered and constructed by the Quad-Eight Sound Corporation.
  • Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department
    Note: …for the design of a new audio control console engineered and constructed by the Quad-Eight Sound Corporation.
  • Quad-Eight Sound Corporation
    Note: …for the engineering and construction of new audio control consoles designed by The Burbank Studios Sound Department and by the Samuel Goldwyn Studios Sound Department.
  • Waldon O. Watson, Richard J. Stumpf, Robert Leonard and Universal City Studios Sound Department
    Note: …for the development and engineering of the Sensurround System for motion picture presentation.

Scientific or Technical Award (Class III)

  • The Elemack Company, Rome, Italy
    Note: …for the design and development of their Spyder camera dolly.
  • Louis Ami [of Universal City Studios Inc.]
    Note: …for the design and construction of a reciprocating camera platform used when photographing special visual effects for motion pictures.
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