58th Academy Awards
Out of Africa won seven awards, including Best Picture. Meanwhile, fellow Best Picture nominee The Color Purple failed to win any of its eleven nominations. Other winners included Cocoon and Witness with two awards and Anna & Bella, Back to the Future, Broken Rainbow, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mask, Molly's Pilgrim, The Official Story, Prizzi's Honor, Ran, The Trip to Bountiful, White Nights, and Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements with one. The telecast received mixed reviews, and it garnered 37.8 million viewers in the United States.
Winners and nominees
The nominees for the 58th Academy Awards were announced on February 4, 1986, by Academy president Robert Wise and actress Patty Duke. The Color Purple and Out of Africa led all nominees with eleven each. Winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 24, 1986. With its 11 nominations and zero wins, The Color Purple joined 1977's The Turning Point as the most nominated films in Oscar history without a single win. By virtue of her father John and grandfather Walter's wins for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor respectively for 1948's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Best Supporting Actress winner Anjelica Huston made them the first three-generation Oscar winning family. For the first time in Oscars history, all lead acting nominees were born in the United States. Argentina's The Official Story became the first Latin American film to win the Best Foreign Language Film category.
Awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger (‡).
Honorary Academy Awards
- Paul Newman – "In recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft."
- Alex North – "In recognition of his brilliant artistry in the creation of memorable music for a host of distinguished motion pictures."
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
The award recognizes individuals whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the motion picture industry.
Multiple nominations and awards
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Presenters and performers
The following individuals, in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.
| Name | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Newman | Musical arranger Conductor |
Orchestral |
| Teri Garr | Performer | "Flying Down to Rio" during the opening number |
| Irene Cara | Performer | "Here's to the Losers" by Frank Sinatra during the tribute to Oscar losers throughout history |
| Gregg Burge | Performer | "Surprise, Surprise" from A Chorus Line |
| Tata Vega | Performer | "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" from The Color Purple |
| Stephen Bishop Marilyn Martin |
Performers | "Separate Lives" from White Nights |
| Huey Lewis and the News | Performers | "The Power of Love" from Back to the Future |
| Lionel Richie | Performer | "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights |
| June Allyson Leslie Caron Marge Champion Cyd Charisse Kathryn Grayson Howard Keel Ann Miller Jane Powell Debbie Reynolds Esther Williams |
Performers | "Once a Star, Always a Star" during the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals tribute |
| Barbra Streisand | Performer | "Putting It Together" from Sunday in the Park with George during the Best Director presentation |
| Academy Awards Orchestra | Performers | "Oh, Lady Be Good!" from Lady, Be Good (orchestral) during the closing credits |
Ceremony information
Determined to revive interest surrounding the awards and reverse declining ratings, the Academy hired Stanley Donen in December 1985 to produce the telecast for the first time. The following February, actor and comedian Robin Williams was selected as host of the 1986 telecast. Actor Alan Alda and two-time Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda were later announced to join Williams in sharing emceeing duties.
Several other people were involved with the production of the ceremony. Marty Pasetta was hired as director of the telecast. Lionel Newman served as musical director and conductor for the ceremony. Actress Teri Garr performed the titular song from Flying Down to Rio during the opening segment. Singer Irene Cara sang the Frank Sinatra song "Here's to the Losers" in honor of unsuccessful Oscar nominees throughout history. A song-and-dance number featuring actor and singer Howard Keel and several actresses including Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron, and Debbie Reynolds paid tribute to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals.
Box office performance of nominated films
At the time of the nominations announcement on February 5, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $119 million with an average of $23.9 million. Witness was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $68.7 million in the domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by Out of Africa ($55.6 million), The Color Purple ($46.4 million), Prizzi's Honor ($26.7 million) and Kiss of the Spider Woman ($13.4 million).
Of the 50 grossing films of the year, 42 nominations went to 12 films on the list. Only Back to the Future (1st), Cocoon (4th), Witness (5th), Jagged Edge (20th), The Color Purple (21st), Prizzi's Honor (30th), Agnes of God (32nd) were nominated for Best Picture, directing, acting, or screenplay. The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations were Rambo: First Blood Part II (2nd), Mask (14th), White Nights (22nd), Silverado (27th), Young Sherlock Holmes (44th), and Ladyhawke (46th).
Critical reviews
Terrence O'Flaherty of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Last night's sustained-release Oscar pill moved faster through the system than most, but from a standpoint of taste it was the worst in years." Regarding Alda, Fonda, and Williams's hosting performance, he commented, "Together they immediately placed a fatal suggestion in the viewer's mind that there must be a shortage of elegant people in the movie business today." Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel noted that after co-host Williams opened the ceremony with a slew of humorous jokes, "The show regrettably returned to its old bad habits with a boring onstage production number intended to be a tribute to old movies." The Record's Joel Pisetzner remarked, "The program might as well have begun with the announcement 'Dead, from L.A. it's Academy night!' "
Television columnist John J. O'Connor of The New York Times quipped, "Suddenly, it seemed, somebody had listened to the complaints that had grown deadeningly familiar over the years." He also added, "Mr. Williams's improvisational, on-the-precipice style of humor brought the event's comic tone thumpingly into the 1980s." Yardena Arar from the Los Angeles Daily News said, "This time, the ABC telecast didn't drown in the thank yous–or, for that matter, boring presentation speeches and production numbers." Furthermore, she observed, "The writing was by and large brisk, the production numbers fair (in the case of the Oscar-nominated songs) to fabulous (Keel's medley with a bevy of former leading ladies)." Houston Chronicle television critic Ann Hodges remarked, "Oscar 1986 goes into the record books as a very good year–the year the Academy parked the pompous and let the show biz show." She also lauded the winners' acceptance speeches and the various musical numbers during the broadcast.
Ratings and reception
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 37.8 million people over its length, which was a 2% decrease from the previous year's ceremony. Moreover, the show drew lower Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 27.3% of households watching with a 43% share. At the time, it earned the lowest viewership for an Academy Award telecast and the lowest ratings for any broadcast.
In July 1986, the ceremony presentation received four nominations at the 38th Primetime Emmys. The following month, the ceremony won one of those nominations for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety Program (Roy Christopher).
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Sharbutt, Jay (March 26, 1986). "Oscar Wins Its Slot, Still Loses Ground". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "58th Annual Academy Awards Presentation". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "Hosting Chores". Variety. February 13, 2005. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ "Past Scientific & Technical Awards Ceremonies". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (March 25, 1986). "Oscars Go to Out of Africa and Its Director, Sydney Pollack". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ Baltake, Joe (March 25, 1986). "7 Oscars Come Out of Africa". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "No Clear Favorite in Oscar Race". Vancouver Sun. February 5, 1986. p. D13.
- ^ Matthews, Jack (February 5, 1986). "Out of Africa Ties 'Color Purple' as Oscar Nominees : 11 Citations; Spielberg Not Named". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.
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- ^ King, Susan. "Calendar Goes to the Oscars: Side Orders". Los Angeles Times. No. March 28, 1993. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 1151
- ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 676
- ^ "The 58th Academy Awards (1986) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- ^ "Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ MacMinn, Aleene (January 14, 1993). "Morning Report: Movies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ Wilson, John M. (March 23, 1986). "Best Footage Forward". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ Mull, Marrison (March 23, 1986). "The Show, From Beginning To End". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 672
- ^ Terrance 2013, p. 14
- ^ Ryan, Desmond (December 15, 1985). "Why are old films tinted? Just blame it on the kids". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I2.
- ^ Blakey, Scott (February 11, 1986). "KQEC's 3-2-1 Contact Tries 3-2-1 Blast-Off". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 45.
- ^ "Alda, Fonda named hosts of Oscars". Montreal Gazette. February 28, 1986. p. D13.
- ^ Osborne 2013, p. 413
- ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 673
- ^ "1985 Academy Award Nominations and Winner for Best Picture". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ "1985 Domestic Grosses (as of February 4, 1987)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ^ O'Flaherty, Terrence (March 25, 1986). "A Very Tacky Night in Hollywood". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 55.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (March 25, 1986). "'Africa' Dominates With 7 Oscars While Purple Is Shut Out". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ Pisetzner, Joel (March 25, 1986). "Again the Stars Come Out for a Glorious Night of Blah". The Record. p. B1.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (March 25, 1986). "The Academy Awards Ceremony". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ Arar, Yardena (March 25, 1986). "The Real Winner Was the Audience". Los Angeles Daily News. p. 8.
- ^ Hodges, Ann (March 25, 1986). "Hollywood Blowout Goes Down a Winner". Houston Chronicle. p. 5.
- ^ Morales, Tatiana (March 24, 2003). "TV Ratings for Oscars Plunge". CBS News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ Schwed, Mark (March 30, 1993). "Kudocast's Nielsen ratings highest in 10 years". Variety. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ Pond 2005, p. 159
- ^ "Primetime Emmy Award database". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- ^ "Nominations for Prime-Time Emmys". Los Angeles Times. August 1, 1986. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ Margulies, Lee (September 8, 1986). "First Round : Fields, Olivier Shows Win Emmys". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
Bibliography
- Osborne, Robert (2013). 85 Years of the Oscar: The Complete History of the Academy Awards. New York, New York, United States: Abbeville Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-7892-1142-2. OCLC 856879222.
- Pond, Steve (2005), The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards, New York, New York, United States: Faber and Faber, ISBN 978-0-5712-1196-8, OCLC 872595912
- Terrance, Vincent (2013). Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936–2012 (5 ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina, United States: Ballantine Books, McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-1240-9. OCLC 844373010.
- Wiley, Mason; Bona, Damien (1996), Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards (5 ed.), New York, New York, United States: Ballantine Books, ISBN 978-0-3454-0053-6, OCLC 779680732
External links
- Academy Awards official website
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences official website
- Oscars' channel on YouTube run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- Analysis
- Other resources
