54th Academy Awards

The 54th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1981 and took place on March 29, 1982, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 22 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Howard W. Koch and directed by Marty Pasetta.^[3] Comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson hosted the show for the third consecutive time. One week earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on March 21, the Academy Scientific and Technical Awards were presented by hosts Lloyd Bridges and Fay Kanin.^[4]

54th Academy Awards
Official poster
Date	March 29, 1982
Site	Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Hosted by	Johnny Carson
Produced by	Howard W. Koch Melvin Frank
Directed by	Marty Pasetta
Highlights
Best Picture	Chariots of Fire
Most awards	Raiders of the Lost Ark (5)
Most nominations	Reds (12)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Duration	3 hours, 32 minutes^[1]
Ratings	46.2 million^[2]
← 53rd Academy Awards 55th →

Chariots of Fire won four awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included Raiders of the Lost Ark with five awards, On Golden Pond and Reds with three, Arthur with two, and An American Werewolf in London, Close Harmony, Crac, Genocide, Mephisto, and Violet with one. The telecast garnered 46.2 million viewers in the United States.

Winners and nominees

 

David Puttnam, Best Picture winner

 

Warren Beatty, Best Director winner

 

Henry Fonda, Best Actor winner

 

Katharine Hepburn, Best Actress winner

 

John Gielgud, Best Supporting Actor winner

 

Maureen Stapleton (left), Best Supporting Actress winner

 

Ernest Thompson, Best Adapted Screenplay winner

 

Burt Bacharach, Best Original Song co-winner

 

Vittorio Storaro, Best Cinematography winner

 

Rick Baker, Best Makeup winner

 

Milena Canonero, Best Costume Design winner

The nominees for the 54th Academy Awards were announced on February 11, 1982, by Academy president Fay Kanin and actor Lloyd Bridges.^[5] Reds earned the most nominations with 12; On Golden Pond came in second with ten.^[6] The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on March 29. Best Director winner Warren Beatty became the first person to earn acting, directing, producing, and screenwriting nominations for the same film for the second time. He previously earned nominations in the same categories for 1978's Heaven Can Wait.^[7][8] On Golden Pond was the fifth film to win both lead acting awards.^[9] Best Actress winner Katharine Hepburn became the first and only performer to win four competitive acting Oscars.^[10] Furthermore, the 48-year span between her first win for 1933's Morning Glory and her last win for On Golden Pond, set the record for the longest span between first and last career Oscar nominations.^[11]

Awards

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger ( ).^[12]

Best Picture	Best Director
Chariots of Fire – David Puttnam, producer  Atlantic City – Denis Héroux and John Kemeny, producers On Golden Pond – Bruce Gilbert, producer Raiders of the Lost Ark – Frank Marshall, producer Reds – Warren Beatty, producer	Warren Beatty – Reds  Louis Malle – Atlantic City Hugh Hudson – Chariots of Fire Mark Rydell – On Golden Pond Steven Spielberg – Raiders of the Lost Ark
Best Actor	Best Actress
Henry Fonda – On Golden Pond as Norman Thayer Jr.  Warren Beatty – Reds as John Silas "Jack" Reed Burt Lancaster – Atlantic City as Lou Pascal Dudley Moore – Arthur as Arthur Bach Paul Newman – Absence of Malice as Michael Gallagher	Katharine Hepburn – On Golden Pond as Ethel Thayer  Diane Keaton – Reds as Louise Bryant Marsha Mason – Only When I Laugh as Georgia Hines Susan Sarandon – Atlantic City as Sally Matthews Meryl Streep – The French Lieutenant's Woman as Sarah Woodruff/Anna
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
John Gielgud – Arthur as Hobson  James Coco – Only When I Laugh as Jimmy Perrino Ian Holm – Chariots of Fire as Sam Mussabini Jack Nicholson – Reds as Eugene O'Neill Howard E. Rollins Jr. – Ragtime as Coalhouse Walker Jr.	Maureen Stapleton – Reds as Emma Goldman  Melinda Dillon – Absence of Malice as Teresa Perrone Jane Fonda – On Golden Pond as Chelsea Thayer Wayne Joan Hackett – Only When I Laugh as Toby Landau Elizabeth McGovern – Ragtime as Evelyn Nesbit
Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen	Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Chariots of Fire – Colin Welland  Absence of Malice – Kurt Luedtke Arthur – Steve Gordon Atlantic City – John Guare Reds – Warren Beatty and Trevor Griffiths	On Golden Pond – Ernest Thompson based on his play  The French Lieutenant's Woman – Harold Pinter based on the novel by John Fowles Pennies from Heaven – Dennis Potter based on his TV series Prince of the City – Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet based on the book by Robert Daley Ragtime – Michael Weller based on the novel by E. L. Doctorow
Best Foreign Language Film	Best Documentary Feature
Mephisto (Hungary) in Hungarin – directed by István Szabó  The Boat Is Full (Switzerland) in German – directed by Markus Imhoof Man of Iron (Poland) in Polish – directed by Andrzej Wajda Muddy River (Japan) in Japanese – directed by Kōhei Oguri Three Brothers (Italy) in Italian – directed by Francesco Rosi	Genocide – Arnold Schwartzman and Rabbi Marvin Hier  Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey – Suzanne Bauman, Paul Neshamkin and Jim Burroughs Brooklyn Bridge – Ken Burns Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott – Mary Benjamin, Susanne Simpson and Boyd Estus El Salvador: Another Vietnam – Glenn Silber and Tete Vasconcellos
Best Documentary Short Subject	Best Live Action Short Film
Close Harmony – Nigel Noble  Americas in Transition – Obie Benz Journey for Survival – Dick Young See What I Say – Linda Chapman, Pam LeBlanc and Freddi Stevens Urge to Build – Roland Hallé and John Hoover	Violet – Paul Kemp and Shelley Levinson  Couples and Robbers – Christine Oestreicher First Winter – John N. Smith
Best Animated Short Film	Best Original Score
Crac – Frédéric Back  The Creation – Will Vinton The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin – Janet Perlman	Chariots of Fire – Vangelis  Dragonslayer – Alex North On Golden Pond – Dave Grusin Ragtime – Randy Newman Raiders of the Lost Ark – John Williams
Best Original Song	Best Sound
"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from Arthur – Music by Burt Bacharach; Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen  "Endless Love" from Endless Love – Music and Lyrics by Lionel Richie "The First Time It Happens" from The Great Muppet Caper – Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo "For Your Eyes Only" from For Your Eyes Only – Music by Bill Conti; Lyrics by Mick Leeson "One More Hour" from Ragtime – Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman	Raiders of the Lost Ark – Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker and Roy Charman  On Golden Pond – Richard Portman and David M. Ronne Outland – John Wilkinson, Robert W. Glass Jr., Robert Thirlwell and Robin Gregory Pennies from Heaven – Michael J. Kohut, Jay M. Harding, Richard Tyler and Al Overton Jr. Reds – Dick Vorisek, Tom Fleischman and Simon Kaye
Best Makeup	Best Costume Design
An American Werewolf in London – Rick Baker  Heartbeeps – Stan Winston	Chariots of Fire – Milena Canonero  The French Lieutenant's Woman – Tom Rand Pennies from Heaven – Bob Mackie Ragtime – Anna Hill Johnstone Reds – Shirley Russell
Best Art Direction	Best Cinematography
Raiders of the Lost Ark – Art Direction: Norman Reynolds and Leslie Dilley; Set Decoration: Michael Ford  The French Lieutenant's Woman – Art Direction: Assheton Gorton; Set Decoration: Ann Mollo Heaven's Gate – Art Direction: Tambi Larsen; Set Decoration: James L. Berkey Ragtime – Art Direction: John Graysmark, Patrizia von Brandenstein and Anthony Reading; Set Decoration: George DeTitta Sr., George DeTitta Jr. and Peter Howitt Reds – Art Direction: Richard Sylbert; Set Decoration: Michael Seirton	Reds – Vittorio Storaro  Excalibur – Alex Thomson On Golden Pond – Billy Williams Ragtime – Miroslav Ondříček Raiders of the Lost Ark – Douglas Slocombe
Best Film Editing	Best Visual Effects
Raiders of the Lost Ark – Michael Kahn  Chariots of Fire – Terry Rawlings The French Lieutenant's Woman – John Bloom On Golden Pond – Robert L. Wolfe (posthumous nomination) Reds – Dede Allen and Craig McKay	Raiders of the Lost Ark – Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson and Joe Johnston  Dragonslayer – Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Ken Ralston and Brian Johnson

Honorary Academy Award

• Barbara Stanwyck – "For superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting."^[13]

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

The award recognizes individuals whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the motion picture industry.^[14]

• Danny Kaye^[15]

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

The award honors "creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production".^[16]

• Albert R. Broccoli^[17]

Special Achievement Academy Award

• Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson for Raiders of the Lost Ark for Sound Effects Editing

Multiple nominations and awards

Films with multiple nominations Nominations Film 12 Reds 10 On Golden Pond 8 Ragtime Raiders of the Lost Ark 7 Chariots of Fire 5 Atlantic City The French Lieutenant's Woman 4 Arthur 3 Absence of Malice Only When I Laugh Pennies from Heaven 2 Dragonslayer

Films with multiple wins Wins Film 5 Raiders of the Lost Ark 4 Chariots of Fire 3 On Golden Pond Reds 2 Arthur

Presenters and performers

The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.^[18]

Presenters

Name	Role
Hank Simms^[19]	Announcer for the 54th Academy Awards
Fay Kanin (AMPAS President)	Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony
Timothy Hutton	Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress
Karen Allen Howard E. Rollins Jr.	Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction
Kim Hunter Vincent Price	Presenters of the award for Best Makeup
Roger Moore	Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Albert R. Broccoli
William Hurt Kathleen Turner	Presenters of the award for Best Original Score
Morgan Fairchild Robert Hays	Presenters of the award for Best Costume Design
Dan Aykroyd	Presenter of the award for Best Visual Effects
Richard Benjamin Paula Prentiss	Presenters of the Documentary Awards
Paul Williams Debra Winger	Presenters of the awards for Best Animated Short Film and Best Live Action Short Film
Chevy Chase Rachel Ward	Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography
John Travolta	Presenter of the Honorary Award to Barbara Stanwyck
Christopher Atkins Kristy McNichol	Presenters of the award for Best Sound
Ornella Muti Jack Valenti	Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film
Ursula Andress Harry Hamlin	Presenters of the award for Best Film Editing
Bette Midler	Presenter of the award for Best Original Song
Gregory Peck	Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Danny Kaye
Carol Burnett Joel Grey	Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actor
Jack Lemmon Walter Matthau	Presenters of the award for Best Director
Jerzy Kosiński	Presenter of the awards for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Jon Voight	Presenter of the award for Best Actress
Sissy Spacek	Presenter of the award for Best Actor
Loretta Young	Presenter of the award for Best Picture

Performers

Name	Role	Performed
Bill Conti	Musical arranger and conductor	Orchestral
Kermit the Frog Miss Piggy	Performers	"The First Time It Happens" from The Great Muppet Caper
Sheena Easton Richard Kiel Harold Sakata	Performers	"For Your Eyes Only" from For Your Eyes Only
Liberace	Performer	Medley of the nominated scores
Lionel Richie Diana Ross	Performers	"Endless Love" from Endless Love
John Schneider	Performer	"One More Hour" from Ragtime
Debbie Allen Gregory Hines Academy Awards Chorus	Performers	"Lullaby of Broadway", "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)", "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me", "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby", "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store)", "She's a Latin from Manhattan", "I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much)", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", "You'll Never Know", "I'll String Along with You", "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" "Lulu's Back in Town", "Jeepers Creepers", "Nagasaki", "There Will Never Be Another You" and "42nd Street"
Christopher Cross	Performer	"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from Arthur
Academy Awards Chorus	Performers	"That’s Entertainment!"

Ceremony information

 

Johnny Carson hosted the 54th Academy Awards.

In November 1981, the Academy hired film director, screenwriter, and producer Melvin Frank to produce the telecast for the first time. "The Academy is fortunate that Melvin Frank has agreed to make himself available for our show, said AMPAS President Fay Kanin in a press release announcing the selection. "He joins a distinguished list of producers who have consistently made the Academy Awards the entertainment highlight of the year."^[20] Two months later, it was announced that comedian and The Tonight Show host Johnny Carson would preside over emceeing duties for the 1982 ceremony.^[21] However, in February 1982, Howard W. Koch took over producing duties after Frank had been hospitalized for complications stemming from a virus.^[22] Koch stated that all artistic contributions made by Frank would remain during the production of the festivities.^[23]

Introduction of Best Makeup award

Beginning with this ceremony, AMPAS introduced a new competitive award that would honor achievement in makeup. According to Academy executive administrator John Pavlik, the category would be presented if a special committee composed of makeup artists, hairstylists, cinematographers, and other related craftspeople determined that at least one film was deemed worthy of such awards. A maximum of seven films eligible for the award and determine how many nominations would compete in category. Prior to the introduction of this category, 1964's 7 Faces of Dr. Lao and 1968's Planet of the Apes were given special honorary awards.^[24]

Critical reviews

St. Petersburg Times film critic Thomas Sabulis wrote, "The Academy Awards show was a reasonably good television product. The acceptance speeches were thankfully brief and concise."^[25]

Ratings and reception

The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 46.2 million people over the length of the entire ceremony, which was a 6% increase from the previous year's ceremony. The ceremony presentation won an award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety Program (Ray Klausen) at the 34th Primetime Emmys in September 1982.^[26]

See also

• List of submissions to the 54th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

References

1. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 612
2. "Top-10 Most Watched Academy Awards Broadcasts". Nielsen N.V. February 18, 2009. from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
3. Osborne 2013, p. 413
4. . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
5. "On Golden Pond Top Oscar Contender". Boca Raton News. February 11, 1982.
6. Tuck, Lon (February 12, 1982). "And the Nominees Are..." The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
7. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 1138
8. Emerson, Jim (February 11, 2007). "Questions for the Academy". Chicago Sun-Times. from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
9. Osborne 2013, p. 423
10. Holden 1993, p. 608
11. Davis, Clayton (May 12, 2021). "In Celebration of Katharine Hepburn's Birthday, Here Are 12 Actors Who Should Also Have Four Oscar Wins". Variety. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
12. "The 54th Academy Awards (1982) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
13. "Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
14. "Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
15. Franks 2005, p. 249
16. "Irvin G. Thalberg Memorial Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
17. Holden 1993, p. 339
18. Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 608
19. Terrance 2013, p. 14
20. "Melvin Frank to Produce 54th Oscar Show". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. November 16, 1981. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
21. "Johnny Carson to Serves As Master of Ceremonies for 54th Annual Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 12, 1982. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
22. Pollock, Dale (February 17, 1982). "Fanfare on a Fast Track at Columbia". Los Angeles Times. p. 75.
23. "Howard W. Koch to Take Over Production of Academy Awards Show". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. February 19, 1982. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
24. "Motion Picture Academy to Honnor Makeup Artists". Santa Cruz Sentinel. December 18, 1981. p. 29.
25. Sabulis, Thomas (March 31, 1982). "Oscar Strikes a Balance in Honoring 1981 Films". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2D.
26. "The Fifty-Fourth Annual Academy Awards". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 12, 2022.

Bibliography

• Franks, Don (2005), Entertainment Awards: A Music, Cinema, Theatre and Broadcasting Guide, 1928 through 2003 (3rd ed.), Jefferson, North Carolina, United States: McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-1-5791-2396-3
• Holden, Anthony (1993), Behind the Oscar: The Secret History of the Academy Awards, New York, New York, United States: Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0-6717-0129-1
• Kinn, Gail; Piazza, Jim (2002), The Academy Awards: The Complete Unofficial History, New York, New York, United States: Workman Publishing Company, ISBN 978-1-5791-2396-3
• 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.
• Sackett, Susan (1995), Hollywood Sings!: An Inside Look at Sixty Years of Academy Award-Nominated Songs, New York, New York, United States: Billboard Books, ISBN 978-0-8230-7623-9
• 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

• 1981 Academy Awards Winners and History Filmsite

Other resources

• The 534th Annual Academy Awards at IMDb