| 32nd Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 4, 1960 |
| Site | RKO Pantages Theatre, (Hollywood, California) |
| Hosted by | Bob Hope |
| Produced by | Arthur Freed |
| Directed by | Alan Handley |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Ben-Hur |
| Most awards | Ben-Hur (11) |
| Most nominations | Ben-Hur (12) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | NBC |
The32nd Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 4, 1960, at theRKO Pantages Theatre, to honor thefilms of 1959.
William Wyler's Bible epicBen-Hur won 11 Oscars, breaking the record of nine set theprevious year byGigi. This total was later tied byTitanic in1997 andThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in2003. Wyler became the third (and most recent) person to win more than two Best Director awards (followingFrank Capra andJohn Ford), as well as the only person to date to direct three Best Picture winners (followingMrs. Miniver in1942 andThe Best Years of Our Lives in1946).
Most of the stars were absent as a result of an incident involvingJerry Lewis' staging of the closing number at the previous year's Oscars[1] and ofa four-week actors' strike.[1] The studios had their final pullout of support for the Academy during the year, in a sentiment echoed byParamount Pictures, which remarked, "why should Paramount sponsor a show that sponsors onlyMGM'sBen-Hur?"[1]
A highlight of the ceremony came during the presentation of the award forBest Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: absent winnerStanley Shapiro (forPillow Talk) had his co-winner,Maurice Richlin, ask presenterTony Curtis to read his acceptance speech, which read, "I'm trapped downstairs in the gentleman's lounge. It seems I rented a faulty tuxedo. I'd like to thank you upstairs for this great honor." The audience roared in laughter.[2]
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Nominations announced on February 22, 1960. Winners are listed first and highlighted withboldface.[3]
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| Awards | Film |
|---|---|
| 11 | Ben-Hur |
| 3 | The Diary of Anne Frank |
| 2 | Room at the Top |
