| 55th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | April 11, 1983 |
| Site | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Hosted by | Walter Matthau Liza Minnelli Dudley Moore Richard Pryor |
| Produced by | Howard W. Koch |
| Directed by | Marty Pasetta |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Gandhi |
| Most awards | Gandhi (8) |
| Most nominations | Gandhi (11) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 35 minutes[1] |
| Ratings | 53.2 million 38.0% (Nielsen ratings) |
The55th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honoredfilms released in 1982 and took place on April 11, 1983, at theDorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m.PST / 9:00 p.m.EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presentedAcademy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States byABC, was produced byHoward W. Koch and directed byMarty Pasetta.[2] ActorsWalter Matthau,Liza Minnelli,Dudley Moore, andRichard Pryor hosted the show. Matthau and Pryor hosted the gala for the second time; the former was a co-host of the48th ceremony in 1976 while the latter co-hosted the49th ceremony held in 1977.[3][4] Meanwhile, Minnelli and Moore hosted for the first time.[5] Two weeks earlier, in a ceremony held atThe Beverly Hilton inBeverly Hills, California, on March 27, theAcademy Scientific and Technical Awards were presented by hostDyan Cannon.[6]
Gandhi won eight awards, includingBest Picture.[7] Other winners includedE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial with four awards,An Officer and a Gentleman with two,Begin the Beguine,If You Love This Planet,Just Another Missing Kid,Missing,Quest for Fire,A Shocking Accident,Sophie's Choice,Tango,Tootsie, andVictor/Victoria with one. The telecast garnered 53.2 million viewers in the United States.
The nominees for the 55th Academy Awards were announced on February 17, 1983, by Academy presidentFay Kanin and actorKarl Malden.[8]Gandhi received the most nominations with eleven total;Tootsie came in second with ten.[9] The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on April 11. Best Supporting Actress winnerJessica Lange was the second actress to earn both lead and supporting acting nominations in the same year afterTeresa Wright who earned a nomination for Best Actress for 1942'sThe Pride of the Yankees while winning Best Supporting Actress in the same year forMrs. Miniver.[10]Louis Gossett Jr. became the first African-American winner for Best Supporting Actor.[11]
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Winners are listed first, highlighted inboldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[12]
The award recognizes individuals whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the motion picture industry.[16]
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The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.[17]
| Name | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Conti | Musical arranger and conductor | Orchestral |
| Walter Matthau Liza Minnelli Dudley Moore Richard Pryor | Performers | "It All Comes Down to This" |
| The Temptations Sandahl Bergman | Performers | "Eye of the Tiger" fromRocky III |
| Patti Austin James Ingram | Performers | "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" fromBest Friends |
| Joe Cocker Jennifer Warnes Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps from theUniversity of Southern California | Performers | "Up Where We Belong" fromAn Officer and a Gentleman |
| Stephen Bishop | Performer | "It Might Be You" fromTootsie |
| Peter Allen Bernadette Peters Academy Awards Chorus | Performers | Salute toIrving Berlin |
| Melissa Manchester | Performer | "If We Were in Love" fromYes, Giorgio |
| Academy Awards Chorus | Performers | "That's Entertainment" |
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In October 1982, the Academy hired film producerHoward W. Koch to produce the ceremony for the eighth time. "I am delighted that the Academy will have the benefit of Howard Koch's experience and creativity again this year," said AMPAS PresidentFay Kanin in a press release announcing the selection. "We are extremely proud of the Awards programs Howard has produced for us in years past, and look forward to an equally graceful and exciting presentation this year.[19] Five months later, it was announced that actorsWalter Matthau,Liza Minnelli,Dudley Moore, andRichard Pryor would share hosting duties for the gala.[20] According to news reports, AMPAS originally sought late night talk show hostJohnny Carson to emcee the festivities again, but he declined the offer due to Carson having personal issues related to the recent breakup with his wife.[21]
Marty Pasetta directed the telecast;Bill Conti served as conductor and musical director.[2] ActorJohn Moschitta Jr., who was known for his fast talking delivery in commercials, made an appearance at the beginning of the ceremony explaining the voting rules and procedures.[22] Several members of theNaval Reserve Officers Training Corps from theUniversity of Southern California made an appearance at the beginning of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Up Where We Belong" from the filmAn Officer and a Gentleman.[23]Peter Allen andBernadette Peters performed a medley of songs in tribute to songwriterIrving Berlin.[24]Ethel Merman was initially slated to perform alongside Allen and Peters, but she cancelled her appearance after suffering astroke.[25]
At the time of the nominations announcement on February 16, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $496 million.[26]E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees, with $329 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed byTootsie ($101 million),The Verdict ($39.7 million),Missing ($14 million), andGandhi ($11.9 million).[26]
Thomas Sabulis wrote in theSt. Petersburg Times, "The television show itself was one of the poorest academy presentations in recent memory." He also criticized production elements such as the opening numberKristy McNichol mispronouncing nominees names.[27] Writing for theAustin American-Statesman, Diane Holoway commented, "In the quarter of a century or so that I've been watching the gala event, this was the sloppiest production ever. And clocking in at well over three hours, it was one of the longest."[28]Mansfield News Journal's Ray Dyson commented, "The Academy Awards ceremony ran true to form Monday night. Every year when the biggest awards in moviedom are passed out there are two predictions that always come true — it will go too long and it will be boring." He praised the Irving Berlin tribute and actor John Moschitta's humorous and rapid recitation of the Academy voting rules, but found the telecast to be listless and filled with technical glitches.[1]
Television criticHoward Rosenberg ofLos Angeles Times wrote, "This telecast continues to be one of the best shows around, perhaps not as tightly produced as theTonys, but unequaled for charisma and ogling charisma."[29]The New York Times film criticVincent Canby said, The 55th presentation, last Monday night, was everything one could have wished it to be, including dignified." However, he criticized the decision to rewardGandhi with the Best Picture award saying, "E.T. andTootsie are films.Gandhi is a laboriously illustrated textbook."[30]The News & Observer entertainment editor Bill Morrison noted that the lack of suspense amongst the winners and repetitive "thank yous" in the acceptance speeches bogged down the ceremony, but he reserved praise for co-host Moore calling him "a delightful emcee."[31]
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 53.2 million people over the length of the entire ceremony.[32] Moreover, the show drew higherNielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony, with 38% of households watching with a 59% share.[33] In August 1983, the ceremony presentation received five nominations at the35th Primetime Emmys.[34] The following month, it won an award for Michael Corenblith and Ray Klausen'sart direction of the program.[35]
