Academy Awards for 1981

By Patrick Mondout

The 54^th Annual Academy Awards were hosted by Johnny Carson on March 29, 1982 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion (Los Angeles) and broadcast live on ABC. Reds, Chariots of Fire, and On Golden Pond were the big winners with Henry Fonda (Best Actor) and Katherine Hepburn (Best Actress) becoming the oldest winners (76 and 74 respectively) for their categories. For Fonda, who starred with Hepburn and his daughter Jane in On Golden Pond, it was his first Best Actor trophy and only his second nomination. Fonda would be dead within six months.

Hepburn, however, extended her lead for most nominations with 12 (which ironically has since bested by Meryl Streep whom she beat this night) and extended her lead for wins for Best Actress to four. It is all the more remarkable that Ms. Hepburn won three of the four after age 60.

If there was a "big loser" this night it was Ragtime, which entered the night with eight nominations but came away empty handed.

BEST PICTURE
	Atlantic City, Denis Heroux and John Kemeny, producers
	Chariots of Fire, David Puttnam, producer
	On Golden Pond, Bruce Gilbert, producer
	Raiders of the Lost Ark, Frank Marshall, producer
	Reds, Warren Beatty, producer

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
	Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City
	Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman
	Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
	Marsha Mason, Only When I Laugh
	Diane Keaton, Reds

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
	Paul Newman, Absence of Malice
	Dudley Moore, Arthur
	Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City
	Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond
	Warren Beatty, Reds

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
	Melinda Dillon, Absence of Malice
	Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond
	Joan Hackett, Only When I Laugh
	Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime
	Maureen Stapleton, Reds

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
	John Gielgud, Arthur
	Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire
	James Coco, Only When I Laugh
	Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Ragtime
	Jack Nicholson, Reds

BEST DIRECTOR
	Louis Malle, Atlantic City
	Hugh Hudson, Chariots of Fire
	Mark Rydell, On Golden Pond
	Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark
	Warren Beatty, Reds

BEST WRITING (SCREENPLAY WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN)
	Kurt Luedtke, Absence of Malice
	Steve Gordon, Arthur
	John Guare, Atlantic City
	Colin Welland, Chariots of Fire
	Warren Beatty and Trevor Griffiths, Reds

BEST WRITING (SCREENPLAY BASED ON MATERIAL FROM ANOTHER MEDIUM)
	Harold Pinter, The French Lieutenant's Woman
	Ernest Thompson, On Golden Pond
	Dennis Potter, Pennies From Heaven
	Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet, Prince of the City
	Michael Weller, Ragtime

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
	Alex Thomson, Excalibur
	Billy Williams, On Golden Pond
	Miroslav Ondricek, Ragtime
	Douglas Slocombe, Raiders of the Lost Ark
	Vittorio Storaro, Reds

BEST FILM EDITING
	Terry Rawlings, Chariots of Fire
	John Bloom, The French Lieutenant's Woman
	Robert L. Wolfe, On Golden Pond
	Michael Kahn, Raiders of the Lost Ark
	Dede Allen and Craig McKay, Reds

BEST ART DIRECTION/SET DIRECTION
	Assheton Gorton, art direction; Ann Mollo, set decoration, The French Lieutenant's Woman
	Tambi Larsen, art direction; Jim Berkey, set decoration, Heaven's Gate
	John Graysmark, Patrizia Von Brandenstein and Anthony Reading; art direction; George de Titta, Sr., George de Titta, Jr. and Peter Howitt, set decoration, Ragtime
	Norman Reynolds and Leslie Dilley, art direction; Michael Ford, set decoration, Raiders of the Lost Ark
	Richard Sylbert, art direction; Michael Seirton, set decoration, Reds

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
	Milena Canonero, Chariots of Fire
	Tom Rand, The French Lieutenant's Woman
	Bob Mackie, Pennies From Heaven
	Anna Hill Johnstone, Ragtime
	Shirley Russell, Reds

BEST SOUND
	Richard Portman and David Ronne, On Golden Pond
	John K. Wilkinson, Robert W. Glass, Jr., Robert M. Thirlwell and Robin Gregory, Outland
	Michael J. Kohut, Jay M. Harding, Richard Tyler and Al Overton, Pennies From Heaven
	Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker and Roy Charman, Raiders of the Lost Ark
	Dick Vorisek, Tom Fleischman and Simon Kaye, Reds

BEST SOUND (ORIGINAL SONG)
	“Arthur's Theme” (Best That You Can Do), Arthur, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen, music and lyrics
	“Endless Love,” Endless Love, Lionel Richie, music and lyrics
	“For Your Eyes Only,” For Your Eyes Only, Bill Conti, music; Mick Leeson, lyrics
	“The First Time It Happens,” The Great Muppet Caper, Joe Raposo, music and lyrics
	“One More Hour,” Ragtime, Randy Newman, music and lyrics

BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
	Vangelis, Chariots of Fire
	Alex North, Dragonslayer
	Dave Grusin, On Golden Pond
	Randy Newman, Ragtime
	John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark

BEST MAKEUP
	Rick Baker, An American Werewolf in London
	Stan Winston, Heartbeeps

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
	Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Ken Ralston and Brian Johnson, Dragonslayer
	Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson and Joe Johnston, Raiders of the Lost Ark

BEST SHORT FILMS (ANIMATED)
	Crac (Frédéric Back, producer; Société Radio Canada)
	The Creation (Will Vinton, producer; Will Vinton Productions)
	The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin (Janet Perlman, producer; National Film Board of Canada)

BEST SHORT FILMS (LIVE ACTION)
	Couples and Robbers (Christine Oestreicher, producer; Flamingo Pictures Ltd.)
	First Winter (John N. Smith, producer; National Film Board of Canada)
	Violet (Paul Kemp and Shelley Levinson, producers; American Film Institute)

BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECTS)
	Americas in Transition (Obie Benz, producer; Americas in Transition, Inc.)
	Close Harmony (Nigel Noble, producer; Noble Enterprise)
	Journey for Survival (Dick Young, producer; Dick Young Productions, Ltd.)
	See What I Say (Linda Chapman, Pam LeBlanc and Freddi Stevens, producers; Michigan Women Filmmakers Productions)
	Urge to Build (Roland Hallé and John Hoover, producers; Roland Hallé Productions, Inc.)

BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURES)
	Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey (Suzanne Bauman, Paul Neshamkin and Jim Burroughs, producers; Seven League Productions, Inc.)
	Brooklyn Bridge (Ken Burns, producer; Florentine Films Production)
	Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott (Mary Benjamin, Susanne Simpson and Boyd Estus, producers; The Caldicott Project)
	Genocide (Arnold Schwartzman and Rabbi Marvin Hier, producers; Arnold Schwartzman Productions, Inc.)
	El Salvador: Another Vietnam (Glenn Silber and Tete Vasconcellos, producers; Catalyst Media Productions)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
	The Boat Is Full, Switzerland
	Man of Iron, Poland
	Mephisto, Hungary
	Muddy River, Japan
	Three Brothers, Italy

Other Awards

An honorary award was presented to Barbara Stanwyck "for superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting." A Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing was given to Benjamin P. Burtt, Jr. and Richard L. Anderson for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Albert R. Broccoli received the Irving G. Thalberg Award whole Danny Kaye won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Joseph B. Walker was the inaugural winner of the Gordon E. Sawyer Award.

Scientific and Technical

Academy Award of Merit
Fuji Photo Film Company, Ltd. (Film)

Scientific and Engineering Award
Edward J. Blasko (Laboratory)
Eastman Kodak Company (Laboratory)
Richard Edlund (Special Photographic)
Richard Edlund (Camera)
Industrial Light and Magic, Incorporated (Camera)
Industrial Light and Magic, Incorporated (Special Photographic)
Howard T. LaZare (Laboratory)
Dr. Roderick T. Ryan (Laboratory)
Leonard Sokolow (Laboratory)
Nelson Tyler (Photography)

Technical Achievement Award
H. L. Blachford (Stage Operations)
Daniel R. Brewer (Special Photographic)
Continental Camera Systems, Inc. (Camera)
John DeMuth (Special Photographic)
Bill Hogan (Special Photographic)
Industrial Light and Magic, Incorporated (Stage Operations)
Alan D. Landaker (Special Photographic)
Hal Landaker (Special Photographic)
Dennis Muren (Stage Operations)
Ernst F. Nettmann (Camera)
Oxford Scientific Films (Camera)
Peter D. Parks (Camera)
Ruxton, Ltd. (Special Photographic)
Dr. Louis Stankiewicz (Stage Operations)
Richard J. Stumpf (Special Photographic)
Bill Taylor (Special Photographic)
Universal City Studios, Inc. (Special Photographic)
Universal City Studios Production Sound Department (Special Photographic)
Stuart Ziff (Stage Operations)