1968 Oscars 40th Academy Awards

1968 Oscars 40th Academy Awards

Winners Announced: April 10, 1968
Held at: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California
Host: Bob Hope
Eligibility Year: 1967

Cinematic Highlights and Achievements

  • In the Heat of the Night Stands Out: The film grabbed five Oscars, including Best Picture. Sidney Poitier’s performance was highly praised, though he didn’t win an award that evening.
  • Katharine Hepburn’s Historic Win: The legendary actress snagged her second Best Actress award for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner but didn’t attend the ceremony.
  • Cool Hand Luke’s Iconic Score: The film took home the Best Original Score, adding to its cult classic status.
  • The Graduate Gets Noticed: While it didn’t win Best Picture, Mike Nichols did receive Best Director, and the film has since become a cultural landmark.

Trivia

  • Delayed but Not Deterred: The ceremony was originally scheduled for April 8 but was postponed for two days due to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
  • Bob Hope’s Streak: This year marked yet another hosting gig for Bob Hope, who had become synonymous with the Oscars by this point.
  • First Oscar for a Canadian: Walter Matthau won the Best Supporting Actor award for The Fortune Cookie, becoming the first Canadian actor to win an Oscar.
  • The Graduate was the last film to win Best Director and nothing else.
  • Bonnie and Clyde and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner earned ten nominations, each winning 2.
  • Alfred Hitchcock’s acceptance speech is one of the shortest in Academy Awards history: “Thank you very much indeed”.
  • John Williams received his first nomination for scoring Valley of the Dolls.
  • This was the first ceremony since the 1948 awards show to feature film clips from the Best Picture nominated films.
  • Take our 1968 Quiz!

1968 Oscar Nominees and Winners

Best Picture:
In the Heat of the Night – Walter Mirisch (WINNER)
Bonnie and Clyde – Warren Beatty
Doctor Dolittle – Arthur P. Jacobs
The Graduate – Lawrence Turman
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Stanley Kramer
Best Director:
Mike Nichols – The Graduate (WINNER)
Arthur Penn – Bonnie and Clyde
Stanley Kramer – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Richard Brooks – In Cold Blood
Norman Jewison – In the Heat of the Night
Best Actor:
Rod Steiger – In the Heat of the Night as Police Chief Bill Gillespie (WINNER)
Warren Beatty – Bonnie and Clyde as Clyde Barrow
Dustin Hoffman – The Graduate as Benjamin Braddock
Paul Newman – Cool Hand Luke as Lucas “Cool Hand Luke” Jackson
Spencer Tracy (posthumous nomination) – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner as Matt Drayton
Best Actress:
Katharine Hepburn – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner as Christina Drayton (WINNER)
Anne Bancroft – The Graduate as Mrs. Robinson
Faye Dunaway – Bonnie and Clyde as Bonnie Parker
Edith Evans – The Whisperers as Mrs. Ross
Audrey Hepburn – Wait Until Dark as Susy Hendrix
Best Supporting Actor:
George Kennedy – Cool Hand Luke as Dragline (WINNER)
John Cassavetes – The Dirty Dozen as V.R. Franko
Gene Hackman – Bonnie and Clyde as Buck Barrow
Cecil Kellaway – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner as Monsignor Ryan
Michael J. Pollard – Bonnie and Clyde as C.W. Moss
Best Supporting Actress:
Estelle Parsons – Bonnie and Clyde as Blanche Barrow (WINNER)
Carol Channing – Thoroughly Modern Millie as Muzzy
Mildred Natwick – Barefoot in the Park as Ethel Banks
Beah Richards – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner as Mrs. Mary Prentice
Katharine Ross – The Graduate as Elaine Robinson
Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – William Rose (WINNER)
Bonnie and Clyde – David Newman and Robert Benton
Divorce American Style – Screenplay by Norman Lear; Story by Robert Kaufman
Two for the Road – Frederic Raphael
The War Is Over – Jorge Semprún
Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium:
In the Heat of the Night – Stirling Silliphant based on the novel by John Ball (WINNER)
Cool Hand Luke – Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson based on the novel by Donn Pearce
The Graduate – Buck Henry and Calder Willingham based on the novel by Charles Webb
In Cold Blood – Richard Brooks based on the novel by Truman Capote
Ulysses – Joseph Strick and Fred Haines based on the novel by James Joyce
Best Foreign Language Film:
Closely Watched Trains (Czechoslovakia) (WINNER)
El amor brujo (Spain)
I Even Met Happy Gypsies (Yugoslavia)
Live for Life (France)
Portrait of Chieko (Japan)
Best Documentary Feature:
The Anderson Platoon (WINNER)
Festival
Harvest
A King’s Story
A Time for Burning
Best Documentary Short Subject:
The Redwoods – Mark Harris and Trevor Greenwood (WINNER)
Monument to the Dream
A Place to Stand
See You at the Pillar
While I Run This Race
Best Live Action Short Subject:
A Place to Stand – Christopher Chapman and Cam McWhirt (WINNER)
Paddle to the Sea – Julian Biggs
Sky over Holland – John Ferno
Stop Look and Listen – Len Janson and Chuck Menville
Best Short Subject – Cartoons:
The Box (WINNER)
Hypothese Beta
What on Earth!
Best Original Music Score:
Thoroughly Modern Millie – Elmer Bernstein (WINNER)
Cool Hand Luke – Lalo Schifrin
Doctor Dolittle – Leslie Bricusse
Far from the Madding Crowd – Richard Rodney Bennett
In Cold Blood – Quincy Jones
Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score:
Camelot – Alfred Newman and Ken Darby (WINNER)
Doctor Dolittle – Lionel Newman and Alexander Courage
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Frank De Vol
Thoroughly Modern Millie – André Previn and Joseph Gershenson
Valley of the Dolls – John Williams
Best Song:
“Talk to the Animals” from Doctor Dolittle – Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse (WINNER)
“The Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book – Music and Lyrics by Terry Gilkyson
“The Eyes of Love” from Banning – Music by Quincy Jones; Lyrics by Bob Russell
“The Look of Love” from Casino Royale – Music by Burt Bacharach; Lyrics by Hal David
“Thoroughly Modern Millie” from Thoroughly Modern Millie – Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Best Costume Design:
Camelot – John Truscott (WINNER)
Bonnie and Clyde – Theadora Van Runkle
The Happiest Millionaire – Bill Thomas
The Taming of the Shrew – Danilo Donati and Irene Sharaff
Thoroughly Modern Millie – Jean Louis
Best Art Direction:
Camelot – Art Direction: John Truscott and Edward Carrere; Set Decoration: John W. Brown (WINNER)
Doctor Dolittle – Art Direction: Mario Chiari, Jack Martin Smith and Ed Graves; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Stuart A. Reiss
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Art Direction: Robert Clatworthy; Set Decoration: Frank Tuttle
The Taming of the Shrew – Art Direction: Renzo Mongiardino, John DeCuir, Elven Webb and Giuseppe Mariani; Set Decoration: Dario Simoni and Luigi Gervasi
Thoroughly Modern Millie – Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen and George C. Webb; Set Decoration: Howard Bristol
Best Cinematography:
Bonnie and Clyde – Burnett Guffey (WINNER)
Camelot – Richard H. Kline
Doctor Dolittle – Robert L. Surtees
The Graduate – Robert L. Surtees
In Cold Blood – Conrad L. Hall
Best Sound:
In the Heat of the Night – Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department (WINNER)
Camelot – Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Studio Sound Department
The Dirty Dozen – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department
Doctor Dolittle – 20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department
Thoroughly Modern Millie – Universal City Studio Sound Department
Best Sound Effects:
The Dirty Dozen – John Poyner (WINNER)
In the Heat of the Night – James Richard
Best Film Editing:
In the Heat of the Night – Hal Ashby (WINNER)
Beach Red – Frank P. Keller
The Dirty Dozen – Michael Luciano
Doctor Dolittle – Samuel E. Beetley and Marjorie Fowler
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Robert C. Jones
Best Special Visual Effects:
Doctor Dolittle – L. B. Abbott (WINNER)
Tobruk – Howard A. Anderson and Albert Whitlock
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Gregory Peck
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award:
Alfred Hitchcock
Honorary Oscar:
Arthur Freed was presented for distinguished service to the Academy and the production of six top-rated Awards telecasts.
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