Awards

1974 Oscars 46th Academy Awards

Posted by Joe Hummel IIIPosted 51 years ago April 12, 1974

1974 Oscars 46th Academy Awards

Winners Announced: April 2, 1974
Held at: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, California
Hosts: John Huston, Diana Ross, Burt Reynolds, David Niven
Eligibility Year: 1973

Trivia and Details

Table of Contents

The host list was a star-studded ensemble featuring John Huston, Diana Ross, Burt Reynolds, and David Niven. This combination brought an interesting mix of Hollywood’s old guard and rising stars.
George Roy Hill’s The Sting became the night’s big winner, taking home seven Oscars including Best Picture.
The event had its share of humor and spontaneity when a streaker (Robert Opel) dashed across the stage, famously prompting host David Niven to remark, “The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping and showing his shortcomings.”
Jack Lemmon earned his fourth Oscar nomination for his role in Save the Tiger but it was his first win for Best Actor.
Glenda Jackson took home Best Actress for A Touch of Class, a romantic comedy that starkly contrasts the heavier, more dramatic films that often won in this category.
The Exorcist didn’t win Best Picture but did manage to secure two Oscars for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay. The horror genre was rarely recognized at the Oscars, making this a noteworthy exception.
The ceremony occurred during a period of great social change, marked by the Watergate scandal and the ending of the Vietnam War, adding a layer of gravitas to the evening’s more light-hearted moments.
Tatum O’Neal, age 10, was the youngest person ever to win an Oscar.
“In recent years, especially, there has been a great deal of criticism about this award. And probably, a great deal of that criticism is very justified; I would just like to say that, whether it is justified or not, I think it is one hell of a honor and I am thrilled, and I thank you all, very, very much.” – Jack Lemmon, after winning his second Oscar.
Julia Phillips became the first female producer to win for Best Picture.
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1974 Oscar Nominees and Winners

Best Picture:
The Sting – Tony Bill, Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips, producers (WINNER)
American Graffiti – Francis Ford Coppola, producer; Gary Kurtz, co-producer
Cries and Whispers – Ingmar Bergman, producer
The Exorcist – William Peter Blatty, producer
A Touch of Class – Melvin Frank, producer

Best Director:
George Roy Hill – The Sting (WINNER)
George Lucas – American Graffiti
Ingmar Bergman – Cries and Whispers
William Friedkin – The Exorcist
Bernardo Bertolucci – Last Tango in Paris

Best Actor:
Jack Lemmon – Save the Tiger as Harry Stoner (WINNER)
Marlon Brando – Last Tango in Paris as Paul
Jack Nicholson – The Last Detail as Billy “Badass” Buddusky
Al Pacino – Serpico as Frank Serpico
Robert Redford – The Sting as Johnny Hooker

Best Actress:
Glenda Jackson – A Touch of Class as Vicki Allessio (WINNER)
Ellen Burstyn – The Exorcist as Chris MacNeil
Marsha Mason – Cinderella Liberty as Maggie Paul
Barbra Streisand – The Way We Were as Katie Morosky
Joanne Woodward – Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams as Rita Pritchett-Walden

Best Supporting Actor:
John Houseman – The Paper Chase as Professor Charles W. Kingsfield, Jr. (WINNER)
Vincent Gardenia – Bang the Drum Slowly as Dutch
Jack Gilford – Save the Tiger as Phil
Jason Miller – The Exorcist as Damien Karras
Randy Quaid – The Last Detail as Larry Meadows

Best Supporting Actress:
Tatum O’Neal – Paper Moon as Addie Loggins (WINNER)
Linda Blair – The Exorcist as Regan MacNeil
Candy Clark – American Graffiti as Debbie Dunham
Madeline Kahn – Paper Moon as Trixie Delight
Sylvia Sidney – Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams as Mrs. Pritchett

Best Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Produced or Published:
The Sting – David S. Ward (WINNER)
American Graffiti – George Lucas, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck
Cries and Whispers – Ingmar Bergman
Save the Tiger – Steve Shagan
A Touch of Class – Melvin Frank and Jack Rose

Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium:
The Exorcist – William Peter Blatty based on his novel (WINNER)
The Last Detail – Robert Towne based on the novel by Darryl Ponicsan
The Paper Chase – James Bridges based on the novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr.
Paper Moon – Alvin Sargent based on the novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown
Serpico – Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler based on the book by Peter Maas

Best Documentary Feature:
The Great American Cowboy – Kieth Merrill (WINNER)
Always a New Beginning – John D. Goodell
Battle of Berlin (Schlacht um Berlin) – Franz Baake and Jost von Morr
Journey to the Outer Limits – Alexander Grasshoff
Walls of Fire – Herbert Kline and Edmund Penney

Best Documentary Short Subject:
Princeton: A Search for Answers – Julian Krainin and DeWitt L. Sage Jr. (WINNER)
Background
Christo’s Valley Curtain
Four Stones for Kanemitsu
Paisti ag obair

Best Live Action Short Subject:
The Bolero – Allan Miller and William Fertik (WINNER)
Clockmaker – Richard Gayer
Life Times Nine – Pen Densham and John Watson

Best Animated Short Subject:
Frank Film – Frank Mouris (WINNER)
The Legend of John Henry – Nick Bosustow and David Adams
Pulcinella – Emanuele Luzzati and Guilo Gianini

Best Original Dramatic Score:
The Way We Were – Marvin Hamlisch (WINNER)
Cinderella Liberty – John Williams
The Day of the Dolphin – Georges Delerue
Papillon – Jerry Goldsmith
A Touch of Class – John Cameron

Best Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation or Scoring: Adaptation:
The Sting – Adaptated by Marvin Hamlisch (WINNER)
Jesus Christ Superstar – Adapted by André Previn, Herbert W. Spencer and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Tom Sawyer – Song Score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; Adapted by John Williams

Best Song:
“The Way We Were” – The Way We Were • Music by Marvin Hamlisch • Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman (WINNER)
“All That Love Went to Waste” – A Touch of Class • Music by George Barrie • Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
“Live and Let Die” – Live and Let Die • Music and Lyrics by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney
“Love” – Robin Hood • Music by George Bruns • Lyrics by Floyd Huddleston
“(You’re So) Nice to Be Around” – Cinderella Liberty • Music by John Williams • Lyrics by Paul Williams

Best Sound:
The Exorcist – Robert Knudson and Chris Newman (WINNER)
The Day of the Dolphin – Richard Portman and Larry Jost
The Paper Chase – Donald O. Mitchell and Larry Jost
Paper Moon – Richard Portman and Les Fresholtz
The Sting – Ronald Pierce and Robert R. Bertrand

Best Foreign Language Film:
Day for Night – France (WINNER)
The House on Chelouche Street – Israel
L’Invitation – Switzerland
The Pedestrian – Germany (West)
Turkish Delight – Netherlands

Best Costume Design:
The Sting – Edith Head (WINNER)
Cries and Whispers – Marik Vos
Ludwig – Piero Tosi
Tom Sawyer – Donfeld
The Way We Were – Dorothy Jeakins and Moss Mabry

Best Art Direction:
The Sting – Art Direction: Henry Bumstead; Set Decoration: James W. Payne (WINNER)
Brother Sun, Sister Moon – Art Direction: Lorenzo Mongiardino and Gianni Quaranta; Set Decoration: Carmelo Patrono
The Exorcist – Art Direction: Bill Malley; Set Decoration: Jerry Wunderlich
Tom Sawyer – Art Direction: Philip Jefferies; Set Decoration: Robert De Vestel
The Way We Were – Art Direction: Stephen B. Grimes; Set Decoration: William Kiernan (posthumous nomination)

Best Cinematography:
Cries and Whispers – Sven Nykvist (WINNER)
The Exorcist – Owen Roizman
Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Jack Couffer
The Sting – Robert Surtees
The Way We Were – Harry Stradling Jr.

Best Film Editing:
The Sting – William H. Reynolds (WINNER)
American Graffiti – Verna Fields and Marcia Lucas
The Day of the Jackal – Ralph Kemplen
The Exorcist – Jordan Leondopoulos, Bud S. Smith, Evan Lottman and Norman Gay
Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Frank P. Keller and James Galloway

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