1973 Oscars 45th Academy Awards

1973 Oscars 45th Academy Awards

Musical Highlights and Achievements

  • Sweep by “The Concert for Bangladesh”: The album, organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, won Album of the Year and demonstrated the power of music to enact social change.
  • Robert Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”: This song won both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, catapulting Roberta Flack to stardom.
  • Prestigious Newcomer: America won Best New Artist, beginning a career that would span decades.

Engaging Trivia

  • Country Takeover: With the Grammys being held in Nashville for the first time, there was a noticeable focus on country music, including Charley Pride winning Best Country Vocal Performance.
  • Repeat Host: Andy Williams hosted the Grammys for several years, but the 1973 event was notable for its location change to Nashville, placing Williams in the heart of country music.
  • Youth Power: Michael Jackson got his first Grammy nomination at the age of 14 for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.

1973 Oscar Nominees and Winners

Best Picture:
The Godfather – Albert S. Ruddy, producer
Cabaret – Cy Feuer, producer
Deliverance – John Boorman, producer
The Emigrants – Bengt Forslund, producer
Sounder – Robert B. Radnitz, producer
Best Director:
Bob Fosse – Cabaret
John Boorman – Deliverance
Jan Troell – The Emigrants
Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather
Joseph L. Mankiewicz – Sleuth
Best Actor:
Marlon Brando – The Godfather as Vito Corleone (declined)
Michael Caine – Sleuth as Milo Tindle
Laurence Olivier – Sleuth as Andrew Wyke
Peter O’Toole – The Ruling Class as Jack Gurney
Paul Winfield – Sounder as Nathan Lee Morgan
Best Actress:
Liza Minnelli – Cabaret as Sally Bowles
Diana Ross – Lady Sings the Blues as Billie Holiday
Maggie Smith – Travels with My Aunt as Augusta Bertram
Cicely Tyson – Sounder as Rebecca Morgan
Liv Ullmann – The Emigrants as Kristina Nilsson
Best Supporting Actor:
Joel Grey – Cabaret as the M.C.
Eddie Albert – The Heartbreak Kid as Mr. Corcoran
James Caan – The Godfather as Santino “Sonny” Corleone
Robert Duvall – The Godfather as Tom Hagen
Al Pacino – The Godfather as Michael Corleone
Best Supporting Actress:
Eileen Heckart – Butterflies Are Free as Mrs. Baker
Jeannie Berlin – The Heartbreak Kid as Lila Kolodny
Geraldine Page – Pete ‘n’ Tillie as Gertrude Wilson
Susan Tyrrell – Fat City as Oma
Shelley Winters – The Poseidon Adventure as Belle Rosen
Best Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Produced or Published:
The Candidate – Jeremy Larner
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie – Luis Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carrière
Lady Sings the Blues – Chris Clark, Suzanne de Passe and Terence McCloy
Murmur of the Heart – Louis Malle
Young Winston – Carl Foreman
Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium:
The Godfather – Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo based on the novel by Puzo
Cabaret – Jay Presson Allen based on the musical by Fred Ebb and John Kander and the book by Joe Masteroff
The Emigrants – Bengt Forslund and Jan Troell based on the novels The Emigrants and Unto a Good Land by Vilhelm Moberg
Pete ‘n’ Tillie – Julius J. Epstein based on the story Witch’s Milk by Peter De Vries
Sounder – Lonne Elder III based on the novel by William H. Armstrong
Best Documentary Feature:
Marjoe – Sarah Kernochan and Howard Smith
Ape and Super-Ape – Bert Haanstra
Malcolm X – Arnold Perl (posthumous nomination) and Marvin Worth
Manson – Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick
The Silent Revolution – Eckehard Munck
Best Documentary Short Subject:
This Tiny World – Charles Huguenot van der Linden and Martina Huguenot van der Linden
Hundertwasser’s Rainy Day – Peter Schamoni
K-Z – Giorgio Treves
Selling Out – Tadeusz Jaworski
The Tide of Traffic – Humphrey Swingler
Best Live Action Short Subject:
Norman Rockwell’s World… An American Dream – Richard Barclay
Frog Story – Ray Gideon and Ron Satlof
Solo – David Adams
Best Animated Short Subject:
A Christmas Carol – Richard Williams
Kama Sutra Rides Again – Bob Godfrey
Tup Tup – Nedeljko Dragic
Best Foreign Language Film:
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (France) in French – Luis Buñuel
The Dawns Here Are Quiet (USSR) in Russian – Stanislav Rostotsky
I Love You Rosa (Israel) in Hebrew – Moshé Mizrahi
My Dearest Senorita (Spain) in Spanish – Jaime de Armiñán
The New Land (Sweden) in Swedish – Jan Troell
Best Song Original for the Picture:
“The Morning After” from The Poseidon Adventure – Music and Lyrics by Joel Hirschhorn and Al Kasha
“Ben” from Ben – Music by Walter Scharf; Lyrics by Don Black
“Come Follow, Follow Me” from The Little Ark – Music by Fred Karlin; Lyrics by Marsha Karlin
“Marmalade, Molasses & Honey” from The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean – Music by Maurice Jarre; Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman
“Strange Are the Ways of Love” from The Stepmother – Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Best Original Dramatic Score:
Limelight – Charlie Chaplin, Raymond Rasch and Larry Russell (posthumous awards)
Images – John Williams
Napoleon and Samantha – Buddy Baker
The Poseidon Adventure – John Williams
Sleuth – John Addison
Best Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score:
Cabaret – Adaptated by Ralph Burns
Lady Sings the Blues – Adapted by Gil Askey
Man of La Mancha – Adapted by Laurence Rosenthal
Best Costume Design:
Travels with My Aunt – Anthony Powell
The Godfather – Anna Hill Johnstone
Lady Sings the Blues – Ray Aghayan, Norma Koch and Bob Mackie
The Poseidon Adventure – Paul Zastupnevich
Young Winston – Anthony Mendleson
Best Sound:
Cabaret – David Hildyard and Robert Knudson
Butterflies Are Free – Charles T. Knight and Arthur Piantadosi
The Candidate – Gene Cantamessa and Richard Portman
The Godfather – Bud Grenzbach, Christopher Newman and Richard Portman
The Poseidon Adventure – Herman Lewis and Theodore Soderberg
Best Art Direction:
Cabaret – Art Direction: Hans Jürgen Kiebach and Rolf Zehetbauer; Set Decoration: Herbert Strabel
Lady Sings the Blues – Art Direction: Carl Anderson; Set Decoration: Reg Allen
The Poseidon Adventure – Art Direction: William Creber; Set Decoration: Raphaël Bretton
Travels with My Aunt – Art Direction and Set Decoration: John Box, Robert W. Laing and Gil Parrondo
Young Winston – Art Direction: Donald M. Ashton, Geoffrey Drake, John Graysmark and William Hutchinson; Set Decoration: Peter James
Best Cinematography:
Cabaret – Geoffrey Unsworth
1776 – Harry Stradling Jr.
Butterflies Are Free – Charles Lang
The Poseidon Adventure – Harold E. Stine
Travels with My Aunt – Douglas Slocombe
Best Film Editing:
Cabaret – David Bretherton
Deliverance – Tom Priestley
The Godfather – William H. Reynolds and Peter Zinner
The Hot Rock – Fred W. Berger and Frank P. Keller
The Poseidon Adventure – Harold F. Kress
Special Achievement Award:
L. B. Abbott and A. D. Flowers for the visual effects of The Poseidon Adventure
Academy Honorary Award:
Charles S. Boren
Edward G. Robinson
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