When I look at old Oscar photos, especially from the 1970s, I get nostalgic chills down my spine.
There is something almost haunting about these pictures – they evoke memories of a different era, a different America, when the Academy Awards were actually worth watching. Back then, our celebrities radiated class, glamour, beauty and elegance.
It’s amazing to see so many incredible stars who are no longer with us, and it reminds us of how fleeting life is. I used to know every nominee, every film and every song. Now I can barely keep up.
Audrey Hepburn at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, 1975 (Getty Images)
Someone once said that the 1975 ceremony was ‘a time when actors and actresses had class and no political agenda,’ and while that may not be entirely true, we certainly feel like we’ve lost something important.
So let’s go back to the 47th Academy Awards and focus on one particular photo that has sparked a lot of discussion lately. What is it about this photo that has people talking?
‘Ugly’ and ’grotesque.’
It’s hard to talk about the 1975 Oscars without mentioning Dustin Hoffman. The legendary actor, now 87 years old, certainly dominated the pre-ceremony conversations – though perhaps not in the way many expected.
Hoffman was nominated for his stunning performance in ‘Lenny,’ a biographical film about comedian Lenny Bruce, but he wasn’t thrilled about attending the ceremony. Known for his outspoken criticism of the Academy, he called the event garish and embarrassing, even going so far as to call it ‘ugly’ and ‘grotesque,’ comparing it to a beauty pageant.
These words prompted host Bob Hope to say, ‘If Dustin Hoffman wins tonight, his friend George C. Scott will take him,’ referring to Scott’s own refusal to accept his Oscar in 1971.
Although Hoffman didn’t win the Best Actor award that night, that didn’t stop Frank Sinatra, one of the evening’s hosts, from teasing him. Sinatra, known for his charisma, made an undeserved quip that did not resonate with the audience.
Sinatra was confused about his lines
Sinatra seemed to have a difficult night at the 47th Academy Awards.
Reviews from 1975 were not too kind. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the audience even booed Sinatra during the show.
Barbara Sinatra and Frank Sinatra (Getty Images)
He looked slightly tipsy and rambled his lines, making ‘several sharp, tasteless remarks about his fellow Italian-Americans.’
‘It was an embarrassing spectacle,’ Ebert wrote.
But more controversial things were destined to play out that evening.
The speech that infuriated Bob Hope
If it’s been said that awards ceremonies in the past were supposedly less politicised, there’s one story from the 1975 Oscars ceremony that strongly refutes that notion. In April of that year, the Vietnam War was about to end, and it was certainly felt throughout the evening.
When documentary filmmaker Bert Schneider took the stage to accept the award for best documentary for ‘Hearts and Minds,’ he couldn’t help but draw attention to Vietnam. He remarked, ‘It is ironic that we are gathered here at a time when Vietnam is about to be liberated.’ This was not particularly surprising given that his critical documentary was about the Vietnam War.
Things escalated, however, when Schneider read a telegram with a ‘Greeting of Friendship to all the American people’ from Viet Cong Ambassador Dinh Ba Thi.
The telegram thanked the anti-war movement ‘for all they have done in the name of peace,’ and it was too much for Oscar-winning host Bob Hope, who had long been a hawk on Vietnam War issues.
Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope (Getty Images)
Return Shot
Unwilling to put his hands down, an hour later Hope wrote a telegram which Frank Sinatra read out to the divided audience, ‘The Academy says: “We are not responsible for any political references in the programme and we are sorry that they occurred this evening”.’
This speech infuriated Shirley MacLaine, one of the co-hosts, as well as actor Warren Beatty. Beatty wryly responded, ‘Thanks Frank, you’re an old Republican.’ McLain added her own sharp comment, saying: ‘You said you speak for the Academy. Well, I’m a member of the Academy, and you didn’t ask me!’.
In retrospect, some people believe that Bert Schneider’s comments were relatively mild. Those who knew him noted that his remarks at the 1975 Oscars were surprisingly restrained – especially considering how outspoken he was at times about the Vietnam War.
The collective guilt of show business
Ingrid Bergman needs no introduction, and at the 1975 Academy Awards, the legendary Swedish actress was honoured with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Greta Olsson in Murder on the Orient Express. In her 59th year, she received a standing ovation from an admiring audience, but her emotions were mixed.