| Number: | 52 |
| Award: | Academy Awards |
| Site: | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Host: | Johnny Carson |
| Producer: | Howard W. Koch |
| Director: | Marty Pasetta |
| Best Picture: | Kramer vs. Kramer |
| Most Wins: | Kramer vs. Kramer (5) |
| Most Nominations: | All That Jazz and Kramer vs. Kramer (9) |
| Network: | ABC |
| Duration: | 3 hours, 15 minutes[1] |
| Ratings: | 49 million 33.7% (Nielsen ratings) |
| Last: | 51st |
| Next: | 53rd |
The 52nd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1979 and took place on April 14, 1980, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 22 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Howard W. Koch and directed by Marty Pasetta. Comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson hosted the show for the second consecutive year. Three days earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on April 11, the Academy Scientific and Technical Awards were presented by hosts Cloris Leachman and William Shatner.[2]
Kramer vs. Kramer won five awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Benton, Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman, and Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep. Sally Field received Best Actress honors for Norma Rae, and Melvyn Douglas won Best Supporting Actor for Being There.[3] The telecast received a mixed reception, with critics praising Carson's hosting performance but criticising the pacing and predictability of the ceremony. It garnered 49 million viewers in the United States, which was a 6% increase from the previous year.
The nominees for the 52nd Academy Awards were announced on February 25, 1980, by Academy president Fay Kanin and actors Ed Asner and Yvette Mimieux.[4] All That Jazz and Kramer vs. Kramer tied for the most nominations, with nine each.[5] The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on April 14. At age eight, Best Supporting Actor nominee Justin Henry became the youngest person nominated for an Oscar.
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger .[6]
The award recognizes individuals whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the motion picture industry.[8]
The award honors "creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production".[9]
| Nominations | Film |
|---|---|
| 9 | All That Jazz |
| Kramer vs. Kramer | |
| 8 | Apocalypse Now |
| 5 | Breaking Away |
| 4 | The China Syndrome |
| Norma Rae | |
| The Rose | |
| 3 | 1941 |
| The Black Stallion | |
| La Cage aux Folles | |
| 2 | Alien |
| ...And Justice for All. | |
| Being There | |
| The Black Hole | |
| A Little Romance | |
| Manhattan | |
| The Muppet Movie | |
| Starting Over | |
| 10 |
| Wins | Film |
|---|---|
| 5 | Kramer vs. Kramer |
| 4 | All That Jazz |
| 2 | Apocalypse Now |
| Norma Rae |
The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers:
| Name(s) | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Announcer of the 52nd Academy Awards | ||
| (AMPAS president) | Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony | |
| Explained the voting rules to the public | ||
| Jack Lemmon | Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| Mickey Rooney | Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction | |
| Ben Vereen | Presenters of the awards for Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score and Best Original Score | |
| Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Robert Benjamin | ||
| Kristy McNichol | Presenters of the award for Best Costume Design | |
| Harold Russell | Presenters of the award for Best Visual Effects | |
| William Shatner | Presenters of the awards Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short | |
| Telly Savalas | Presenters of the awards for Best Animated Short Film and Best Live Action Short Film | |
| Presenter of the Academy Award for Technical Achievement to Mark Serrurier | ||
| Jack Valenti | Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film | |
| Rod Steiger | Presenters of the award for Best Sound | |
| Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Ray Stark | ||
| George Hamilton | Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography | |
| Olivia Newton-John | Presenters of the award for Best Original Song | |
| Christopher Reeve | Presenters of the award for Best Film Editing | |
| Liza Minnelli | Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Presenter of the Academy Honorary Award to Alec Guinness | ||
| Presenter of the awards for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | ||
| Presenter of the Academy Honorary Award to Hal Elias | ||
| Presenter of the award for Best Actor | ||
| Presenter of the award for Best Actress | ||
| Steven Spielberg | Presenters of the award for Best Director | |
| Presenter of the award for Best Picture |
| Name | Role | Performed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musical arranger Conductor | Orchestral | ||
| Performer | "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie | ||
| Helen Reddy | Performers | "Song from 10 (It's Easy to Say)" from 10 | |
| Performer | "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles and "I'll Never Say Goodbye" from The Promise | ||
| Performer | "Dancin' on the Silver Screen" | ||
| Performer | "It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae | ||
| Performers | "That's Entertainment" during the closing credits |
In September 1979, the Academy hired film producer Howard W. Koch to produce the telecast for the sixth time.[12] Upon being named producer, Koch responded in a press release, stating, "I plan to involve all the professional and creative talents of the motion picture community in this program, as the Academy Awards, in the public's mind, represents the entire field of filmmaking."[13] Two months later, it was announced that comedian and The Tonight Show host Johnny Carson would preside over emceeing duties for the 1980 ceremony.[14] "Johnny Carson is one of our national treasures. He was selected as this year's host because his wit and verve made him an outstanding master of ceremonies at last year's show," said Koch in a statement justifying his selection for host.[15]
Marty Pasetta directed the telecast.[16] Henry Mancini served as musical director and conductor for the ceremony, where he conducted an overture performed by the orchestra at the beginning of the show. A song-and-dance number featuring actor and singer Donald O'Connor paid tribute to choreography in film.
The ceremony received a mixed reception from critics. The Arizona Republic columnist Michael Maza wrote, "Watching last night's 52nd Annual Academy Award ceremonies was like sitting through three hours and 15 minutes of near-flawless close order drill. It wasn't long before the feet seemed to blur."[17] Jack Mathews of the Detroit Free Press commented, "In any event, the 52nd Academy Awards presentation will stand as one of the smoothest, most predictable, and most reasonable Oscar nights in history. Also, alas, one of the most boring."[18] The Baltimore Sun television critic Bill Carter quipped, "We found out Monday night when this year's edition of the Oscarcast streamlined to the point of emaciation (and still more than three hours long), thudded along like some awards dinner of the meat-packing industry." He praised Carson's hosting performance, but said, "For all the excitement this parade of stars provided, they might as well have sent in their stand-ins, or maybe some robot, or well dressed mannequins from a boutique on Rodeo Drive. This just wasn't a little boring, this was mind-numbingly boring."[19]
Others received the broadcast more positively. Los Angeles Times film critic Charles Champlin mused, "As a show, the Marty Pasetta-Howard Koch special revealed again a gift for all that pizzazz." He added, "If nobody in fact was dozing, it was thanks to Carson's own relaxed and engaging presence. Among his virtues, he is an emcee who seems to love the movies."[20] Film critic Gene Siskel from the Chicago Tribune commented, "The show was a visual delight, thanks to special electronic effects that presented scenes from each nominated film as its title was announced."[21] Columnist Patrick Taggart of the Austin American-Statesman wrote, "Aren't we entitled to at least one upset victory among the nominees? The 52nd running of the Academy Awards was distinguished by the utter lack of any such color; but somehow, in spite of its slickness, Monday's show was a relatively good one."[22]
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 49 million people over the length of the entire ceremony, which was a 6% increase from the previous year's ceremony.[23] However, the show drew lower Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony, with 33.7% of households watching with a 55% share.[24] Furthermore, the ceremony presentation received five nominations at the 32nd Primetime Emmys, but failed to win any of its nominations.[25] [26]