The 61st Annual Academy Awards (1989) (TV)

Director:

Jeff Margolis

Release Date:

29 March 1989 (USA)

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Award | Live Performance | Oscar Statuette | Oscar | Awards Show

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Harry Andrews	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Hal Ashby	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Lucille Ball	...	Herself
Drew Barrymore	...	Herself
Judith Barsi	...	Herself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Ronald Bass	...	Himself - Best Original Screenplay Winner
Candice Bergen	...	Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film
Eileen Bowman	...	Snow White
Beau Bridges	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Visual Effects
Jeff Bridges	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Visual Effects
Lloyd Bridges	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Visual Effects
William Cagney	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Michael Caine	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
John Carradine	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Sidney Carroll	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
John Cassavetes	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Chick Chandler	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Cher	...	Herself - Presenter: Best Picture
Glenn Close	...	Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role
Sean Connery	...	Himself - Co-presenter: Best Supporting Actor
Keith Coogan	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Tom Cruise	...	Himself - Presenter: Winner: Best Actress in a Leading Role
Joan Cusack	...	Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Willem Dafoe	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Geena Davis	...	Herself - Winner: Best Actress in a Supporting Role / Co-Presenter: Best Documentary Short
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Original Song
Patrick Dempsey	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Bo Derek	...	Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Costume Design
Michael Douglas	...	Himself - Presenter: Best Actor in a Leading Role
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Makeup
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Himself - Co-presenter: Best Original Screenplay
Andrew Duggan	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Dale Evans	...	Herself - Coconut Grove number
Farrah Fawcett	...	Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Film Editing
Alice Faye	...	Herself - Coconut Grove number
Corey Feldman	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Carrie Fisher	...	Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Short Film, Animated & Live Action
Joely Fisher	...	Herself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Tricia Leigh Fisher	...	Herself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Charles Fleischer	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Special Achievement Award to Richard Williams
George J. Folsey	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Harrison Ford	...	Jack Trainer (archive footage)
Jodie Foster	...	Herself - Winner: Best Actress in a Leading Role
Leonard Frey	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Savion Glover	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Jeff Goldblum	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Merv Griffin	...	Himself - Coconut Grove number
Melanie Griffith	...	Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role & Co-Presenter: Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Alec Guinness	...	William Dorrit (archive footage)
Gene Hackman	...	Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role & Presenter: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Don Haggerty	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Carrie Hamilton	...	Herself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Christopher Hampton	...	Himself - Best Adapted Screenplay Winner
Tom Hanks	...	Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role
Melora Hardin	...	Herself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Goldie Hawn	...	Herself - Co-presenter: Best Director
Gregory Hines	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Original Song
Dustin Hoffman	...	Himself - Winner: Best Actor in a Leading Role & Co-presenter: Best Actress in a Leading Role
Anthony Holland	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Bob Hope	...	Himself
John Houseman	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
William Hurt	...	Macon Leary (archive footage)
Anjelica Huston	...	Herself - Presenter: Film Clip from "The Accidental Tourist
Pelle Hvenegaard	...	Pelle (archive footage)
Amy Irving	...	Herself - Co-presenter: Best Original Screenplay
Don Johnson	...	Himself - Presenter: Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Mark Johnson	...	Himself - Winner: Best Picture
Kevin Kline	...	Himself - Best Supporting Actor Winner
Milton R. Krasner	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Ricki Lake	...	Herself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Dorothy Lamour	...	Herself - Coconut Grove number
Louis L'Amour	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Martin Landau	...	Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
John Lasseter	...	Himself - Best Animated Short Winner
Matt Lattanzi	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Barry Levinson	...	Himself - Winner: Best Director
Chad Lowe	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Rob Lowe	...	Himself - Performer
John Malkovich	...	Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont (archive footage)
Frances McDormand	...	Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Ralph Meeker	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Demi Moore	...	Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Cinematography
Dudley Moore	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Costume Design
Roger Moore	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Barry Morrow	...	Himself - Best Original Screenplay Winner
Tracy Nelson	...	Herself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Lionel Newman	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Kim Novak	...	Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Sound & Best Sound Effects Editing
Edward James Olmos	...	Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role & Co-Presenter: Best Documentary, Features
Patrick O'Neal	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Ryan O'Neal	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Film Editing
Heather O'Rourke	...	Herself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Corey Parker	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
D.A. Pauley	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role & Co-Presenter: Best Adapted Screenplay
River Phoenix	...	Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Tyrone Power Jr.	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Dennis Quaid	...	Himself - Co-presenter: Best Adapted Screenplay
Anne Ramsey	...	Herself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
William Reeves	...	Himself - Best Animated Short Winner
Chuck Roberson	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Holly Robinson Peete	...	Herself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Roy Rogers	...	Himself - Coconut Grove number
Kurt Russell	...	Himself - Presenter: Best Director
Gavin Ryan	...	Himself - Performer
Cybill Shepherd	...	Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Makeup
Martin Short	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Short, Animated & Live Action
Carly Simon	...	Herself - Winner: Best Original Song
Christian Slater	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
James Stewart	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Sound & Best Sound Effects Editing
Meryl Streep	...	Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role
Donald Sutherland	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Honorary Award to the National Film Board of Canada
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Honorary Award to the National Film Board of Canada
Patrick Swayze	...	Himself - Presenter: Best Original Score
Lily Tomlin	...	Herself - Performer
Blair Underwood	...	Himself - Performer (Break-Out Super Stars of Tomorrow Musical Number)
Jack Valenti	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film
Lloyd Vaughan	...	Himself (Memorial Tribute) (archive footage)
Max von Sydow	...	Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role / Co-Presenter: Best Documentary Feature
Sigourney Weaver	...	Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role & Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Robin Williams	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Special Achievement Award to Richard Williams
Bruce Willis	...	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Cinematography

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Filming Locations:

Shrine Auditorium - 665 W. Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)

Trivia:

Show producer Allan Carr decided that because his lavish opening number (the Snow White/Rob Lowe debacle) was so long he decided not to allow performances of the nominated songs.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Proud Mary

Eileen Bowman!

Yes, this was the diabolical Academy Awards ceremony when Rob Lowe would dance with a young woman made up to look like Snow White and insulted Disney to the point where they considered suing for defamation of their character. Not that Disney owns the fairy tale character, but they do have a claim to the visual likeness; bobbed black hair, the puffy yellow sleeves, etc.

I remember this show well. And even if Disney hadn't felt they needed to take legal action (they started to, but eventually let it drop. I think the Academy apologized), there was still embarrassment at the opening number.

It was just corny.

Lily Tomlin would appear at the end of the number and even she knew it was ridiculous. A dancer had lost his shoe and it was setting on the steps she had just descended.

And what do we see behind her? A young man slowly crawling down the stairs to get THAT shoe! Now, we wouldn't have noticed the shoe actually, but there was no way we could miss this grown figure of a person! And what does he do with it? Hurls it forward off the stage! Tomlin tried to catch it, but no luck.

Things spiraled, not necessarily downward, after that.

Fortunately Geena Davis was wearing a very fetching outfit.

Kim Basinger was wearing that totally odd half-sleeved, half gloved, half collar get-up. She looked terrified too.

Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith would do a 'cute' little presentation where he proposed to her just before they presented the award.

Awww! Applause.

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn would do a similar presentation.

"Are you proposing to me?" Goldie would ask Kurt as Melanie had asked Don.

"Oh," Kurt would say suddenly "they want us to hurry up and present the award." Leaving Goldie looking like that deer in the headlights. Kurt couldn't quit laughing.

One very amusing bit was the presentation of best animated short, delivered by Carrie Fisher and Martin Short.

In the same outfit.

Carrie emerged from one side, smiling broadly, and Martin appeared from the other side, doing the same, wearing the same.

"Martin, you knew I wanted to wear this." That they both had the same short dark hair made them almost look like twins, but once they got together, Martin clearly towered over Carrie.

And yes, it was the final appearance of Lucille Ball, who presented an award with Bob Hope.

By the time Cher presented the award for Best Picture, it was beyond time for this thing to be over with.

Dustin Hoffman would win Best Actor for Rain Man and forgot to thank both the director and Tom Cruise.

As Dustin left the stage, the camera catches him pausing behind the panel-wall and he seems to be gasping for breath.

Jodie Foster would win for The Accused when Melanie Griffith was the clear favorite.

And Kevin Kline would win the Oscar for A Fish Called Wanda, clearly seeming to be a pay off to Uncle Gil Cates to take over production of the Academy Awards ceremonies. Maybe? Maybe not. Who knows? Tho this may have been the first season of "And the Oscar goes to. . . " I think Bruce Willis made a mistake and when he opened the envelope, he still said "And the Winner is . . . . " Not that any of it mattered.

"This is astonishing," Kline would say when he got his 'acting' award.

Yea, it was astonishing, alright, but in more ways than one.