Directed by Richard Dunlap Most awards West Side Story (10) Other ceremonies 1961, 1963 | Best Picture West Side Story Date 9 April 1962 Site California | |
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Location Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California, United States | ||
The 34th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1961, were held on April 9, 1962 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Bob Hope; this was the seventh time Hope hosted the Oscars.
Contents
- Awards
- Academy Honorary Awards
- Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
- News and recap
- Presenters
- Performers
- References
Legendary filmmaker Federico Fellini received his first Best Director nomination for his film La Dolce Vita, though the movie itself failed to garner a nomination for Best Picture.
Sophia Loren became the first actor or actress to win for an acting Oscar for a non-English-speaking role.
Awards
Winners are listed first and highlighted with boldface
Academy Honorary Awards
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
News and recap
The most memorable event of the night was when Stan Berman, a New York City cabdriver, awarded Bob Hope a homemade Oscar after he had slipped through security and made his way to the stage. Both Jackie Gleason (in "The Hustler") and Judy Garland (in "Judgment At Nuremberg") were heavily favored to win the awards for best supporting actor and actress. However, they were defeated by George Chakiris and Rita Moreno as part of the "West Side Story" sweep. The musical film wound up winning a total of ten Academy Awards including Best Picture. For the first time, two directors shared the award in the Directing category (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for "West Side Story").