Dustin Hoffman is perhaps one of the most notable and memorable things about the 1975 Oscars. He was nominated for an award due to his part in the movie, Lenny. He wasn’t happy about attending the ceremony, and he called the event ‘grotesque’ and ugly. He even said it was similar to a beauty pageant.
Bob Hope couldn’t help but speak up when he said that, saying: “If Dustin Hoffman wins tonight, he’s going to have a friend pick it up for him — George C. Scott.” In the end, Hoffman didn’t win the award for best actor but one of the hosts, Frank Sinatra, decided to roast him a little. When he made the dig, the audience didn’t respond. Of course, Frank Sinatra also had some difficulties during the 1975 Oscars. Roger Ebert had even booed him during the show. When he did appear, he made a number of ‘several pointed, tasteless references to his fellow Italian-Americans.’
Ebert referred to it as an ’embarrassing spectacle.’
Bob Hope is also somebody who is remembered for the 1975 Oscars. This was during the time that the Vietnam War was coming to an end and there was a lot of political tension in the air. When Bert Schneider, a documentary filmmaker came up to accept the award, he had something to say about Vietnam. He said: “It’s ironic that we’re here at a time just before Vietnam is about to be liberated.”
He also read a telegram from Viet Cong Ambassador Dinh Ba Thi. It said: “Greetings of Friendship to All American People.” It went on to thank the antiwar movement “for all they have done on behalf of peace.”
Bob Hope was not happy. He wrote a telegram about an hour later that Frank Sinatra read to the audience. It said: “The academy is saying, ‘We are not responsible for any political references made on the program, and we are sorry they had to take place this evening.’” Ingrid Bergman, the Swedish actress, was also somebody who was there at the 1975 Oscars. She received a standing ovation but she had mixed emotions. She felt that she had won the Oscar because of Hollywood’s guilt over what they did to her in 1949. It was in that year that she was reeling from her affair with director Roberto Rossellini.
The Godfather Part II was a very important movie that was highlighted at the 1975 Academy Awards. Many people still remember and love the movie, so it’s no surprise that the 1975 award ceremony is still remembered almost 5 decades later. John Voight and Racquel Welch posed for a picture during that ceremony and it is still being discussed. Some people thought that it was very elegant but others felt differently. They said that he looked ‘like a creep.’ I guess the debate will just continue to go on.
