'Ordinary People' Best Picture

Spacek and DeNiro Receive Top Oscars for Acting

By Ted Thackrey Jr. | Times Staff Writer

From The Times: April 1, 1981

Sissy Spacek, Robert DeNiro and "Ordinary People" won top honors Tuesday night at the 53rd annual Academy Awards ceremonies in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles Music Center.

DeNiro was honored as best actor in a starring role for his performance in the title role of "Raging Bull," an intense look at the ring of victories and personal defeats of boxer Jake LaMotta. Spacek won the Oscar for best actress for her portrayal of country western singer Loretta Lynn in "Coal Miner's Daughter."

Statuettes for best supporting role performances went to Mary Steenburgen for her performance as Melvin Dummar's kooky first wife in "Melvin and Howard," and to Timothy Hutton as the troubled son in "Ordinary People."

Robert Redford, making his behind-the-camera debut, won the Oscar as best director for "Ordinary People," the story of a family struggling to communicate. He was called back to the stage to share producer Ronald L. Schwary's moment of glory when the film won the best picture award.

DeNiro, bearded and almost thin again after losing most of the 70 pounds he gained to portray LaMotta in his post-fighting years, paid tribute to the old fighter, "whose life it's all about."

And Spacek gave special thanks to Loretta Lynn.

Steenburgen — also appearing in a biographical role — thanked sometime Howard Hughes inheritance claimant Melvin Dummar, instead of the woman she had portrayed. But 19-year old Hutton, who had won for his first film appearance, was the sentimental favorite of the evening as he paid a special tribute to his father, actor Jim Hutton, who died last year — just a few months before his son's screen debut.

It was the second Oscar for DeNiro. He won a statuette for best supporting actor performance in "The Godfather: Part II," and was nominated in 1976 and 1978 for performances in "Taxi Driver" and "The Deer Hunter."

Although the awards show ran nearly an hour over schedule — as usual — there was only one major gaffe during the evening. That came early, when an unidentified man came forward, impersonating Hungarian producer Ferenc Rofusz, to accept the best animated feature Oscar for "The Fly."

Security officers said he headed out the door with the statuette after a brief acceptance speech. He was being sought by police later.

The award for best screenplay adapted from another medium went to Alvin Sargent for "Ordinary People," and the statuette for best original screenplay was presented to Bo Goldman for "Melvin and Howard."

Johnny Carson, acting as master of ceremonies for the third year, opened the show — which had been postponed for 24 hours because of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan — and drew cheers when he told the audience the President was feeling much better. A special greeting from the President, taped nearly two weeks ago, was played with White House permission.

It had been a surprisingly thin year for Academy selections.

Longtime Oscar watchers commented that the academy's 3,738 voting members had to make their choice from among only 189 eligible 1980 films, compared to the 225 that were eligible in 1979.

A special award for "brilliant accomplishments and enduring contributions to the art of the motion picture" was presented to veteran stage and film star Henry Fonda.

And there were two technical awards, both announced beforehand. These went to George Lucas' "Star Wars" sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back," for visual effects, and the Acme-Dunn Optical Printer for scientific and technical achievement.

An award for best dramatic live-action short film went to Lloyd Phillips, producer of "The Dollar Bottom," a Rocking Horse Film from Paramount.

Documentary film honors went to Roland Halle and Peter W. Ladue, producers of the short subject "Karl Hess: Toward Liberty," and to Murray Lerner, producer of the feature "From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China."

The award for achievement in art direction went to Pierre Guffroy and Jack Stephens for "Tess," and the costume design statuette was won by Anthony Powell for his work on the same film.

Sound Achievements

Oscars for best achievement of the year in sound on film went to Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker and Peter Sutton for "The Empire Strikes Back." Michael Gore's work on "Fame" won him a statuette for best original film score of the year.

Best foreign language film honors went to the Soviet Union for "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears," a Mosfilm Studio Production, and the award for best achievement in film editing went to Thelma Schoonmaker for her work on "Raging Bull."

"Out Here On My Own," from "Fame," won best original song Oscars for composer Michael Gore and lyricist Lesley Gore, and the award for best achievement in cinematography went to Geoffrey Unsworth and Ghislain Cloquet for "Tess."