61st Academy Awards

The 61st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1988 and took place on March 29, 1989, at the Shrine Auditorium 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 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Allan Carr and directed by Jeff Margolis.

Rain Man won four awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included Who Framed Roger Rabbit with four awards, Dangerous Liaisons with three, and The Accused, The Accidental Tourist, A Fish Called Wanda, The Appointments of Dennis Jennings, Beetlejuice, Bird, Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, The Milagro Beanfield War, Mississippi Burning, Pelle the Conqueror, Tin Toy, Working Girl, and You Don't Have to Die with one award each.

The telecast drew in over 42 million viewers in the United States, making it the most-viewed ceremony up to that point, until it was surpassed by the 70th Academy Awards in 1998, which garnered a viewership of over 57 million. Rain Man led all nominees, with eight; Dangerous Liaisons and Mississippi Burning tied for second with seven each.

The winners were announced at the award ceremony on March 29, 1989. Best Actress winner Jodie Foster became the eighth person in history to win the aforementioned category for a film with a single nomination. The last person to achieve this feat was Sophia Loren when she won for Two Women in 1961. Best Actor winner Dustin Hoffman was the fifth person to win the aforementioned category twice. Sigourney Weaver became the fifth performer to receive two acting nominations in the same year but did not win in either category. John Lasseter and William Reeves won Best Animated Short Film for Tin Toy, which was Pixar's first Oscar ever and the first CGI film to win an Oscar.

Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

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Rain Man – Mark Johnson, producer
The Accidental Tourist – Lawrence Kasdan, Charles Okun, and Michael Grillo, producers
Dangerous Liaisons – Norma Heyman and Hank Moonjean, producers
Mississippi Burning – Frederick Zollo and Robert F. Colesberry, producers
Working Girl – Douglas Wick, producer

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Barry Levinson – Rain Man
Charles Crichton – A Fish Called Wanda
Martin Scorsese – The Last Temptation of Christ
Alan Parker – Mississippi Burning
Mike Nichols – Working Girl

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Dustin Hoffman – Rain Man as Raymond Babbitt
Gene Hackman – Mississippi Burning as Agent Rupert Anderson
Tom Hanks – Big as Josh Baskin
Edward James Olmos – Stand and Deliver as Jaime Escalante
Max von Sydow – Pelle the Conqueror as Lassefar

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Jodie Foster – The Accused as Sarah Tobias
Glenn Close – Dangerous Liaisons as Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil
Melanie Griffith – Working Girl as Tess McGill
Meryl Streep – A Cry in the Dark as Lindy Chamberlain
Sigourney Weaver – Gorillas in the Mist as Dian Fossey

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Kevin Kline – A Fish Called Wanda as Otto West
Alec Guinness – Little Dorrit as William Dorrit
Martin Landau – Tucker: The Man and His Dream as Abe Karatz
River Phoenix – Running on Empty as Danny Pope
Dean Stockwell – Married to the Mob as Tony "The Tiger" Russo

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Geena Davis – The Accidental Tourist as Muriel Pritchett
Joan Cusack – Working Girl as Cynthia
Frances McDormand – Mississippi Burning as Mrs. Pell
Michelle Pfeiffer – Dangerous Liaisons as Madame Marie de Tourvel
Sigourney Weaver – Working Girl as Katharine Parker

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Rain Man – Screenplay by Ronald Bass, Barry Morrow; Story by Barry Morrow
Big – Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg
Bull Durham – Ron Shelton
A Fish Called Wanda – Screenplay by John Cleese; Story by John Cleese and Charles Crichton
Running on Empty – Naomi Foner

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Dangerous Liaisons – Christopher Hampton based on the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton and the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
The Accidental Tourist – Frank Galati and Lawrence Kasdan based on the novel by Anne Tyler
Gorillas in the Mist – Screenplay by Anna Hamilton Phelan; Story by Anna Hamilton Phelan and Tab Murphy based on articles by Harold T.P. Hayes and Alex Shoumatoff
Little Dorrit – Christine Edzard based on the novel by Charles Dickens
The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Jean-Claude Carrière and Philip Kaufman based on the novel by Milan Kundera

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Pelle the Conqueror (Denmark) in Danish – Bille August
Hanussen (Hungary) in Hungarian – István Szabó
The Music Teacher (Belgium) in French – Gérard Corbiau
Salaam Bombay! (India) in Hindi – Mira Nair
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Spain) in Spanish – Pedro Almodóvar

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Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie – Marcel Ophuls
The Cry of Reason: Beyers Naude - An Afrikaner Speaks Out – Robert Bilheimer and Ronald Mix
Let's Get Lost – Bruce Weber and Nan Bush
Promises to Keep – Ginny Durrin
Who Killed Vincent Chin? – Renee Tajima and Christine Choy

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You Don't Have to Die – William Guttentag and Malcolm Clarke
The Children's Storefront – Karen Goodman
Family Gathering – Lise Yasui and Ann Tegnell
Gang Cops – Thomas B. Fleming and Daniel J. Marks
Portrait of Imogen – Nancy Hale and Meg Partridge

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The Appointments of Dennis Jennings – Dean Parisot and Steven Wright
Cadillac Dreams – Matia Karrell and Abbee Goldstein
Gullah Tales – George deGolian and Gary Moss

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Tin Toy – John Lasseter and William Reeves
The Cat Came Back – Cordell Barker
Technological Threat – Bill Kroyer and Brian Jennings

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The Milagro Beanfield War – Dave Grusin
The Accidental Tourist – John Williams
Dangerous Liaisons – George Fenton
Gorillas in the Mist – Maurice Jarre
Rain Man – Hans Zimmer

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"Let the River Run" from Working Girl – Music and Lyrics by Carly Simon
"Calling You" from Bagdad Cafe – Music and Lyrics by Bob Telson
"Two Hearts" from Buster – Music by Lamont Dozier; Lyrics by Phil Collins

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Bird – Les Fresholtz, Dick Alexander, Vern Poore, and Willie D. Burton
Die Hard – Don Bassman, Kevin F. Cleary, Richard Overton, and Al Overton Jr.
Gorillas in the Mist – Andy Nelson, Brian Saunders, and Peter Handford
Mississippi Burning – Robert J. Litt, Elliot Tyson, Rick Kline, and Danny Michael
Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Robert Knudson, John Boyd, Don Digirolamo, and Tony Dawe

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Charles L. Campbell and Louis Edemann
Die Hard – Stephen Hunter Flick and Richard Shorr
Willow – Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns

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Dangerous Liaisons – Art Direction: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Gérard James
Beaches – Art Direction: Albert Brenner; Set Decoration: Garrett Lewis
Rain Man – Art Direction: Ida Random; Set Decoration: Linda DeScenna
Tucker: The Man and His Dream – Art Direction: Dean Tavoularis; Set Decoration: Armin Ganz
Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Art Direction: Elliot Scott; Set Decoration: Peter Howitt

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Mississippi Burning – Peter Biziou
Rain Man – John Seale
Tequila Sunrise – Conrad Hall
The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Sven Nykvist
Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Dean Cundey

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Beetlejuice – Ve Neill, Steve La Porte, and Robert Short
Coming to America – Rick Baker
Scrooged – Thomas R. Burman and Bari Dreiband-Burman

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Dangerous Liaisons – James Acheson
Coming to America – Deborah Nadoolman Landis
A Handful of Dust – Jane Robinson
Sunset – Patricia Norris
Tucker: The Man and His Dream – Milena Canonero

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Arthur Schmidt
Die Hard – Frank J. Urioste and John F. Link
Gorillas in the Mist – Stuart Baird
Mississippi Burning – Gerry Hambling
Rain Man – Stu Linder

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Ken Ralston, Richard Williams, Edward Jones, and George Gibbs
Die Hard – Richard Edlund, Al DiSarro, Brent Boates, and Thaine Morris
Willow – Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAlister, Phil Tippett, and Chris Evans

Special Achievement Award

To Richard Williams for the animation direction of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Honorary Awards

To the National Film Board of Canada in recognition of its 50th anniversary and its dedicated commitment to originate artistic, creative and technological activity and excellence in every area of film making.
To Eastman Kodak Company in recognition of the company's fundamental contributions to the art of motion pictures during the first century of film history.

Films with multiple nominations and wins

The following 17 films received multiple nominations:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! scope="col" width="55" | Nominations

! scope="col" align="center" | Film

| style="text-align: center;" | 8

| Rain Man

| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | 7

| Dangerous Liaisons

| Mississippi Burning

| rowspan=2 style="text-align: center;" | 6

| Who Framed Roger Rabbit

| Working Girl

| style="text-align: center;" | 5

| Gorillas in the Mist

|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | 4

| The Accidental Tourist

| Die Hard

|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | 3

| A Fish Called Wanda

| Tucker: The Man and His Dream

|rowspan=7 style="text-align:center" | 2

| Big

| Coming to America

| Little Dorrit

| Pelle the Conqueror

| Running on Empty

| The Unbearable Lightness of Being

| Willow

The following three films received multiple awards:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! scope="col" width="55" | Awards

! scope="col" align="center" | Film

| style="text-align:center" | 4

| Rain Man

| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | 3

| Dangerous Liaisons

| Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Presenters and performers

The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers:

Presenters

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Name(s) !! Role

| || Announcer for the 61st annual Academy Awards

| (AMPAS president) || Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony

| || Introducers of presenters Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson

| Don Johnson || Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actress

| || Presenter of the film Rain Man on the Best Picture segment

| James Stewart || Presenters of the awards for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing

| Cybill Shepherd || Presenters of the award for Best Makeup

| || Presenter of film tribute to 1950s movie musicals and the award for Best Original Score

| || Introducer of presenters Donald Sutherland and Kiefer Sutherland

| Kiefer Sutherland || Presenters of the Academy Honorary Award to the National Film Board of Canada

| || Presenter of the film Mississippi Burning on the Best Picture segment

| Gene Hackman || Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction

| Dudley Moore || Presenters of the award for Best Costume Design

| || Presenter of the movie tap dancers and Best Original Song performances montage

| Gregory Hines || Presenters of the award for Best Original Song

| Jacqueline Bisset Jack Valenti || Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film

| || Presenter of the film The Accidental Tourist on the Best Picture segment

| Sean Connery Roger Moore || Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actor

| Jeff Bridges Lloyd Bridges || Presenters of the award Best Visual Effects

| || Introducer of presenters Lucille Ball and Bob Hope

| Bob Hope || Introducers of the performance of the "I Wanna Be an Oscar Winner" musical number

| Jeff Goldblum || Presenters of the award for Best Documentary Short Subject

| Max von Sydow || Presenters of the award for Best Documentary Feature

| || Presenter of the film Dangerous Liaisons on the Best Picture segment

| Robin Williams || Presenters of the Special Achievement Academy Award to Richard Williams

| Bruce Willis || Presenter of the award for Best Cinematography

| Martin Short || Presenters of the awards for Best Live Action Short Film and Best Animated Short Film

| || Presenter of the award for Best Actor

| || Presenter of the film Working Girl on the Best Picture segment

| Ryan O'Neal || Presenters of the award for Best Film Editing

| || Presenter of the segment of the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award

| Amy Irving || Presenters of the award Best Original Screenplay

| Dennis Quaid || Presenters of the award for Best Adapted Screenplay

| Kurt Russell || Presenters of the award for Best Director

| Dustin Hoffman || Presenters of the award for Best Actress

| || Presenter of the award for Best Picture

Performers

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Name(s) !! Role !! Performed

| || Musical arranger || Orchestral

| Eileen Bowman Coral Browne Cyd Charisse Dale Evans Alice Faye Merv Griffin Dorothy Lamour Rob Lowe Tony Martin Vincent Price Buddy Rogers Roy Rogers Lily Tomlin || Performers ||

"I Only Have Eyes for You" from Dames "You Are My Lucky Star" from Broadway Melody of 1936 "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" "Proud Mary" "Hooray for Hollywood" from Hollywood Hotel

| Patrick Dempsey Corey Feldman Joely Fisher Tricia Leigh Fisher Savion Glover Carrie Hamilton Melora Hardin Ricki Lake Matt Lattanzi Chad Lowe Tracy Nelson Patrick O'Neal Corey Parker D. A. Pawley Tyrone Power Jr. Holly Robinson Christian Slater Blair Underwood || Performers || "(I Wanna Be an) Oscar Winner"

The ceremony

thumb|right|[[Allan Carr served as producer for the 61st Academy Awards.|alt=Photo of Allan Carr in 1989.]]

[[Amy Irving at the Governor's Ball after the Awards.|thumb]]

In an attempt to attract viewers to the telecast and increase interest in the festivities, the Academy hired film producer and veteran Oscar ceremony executive talent coordinator Allan Carr to produce the 1989 ceremony. In interviews with various media outlets, he expressed that it was a dream come true to produce the Oscars.

Notable changes were introduced in the production of the telecast. For the first time, presenters announced each winner with the phrase "And the Oscar goes to..." rather than "And the winner is...". The green room where Oscar presenters, performers, and winners gathered backstage was transformed into a luxurious suite complete with furniture, pictures, refreshments, and other amenities called "Club Oscar". Instead of hiring a host for the proceedings, Carr heavily relied on presenters, often grouped in pairs that had some connection, either through family or the film industry (a theme he billed as "couples, companions, costars, and compadres"); not until 2019 would another ceremony lack a host.

Several other people were involved in the production of the ceremony. Jeff Margolis served as director of the telecast. Lyricist and composer Marvin Hamlisch was hired as musical supervisor of the festivities. Comedian and writer Bruce Vilanch was hired as a writer for the broadcast, a role he filled until 2014. Carr had also rounded up eighteen young stars, including Patrick Dempsey, Corey Feldman, Ricki Lake, and Blair Underwood, to perform in a musical number entitled "I Wanna Be an Oscar Winner". Unlike in most Oscar ceremonies, however, Carr announced that none of the three songs nominated for Best Original Song would be performed live. On April 26, almost a month after the ceremony, she died from a dissecting aortic aneurysm at age 77.

Opening number

In an effort to showcase more glamour and showmanship in the ceremony, producer Carr hired playwright Steve Silver to co-produce an opening number inspired by Silver's long-running musical revue, Beach Blanket Babylon. The segment consisted of an elaborate stage show centered on actress Eileen Bowman, dressed as Snow White from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, who comes to Hollywood and is entranced by its glamour. Film critic Janet Maslin chastised the opening number, saying it "deserves a permanent place in the annals of Oscar embarrassments". She also bemoaned that the "I Wanna Be an Oscar Winner" number "was confusingly shot and inspired no confidence in Hollywood's future". Television editor Tony Scott of Variety complained, "The 61st Annual Academy Awards extravaganza—seen in 91 different countries including, for the first time, the Soviet Union—turned out to be a TV nyet" He also observed that the "Break-Out Superstars number" looked like they were "cavorting around a giant Oscar as if it were the golden calf".

The telecast also received a mixed reception from professionals within the show business industry. Talent agent Michael Ovitz praised Carr, saying that he had "brought show business back to the movie business". Actress Jennifer Jones thanked Carr in a written letter to the producer, which read, "You delivered." On the other hand, seventeen people, including actors Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, and Julie Andrews, and directors Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz, signed an open letter deriding the telecast as "an embarrassment to both the Academy and the entire motion picture industry".

Just outside the auditorium, on Jefferson Boulevard, a group of San Francisco drag queens, calling themselves the Sisters of Perpetual Indignity, stood in Mae West wigs and gowns, saying that they had come “to show our support for Allan Carr” for producing the first “gay Oscars.” There has been speculation that some of the blowback against the ceremony, which was the first produced by an openly gay person and which prominently featured a musical number based on a gay nightclub show, was homophobic in nature, although others, such as Bruce Vilanch and David Geffen, have challenged that assessment.

In addition, The Walt Disney Company filed suit against AMPAS for use of the likeness of Snow White. The lawsuit demanded unspecified damages for "copyright infringement, unfair competition, and dilution of business reputation". Academy President Richard Kahn immediately issued an apology to the studio, and the lawsuit was subsequently dropped.

Bowman has claimed that she was made to sign a gag order the next day, prohibiting her from speaking to the press about her performance for the next 13 years. She finally spoke about it publicly in a 2013 interview, in which she described the performance as looking "like a gay bar mitzvah".

Ratings and aftermath

Despite the criticism regarding the production of the ceremony, the American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 42.68 million people over its length, which was a 1% increase from the previous year's ceremony. The show also drew higher Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony, with 29.81% of households watching over a 50.41 share.

Nevertheless, AMPAS created an Awards Presentation Review Committee to evaluate and determine why the telecast earned such a negative reaction from the media and the entertainment industry.

According to various showbiz insiders and reporters, the criticism and backlash from the ceremony resulted in Carr never again producing a film or theatrical show. He died from complications resulting from liver cancer on June 29, 1999, at the age of 62. Rain Man was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees, with $97 million in domestic box office receipts.