Monday, July 15, 2013

Oscar Oddity #13: One Film with Multiple Acting Wins Streak

Network was part of a special acting winners streak in the late 1970s.

Acting Oscar wins are interesting to analyze, as they often go to four different films. However, some films have managed to win two or three acting awards. Not only have they won, but certain films have been part of a streak of consecutive years. For instance, Mystic River (2003) won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, and Million Dollar Baby (2004) won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor the next year.

That was the most recent of more than a handful of such occurrences, but two consecutive years isn't that impressive. How about five? From the 1975 ceremony to the 1979 one, at least two acting prizes went to one film every year, which is unprecedented.

Here's a breakdown of the winners:

1975:
Best Actor - Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Best Actress - Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1976:
Best Actor - Peter Finch, Network
Best Actress - Faye Dunaway, Network
Best Supporting Actress - Beatrice Straight, Network

1977:
Best Supporting Actor - Jason Robards, Julia
Best Supporting Actress - Vanessa Redgrave, Julia

1978:
Best Actor - Jon Voight, Coming Home
Best Actress - Jane Fonda, Coming Home

1979:
Best Actor - Dustin Hoffman, Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Supporting Actress - Meryl Streep, Kramer vs. Kramer

There have been streaks of three consecutive years, such as 1957-1959 and 1961-1963, but five years is the current longest streak. Apart from the great films made during this decade, the '70s also produced an Oscar record that will probably stand for a long time, if not forever.

6 comments:

  1. Damn, that is an interesting oddity.

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    1. Thanks man. As always, I try to find the most obscure ones.

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  2. WOW, that's very interesting Josh, Oscar oddity indeed! I remember being bowled over by Hoffman and Streep when I saw Kramer vs Kramer as a pre-teen, it made quite an impression on me.

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    1. Thanks Ruth! I love their performances in that film. They were very deserving of their Oscar wins.

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  3. Definitely a unique oddity here. I honestly doubt that streak will happen again soon. Or, if not (like you said) forever.

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    1. Yeah, films win less Oscars these days, so that makes it difficult. Of course, none of these 5 films won more than 5 Oscars, and only 2 of them won Best Picture. I suppose there's a chance, but it's unlikely.

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