Looking at Film from Every Angle

61st Academy Awards (1988): The Ceremony

Nominations Announcement

Nominations Announcement Date: Tuesday, February 14, 1989
Nominations Presenters: Anne Archer, Richard Kahn

Ceremony Details

Awards Ceremony Date/Time: Wednesday, March 29, 1989, 6:00pm
Location: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Televised On: ABC
Host: None
Length: 3 hours, 19 minutes
Nielsen Ratings: 28.41 rating
Viewers: 42.77 million

Presenters

President’s Welcoming Remarks: Richard Kahn
Presenter Introduction: Melanie Griffith & Don Johnson: Tom Selleck
Supporting Actress: Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson
Best Picture Introduction: Rain Man: Jane Fonda
Sound Mixing: James Stewart, Kim Novak
Sound Editing: James Stewart, Kim Novak
Makeup & Hairstyling: Cybill Shepherd, Robert Downey Jr.
Introduction: 1950s movie musicals tribute: Patrick Swayze
Music: Original Score: Patrick Swayze
Presenter Introduction: Donald Sutherland & Kiefer Sutherland: Olivia Newton-John
Honorary Award: the National Film Board of Canada: Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland
Best Picture Introduction: Mississippi Burning: Anjelica Huston
Production Design: Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe
Costume Design: Bo Derek, Dudley Moore
Introduction: Movie tap dancers montage & Original Song montage: Billy Crystal
Original Song: Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr.
Foreign Language Film: Candice Bergen, Jack Valenti, Jacqueline Bisset
Best Picture Introduction: The Accidental Tourist: Barbara Hershey
Supporting Actor: Michael Caine, Roger Moore, Sean Connery
Visual Effects: Beau Bridges, Jeff Bridges, Lloyd Bridges
Presenter Introduction: Lucille Ball & Bob Hope: Walter Matthau
Introduction: “I Wanna Be an Oscar Winner”: Lucille Ball, Bob Hope
Documentary Short Subject: Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum
Documentary Feature: Edward James Olmos, Max von Sydow
Best Picture Introduction: Dangerous Liaisons: Anne Archer
Special Achievement Award: Richard Williams for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”: Charles Fleischer, Robin Williams
Cinematography: Bruce Willis, Demi Moore
Animated Short Film: Carrie Fisher, Martin Short
Live Action Short Film: Carrie Fisher, Martin Short
Actor: Michael Douglas
Best Picture Introduction: Working Girl: Ali MacGraw
Film Editing: Farrah Fawcett, Ryan O’Neal
Scientific & Technical Awards; and Gordon E. Sawyer Award: Gordon Henry Cook: Angie Dickinson
Writing: Original Screenplay: Amy Irving, Richard Dreyfuss
Writing: Adapted Screenplay: Dennis Quaid, Michelle Pfeiffer
Directing: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell
Actress: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise
Picture: Cher

Previous Acting & Directing Winners

The tradition of prior acting winners returning the subsequent year to present the opposite-gender category is a long one. Each year, we look to see whether the prior winners returned. There was an intermittent tradition where the prior directing winner returned as well, but this was a rare occurrence.

Actor – Michael Douglas: Yes and No (Presented: Best Actor)
Actress – Cher: No
Supporting Actor – Sean Connery: Yes and No (Presented: Best Supporting Actor)
Supporting Actress – Olympia Dukakis: No
Directing – Bernardo Bertolucci: No

Song Performances

Calling You: Not Performed
Let the River Run: Not Performed
Two Hearts: Not Performed

Original Song Film Performers

Was the song performed at the Oscars by the same individuals who performed it in the film?

Calling You: Not Performed (Performed in the Film by: Jevetta Steele, Bob Telson)
Let the River Run: Not Performed (Performed in the Film by: Carly Simon)
Two Hearts: Not Performed (Performed in the Film by: Phil Collins)

Other Performances

(I Wanna Be an) Oscar Winner: Keith Coogan, Patrick Dempsey, Corey Feldman, Joely Fisher, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Savion Glover, Carrie Hamilton, Melora Hardin, Ricki Lake, Chad Lowe, Tracy Nelson, Patrick O’Neal, Corey Parker, Tyrone Power Jr., Holly Robinson Peete, Christian Slater, Blair Underwood
I Only Have Eyes for You, You Are My Lucky Star, I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts, Proud Mary, Hooray for Hollywood: Army Archerd, 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

Ceremony Production Staff

Announcer: Charlie O’Donnell
Conductor / Musical Arranger: Bill Conti
Director: Jeff Margolis
Producer: Alan Carr
Costume Design: Pete Menefee