1972 Revisit: Awards Darlings
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 9:00AM by Nathaniel R
Before the '72 Smackdown THIS SUNDAY (have you voted yet?) we thought it might be fun to look back at how the awards race played out across the big six categories by comparing the Globes, Oscars, and various other awards organizations of the time to see what the hottest commodities were.
Where the Globes and Oscar lined up, I've lined them up on the chart belows (obviously the Globes have two wins for Best Picture and Leading Actors do to how they split the categories.) You'll notice that except for Best Actress no categories were closer than a 3/5 match. We wish awards season were that excitingly differentiated now! It's unfortunate that opinions have become so homogenized. As we've said many times, you don't need dozens of groups if they all feel exactly the same way about art. The "other" column is for key wins and nominations that season (if it's a different year for Oscar eligibility we've noted that) that add broader context to what excited people in 1972.
Ready? Let's time travel...
| BEST PICTURE OSCAR | BEST PICTURE GLOBE | BEST PICTURE OTHER |
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 |
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| Cabaret | Cabaret ★ | BAFTA - Cabaret |
| Deliverance | Deliverance | Cannes - [tie] Working Class Goes to Heaven ('75) & The Mattei Affair ('73) |
| The Godfather ★ | The Godfather ★ | |
| The Emigrants | NBR - Cabaret | |
| Sounder | NSFC - Discreet Charm of the... | |
| 1776 | NYFCC - Cries and Whispers ('73) | |
| Avanti! | ||
| Butterflies are Free | NBR (top ten) - The Effect of Gamma Rays... | |
| Frenzy | NBR (top ten) - The Ruling Class | |
| The Poseidon Adventure | NBR (top ten) - The Candidate | |
| Sleuth | NSFC (5th place) - The Sorrow and the Pity | |
| Travels With My Aunt |
Clearly it was neck-and-neck for Cabaret and The Godfather all year though Cabaret actually won more Best Picture prizes... just not the Oscar.
| BEST DIRECTOR OSCAR | BEST DIRECTOR GLOBE | BEST DIRECTOR OTHER |
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 |
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| Bob Fosse, Cabaret ★ | Bob Fosse, Cabaret | BAFTA - Bob Fosse, Cabaret |
| Francis Coppola, The Godfather | Francis Coppola, The Godfather ★ | Directors Guild - Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather |
| John Boorman, Deliverance | John Boorman, Deliverance | Cannes - Miklos Jancso, Red Psalm ('73) |
| Jan Troell, The Emigrants | NBR - Bob Fosse, Cabaret | |
| Joseph L Mankiewicz, Sleuth | NSFC - Luis Buñuel, Discreet Charm of the... | |
| Alfred Hitchcock, Frenzy | NYFCC - Ingmar Bergman, Cries and Whispers ('73) | |
| Billy Wilder, Avanti! | ||
| DGA (nominee) - George Roy Hill, Slaughterhouse-Five | ||
| DGA (nominee) -Martin Ritt, Sounder |
It's common knowledge that starpower is important to the Globes in the acting categories but it's even true in Best Director (and not just in this year) -- notice Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder popping up.
| BEST ACTRESS OSCAR | BEST ACTRESS GLOBE | BEST ACTRESS OTHER |
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 |
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| Liza Minnelli, Cabaret ★ | Liza Minelli, Cabaret ★ | BAFTA - Liza Minnelli, Cabaret |
| Diana Ross, Lady Sings the Blues | Diana Ross, Lady Sings the Blues | Cannes - Susannah York, Images |
| Maggie Smith, Travels with my Aunt | Maggie Smith, Travels with my Aunt | NBR - Cicely Tyson, Sounder |
| Cicely Tyson, Sounder | Cicely Tyson, Sounder | NSFC - Cicely Tyson, Sounder |
| Liv Ullmann, The Emigrants | Liv Ullmann, The Emigrants ★ | NYFCC - Liv Ullman, The Emigrants and Cries and Whispers |
| Carol Burnett, Pete n Tillie | ||
| Goldie Hawn, Butterflies are Free | BAFTA (nominee): Anne Bancroft, Young Winston | |
| Juliet Mills, Avanti | NSFC (4th place) - Janet Suzman, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg | |
| Trish Van Devere, One is a Lonely Number | ||
| Tuesday Weld, Play it As it Lays | ||
| Joanne Woodward, The Effect of Gamma Rays... |
Liza Minnelli was the clear frontrunner but Liv Ullman and Cicely Tyson both had a lot of critical support.
| BEST ACTOR OSCAR | BEST ACTOR GLOBE | BEST ACTOR OTHER |
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 |
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| Marlon Brando, The Godfather ★ | Marlon Brando, The Godfather ★ | BAFTA - Gene Hackman, The French Connection ('71) and Poseidon Adventure |
| Michael Caine, Sleuth | Michael Caine, Sleuth | Cannes - Jean Yanne, We Won't Grow Old Together |
| Laurence Olivier, Sleuth | Laurence Olivier, Sleuth | NBR - Peter O'Toole, The Ruling Class and Man of La Mancha |
| Peter O'Toole, The Ruling Class | NSFC - Al Pacino, The Godfather | |
| Paul Winfield, Sounder | NYFCC - Laurence Olivier, Sleuth | |
| Edward Albert, Butterflies are Free | ||
| Charles Grodin, The Heartbreak Kid | BAFTA (nominee) - Robert Shaw, Young Winston | |
| Jack Lemmon, Avanti ★ | NSFC (4th place) -Alec McCowen, Travels with my Aunt | |
| Walter Matthau, Pete N' Tillie | NYFCC (nominee) - James Mason, Child's Play | |
| Peter O'Toole, Man of La Mancha | Globes (promising newcomer nom) - Frederic Forrest, When the Legends Die | |
| Al Pacino, The Godfather | Globes (promising newcomer nom) - Michael Sacks, Slaughterhouse-Five | |
| Jon Voight, Deliverance | Globes (promising newcomer nom) - Michael Sacks, Slaughterhouse-Five |
Cheers to the National Society of Film Critics AND the Globes for honoring Al Pacino in the correct category for The Godfather. The Oscars category-frauded him into supporting instead. The Globes were REALLY into the Billy Wilder comedy Avanti! that year (6 nominations and a win) but it received zero Oscar nods. I've never seen it. Anyone?
| BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS OSCAR | BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS GLOBE | BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS OTHER |
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| Eileen Heckart, Butterflies are Free ★ | BAFTA - Cloris Leachman, The Last Picture Show ('71) | |
| Jeannie Berlin, The Heartbreak Kid | Jeannie Berlin, The Heartbreak Kid | Cannes - n/a |
| Geraldine Page, Pete N' Tillie | Geraldine Page, Pete N' Tillie | NBR - Marisa Berenson, Cabaret |
| Shelley Winters, The Poseidon Adventure | Shelley Winters, The Poseidon Adventure ★ | NSFC - Jeannie Berlin, The Heartbreak Kid |
| Susan Tyrell, Fat City | NYFCC - Jeannie Berlin, The Heartbreak Kid | |
| Marisa Berenson, Cabaret | ||
| Helena Kallianiotes, Kansas City Bomber | NSFC (2nd place) - Ida Lupino, Junior Bonner | |
| NSFC (4th place) - Cybill Shepherd, The Heartbreak Kid | ||
| Globes (promising newcomer nom) - Madeline Kahn, What's Up Doc? | ||
| Globes (promising newcomer nom) - The Great Waltz, Mary Costa | ||
| Globes (promising newcomer nom) - Victoria Principal, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean | ||
| Globes (promising newcomer nom) - Sian Barbara Allen, You'll Like My Mother |
It's not every year that you get an Oscar winner who wasn't even nominated at the Globes. But we'll discuss this category in full on Sunday.
| BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR OSCAR | BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR GLOBE | BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR OTHER |
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| Joel Grey, Cabaret ★ | Joel Grey, Cabaret ★ | BAFTA - Ben Johnson, The Last Picture Show ('71) |
| James Caan, The Godfather | James Caan, The Godfather | Cannes - n/a |
| Eddie Albert, The Heartbreak Kid | NBR - [TIE] Joel Grey, Cabaret and Al Pacino, The Godfather | |
| Robert Duvall, The Godfather | NSFC - [TIE] Joel Grey, Cabaret and Eddie Albert, The Heartbreak Kid | |
| Al Pacino, The Godfather | NYFCC - Robert Duvall, The Godfather | |
| James Coco, Man of La Mancha | ||
| Alec McCowen, Travels with my Aunt | NYFCC (nominee) - Robert Shaw, Young Winston | |
| Clive Revill, Avanti | NSFC (4th place) - Barry Foster, Frenzy | |
| Globes (promising newcomer nom) - Kevin Hooks, Sounder |
People really couldn't agree in 1972 about which "supporting" man in The Godfather was the best. That surely helped Joel Grey though we're glad he won because that performance is genius and like nothing else ever as we discussed in the recent Team Experience revisit of Bob Fosse's first of two musical masterpieces.
Which 1972 film listed here are you most curious to see for the first time and which do you already love the most?
Reader Comments (23)
That Jeannie Berlin photo is really channeling Slums of Beverly Hills-era Marisa Tomei!
I've always wanted to see Play It as it Lays. Tuesday Weld is someone I feel like I should know more about.
I've never seen Sounder. That's a pretty egregious omission - need to remedy that soon.
I found there was a lot to love in this year's smackdown movies. "Butterflies are Free" maybe surprised me the most, as it seems kind of inauspicious and mainstream but it's darn good at both those things. It's also the kind of mid-budget (low budget?) dramedy stage adaptation we just don't get much anymore, as corny as it sometimes is.
I'm doing some 1972 screenings leading up to this weekend. Last night was "Get to Know Your Rabbit", which is interesting as trivia but not really worth the watch. Up next are "Prime Cut" and "Buck and the Preacher".
Just a small omission, Harriet Andersson (Cries and Whispers) was 2nd and Bulle Ogier (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie/La Salamandre) was 3rd for Best Actress from the NSFC.
Avanti! is pretty lame. Kind of sad to watch an old-timer like Billy Wilder trying desperately to be "with it" (nudity, cussing, risque situations). For those who keep track of such things, Jack Lemmon even goes nude (backside), skinny-dipping in the sea. No need to seek it out. It plays on TCM every so often.
The Al Pacino nomination in Supporting was quite a shock for me. On the plus side, it did allow a place for Peter O'Toole's nomination, which was clearly the 5th choice out of 5, and no other supporting performance was egregiously snubbed. My own choices would have been Arthur Lowe for The Ruling Class, Alec McCowen for Frenzy or Gene Wilder for Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, but none of them were remotely in the conversation. Still, it's pretty outrageous, and, unfortunately, a sign of things to come.
◇ Time to remember the handsome Edward Albert, son of the supporting actor nominee Eddie Albert and married to one of the Charlie's Angels, Kate Jackson during the seventies. He's the Chris Pine of that decade.
◇ Watch Avanti! if you are a die-hard fan of Billy Wilder. Or a very curious person. But I warn you: not the best of the master. Could've been directed by any other regular director, and it's hard for me to type this as a die-hard fan of Mr Wilder(my favourite in his category). It has Jack Lemmon, always a major attraction. After seeing it I suspect you will want to watch Sabrina or The Seven Year Itch.
Is there any category fraud more egregious than Al Pacino in The Godfather? Unbelievable.
Thanks to Feline Justice for the memory of Edward Albert. Such a handsome man.
It's interesting to me that none of the men of Deliverance seemed to be major players in awards season. Sure, there was The Godfather and a couple of well-regarded British films to contend with, but given that it was (justifiably - it's very good) highly thought of, and it's a male-oriented drama, which Oscar tends to like ... But, tough competition.
(I love Avanti!)
I’ve always found Brando overrated in The Godfather. If only they had just properly nominated and awarded Pacino in Leading Actor, sigh.
I am a die-hard Billy Wilder fan, and Jack Lemmon is my all-time favorite actor.
Let me tell you: Avanti is not worth your time. It is not 'Buddy Buddy' awful, but it's certainly nothing I would recommend to anyone who isn't a Wilder-completist. In fact, I would probably recommend 'Buddy Buddy' over 'Avanti', because 'Buddy Buddy' is so awful that it has to be seen to be believed, especially with all the talent involved (in addition to Wilder and Lemmon, you also have Mattthau - and then there's Klaus Kinski playing a sex therapist!), whereas Avanti is pretty much forgettable.
While they both should be lead, Pacino going lead and Brando going supporting would’ve made more sense then what they did.
Michael Troutman: Exactly
Which 1972 film listed here are you most curious to see for the first time and which do you already love the most?
a) The Godfather
b) Maybe Child's Play? The play itself is staggering.
my god, that picture of peter o'toole will haunt my dreams...
I love this recap! A fascinating Oscar year.
Which film am I most curious to see? Sounder - the year's Best Picture nominee that I haven't yet seen.
Which film do I already love? The Godfather - one of my favourite films ever. I love Cabaret too (and Fosse as a director) but The Godfather is a film my Dad loves too, so that means I have extra affection for it.
Side note: as we all know, Cabaret holds the record for most Oscar wins without getting Best Picture. Only five other films have won six or more Oscars without winning Best Picture: A Place in the Sun, Star Wars and three in a four-year stretch this decade: Gravity, Mad Max: Fury Road and La La Land. One more reason this decade has been such an odd one at the Oscars, stats-wise.
I'm reading the reviews from the New Yorker archive for this year; most are done by Pauline Kael. She's an experience.
Pacino should have won for Godfather Part II.
Classic year, wonderful winners. Joel Grey is my favorite Best Supporting Actor winner of all time. Such a fascinating performance.
Eurocheese: Joel Grey is my favorite winner in that category, too. He's brilliant.
Oscar-nominated movies from 1972 that I love: The Godfather, Cabaret, Lady Sings the Blues
Oscar-nominated movies from '72 that I like: The Heartbreak Kid, Images, The Ruling Class (but almost exclusively because of O'Toole's performance)
I almost like these, but something's missing: Fat City, Deliverance, Sounder
Indeed, had Pacino been nom as Lead Actor n won, his 1992 conso win wld've gone to a more deserving nominee, like Washington (Malcolm X) or Downey Jr (Chaplin)
Brando wld nev gone supp for The Godfather bcos, well he IS the godfather! 😂 and had he been nom thr, he might hav deprived Joel Grey's much heralded win!
I'd move Pacino up to Lead, replacing Caine, n nom Alec McCowan, who is the saving grace o Travels with My Aunt.
Liza Minelli and Joel Grey in Cabaret are two of my favorite Oscar wins of all-time (one of my favorite films of all-time). The Godfather is also brilliant, though. I'm just glad those two were the ones sharing the top prizes. Marisa Berenson should've been nominated too, though.
I watched Sounder a few years ago expecting to be floored, based on the hype I'd heard over the years, but I don't think it really clicked for me. Perhaps I'll give it another chance one of these days. I'm glad Cicely Tyson was nominated, but the right lady won.
And Lady Sings the Blues was shockingly messy, in my opinion. Diana Ross was definitely watchable, and I thought she did a great job, but that movie could've been so much better.
So interesting - The Godfather is number 1 on NEARLY EVERY greatest movie of all time list still to this date. I wonder why .. and if people and critics rewatch it frequently or are just in awe with it's legacy ? I got to admit I was never a mafia movie fan but made quiet an event of it to finally watch for the first time last year - and I wasn't taken. I also do think Brando - as fabulous as he was in most of his movies - he's overrated here. Loved James Caan.
On the other hand - Cabaret holds it's fascination and spark over the time - entertaining, emotional, great ideas, fresh & amazing characters.
I would like to see The Immigrants - Liv Ullmanns face is like a clear mountain lake.
very inspiring.
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