Oscar flashback 60 years to 1963: ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ Gregory Peck, Anne Bancroft are big winners
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It was an epic night for the Academy, with now-classic films and performances in competition, an anomaly between Best Picture and Best Director nominations, a young actress redefining the acting categories and the culmination of a decades-long feud. Let’s flashback to when first-time host Frank Sinatra guided the 35th Academy Awards ceremony on April 8, 1963.
In the years of the Best Picture category being limited to five films, the Best Director category typically fell in line with those productions, with maybe one variation. In 1963, only two directors from Best Picture nominees received bids; unsurprisingly, those two films also had the most nominations and the most wins. David Lean‘s sprawling epic biopic “Lawrence of Arabia” led the pack, coming into the night with ten bids and leaving with seven statues, including Best Picture and Lean’s second career win for Best Director. It has the unusual distinction of being the only Best Picture winner with no female speaking roles.
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Coming in second was another film that has left a lasting legacy. “To Kill a Mockingbird” won three of its seven nominations, including the first of two wins for prolific playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote and Best Black-and-White Art Direction. The third win for this film went to an actor who had waited a long time for the honor.
Seventeen years after his first nomination for Best Actor, Gregory Peck won on his fifth bid, for his career-defining role as Atticus Finch, who remains one of the most beloved and inspirational characters of all time. It was a highly competitive year, with several men delivering some of their finest performances. Young and promising actor Peter O’Toole would begin his long road to becoming the most-nominated actor without a win (eight) with his first nomination for “Lawrence of Arabia.” Marcello Mastroianni (“Divorce, Italian Style”) became the first actor nominated for a foreign language performance; like O’Toole, this was his first of multiple failed bids (in his case, three). Burt Lancaster (“Birdman of Alcatraz”) had won in this category two years prior (“Elmer Gantry”), and Jack Lemmon (“Days of Wine and Roses”) received his third of seven Best Actor bids. He had won in supporting (“Mister Roberts”) in 1956, and would win in lead (“Save the Tiger”) in 1974.
Three Best Picture nominees failed to garner a directing bid, despite numerous nominations. The epic war film “The Longest Day” earned five nominations, with the other four in technical categories, and went home with Best Special Effects and Best Black-and-White Cinematography. “The Music Man” captured one of its six nominations, winning for its score. Yet another epic drama, “Mutiny on the Bounty,” entered the ceremony in third place for nominations at seven; unfortunately, it was in competition with “Lawrence of Arabia” in several categories and ended the night empty-handed.
Four first-time nominees filled the rest of the slots for Best Director, with three, including Robert Mulligan for “Mockingbird,” earning their sole career nominations in this category. Frank Perry garnered his sole nomination for the drama about mental illness “David and Lisa,” with his wife Eleanor Perry earning a bid for Best Adapted Screenplay; these were the only two nominations for this film. Similarly, Pietro Germi achieved his sole nomination in this category; however, he did win for Best Original Screenplay (shared with Ennio de Concini and Alfredo Giannetti) for “Divorce American Style.” Finally, Arthur Penn received his first of three failed bids for Best Director; however, his “The Miracle Worker” would claim two important victories out of five nominations.
“The Miracle Worker” is one of only two films in Oscar history to win two acting statues without a Best Picture bid (“Hud” would achieve this feat the next year). And both wins are very memorable.
Anne Bancroft had won a Tony for her portrayal of Helen Keller‘s teacher Annie Sullivan in “The Miracle Worker,” and she added a Best Actress Oscar on her first of five nominations. Two Golden Age actresses known for their rivalry had revived their careers in 1962, and both hoped to garner acting bids. However, “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” only delivered a bid for Bette Davis, for her campy portrayal of the title character, and Joan Crawford was shut out. Prior to the ceremony, Crawford approached the other four nominated actresses and GRACIOUSLY offered to accept the award for any who could not make the ceremony. Bancroft was appearing in a Broadway play and was unable to attend, and Crawford, well-coifed and adorned with diamonds, gleefully accepted on her behalf. Neither Davis nor Crawford were ever nominated again. Thrown into all this backstage drama were fellow nominees Katharine Hepburn (“Long Day’s Journey Into Night”), Geraldine Page (“Sweet Bird of Youth”) and Lee Remick (“Days of Wine and Roses”). This was Remick’s only nomination; she is the only one of the group to never win an Oscar.
Bancroft’s stage and screen “Miracle Worker” co-star won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Keller, making 16-year-old Patty Duke the youngest person to win a competitive Oscar up to that time. In prior years, young actors and actresses had been nominated, but never won, leading members to believe that the youngsters were at a disadvantage. Between 1935 and 1960, 12 performers under the age of 18 were bestowed a special Academy Juvenile Award in the form of a miniature statuette. However, Duke’s win proved that age didn’t matter, and the juvenile award hasn’t been given out since. Only two more people under the age of 18 have won in the ensuing years, both in this same category: 10-year-old Tatum O’Neal (“Paper Moon,” 1974) and 11-year-old Anna Paquin (“The Piano,” 1994).
Ironically, one of Duke’s competitors was the youngest person nominated for Best Supporting Actress up to that time, 10-year-old Mary Badham, for her role as Scout in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Also up was Shirley Knight for “Sweet Bird of Youth” and Thelma Ritter, who received her sixth and final nomination in this category, for “Birdman of Alcatraz;” like O’Toole, she never won despite several nominations. The final contender likely would have won if she had been up just about any other year. Angela Lansbury received her third and final nomination, for her role as one of the most diabolical mothers in film history, in “The Manchurian Candidate.”
In the Best Supporting Actor category, each man nominated received his sole nomination. Omar Sharif was heavily favored coming into the night, for his role as Sherif Ali in “Lawrence of Arabia.” Also in contention were Victor Buono (“Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”), Telly Savalas (“Birdman of Alcatraz”) and Terence Stamp (“Billy Budd”). But it was Ed Begley coming in for the win, for his role as the corrupt Tom Boss Finley in “Sweet Bird of Youth.” That film received a total of three nominations, and they were all for acting.
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