ON THIS DAY IN:

1951 - Actor/dancer/singer Fred Astaire was right at home in his tuxedo as he hosted the 23rd Annual Academy Awards. The big party was thrown at the RKO Pantages Theater in Los Angeles. Best Picture (of 1950) was All About Eve, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It won six Oscars in all, including Best Supporting Actor for George Sanders, Best Director and Best Writing/Screenplay for Joseph L. Mankiewicz; Best Costume Design/Black-and-White for Edith Head and Charles Le Maire. All About Eve also was nominated eight other times. The Best Actor award went to José Ferrer for Cyrano de Bergerac and the Best Actress was voted to be Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday. Best Supporting Actress was Josephine Hull for Harvey. Best Music/Song prizes were awarded to Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the Nat King Cole classic, Mona Lisa, from Captain Carey, U.S.A..

1962 - Jack Paar left his highly successful late night TV talk show after five years. He left behind a salary of $250,000 and an estimated audience of eight-million people. Fill-in hosts were used, including Johnny Carson who would ultimately win the coveted position of host of The Tonight Show.

1967 - The first nationwide strike in the 30-year history of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) began this day, lasting for 13 days. Many familiar faces were absent from the TV screen during the strike, including that of Walter Cronkite of CBS News. A chap named Arnold Zenker, formerly a radio announcer in Wilmington, DE, got the call to fill in for Cronkite during that period. After the strike was settled, Zenker was never heard from again on network television.

On March 29, 1973, the last United States troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

1976 - “And the Oscar goes to...” One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Saul Zaentz, Michael Douglas, producers) selected as the Best Picture of 1975. The Academy Awards were spotlighted -- for the 48th time -- at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Hosts for the gala gala were Goldie Hawn, Gene Kelly, Walter Matthau, George Segal and Robert Shaw. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest also scored the Best Director prize for Milos Forman, the Best Actor honor for Jack Nicholson and the Best Actress Oscar for Louise Fletcher, plus the Oscars for Best Writing to Bo Goldman and Lawrence Hauben. The Best Supporting Actor nod went to eighty-year-old George Burns for The Sunshine Boys and Best Supporting Actress was Lee Grant in Shampoo. The Best Music/Song winner was Keith Carradine for I’m Easy from Nashville. Other favorite winning and nominated flicks from the year 1975 include: Dog Day Afternoon which won the Oscar for Best Writing/Original Screenplay (Frank Pierson).

1982 - The 54th Annual Academy Awards were presented this day at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. Talk-show host Johnny Carson acted as host for the party. Two of America’s most revered performers, Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn scored as Best Actor and Best Actress in On Golden Pond. The Best Picture (1981) and Best Writing/Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Colin Welland) was Chariots of Fire (David Puttnam, producer). It also won the prizes for Best Costume Design (Milena Canonero) and Best Music/Original Score (Vangelis). The Best Director Oscar went to Warren Beatty for Reds. Best Supporting Actor, John Gielgud, won for his work in Arthur. The Best Supporting Actress was Maureen Stapleton for Reds and Best Music/Song prizes went to Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen for Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) from Arthur, of course. One of the night’s biggest winners (four Oscars -- Art Direction, Sound, Film Editing, Special Effects -- and four more nominations) was Raiders of the Lost Ark.

1989 - The 61st Annual Academy Awards ceremony was presented at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. Rain Man (Mark Johnson, producer) was awarded the Best Picture Oscar with its star, Dustin Hoffman, scoring as Best Actor, Barry Levinson getting the Best Director prize, and Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow picking up the award for Best Writing/Original Screenplay. Best Actress (of all the movies of 198 was Jodie Foster for The Accused. The Best Supporting Actor Oscar was won by Kevin Kline for A Fish Called Wanda and the Best Supporting Actress was Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist. Carly Simon won Best Music/Song for Let the River Run from Working Girl. Other popular movies from 1988 including Oscar winners and non-winning nominees were: Dangerous Liaisons; Mississippi Burning; Big; Gorillas in the Mist; Who Framed Roger Rabbit; Beaches; Die Hard; Beetlejuice, et al.

1993 - Hollywood was all aglitter again, for the 65th Annual Academy Awards extravaganza at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. Comedian/actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the fourth straight year. Clint Eastwood was honored with Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for his Unforgiven. He starred, directed and produced the gritty Western which also won an award for Best Film Editing (Joel Cox) and Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman). Best Actor was Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman and the Best Actress prize went to Emma Thompson for Howards End. Marisa Tomei took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for My Cousin Vinny. ’Toons winning tune awards was a popular 1990s event at the Oscars and this year was no different. Aladdin picked up two: Best Music/Song awarded to Alan Menken (music), Tim Rice (lyrics) for A Whole New World and Best Music/Original Score (Alan Menken).