1971 Oscars 43rd Academy Awards
971 Oscars 43rd Academy Awards: A Night of Cinematic Marvels
Winners Announced: April 15, 1971
Held at: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, California
Host: no one (34 presenters)
Eligibility Year: 1970
The Night’s Big Winners and Memorable Moments
- Patton Sweeps the Night: The biographical war film about General George S. Patton captured seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Franklin J. Schaffner.
- George C. Scott’s No-Show: The leading man for Patton, George C. Scott, won Best Actor but famously refused the award, citing disdain for the competitive nature of acting awards.
- First Solo Female Director Nominee: Barbara Loden was the first woman nominated for Best Director for her groundbreaking film Wanda.
Movie Trivia You Didn’t Know You Needed
- 34 Presenters But No Host: This year, the Oscars went without a host, instead opting for many presenters. This became an interesting format experiment, although not a frequently repeated one.
- Cicely Tyson’s Historic Nomination: Actress Cicely Tyson was nominated for her role in Sounder, becoming only the second African American woman to be nominated for Best Actress.
- First Televised Nomination Announcements: This was the year the Oscar nominations were televised for the first time, adding yet another layer of suspense and public interest to the proceedings.
- Helen Hayes was the first performer in lead and supporting categories to win Oscars.
- The documentary film Woodstock garnered three Oscar nominations, making it the most nominated documentary film in Oscar history.
- Take our 1971 Quiz!
1971 Oscar Nominees and Winners
Patton – Frank McCarthy, producer (WINNER)
Airport – Ross Hunter, producer
Five Easy Pieces – Bob Rafelson and Richard Wechsler, producers
Love Story – Howard G. Minsky, producer
M*A*S*H – Ingo Preminger, producer
Franklin J. Schaffner – Patton (WINNER)
Federico Fellini – Fellini Satyricon
Arthur Hiller – Love Story
Robert Altman – M*A*S*H
Ken Russell – Women in Love
George C. Scott – Patton as General George S. Patton (declined) (WINNER)
Melvyn Douglas – I Never Sang for My Father as Tom Garrison
James Earl Jones – The Great White Hope as Jack Jefferson
Jack Nicholson – Five Easy Pieces as Robert Eroica Dupea
Ryan O’Neal – Love Story as Oliver Barrett IV
Glenda Jackson – Women in Love as Gundrun Brangwen (WINNER)
Jane Alexander – The Great White Hope as Eleanor Backman
Ali MacGraw – Love Story as Jennifer “Jenny” Cavalleri
Sarah Miles – Ryan’s Daughter as Rosy Ryan
Carrie Snodgress – Diary of a Mad Housewife as Bettina “Tina” Balser
John Mills – Ryan’s Daughter as Michael (WINNER)
Richard S. Castellano – Lovers and Other Strangers as Frank Vecchio
Chief Dan George – Little Big Man as Old Lodge Skins
Gene Hackman – I Never Sang for My Father as Gene Garrison
John Marley – Love Story as Phil Cavalleri
Helen Hayes – Airport as Ada Quonsett (WINNER)
Karen Black – Five Easy Pieces as Rayette Dipesto
Lee Grant – The Landlord as Joyce Enders
Sally Kellerman – M*A*S*H as Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan
Maureen Stapleton – Airport as Inez Guerrero
Patton – Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North (WINNER)
Five Easy Pieces – Screenplay by Adrien Joyce; Story by Bob Rafelson and Adrien Joyce
Joe – Norman Wexler
Love Story – Erich Segal
My Night at Maud’s – Éric Rohmer
M*A*S*H – Ring Lardner Jr. based on the novel by Richard Hooker (WINNER)
Airport – George Seaton based on the novel by Arthur Hailey
I Never Sang for My Father – Robert Woodruff Anderson based on his play
Lovers and Other Strangers – Renée Taylor, Joseph Bologna and David Zelag Goodman based on the play by Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor
Women in Love – Larry Kramer based on the novel by D. H. Lawrence
Woodstock – Michael Wadleigh (WINNER)
Erinnerungen an die Zukunft – Harald Reinl (Released in English language version under title “Chariots of the Gods?”)
Jack Johnson – Jimmy Jacobs
King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis – Ely Landau
Say Goodbye – David H. Vowell
Interviews with My Lai Veterans – Joseph Strick (WINNER)
The Gifts
A Long Way from Nowhere
Oisin
Time Is Running Out
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy – John Longenecker (WINNER)
Shut Up…I’m Crying – Robert Siegler
Sticky My Fingers…Fleet My Feet – John D. Hancock
Is It Always Right to Be Right? – Nick Bosustow (WINNER)
The Further Adventures of Uncle Sam: Part Two – Robert Mitchell and Dale Case
The Shepherd – Cameron Guess
Love Story – Francis Lai (WINNER)
Airport – Alfred Newman (posthumous nomination)
Cromwell – Frank Cordell
Patton – Jerry Goldsmith
I Girasoli – Henry Mancini
Let It Be – Music and Lyrics by The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr (WINNER)
The Baby Maker – Music by Fred Karlin; Lyrics by Tylwyth Kymry
A Boy Named Charlie Brown – Music by Rod McKuen and John Scott Trotter; Lyrics by Rod McKuen, Bill Melendez, and Al Shean; Adapted by Vince Guaraldi
Darling Lili – Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Scrooge – Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse; Adapted by Ian Fraser and Herbert W. Spencer
“For All We Know” – Lovers and Other Strangers • Music by Fred Karlin • Lyrics by Robb Royer (Robb Wilson) and Jimmy Griffin (Arthur James) (WINNER)
“Whistling Away the Dark” – Darling Lili • Music by Henry Mancini • Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
“Till Love Touches Your Life” – Madron • Music by Riz Ortolani • Lyrics by Arthur Hamilton
“Pieces of Dreams” – Pieces of Dreams • Music by Michel Legrand • Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
“Thank You Very Much” – Scrooge • Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Patton – Douglas Williams and Don Bassman (WINNER)
Airport – Ronald Pierce and David H. Moriarty
Ryan’s Daughter – Gordon McCallum and John Bramall
Tora! Tora! Tora! – Murray Spivack and Herman Lewis
Woodstock – Dan Wallin and L. A. Johnson
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Italy) (WINNER)
First Love (Switzerland)
Hoa-Binh (France)
Paix sur les champs (Belgium)
Tristana (Spain)
Cromwell – Vittorio Nino Novarese (WINNER)
Airport – Edith Head
Darling Lili – Donald Brooks and Jack Bear
The Hawaiians – Bill Thomas
Scrooge – Margaret Furse
Patton – Art Direction: Urie McCleary and Gil Parrondo; Set Decoration: Antonio Mateos and Pierre-Louis Thévenet (WINNER)
Airport – Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen and E. Preston Ames; Set Decoration: Jack D. Moore and Mickey S. Michaels
The Molly Maguires – Art Direction: Tambi Larsen; Set Decoration: Darrell Silvera
Scrooge – Art Direction: Terence Marsh and Bob Cartwright; Set Decoration: Pamela Cornell
Tora! Tora! Tora! – Art Direction: Jack Martin Smith, Yoshiro Muraki, Richard Day, and Taizoh Kawashima; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, Norman Rockett and Carl Biddiscombe
Ryan’s Daughter – Freddie Young (WINNER)
Airport – Ernest Laszlo
Patton – Fred J. Koenekamp
Tora! Tora! Tora! – Charles F. Wheeler, Osami Furuya, Masamichi Satoh, and Sinsaku Himeda
Women in Love – Billy Williams
Patton – Hugh S. Fowler (WINNER)
Airport – Stuart Gilmore
M*A*S*H – Danford B. Greene
Tora! Tora! Tora! – James E. Newcom, Pembroke J. Herring, and Inoue Chikaya
Woodstock – Thelma Schoonmaker
Tora! Tora! Tora! – A. D. Flowers and L. B. Abbott (WINNER)
Patton – Alex Weldon