The 40th Academy Awards Memorable Moments

40th Oscars

Best Picture: In the Heat of the Night


In the Heat of the Night also won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Rod Steiger), Film Editing (Hal Ashby), Sound (Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department), and Writing – Screenplay based on material from another medium (Stirling Silliphant).


In the Heat of the Night was the first film in the detective genre to be honored as Best Picture by Academy voters.


The Awards ceremony was postponed from April 8 to April 10 because of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on April 4. The Governors Ball was canceled.


Due to an all-out push by Academy President Gregory Peck, 18 of the 20 acting nominees were present at the ceremony. Only Katharine Hepburn and the late Spencer Tracy, who was nominated posthumously, were missing.


The Art Direction, Cinematography and Costume Design categories were restructured so that there were no longer separate awards for black-and-white and color achievements.


In January 1967, Charlie Chaplin released his final film, A Countess from Hong Kong in the U.K. It was released in Los Angeles in March 1967.


In January 1967, the Doors released their self-titled debut album.


The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the first Super Bowl.


On May 1, 1967, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas.


In June 1967, The Beatles released their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.


In August 1967, Pink Floyd released their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.


On August 30, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first African-American Supreme Court justice.


On September 30, 1967, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, and BBC Radio 4 were launched.


In October 1967, Che Guevara was executed by the Bolivian army.


On October 29, 1967, the musical Hair premiered Off-Broadway.


In October 1967, Walt Disney's The Jungle Book was released.


On November 7, 1967, President Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which established the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.


Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
To Gregory Peck.


Honorary Award
To Arthur Freed for distinguished service to the Academy and the production of six top-rated Awards telecasts.


Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
To Alfred Hitchcock.