44th Academy Awards

The 44th Academy Awards were presented April 10, 1972, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis Jr., and Jack Lemmon. One of the highlights of the evening was one of her last public appearances the of Betty Grable, who died the following year. She appeared alongside one of her leading men from the 1940s, singer Dick Haymes, to present the musical scoring awards. This was the first time in Awards history that the nominees were shown in superimposed pictures while being announced. Around seven million viewers watched the ceremony.

Winners and nominees

Awards

Nominations announced on February 22, 1972. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger (‡).

Honorary Award

To Charles Chaplin for the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century.

Chaplin, who had been living in self-imposed exile in Switzerland for twenty years, went back to the United States to re-market his older films and to receive this award. When introduced to the audience, Chaplin received a twelve-minute standing ovation, the longest in Academy Awards history.