We post a lot about individual films and awards and years - the best films, the worst actresses, who got robbed when, and so on.
But what was the worst year ever, with the most Oscars gotten wrong, across the list of winners and categories?
Going over the winners' lists, I was surprised at how many years managed to balance things out - terrible errors in some categories redeemed somewhat by getting others right (in my opinion).
At the moment I think 2002 is the worst so far in the century. A BEAUTIFUL MIND, Ron Howard, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jennifer Connelly, and A BEAUTIFUL MIND for adapted screenplay offer a mix of films and individuals that seem bad choices.
But the all-time worst?
I think the awards for 1967, the year of BONNIE AND CLYDE and THE GRADUATE, in which IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT won Best Picture, Steiger beat Beatty and Paul Newman, whose COOL HAND LUKE was wonderful, and Hepburn beat both Bancroft and Dunaway. Terrible.
I don't fault the Kennedy and Parsons supporting awards, but from the lousy CAMELOT awards (beating BONNIE AND CLYDE for costumes and art direction), to ITHOTN winning editing with BONNIE AND CLYDE not even nominated, it was ridiculous. I love THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE but it beat Quincy Jones's tremendous IN COLD BLOOD for score.
And even Best Song was absolute shit. "Talk to the Animals" beat "The Bare Necessities," "The Look of Love" and "Thoroughly Modern Millie." The money campaign to push DOCTOR DOLITTLE was infamous at the time, at its nomination for Best Picture cut such films as COOL HAND LUKE, WAIT UNTIL DARK, THE DIRTY DOZEN and IN COLD BLOOD out of recognition.
1944 was the shits, too, but not quite in the same way. And Hitchcock was robbed over and over.