The 38th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1965, were held on April 18, 1966, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Bob Hope, and were the first Oscars to be broadcast live in color. Lynda Bird Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, attended the ceremony, escorted by actor George Hamilton.

The most successful films of the year were The Sound of Music and Doctor Zhivago, each with ten nominations and five wins, with the former winning Best Picture. Both films are in the top 10 inflation-adjusted commercially successful films ever made, and both would go on to appear on the American Film Institute list of the greatest American films of the twentieth century.

The Sound of Music was the first Best Picture winner without a screenwriting nomination since Hamlet, and would be the last until Titanic at the 70th Academy Awards. Othello became the third film (of four to date) to receive four acting nominations without one for Best Picture. William Wyler received the last of his record twelve Best Director nominations for The Collector.

Awards

Nominees were announced on February 21, 1966. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

The Sound of Music – Robert Wise, producer Darling – Joseph Janni, producer Doctor Zhivago – Carlo Ponti, producer Ship of Fools – Stanley Kramer, producer A Thousand Clowns – Fred Coe, producer | style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|

Robert Wise – The Sound of Music William Wyler – The Collector John Schlesinger – Darling David Lean – Doctor Zhivago Hiroshi Teshigahara – Woman in the Dunes Lee Marvin – Cat Ballou as Kid Shelleen / Tim Strawn Richard Burton – The Spy Who Came In from the Cold as Alec Leamas Laurence Olivier – Othello as Othello Rod Steiger – The Pawnbroker as Sol Nazerman Oskar Werner – Ship of Fools as Dr. Wilhelm "Willi" Schumann Julie Christie – Darling as Diana Scott Julie Andrews – The Sound of Music as Maria von Trapp Samantha Eggar – The Collector as Miranda Grey Elizabeth Hartman – A Patch of Blue as Selina D'Arcey Simone Signoret – Ship of Fools as La Condesa Martin Balsam – A Thousand Clowns as Arnold Burns Ian Bannen – The Flight of the Phoenix as "Ratbags" Crow Tom Courtenay – Doctor Zhivago as Pavel "Pasha" Antipov Michael Dunn – Ship of Fools as Carl Glocken Frank Finlay – Othello as Iago Shelley Winters – A Patch of Blue as Rose-Ann D'Arcey Ruth Gordon – Inside Daisy Clover as Lucile Clover Joyce Redman – Othello as Emilia Maggie Smith – Othello as Desdemona Peggy Wood – The Sound of Music as the Mother Abbess Darling – Frederic Raphael Casanova 70 – Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Mario Monicelli, Tonino Guerra, Giorgio Salvioni and Suso Cecchi d'Amico Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines – Jack Davies and Ken Annakin The Train – Franklin Coen and Frank Davis The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Jacques Demy Doctor Zhivago – Robert Bolt from Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak Cat Ballou – Walter Newman and Frank Pierson from The Ballad of Cat Ballou by Roy Chanslor The Collector – Stanley Mann and John Kohn from The Collector by John Fowles Ship of Fools – Abby Mann from Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter A Thousand Clowns – Herb Gardner from A Thousand Clowns by Herb Gardner The Shop on Main Street (Czechoslovakia) Blood on the Land (Greece) Dear John (Sweden) Kwaidan (Japan) Marriage Italian Style (Italy) The Eleanor Roosevelt Story – Sidney Glazier The Battle of the Bulge... The Brave Rifles – Laurence E. Mascott The Forth Road Bridge – Peter Mills Let My People Go: The Story of Israel – Marshall Flaum To Die in Madrid – Frédéric Rossif To Be Alive! – Francis Thompson Mural on Our Street – Kirk Smallman Nyitany – Mafilm Productions Point of View – Vision Associates Productions Yeats Country – Patrick Carey and Joe Mendoza The Chicken – Claude Berri Fortress of Peace – Lothar Wolff Skaterdater – Marshall Backlar and Noel Black Snow – Edgar Anstey Time Piece – Jim Henson The Dot and the Line – Chuck Jones and Les Goldman Clay or the Origin of Species – Eliot Noyes Jr. The Thieving Magpie – Emanuele Luzzati Doctor Zhivago – Maurice Jarre The Agony and the Ecstasy – Alex North The Greatest Story Ever Told – Alfred Newman A Patch of Blue – Jerry Goldsmith The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Michel Legrand and Jacques Demy The Sound of Music – Irwin Kostal Cat Ballou – Frank De Vol The Pleasure Seekers – Lionel Newman and Alexander Courage A Thousand Clowns – Don Walker The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Michel Legrand "The Shadow of Your Smile" from The Sandpiper – Music by Johnny Mandel; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" from Cat Ballou – Music by Jerry Livingston; Lyrics by Mack David "I Will Wait for You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Music by Michel Legrand; Lyrics by Jacques Demy "The Sweetheart Tree" from The Great Race – Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer "What's New Pussycat?" from What's New Pussycat? – Music by Burt Bacharach; Lyrics by Hal David The Sound of Music – James Corcoran and Fred Hynes The Agony and the Ecstasy – James Corcoran Doctor Zhivago – A. W. Watkins and Franklin Milton The Great Race – George Groves Shenandoah – Waldon O. Watson The Great Race – Treg Brown Von Ryan's Express – Walter Rossi Ship of Fools – Art Direction: Robert Clatworthy; Set Decoration: Joseph Kish King Rat – Art Direction: Robert Emmet Smith; Set Decoration: Frank Tuttle A Patch of Blue – Art Direction: George Davis and Urie McCleary; Set Decoration: Henry Grace and Charles S. Thompson The Slender Thread – Art Direction: Hal Pereira and Jack Poplin; Set Decoration: Robert R. Benton and Joseph Kish The Spy Who Came In from the Cold – Art Direction: Hal Pereira, Tambi Larsen and Ted Marshall; Set Decoration: Josie MacAvin Doctor Zhivago – Art Direction: John Box and Terence Marsh; Set Decoration: Dario Simoni The Agony and the Ecstasy – Art Direction: John DeCuir and Jack Martin Smith; Set Decoration: Dario Simoni The Greatest Story Ever Told – Art Direction: Richard Day, William J. Creber and David S. Hall (posthumous nomination); Set Decoration: Ray Moyer, Fred M. MacLean and Norman Rockett Inside Daisy Clover – Art Direction: Robert Clatworthy; Set Decoration: George James Hopkins The Sound of Music – Art Direction: Boris Leven; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Ruby Levitt Ship of Fools – Ernest Laszlo In Harm's Way – Loyal Griggs King Rat – Burnett Guffey Morituri – Conrad Hall A Patch of Blue – Robert Burks Doctor Zhivago – Freddie Young The Agony and the Ecstasy – Leon Shamroy The Great Race – Russell Harlan The Greatest Story Ever Told – William C. Mellor (posthumous nomination) and Loyal Griggs The Sound of Music – Ted D. McCord Darling – Julie Harris Morituri – Moss Mabry A Rage to Live – Howard Shoup Ship of Fools – Jean Louis and Bill Thomas The Slender Thread – Edith Head Doctor Zhivago – Phyllis Dalton The Agony and the Ecstasy – Vittorio Nino Novarese The Greatest Story Ever Told – Marjorie Best and Vittorio Nino Novarese Inside Daisy Clover – Edith Head and Bill Thomas The Sound of Music – Dorothy Jeakins The Sound of Music – William H. Reynolds Cat Ballou – Charles Nelson Doctor Zhivago – Norman Savage The Flight of the Phoenix – Michael Luciano The Great Race – Ralph E. Winters Thunderball – John Stears The Greatest Story Ever Told – J. McMillan Johnson

Honorary Award To Bob Hope for unique and distinguished service to our industry and the academy.

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Edmond L. DePatie

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award William Wyler

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations:

10 nominations: Doctor Zhivago and The Sound of Music 8 nominations: Ship of Fools 5 nominations: The Agony and the Ecstasy, Cat Ballou, Darling, The Great Race, The Greatest Story Ever Told and A Patch of Blue 4 nominations: Othello, A Thousand Clowns and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 3 nominations: The Collector and Inside Daisy Clover 2 nominations: The Flight of the Phoenix, King Rat, Morituri, The Slender Thread and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

The following films received multiple awards.

5 wins: Doctor Zhivago and The Sound of Music 3 wins: Darling 2 wins: Ship of Fools

Presenters and performers The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.

Presenters Name Role Announcer for the 38th Academy Awards (AMPAS President) Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony George Hamilton Presenters of the award for Best Sound Presenter of the award for Best Special Visual Effects Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actor Presenter of the award for Best Sound Effects James Garner Presenters of the Costume Design Awards Phyllis Diller Presenters of the Documentary Awards Elke Sommer Presenters of the Short Subjects Awards Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress Presenter of the award for Best Film Editing Debbie Reynolds Presenters of the awards for Best Art Direction Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Edmond L. DePatie Kim Novak Presenters of the awards for Best Cinematography Virna Lisi Presenters of the Music Awards Presenter of the award for Best Foreign Language Film Presenter of the award for Best Song Presenter of the award for Best Director Joanne Woodward Presenters of the Writing Awards Arthur Freed Presenter of the Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Award to William Wyler Presenter of the award for Best Actor Presenter of the award for Best Actress Arthur Freed Presenter of the Honorary Gold Medal to Bob Hope Presenter of the award for Best Picture

Performers Name Role Performed Musical arranger and conductor Orchestral Performers “The Academy Awards Song (Mr. Oscar)” during the opening presentation The Smothers Brothers Performers "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" from Cat Ballou Jane Morgan Performers "I Will Wait for You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Performer "The Shadow of Your Smile" from The Sandpiper Performer "The Sweetheart Tree" from The Great Race Performer "What's New Pussycat?" from What's New Pussycat?

See also 23rd Golden Globe Awards 1965 in film 8th Grammy Awards 17th Primetime Emmy Awards 18th Primetime Emmy Awards 19th British Academy Film Awards 20th Tony Awards List of submissions to the 38th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

References