Why was the Oscars 40th Academy Awards ceremony postponed for two days in 1968?
After the death of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Junior, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences postponed the 40th Oscars.
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The assassination of Martin Luther King Junior had far-reaching consequences for the history of civil rights in the United States.
Dr. King was killed on 4 April 1968 in Memphis while on the picket line with sanitation workers. His death sent shockwaves through political and cultural institutions. In response, the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences, who had planned to hold the 40th Oscars on 8 April, postponed the ceremony by two days.
Tribute to Dr. King during the 40th Academy Awards
Gregory Peck, the president of the Academy, opened the ceremony by recognizing the tragedy of the assassination of the great Dr. King.
“This has been a fateful week in the history of our nation. We join with fellow members of our profession and men of goodwill everywhere to pay our respects to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior,” said Peck.
Peck described the “influence” of Dr. King on cinema, saying that “of the five films nominated for Best Picture of the year, two dealt with the subject of understanding between the races.” Those films were Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and In the Heat of the Night, which took home the award that night.
For Peck, Dr. King had a profound influence on film because it was “his work and his dedication that brought about the increasing awareness of all men that we must unite in compassion in order to survive.” Hollywood would be sure to carry forward Dr. King’s legacy, said Peck, by continuing to make “films which celebrate the dignity of man whatever his race or color or creed.”
Bob Hope closed the ceremony with a similar message
The host of the program, Bob Hope, also spoke to how Dr. King and the civil rights movement had influenced the industry, saying that “today [films] more accurately reflect the human condition.”
Some of Hope’s comments feel that they could be delivered today. “No longer do we portray the world as we wish it was. Today, we show the world as it is. Perhaps tomorrow, we will depict the world as it could be.” That final goal of opening up new social and political imaginaries continues to be a goal of many filmmakers.