On This Day: Diane Keaton Won an Oscar for ‘Annie Hall,’ Fans Think the Academy Got It Wrong on April 3, 1978
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences believed that Diane Keaton deserved an Oscar win for her starring role in Annie Hall. However, her long-time fans still don’t agree with the decision. They absolutely adore the actor, but they thought that another performance in the same year was more deserving of the golden statuette.
Diane Keaton played the titular character in ‘Annie Hall’
A comedian named Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) recalls the ups and downs with a nightclub singer named Annie Hall (Keaton), who is going through a difficult time in her career. He speaks directly to the audience, chronicling his life reaching as far back as his childhood to explain the situation that he’s in. Singer later gets to the point where he discusses how he met Annie and the struggles of modern romance.
In addition to starring in the leading role, Allen also directed and wrote the film along with Marshall Brickman. The titular role was originally written with Keaton in mind, even though the paring appeared rather peculiar to many audiences. She previously worked with the filmmaker on 1972’s Play It Again, Sam, 1973’s Sleeper, and 1975’s Love and Death.
Diane Keaton fans think she deserved the Oscar for ‘Looking for Mr. Goodbar’ instead
Keaton initially earned her first Oscar nomination for Annie Hall, although she would later earn nominations for Red, Marvin’s Room, and Something’s Gotta Give. She won her first Academy Award against the likes of Jane Fonda in Julia, Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point, Anne Bancroft in The Turning Point, and Marsha Mason in The Goodbye Girl.
Nevertheless, longtime Keaton fans thought that she deserved to get an Oscar win for her work in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, which hit theaters in the same year. The story follows a schoolteacher named Theresa Dunn (Keaton) in Chicago, who searches for experiences to fuel her sexual awakening via an escape from her overly-controlled life.
The Oscars YouTube page uploaded Keaton’s award acceptance speech, where she delivered a short and sweet speech.
“Mercy,” Keaton said. “Well, then, this is terrific. It’s simply terrific. Naturally, I’m very honored to have been nominated with actresses like Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft, and Marsha Mason; this is something. Anyway, Annie Hall was a wonderful experience for me, and I just would like to say thanks to Woody, and thank you. Thank you very much.”
However, one of the most upvoted comments reads, “Let’s get real. If she wasn’t nominated and won for Annie Hall, she would’ve been nominated and won for Looking for Mr. Goodbar. 1977 was her year. Phenomenal and iconic actress. Also, a beauty!”
Unfortunately, Looking for Mr. Goodbar was likely a bit too edgy for what the Academy was looking to award.
‘Annie Hall’ had an impressive Oscars showing
Beyond Keaton winning her first Oscar for Annie Hall, the film set other records. The film also won Best Picture, Director, and Writing. Meanwhile, Allen earned a nomination for Best Actor, but he lost to Richard Dreyfuss in The Goodbye Girl.
Additionally, Annie Hall became the second-shortest film to win the Best Picture category, only behind 1955’s Marty, which clocks in at 91 minutes.
Allen was the first person to earn an Oscar nomination for an acting category, while simultaneously winning the Best Director category. However, it was also the only Best Picture nominee not to earn any nominations in the supporting actor categories that year.
