1st Golden Raspberry Awards


The 1st Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 31, 1981, at founder John J. B. Wilson's living room alcove to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 1980. For it was a double feature of Can't Stop the Music, winner of Worst Picture, and Xanadu that inspired Wilson to start the Razzies. Each category included as many as ten nominees; the maximum was lowered to five the following year to mirror the Oscars. "There was a fake stage in John's apartment," remembers Maureen Murphy, who was a presenter.

Winners and nominees

Can't Stop the Music
Robert GreenwaldXanadu
  • * John G. AvildsenThe Formula
  • * Brian De PalmaDressed to Kill
  • * William FriedkinCruising
  • * Richard FleischerThe Jazz Singer
  • * Stanley KubrickThe Shining
  • * Michael RitchieThe Island
  • * John TrentMiddle Age Crazy
  • * Nancy WalkerCan't Stop the Music
  • * Gordon WillisWindows
  • Neil DiamondThe Jazz Singer as Yussel Rabinovitch / Jess Robin '
  • * Michael BeckXanadu as Sonny Malone
  • * Robert BlakeCoast to Coast as Charles Callahan
  • * Michael CaineDressed to Kill and The Island as Dr. Robert Elliott / Bobbi and Blair Maynard
  • * Kirk DouglasSaturn 3 as Adam
  • * Richard DreyfussThe Competition as Paul Dietrich
  • * Anthony HopkinsA Change of Seasons as Adam Evans
  • * Bruce JennerCan't Stop the Music as Ron White
  • * Sam J. JonesFlash Gordon as Flash Gordon
  • Brooke ShieldsThe Blue Lagoon as Emmeline Lestrange
  • * Nancy AllenDressed to Kill as Liz Blake
  • * Faye DunawayThe First Deadly Sin as Barbara Delaney
  • * Shelley DuvallThe Shining as Wendy Torrance
  • * Farrah FawcettSaturn 3 as Alex
  • * Sondra LockeBronco Billy as Antoinette Lily
  • * Olivia Newton-JohnXanadu as Kira
  • * Valerie PerrineCan't Stop the Music as Samantha Simpson
  • * Deborah RaffinTouched by Love as Lena Canada
  • * Talia ShireWindows as Emily Hollander
  • John AdamesGloria as Phil Dawn Laurence OlivierThe Jazz Singer as Cantor Rabinovitch
  • * Marlon BrandoThe Formula as Adam Stieffel
  • * Charles GrodinSeems Like Old Times as Ira Parks
  • * David SelbyRaise the Titanic as Dr. Gene Seagram
  • Amy IrvingHoneysuckle Rose as Lily Ramsey
  • * Elizabeth AshleyWindows as Andrea Glassen
  • * Georg Stanford BrownStir Crazy as Rory Schutlebrand
  • * Betsy PalmerFriday the 13th as Mrs. Voorhees
  • * Marilyn SokolCan't Stop the Music as Lulu Brecht
  • Can't Stop the MusicBronté Woodard and Allan Carr
  • * A Change of SeasonsErich Segal, Ronni Kern, and Fred Segal
  • * CruisingWilliam Friedkin
  • * The FormulaSteve Shagan
  • * It's My TurnEleanor Bergstein
  • * Middle Age CrazyCarl Kleinschmidt
  • * Raise the TitanicAdam Kennedy and Eric Hughes
  • * Touched by Love – Hesper Anderson
  • * WindowsBarry Siegel
  • * Xanadu – Richard C. Danus and Marc R. Rubel
  • "The Man with Bogart's Face" from The Man with Bogart's Face – Music by George Duning; Lyrics by Andrew J. Fenady'
  • * "(You) Can't Stop the Music" from Can't Stop the MusicMusic and Lyrics by Jacques Morali
  • * "Suspended in Time" from Xanadu – Music and Lyrics by John Farrar
  • * "Where Do You Catch the Bus for Tomorrow?" from A Change of Seasons – Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Marilyn Bergman and Alan Bergman
  • * "You, Baby, Baby!" from The Jazz Singer'' – Music and Lyrics by Neil Diamond
  • Films with multiple wins and nominations

    The following films received multiple nominations:
    NominationsFilm
    7Can't Stop the Music
    6Xanadu
    5The Jazz Singer
    5Windows
    4The Formula
    3A Change of Seasons
    3Cruising
    3Dressed to Kill
    3Raise the Titanic
    3Saturn 3
    2Friday the 13th
    2The Island
    2Middle Age Crazy
    2The Shining
    2Touched by Love

    The following films received multiple awards:
    WinsFilm
    2Can't Stop the Music
    2The Jazz Singer

    Criticism

    The awards are often criticized for nominating The Shining in two categories: Shelley Duvall for Worst Actress and Stanley Kubrick for Worst Director. In 2022, Razzies founder John J. B. Wilson admitted that he regrets the nomination, saying: "Knowing the backstory and the way that Stanley Kubrick kind of pulverized her, I would take that back." That same year, the awards committee rescinded Duvall's nomination, but not Kubrick's. The nominations for Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill have also been criticized.