32nd Academy Awards
The 32nd Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 4, 1960, at the RKO Pantages Theatre, to honor the films of 1959.
William Wyler's Bible epic Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars, breaking the record of nine set the previous year by Gigi. This total was later tied by Titanic in 1997 and The Lord of the Rings: The [Return of the King] in 2003. Wyler became the third person to win more than two Best Director awards, as well as the only person to date to direct three Best Picture winners.
Most of the stars were absent as a result of an incident involving Jerry Lewis' staging of the closing number at the previous year's Oscars and of a four-week actors' strike. The studios had their final pullout of support for the Academy during the year, in a sentiment echoed by Paramount Pictures, which remarked, "why should Paramount sponsor a show that sponsors only MGM's Ben-Hur?"
A highlight of the ceremony came during the presentation of the award for Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: absent winner Stanley Shapiro had his co-winner, Maurice Richlin, ask presenter Tony Curtis to read his acceptance speech, which read, "I'm trapped downstairs in the gentleman's lounge. It seems I rented a faulty tuxedo. I'd like to thank you upstairs for this great honor." The audience roared in laughter.
Awards
Nominations announced on February 22, 1960. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.Honorary Awards
- To Lee De Forest for his pioneering inventions which brought sound to the motion picture.
- To Buster Keaton for his unique talents which brought immortal comedies to the screen.
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Presenters and performers
Presenters
- Richard Conte and Angie Dickinson
- Gary Cooper
- Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh
- Edward Curtiss
- Arlene Dahl and Fernando Lamas
- Doris Day
- Olivia de Havilland
- Edmond O'Brien
- Mitzi Gaynor
- Haya Harareet
- Susan Hayward
- Rock Hudson
- Eric Johnston
- B. B. Kahane
- Gene Kelly
- Hope Lange and Carl Reiner
- Barbara Rush
- Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood
- John Wayne
Performers
- André Previn, conductor the Academy Awards orchestra
- Sammy Davis Jr.
- Gogi Grant
- Joni James
- Frankie Laine
- Frankie Vaughan
Multiple nominations and awards
| Nominations | Film |
| 12 | Ben-Hur |
| 8 | The [Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film)|The Diary of Anne Frank] |
| 8 | The Nun's Story |
| 7 | Anatomy of a Murder |
| 6 | Room at the Top |
| 6 | Some Like It Hot |
| 5 | Pillow Talk |
| 4 | The Five Pennies |
| 4 | Porgy and Bess |
| 3 | The Big Fisherman |
| 3 | Career |
| 3 | Journey to the [Center of the Earth (1959 film)|Journey to the Center of the Earth] |
| 3 | North by Northwest |
| 3 | Suddenly, Last Summer |
| 3 | The Young Philadelphians |
| 2 | The Best of Everything |
| 2 | Imitation of Life |
| 2 | The Last Angry Man |
| 2 | On [the Beach (1959 film)|On the Beach] |
| 2 | - |
| Awards | Film |
| 11 | Ben-Hur |
| 3 | The Diary of Anne Frank |
| 2 | Room at the Top |