Oscars Playback: When ‘Terms of Endearment’ and Shirley MacLaine deserved this

Welcome back to Oscars Playback, in which Gold Derby editors and Experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng revisit Oscar ceremonies and winners of yesteryear. This week, we cover the 56th Academy Awards in 1984, honoring the films of 1983.

On her fifth Best Actress nomination, Shirley MacLaine finally took home the coveted prize for “Terms of Endearment,” which scored five wins total, including Best Picture. Declaring “I deserve this” at the end of her speech, MacLaine defeated her onscreen daughter, Debra Winger, for the prize — the penultimate time a film has produced double Best Actress nominees. Did MacLaine deserve it over Winger? Would Winger have won in supporting? And will we ever see double Best Actress nominees again?

SEE Oscars Playback: When ‘Gandhi’ swept and even Meryl Streep’s competition wanted her to win

James L. Brooks won three awards for writing, producing and directing “Terms of Endearment,” which also yielded Jack Nicholson his second Oscar, this one in supporting. Nicholson would go on to win a third for another Brooks film, 1997’s “As Good as It Gets,” but the filmmaker, despite nominations in other categories, hasn’t failed to crack the Best Director lineup since “Terms.” What gives?

Elsewhere, we discuss how Linda Hunt‘s Oscar-winning turn in “The Year of Living Dangerously” is stunt casting that works, Johnny Carson‘s killer monologue and more.

Timestamps:
Intro and ceremony thoughts (0:00)
Our favorite films of 1983 (6:40)
Johnny Carson’s monologue (32:25)
Best Picture (35:28)
Best Director (46:23)
Best Actor (54:15)
Best Actress (1:01:43)
Best Supporting Actor (1:15:46)
Best Supporting Actress (1:19:07)
Screenplay awards (1:24:07)
Final thoughts (1:26:08)

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