The Opening of the Academy Awards: 1976 Oscars

[@artgal57]

That's ME as Dorothy, skippin' in with the Tin Man & the (strangely costumed) Cowardly Lion...I was 18 years old and a member of the Screen Extras Guild in 1976. Since my part was filmed live that night, I worked AFTRA under the Taft-Hartley law and, while my parents were glued to their TV at home, I was backstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the entire night and never did get to see myself. Until...40 years later. Thanks to technology and KZbin! What FUN I had that night. And, Ray Bolger was a class act.

[@MaskedMan66]

How wonderful! Do you think I could ask you some more questions about that experience? As for the Lion suit, that was, correct me if I'm wrong, a Bob Mackie design which was worn variously by Tim Conway, LeVar Burton, Paul Williams, and Rip Taylor (the latter two having played the Cowardly Lion in skits).

[@judywatson5674]

I know it was congrats

[@scottym9778]

How cool

[@Lordmij]

thats pretty awesome if what ur saying is true

[@YouzTube99]

Wendy, that's terrific! Let's make it easy for people to find you: 03:44

[@jennyl.2689]

Ray was underrated. He was a brilliant dancer and funny. I love watching him!

[@patriciaalley1562]

He was overshadowed by Fred Astaire I think.

[@JOJO22858]

What a fantastic and CLASSY opening number by RAY BOLGER, the Scarecrow from THE WIZARD OF OZ. My second favorite character (after Dorothy) from my second favorite film of all time (after A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE.) They sure don't have openings like that anymore.

[@danalong1237]

You've got it all wrong! He was 64 years old when it first aired, not 73, ya liar!

[@YouzTube99]

05:35 He actually tells how old he is.

[@nightowl5475]

I think that takes guts what Ray Bolger is doing, especially for his age. He really is remarkable and a well deserved applause.

[@matthewbennett9928]

Until I saw this I had no idea he was able to do this through out his live. This made me really respect him. Its a shame he is no longer with us.

[@katesleuth1156]

Matthew Bennett He was 64 yrs old. Wow.

[@YouzTube99]

@@katesleuth1156 Actually, he was 72 -- born in 1904. Even more wow-ish! He started dancing as a kid and never stopped.

[@frankd8957]

There is a remarkable video of him dancing in 1936 - 40 years before this. He does a full split and raises himself up from it!

[@ArmyJames]

It would’ve sucked if he’d fallen down on stage and fractured a hip.

[@mr.noseybonk3440]

Even at 72 he still had enough energy and attitude to dance, show off, jump, and apparently open the Oscars.

[@joshuaDstarks]

What a who’s who of the time. OJ was even there. Bolger is the most underrated footsmith in Hollywood history. The best to ever do it.

[@jimmichaud8487]

Love that Boston accent of Ray Bolger's. He's a Beantown native. Academy of Ahts and Sciences indeed!

[@thebeatnumber]

Technically it's a dialect not an accent.

[@JerseySurvivor]

Another great opening. I remember Ray on TV that night. And it goes right into the Kahn/Grey clip so maybe we'll soon get a whole show!

[@joancarlestomas]

We have almost the whole show at the playlist section

[@JerseySurvivor]

Yes. The whole show is almost there. The song nominees are missing. However, I have seen Bernadette Peters "How Lucky Can You Get?" on YT, so that's even more.

[@joancarlestomas]

JerseySurvivor And Diana Ross and Mahogany.

[@Aragallify]

The Scarecrow was my favorite Wizard of Oz character. I would have watched anything with Ray Bolger. Ray was great, though the number was a little too long.

[@ShowsMorgie]

I LOVE this! What a wonderful opening!

[@jennys.214]

Morgane Lange I love this opening too! 💕

[@hardlines4]

Nobody could play the scarecrow like the great Ray Bolger, listen to his classic singing of Once In Love With Amy!!

[@lliamjurdom9505]

Ray Bolger making it to the 1976 Oscars on its own was an achievement let alone that marathon of a chorus line number !!!!

[@henryw6167]

Audrey Hepburn!

[@donmcc6573]

When Hollywood had class and talent.

[@pikemeredith5604]

Ray was fantastic when he did this. I'm sure he could still dance his way down that yellow brick road & I'm sure if Judy was alive then she would have joined him. Don't make the Oscars like this anymore & we have lost sooo many since then.

[@rileykernaghan]

The best part of these big 1970s openings is that the performers are clearly enjoying themselves immensely.

[@Scorchy666]

Guys like Bolger were Vaudeville trained performers. Athletic thoroughbreds for sure.

[@ATLcentury334]

Their checks must have cleared.

[@thefonzkiss]

37 years after he played the scarecrow.

[@Lisa-pb3qp]

This is the year I met my future husband at the tender age of 11! So hard to believe he was only 10 years old. I remember this year vividly because it was our nation's 200th year anniversary. Where does the time go?

[@thebeatnumber]

Lovely. I hope you're still married and still love each other after all these years.

[@Lisa-pb3qp]

@@thebeatnumber Yep, still married after 33 years. 🌸

[@StevenTorrey]

Ray Bolger was about 72 in 1976 when he did this,,,

[@amybaker4654]

@Watson Everly That was a fib or a lapse in memory.

[@electronixTech]

Wow you're right. Ray Bolger is listed as being born in 1904.

[@MermaidAnn]

Yea, I caught that too. Ray Bolger was my uncle, definitely born in January 1904. Most likely a deliberate fib, guess even guys have to lie about their age in Hollywood. The first biography written about him recently came out 'Ray Bolger More Than a Scarecrow' if interested in more of his life.

[@momtimepink]

@@MermaidAnn Thank you!

[@brianriley8777]

using his math...64

[@tomstrb]

No politics !!!

[@zoraidagarcia625]

What a difference! So wonderful, Mr. Bolger.

[@zoraidagarcia625]

What is the matter with his age, if he did it all right? Just enjoy a great gift of talent. Thanks for posting this.

[@juanmonge8]

Bravo! No hips were broken during the opening number!

[@70sgirl42]

Class!!! Pure class!! Does not exist today!!!

[@jose2bee2]

"hands on your hips, give it a push . . . "

[@legrandeanorey3860]

EXCELENTE PRESENTACION, CUANTOS GRANDES QUE YA NO ESTAN!!!!!!!

[@danalong1237]

7:26, John Williams and the Academy Awards orchestra when the curtain rose; it's very unlikely to have a rhythm section perform with John Williams and the Oscar orchestra when Williams has orchestrations of horns, strings and percussion exclusively. IIRC, Williams would go on to win the Oscar for scoring Jaws and Star Wars two years later and he still composing scores occasionally in his 80s, albeit with his protege William Ross conducting.

[@bwkeve3876]

Amazing just Amazing

[@JonnyMarquina]

Gran Apertura...fantástica!!!...ahora ya no se hacen así.

[@ronaldcrenfro4637]

OUR MOVIE STARS WERE STILL ALIVE IN 1976

[@oliviajohnjohnolivia8142]

This was a time when there was talent.

[@franknberry6397]

The whole thing please!

[@jako3214]

Is it just me but the biggest, most abrupt 10 year difference in pop culture, fashion etc ..occur from the 70s to the 80s? Here, this is still as classy and old school as the 50s. If u just listen to the sound alone,ould easily be something from 1958. 'Something' in the 80s (esp mid 80s) happened to 'where' we ended up today w/ all these MTV-esque awards shows and culture (all plastic, silicone, hype, garbage)

[@Lordmij]

Reaganomics lol

[@snc0023]

Hmm as you suggest, maybe it was MTV that happened and changed the culture of it

[@bandicoot5412]

Ahh yea, 76 was a good year the epicenter of the 60's after party and the Icons of the past and present were there, couldn't beat that!

[@Sarasdad91]

Anyone wanna go back to 1976?

[@akrenwinkle]

Name your price. Sign me up.

[@donspartan9414]

My senior year in high school. You bet I would!

[@perpieta]

"My understudy Ray Bolger went on in my place..." Priceless Matthau!

[@MartinRiosIII]

Back when the Oscar’s had class elegance and grace!!

[@Redhackle]

This was the last year that it was worth watching.

[@geekay1349]

classier times at Ridemount High

[@melindakinnaird]

Art Carney won his Oscar for Harry And Tonto. I don't know if there's a movie called Tonto and Me.

[@noelio67]

Robert Shaw....RIP 🙏....... died 2 years later in Tourmekeady, Western Ireland...... where he lived, few months after filming Force 10 from Navarone with Harrison Ford in UK and Yugoslavia

[@franknberry6397]

He should've been nominee for "Jaws" and winner too!

[@noelio67]

@@franknberry6397 For sure 👍

[@jonprescott-sears5644]

This video of 72-year-old Bolger (and the one on KZbin of 70-year-old Astaire at the 1970 Oscars) should be required viewing for anyone making hiring decisions. Older professionals are still professional; they still have energy and experience, and many organizations would benefit from hiring them.

[@EtorChristie]

Aaaaand there's O.J Simpson. didn't know he was there.

[@mantroid]

he had some time to kill.

[@phillyflash43]

He didn't fit, you must aquit!

[@toscodav]

He didnt know either hahahahaha

[@Eggmanontheair]

they really sealed the envelopes shut and needed O J to slice them open.

[@richardcourchene7477]

Was ten when this was live. Is it morbid to count all the people who've now passed on ?

[@toscodav]

Yup. Ray bolger, george burns, Robert Shaw, OJ's wife.

[@scottym9778]

Walter Mirisch, still alive at 96!

[@johnt7630]

According to wikipedia, he's still alive today at 99 !

[@akrenwinkle]

@@johnt7630 Update: He's 101 now.

[@amymack1954]

Bolger was born in 1904, so he would have been 72 years old here (not 64 - 24 + 40 - as he's claiming)! 1976 was the year I graduated from college. The Oscars were worth watching then.

[@thewkovacs316]

ray bolger was 150 years old when he did this

[@bowler8]

When there was talent

[@seansmith6255]

God movies used to be magic 1975 was a great year for cinema How many other years are there where 4/5 of the best picture nominees are still remembered

[@williamdunphy352]

Hank Simms is the announcer.

[@master-kq3nw]

Good old movies 70s golden era oscar

[@williamearl1662]

This was classy, but does it compare to the fabulous razzamataz of the stupendous 2021 awards? Lol😃😃😃😃

[@Jordan-np2uu]

I wonder if the horses at 3:01 are horses of a different color.

[@sirroxalot]

1:05 Bronson always looks like he's about to go whip some ass.

[@gatewayski1]

Oh no! - it's O.J.

[@bsquared4604]

was he 72 or 64? either way he was bopping around like a teenager.

[@markruane3660]

O.J at the beginning someone should have deleted his appearance from the opening up untill then all you saw were actuall stars!!!

[@donnamwilliams6976]

He was acquitted. So it doesn't matter what people think he did he wasn't convicted. I still watch the Naked Gun Movies, they haven't cut his scenes.

[@ChristopherIGomes]

TO BE APART OF THIS ILUUSTRIOUS CROWD.... THEN RUIN IT... YOU HAVE TO BE CRAZY... O.J...., YOU HAD IT ALL!!! LOL!!

[@FilmDisney]

Could you post the opening for the 1975 show

[@erikstone9022]

In This Clip, From 0:05 To 1:31, It Was "The 48th Annual Academy Awards" Video Open From Monday Night, March 29, 1976.

[@danalong1237]

0:01-0:05, "Portions of the following ABC Special Program have been pre-recorded!" Who announced that disclaimer? (Clue: he was a staff announcer for ABC.)

[@yhwhtlc9217]

I stumbled onto this one, watching the opening with the parade of actors, I was like,, mm, dead, dead, dead, dead,, then Ray Bolger began singing (also dead),, then he says on March 29 1976,, I thought wow,, that was my birthday,, I had just turned 17, and my mom had been dead for a year forced to go live with an aunt.... not sure how I should look at this, not fond memories in that year...

[@thefonzkiss]

Believe it or not it’s not all about you.

[@yhwhtlc9217]

@@thefonzkiss i nvr said it waz azzhle,, was making an observation obvsly it wnt ovr ur head no surpze there

[@akrenwinkle]

@@yhwhtlc9217 Going over his head wasn't exactly like "to the moon, Alice!" Completely unnecessary of him. KZbins like this stoke memories, good and bad, and we're entitled to say how we feel.

[@Happyboymargarine]

Yes but it was filmed and edited nothing in the 60,s and 70,s was done on the fly.

[@GcellM]

thats OJ Simpson,,,

[@kevinnicks4444]

Triangle sign of the elite

[@seraces]

joanna pacula tan hermosa, ojala verla en una nueva pelicula

[@alexpisano4819]

Però ahora joana pacula tiene 127 años

[@snc0023]

Alex Pisano lol

[@IIVVBlues]

Back when people still watched "the Oscars".

[@akrenwinkle]

I'd have watched the last one but it was running against "Suzanne Somers: The Woman, the Legend, the Myth."

[@TheCarnivalguy]

“And O J Simpson, actor and athlete and _______? IIRC, the missing word starts with an M. Hmmmm, what could it be?

[@amyexner]

In those days they put on a real production; now they to cheep ; if I would be a hard working actor now, i would certainly feel “I’m guess I’m not wordy” and people watching the Oscars now -I’m at least- are very disappointed every year.

[@WavvyPrince]

Do they not invite OJ Simpson anymore 😭?

[@Cunninghamily]

1:05

[@anniecrestani1121]

Why don't they have Openings like this anymore much for The Academic Adwards Hugh Jackman I think was the last song and dance many to open and host The Oscar's I know most of the Classic and beautiful Dancers are not with us anymore but there are still a lot of Dancer's/ Entertainer's out there it's Boring these day's the Openings with People just standing there taking and taking the mickey out of actor's Bring Back The Old RAZZLE DAZZLE I Say to Open The Oscar's baci x

[@terr777]

Tonto and Me? I don't think so.

[@seansmith6255]

1:01 O Jumpscare

[@LastlyMore]

Did he die?

[@danalong1237]

Yes, in 1987.

[@ThunderAppeal]

Charles Bronson presenting. Hahaaaha.

[@PhilKuhlenbeckGOOGLE]

OJ non pareil

[@heaintloveu]

What kitsch

[@spideraxis]

Haven't watched since 1971. Show has become too political.

[@ThunderAppeal]

Back when fruit cakes didnt make a scene about being fruit cakes.

[@renehernandez558]

This is probably the worst opening show. Who wants to see and old man dance.

[@davherex]

It’s called “talent”. Something many of today’s so-called “celebrities” WISHED they had.

[@ComfyBe]

Maybe you should have offered to have danced instead. That would have a been a "Sight" or should I have said a "Fright".

[@marilynfariello256]

I loved it💕