61st Academy Awards - Additional Notes

Additional Notes

This was the last public appearance for Lucille Ball, who died less than one month later. Ball introduced a musical number along with her long-time friend and frequent co-star Bob Hope. Future Oscar winners Alan Menken and Howard Ashman wrote a song called "The Nightmare" which references all the eligible films of that year, but was never used.

Right before Cher was to present the award for Best Picture, she had an anxiety attack. Jack Nicholson was brought backstage to help calm her down and almost had to present the award with her.

Best Actor winner Dustin Hoffman, upon realizing that he had forgotten to thank his Rain Man co-star Tom Cruise and the film's director Barry Levinson in his acceptance speech, asked Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn (who were presenting next) to thank them for him before presenting their award, which Russell did. Then, when Hoffman and Cruise took the stage later in the show to present the Best Actress award, Hoffman said "In my nervousness, I left out the director's name, and I left out Tom's name. Tom, thank you very much. I love you very much."