Continuing our history of ‘Annie Hall’ at the 1978 Oscars, here is Paddy Chayefsky announcing the best original screenplay award which of course goes to the magisterially absent Woody Allen and his partner Mashall Brickman, who is there and accepts on Woody’s behalf. (By the way, one of the nominees is George Lucas for ‘Star Wars’–is it odd that that surprises me?) It would be an entirely typical non-event as Woody’s no-shows at awards ceremonies are by now old-hat, though at the time I think people were genuinely flummoxed by his disinterest in attending.

But there’s another element going on in this clip that feels awfully…current to say the least. Before announcing the nominees, Chayefsky takes the opportunity to criticize Vanessa Redgrave who, while accepting her Oscar for ‘Julia’, made reference to ‘Zionist hoodlums’ who attack Palestinians refugees. This drew loud boos from the crowd and Chayefsky’s rebuttal–that politics have no place at the Oscars–drew a big round of applause from everyone…except, that is, Shirley MacLaine. Watch her at 1:44 as her seat mate Arthur Laurents applauds along with everyone else. She refuses to do so and, when Laurents turns and says something to her, she appears to say ‘no’ in a calm and firm manner. Will this scenario be replayed at the 2024 Oscars? And if it is, will anybody be watching?