Ordinary People: 1980 Best Picture

“Ordinary People” won Best Picture and Best Director at the 53rd Academy Awards, beating “Raging Bull”, “The Elephant Man” and “Tess”.

Two biographical films about living people got the top acting awards: Robert De Niro won Best Actor for portraying Jake LaMotta in “Raging Bull”. It was his third Best Actor nomination. His other Oscar win (Godfather II) was in the supporting category. Sissy Spacek won Best Actress for her role as Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter”

Other films nominated in various categories included “Fame”, “The Empire Strikes Back”, “Melvin and Howard”, “Private Benjamin”, “The Stunt Man” and “Altered States”.

The First Golden Raspberry Awards were given out for 1980 films and the Worst Picture Raspberry went to “Can’t Stop the Music”; Worst Actor: Neil Diamond in “The Jazz Singer”; and Worst Actress: Brooke Shields in “The Blue Lagoon”

More 1980s films: “American Gigolo”, “Atlantic City”, “The Blues Brothers”, “The Changeling”, “Dressed to Kill”, “Friday the 13th” and “Popeye”.

Jeopardy! clues on “Ordinary People”
BEST PICTURE OSCAR-WINNERS IN OTHER WORDS $400: 1980: “Regular Folks”
SUPPORTING ACTOR OSCARS $800: 1980: This film made Timothy Hutton extraordinary
ROBERT REDFORD $800: In his directorial debut, Robert Redford won an Oscar for this 1980 film
ACTING THE PART $800: Mary Tyler Moore & Donald Sutherland were mom & dad in this 1980 drama about a troubled suburban family
OSCAR-WINNING FILMS IN OTHER WORDS $800: “Commonplace Populace”
THE MOVIES $400: Judith Guest’s novel about a dysfunctional family became this 1980 movie with Mary Tyler Moore & Timothy Hutton

More 1980 film clues:
MARKS $1200: Told of his true paternity in a 1980 film, this actor says, “No. No. That’s not true. That’s impossible!”
THAT MOVIE DID A NUMBER ON ME $400: Jane, Lily, Dolly, Dabney, this 1980 film
THE FILM WITHIN THE FILM $2000: Peter O’Toole is directing a WWI film within this 1980 movie that has Steve Railsback in the title role
AIRBORNE $200: It figures that Otto was the name of the autopilot in this 1980 movie comedy in the clouds
STUPID ANSWERS $200: Irene Cara catapulted to fame after starring in this 1980 film
MOVIE CITIES $2000: The 1980 Oscar winner for Foreign Language Film was “____ does Not Believe in Tears”
DEADLY FILMS? $2000: This 1980 Brian de Palma film was a real drag for Michael Caine
BAD GUYS $1600: Jack Torrance is the writer & axeman who goes mad at an off-season hotel in this 1980 film
THE FUNNYMAN WHO PLAYED… $1600: Popeye in the 1980 film
BULL $400: John Travolta & Debra Winger demonstrated the fine art of riding a mechanical bull at Gilley’s in this 1980 film
IN-FLIGHT MOVIES $400: In the 1980 film “Airplane!”, Leslie Nielsen memorably says, “I am serious… and don’t call me” this
SPOOF FILMS $200: Lloyd Bridges laments, “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue” in this 1980 film
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICALS $2000: This 1980 film was set at the N.Y. High School for Performing Arts; a TV show, reality show & musical followed
POP CULTURE BEFORE & AFTER $1600: 1980 Goldie Hawn film that became a guy who knew a penny saved is a penny earned
AT THE MOVIES $200: Robert De Niro accidentally broke Joe Pesci’s rib during a sparring scene in this 1980 film
I’M TOMMY LEE JONES! $1600: I was downright punchy as Loretta Lynn’s husband in this 1980 film
MEMORABLE MOVIES $800: For this 1980 film Wally Schneiderman applied John Hurt’s elaborate make-up
PETER O’TOOLE TIME $1600: A fugitive agrees to do dangerous work on a war movie directed by O’Toole in this 1980 film
BIG BROTHERS $2000: Look for Aretha, Ray, James Brown, Cab Calloway &, of course, Twiggy & Frank Oz in this 1980 film comedy
THEY PLAYED JESSE JAMES $1600: This 1980 film featured the Carradines as the Youngers & Stacy & James Keach as Frank & Jesse James
FAMILY FILMS $600: Sissy Spacek did her own singing in this 1980 film bio
BEFORE & AFTER $1600: It’s “Just the facts, ma’am”, that this “Dragnet” cop is an “unlucky” 1980 horror film
BEFORE & AFTER $800: 1980 film in which Goldie Hawn joins the army & serves as British Prime Minister from 1874 to 1880
“BLUE” MOVIES $400: Milla Jovovich starred in the 1991 sequel to this 1980 film, called “The Definite Brooke Shields Vehicle”
4-LETTER FILMS $600: Debbie Allen played dance teacher Lydia Grant in this 1980 film; maybe you remember its name
YOUR FILM DAYS ARE NUMBERED $1000: Bruce Willis appears uncredited in this 1980 film in which Sinatra saves NYC from a serial killer
THEIR FIRST FEATURE FILMS $1000: Jeremy Irons’ first film role was as choreographer Michael Fokine in the 1980 bio of this great Russian ballet star
FILMS OF THE 1980s $200: In this film Debra Winger gets to have a fling with John Lithgow before she dies
TIM CONWAY FILMS $600: Tim teamed up with this fellow TV comedian in several films including 1980’s “The Private Eyes”
FLOPS $400: Roger Ebert called this 1980 Michael Cimino film “Painful & unpleasant to look at”
VEGAS MOVIES $800: This 1980 film could have been called “Dummar and Hughes”
THE MOVIES $500: 1980 film in which Jack Nicholson yells maniacally “Heeeeere’s Johnny”
MOVIE DEBUTS $300: The 1980 college comedy “Midnight Madness” marked the film debut of this “Back to the Future” star
“HUGH”S & “HUGHES” $400: This man, whose middle name was Robard, was played by Jason Robards in a 1980 film