The 40th Academy Awards were held on April 10, 1968, to honor film achievements of 1967. Originally scheduled for April 8, the awards were postponed to two days later due to the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Bob Hope was once again the host of the ceremony.

This year, due to the waning popularity of black-and-white films, Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design, previously divided into separate awards for color and monochrome films, were merged into single categories. This was the first Oscars since 1948 to feature clips from the Best Picture nominees.

This year marked the first of two times that three different films were nominated for the "Big Five" Oscars (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay): Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. While all three won major Oscars, Best Picture was awarded to Norman Jewison's thriller/mystery film, In the Heat of the Night. The same thing happened again at the ceremony for films from 1981 where the Best Picture winner was not one of the three films with "Big Five" nominations.

The Graduate became the seventh film to win Best Director and nothing else, and the last until Jane Campion won the award for The Power of the Dog at the 94th Academy Awards. For the first time since the introduction of the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 1948, Edith Head did not receive a nomination, after tallying 30 nominations and 7 wins over the previous 18 years.

Due to an all-out push by Academy President Gregory Peck, 18 of the 20 acting nominees were present at the ceremony. Only Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, who died several months before the ceremony and was nominated posthumously, were missing. Edith Evans was the last performer born in the 1880s to receive an acting nomination (Best Actress, for her role in The Whisperers).

Winners and nominees

Nominations were announced on February 19, 1968. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

In the Heat of the Night — Walter Mirisch, producerBonnie and Clyde — Warren Beatty, producer Doctor Dolittle — Arthur P. Jacobs, producer The Graduate — Lawrence Turman, producer Guess Who's Coming to Dinner — Stanley Kramer, producer | style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|Mike Nichols – The Graduate Arthur Penn – Bonnie and Clyde Stanley Kramer – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Richard Brooks – In Cold Blood Norman Jewison – In the Heat of the NightRod Steiger – In the Heat of the Night as Police Chief Bill Gillespie Warren Beatty – Bonnie and Clyde as Clyde Barrow Dustin Hoffman – The Graduate as Benjamin Braddock Paul Newman – Cool Hand Luke as Lucas "Cool Hand Luke" Jackson Spencer Tracy (posthumous nomination) – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner as Matt DraytonKatharine Hepburn – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner as Christina Drayton Anne Bancroft – The Graduate as Mrs. Robinson Faye Dunaway – Bonnie and Clyde as Bonnie Parker Edith Evans – The Whisperers as Mrs. Ross Audrey Hepburn – Wait Until Dark as Susy HendrixGeorge Kennedy – Cool Hand Luke as Dragline John Cassavetes – The Dirty Dozen as Victor Franko Gene Hackman – Bonnie and Clyde as Buck Barrow Cecil Kellaway – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner as Monsignor Ryan Michael J. Pollard – Bonnie and Clyde as C.W. MossEstelle Parsons – Bonnie and Clyde as Blanche Barrow Carol Channing – Thoroughly Modern Millie as Muzzy Van Hossmere Mildred Natwick – Barefoot in the Park as Ethel Banks Beah Richards – Guess Who's Coming to Dinner as Mrs. Mary Prentice Katharine Ross – The Graduate as Elaine RobinsonGuess Who's Coming to Dinner – William Rose Bonnie and Clyde – David Newman and Robert Benton Divorce American Style – Screenplay by Norman Lear; Story by Robert Kaufman Two for the Road – Frederic Raphael The War Is Over – Jorge SemprúnIn the Heat of the Night – Stirling Silliphant based on the novel by John Ball Cool Hand Luke – Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson based on the novel by Donn Pearce The Graduate – Buck Henry and Calder Willingham based on the novel by Charles Webb In Cold Blood – Richard Brooks based on the novel by Truman Capote Ulysses – Joseph Strick and Fred Haines based on the novel by James JoyceClosely Watched Trains (Czechoslovakia) El amor brujo (Spain) I Even Met Happy Gypsies (Yugoslavia) Live for Life (France) Portrait of Chieko (Japan) The Anderson Platoon – Pierre Schoendoerffer Festival – Murray Lerner Harvest – Carroll Ballard A King's Story – Jack Le Vien A Time for Burning – William C. JerseyThe Redwoods – Mark Harris and Trevor Greenwood Monument to the Dream – Charles E. Guggenheim A Place to Stand – Christopher Chapman See You at the Pillar – Robert Fitchett While I Run This Race – Carl V. RagsdaleA Place to Stand – Christopher Chapman Paddle to the Sea – Julian Biggs Sky over Holland – John Ferno Stop Look and Listen – Len Janson and Chuck MenvilleThe Box – Fred Wolf Hypothese Beta – Jean-Charles Meunier What on Earth! – Robert Verrall and Wolf KoenigThoroughly Modern Millie – Elmer Bernstein Cool Hand Luke – Lalo Schifrin Doctor Dolittle – Leslie Bricusse Far from the Madding Crowd – Richard Rodney Bennett In Cold Blood – Quincy JonesCamelot – Alfred Newman and Ken Darby Doctor Dolittle – Lionel Newman and Alexander Courage Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – Frank De Vol Thoroughly Modern Millie – André Previn and Joseph Gershenson Valley of the Dolls – John Williams"Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle — Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book — Music and Lyrics by Terry Gilkyson "The Eyes of Love" from Banning — Music by Quincy Jones; Lyrics by Bob Russell "The Look of Love" from Casino Royale — Music by Burt Bacharach; Lyrics by Hal David "Thoroughly Modern Millie" from Thoroughly Modern Millie — Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn In the Heat of the Night – Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department Camelot – Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Studio Sound Department The Dirty Dozen – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department Doctor Dolittle – 20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department Thoroughly Modern Millie – Universal City Studio Sound Department The Dirty Dozen – John Poyner In the Heat of the Night – James RichardCamelot – Art Direction: John Truscott and Edward Carrere; Set Decoration: John W. Brown Doctor Dolittle – Art Direction: Mario Chiari, Jack Martin Smith and Ed Graves; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Stuart A. Reiss Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – Art Direction: Robert Clatworthy; Set Decoration: Frank Tuttle The Taming of the Shrew – Art Direction: Renzo Mongiardino, John DeCuir, Elven Webb and Giuseppe Mariani; Set Decoration: Dario Simoni and Luigi Gervasi Thoroughly Modern Millie – Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen and George C. Webb; Set Decoration: Howard BristolBonnie and Clyde – Burnett Guffey Camelot – Richard H. Kline Doctor Dolittle – Robert L. Surtees The Graduate – Robert L. Surtees In Cold Blood – Conrad L. Hall Camelot – John Truscott Bonnie and Clyde – Theadora Van Runkle The Happiest Millionaire – Bill Thomas The Taming of the Shrew – Danilo Donati and Irene Sharaff Thoroughly Modern Millie – Jean LouisIn the Heat of the Night – Hal Ashby Beach Red – Frank P. Keller The Dirty Dozen – Michael Luciano Doctor Dolittle – Samuel E. Beetley and Marjorie Fowler Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – Robert C. Jones Doctor Dolittle – L. B. Abbott Tobruk – Howard A. Anderson Jr. and Albert Whitlock

Honorary Award To Arthur Freed for distinguished service to the Academy and the production of six top-rated Awards telecasts.

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Gregory Peck

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award Alfred Hitchcock

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations:

10 nominations: Bonnie and Clyde and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 9 nominations: Doctor Dolittle 7 nominations: The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night and Thoroughly Modern Millie 5 nominations: Camelot 4 nominations: Cool Hand Luke, The Dirty Dozen and In Cold Blood 2 nominations: A Place to Stand and The Taming of the Shrew

The following films received multiple awards.

5 wins: In the Heat of the Night 3 wins: Camelot 2 wins: Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Dolittle and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Presenters and performers The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.

Presenters Name Role Announcer for the 40th Academy Awards (AMPAS President) Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony Explained the eligibility and voting rules to the public Presenter of the award for Best Sound Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actor Katharine Ross Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography Diahann Carroll Presenters of the Short Subjects Awards Barbara Rush Presenters of the Documentary Awards Presenter of the award for Best Costume Design (host) Presenter of the Honorary Award to Arthur Freed Presenter of the award for Best Special Visual Effects Elke Sommer Presenters of the award for Best Sound Effects Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress Presenter of the award for Best Film Editing Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Gregory Peck Presenter of the award for Best Foreign Language Film Shirley Jones Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction Presenter of the Academy Awards' history montage Gene Kelly Presenters of the Music Awards Presenter of the award for Best Song Accepted Leslie Bricusse's award on his behalf Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award Presenter of the award for Best Director Rod Steiger Presenters of the Writing Awards Presenter of the award for Best Actor Presenter of the award for Best Actress Presenter of the award for Best Picture

Performers Name Role Performed Musical arranger and conductor Orchestral Performer "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book Performer "The Eyes of Love" from Banning Brasil '66 Performer "The Look of Love" from Casino Royale Performer "Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle Performer "Thoroughly Modern Millie" from Thoroughly Modern Millie Performers "Hooray for Hollywood/There's No Business like Show Business" (orchestral) during the closing credits See also 1967 in film 10th Grammy Awards 19th Primetime Emmy Awards 20th Primetime Emmy Awards 21st British Academy Film Awards 22nd Tony Awards 25th Golden Globe Awards

References

External links

A Place to Stand, 1967, Archives of Ontario YouTube Channel (winner of Best Live Action Short Subject)