31st Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1958
Gigi won nine Oscars at the 31st Academy Awards, setting a new sweep record by winning every nomination it received.
Key Facts
- Date
- April 6, 1959
- Gigi Oscar wins
- 9 (all nominations)
- Previous record holder
- Gone with the Wind (8 Oscars, 1939)
- Number of hosts
- 6 (Lewis, Sahl, Randall, Hope, Niven, Olivier)
- Ceremony overrun
- Ended 20 minutes early
- Show producer
- Jerry Wald
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The film Gigi entered the 31st Academy Awards with nine nominations, and producer Jerry Wald made cuts to the program to keep the show on schedule. The previous record for most Oscar wins had been eight, set by Gone with the Wind in 1939, and Gigi was positioned as a strong contender across all its categories.
Held on April 6, 1959, the ceremony was hosted by an ensemble of six performers. Gigi won all nine of its nominations, breaking the record for the largest Oscars sweep. The excessive cutting of material by producer Wald left the ceremony ending 20 minutes early, prompting Jerry Lewis to improvise a chaotic finale with 90 participating stars.
Gigi's record sweep was itself surpassed the following year when Ben-Hur won eleven of twelve nominations. The premature end of the broadcast forced NBC to fill time with a sports rerun. Gigi also became the last Best Picture winner without any acting nominations until The Last Emperor decades later.