1978 in film

Events

• February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California
• March 1 - Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from a Swiss cemetery 3 months after burial
• March - Leigh Brackett completes the first draft for the Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back
• September - George Lucas purchases Bulltail Ranch, on Lucas Valley Road, for the development of Skywalker Ranch.
• November 17 - The Star Wars Holiday Special airs on CBS. The special gives fans their first glimpse of Boba Fett, a character from the upcoming sequel.
• US Supreme Court lists words that should not be used in movies.

Top Grossing Films of the Year

1. Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta
2. Grease , starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
3. National Lampoon's Animal House, starring John Belushi
4. Superman, starring Christopher Reeve
5. Jaws 2
6. Every Which Way But Loose
7. The Deer Hunter
8. Halloween, starring Jamie Lee Curtis
9. Up in Smoke
10. Revenge of the Pink Panther
11. Midnight Express

Academy Awards

• Best Picture: The Deer Hunter - EMI Films/Cimino, Universal
• Best Director: Michael Cimino - The Deer Hunter
• Best Actor: Jon Voight - Coming Home
• Best Actress: Jane Fonda - Coming Home
• Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
• Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Smith - California Suite

Births

• April 22 - Daniel Johns, singer/guitarist/songwriter
• June 1 - Danielle Harris, voice actress in The Wild Thornberrys
• November 9 - Sisqo, rap singer/actor/songwriter

Deaths

• January 5 - Sally Eilers, actress
• March 24 – Leigh Brackett, science fiction writer
• August 24 - Louis Prima, bandleader, voice actor ("King Louie of the Apes" in The Jungle Book)
• August 26 - Charles Boyer, actor
• August 28 - Robert Shaw, actor
• September 9 - Jack Warner, Hollywood studio founder
• September 30 - Edgar Bergen, actor
• October 16 - Dan Dailey, actor
• October 19 - Gig Young, actor

Other Movies Released

1. , starring William Holden
2. The Lord of the Rings, animated film by Ralph Bakshi

Referenced By