"Jaws" and "The Hindenburg" win Academy Awards 1976

Steven Spielberg's blockbuster horror film Jaws and the disaster flick The Hindenburg both took home Academy Awards at the 48th annual ceremony held March 29, 1976.

Jaws won Best Music Score for John Williams. It was his second Oscar and eleventh nomination. 

Jaws won Best Sound for Robert L. Hoyt, Roger Heman, Earl Madery, and John Carter.  It also won Best Film Editing for Verna Fields. It was nominated for Best Picture.

The Hindenburg was nominated for five Oscars and won two. It won two Special Achievement Awards: Sound Effects for Peter Berkos; Visual Effects for Albert Whitlock and Glen Robinson.  It was nominated for Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was the big winner that night with five Academy wins and Barry Lyndon with four. 

"Tentacles" released 1977

Tentacles, one of the first of many knock-offs of Jaws, was released in US theaters June 15, 1977.  It focuses on another deep-sea creature run amok. In the fashion of It Came from Beneath the Sea, a giant octopus rises from the depths to terrorize a California seaside town.  

It was an Italian production which starred Shelley Winters, Henry Fonda, and Claude Akins.  Although it was a box office success at the time, grossing $3,000,000, but critics were not kind.  It received a 0% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

Young Frankenstein wins 5 Saturn Awards 1976

I'm glad they began the Saturn Awards back in 1972, although I just became aware of their existence within the last few years.  Science fiction, fantasy, and horror films are way under-represented in the more high-falutin' award shows, like the Oscars and the Golden Globe Awards. 

One of the funniest and best movies ever, Young Frankenstein, won 5 Saturn Awards at the 3rd annual ceremony by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, January 31, 1976. 

It won for Best Horror Film beating Black Christmas and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Mel Brooks won for Best Director.  Marty Feldman won for Best Supporting Actor.  William J. Tuttle won for Best Makeup.  Robert De Vestel and Dale Hennesy won for Best Set Direction. 

Jaws won Outstanding Film of 1975.  Katharine Ross won Best Actress for her work in The Stepford Wives.

John Williams wins Grammy for Best Original Score for Jaws 1976

John Williams won his first Grammy Award for Best Original Score for his work on Jaws, the Steven Spielberg blockbuster, February 28, 1976.  It was William's second Grammy nomination.  He had been nominated for Best Sound Track Album or Recording of a Score for Checkmate back in 1962. Williams also won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his composition on Jaws.

"Coma" released 1978

Coma, the movie based on the novel by Robin Cook, was released on January 6, 1978.  It was directed by Michael Crichton, who wrote Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain.  The movie starred Genevieve Bujold, Michael Douglas, Richard Widmark and a young Tom Selleck.

I think it did for hospitals what Jaws did for the ocean.

"Jaws" released 1975

Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Jaws was released into theaters June 20, 1975.  It starred Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfus.  It was based on the novel by Peter Benchley about a great white shark terrorizing the town of Amity, a beach community in New York.

It won three Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score for John Williams. It was also nominated for Best Picture.  In 2001, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.  The American Film Institute has listed it as #48 on the list of the greatest American movies of all time.  John Williams' score has been listed as #6 on 100 Years of Film Scores.  It is ranked as the second-most thrilling movie behind Psycho.