Carmine Coppola, who won an Oscar for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II (1974), dropped his Oscar and broke it.
Federico Fellini was not present to pick up his Oscar for Amarcord but he accepted at his home in Rome, Italy. Asked for a comment, the great director responded with what would become one of the most legendary quotes in the history of the Academy Awards: "Of course it is a pleasure because in the myth of the cinema the Oscar is the supreme prize."
For the first time and only time, all the nominees in one category (Costume Design) came from the same studio (Paramount).
During his Oscar acceptance speech for Hearts and Minds (1974) producer Bert Schneider read a letter from the head of the Viet Cong lauding his film. Bob Hope prompted Oscar host Frank Sinatra to disclaim any political statements that had been made during the show.
Of the 20 nominated actors, Winners Ellen Burstyn and Robert De Niro, and nominees Albert Finney, Dustin Hoffman, Madeline Kahn, and Al Pacino were not present.