NATO American Movie Awards Rare 1980 Advertisements

NATO American Movie Awards Rare 1980 Advertisements

Here are a couple of very rare full page adverts from an unconfirmed trade publication, in 1980. Stylishly designed, the ads featured images from Joe Kidd (1972) and Magnum Force (1973). It was a bit difficult trying to pin down the details of this event, but luckily a very small cutting in my collection ended up being the small clue that would ultimately lead to what information we have here. The event took place on February 11th 1980 and was also televised as a 2 hour broadcast by NBC in the U.S. 

As it turned out, 1980 was the year that NATO initiated the American Movie Awards, and is also confirmed by the ads tagline ‘first recipient’ of the distinguished career award. The event was held at the Wilshire Theater, Beverly Hills, California, with the winners selected based on voting by theatre patrons. However, the awards were quite short lived, as various legal difficulties prevented the awards from being presented in 1981, and the event was discontinued completely after the 1982 awards due to competition from other awards shows.

The award wasn’t exactly subtle in appearance, some have actually described it as ‘ugly’ in its appearance, resembling something like a bulky and poorly detailed skyscraper - with a cherry on top! Infact, on the 23rd Sept 2016, actress Jane Fonda sold off her 1982 award for best supporting actress in On Golden Pond. The final hammer price of $2,240 (£1,836), a relatively low price for an original award belonging to a major film actress, perhaps reflected both its importance and its aesthetic appeal.

Below:These 2 advertisements were taken out by Eastwood’s representatives, The William Morris Agency (WMA) who were a Hollywood-based talent agency. The agency represented some of the best known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent agency in show business". 

I've still been unable to confirm who actually presented Eastwood with his award. Although I did manage to find a selection of photos which feature both Eastwood with his long time actor friend William Holden, so it would be nice to think it was the legendary actor who presented. Should anyone be able to confirm who presented Eastwood with his award, please comment as I would be very grateful for the information. I have approached NATO (who have been very helpful to us in the past) with the question - but unfortunately, up until this time, I have yet to receive any confirmation. I have also been unable to find any existing footage from the NBC broadcast.

Below: The small trade press cutting that confirmed the date of NATO event in 1980

Asking William Holden would have made perfect sense - as both actors clearly had a healthy respect for each other. Eastwood once said in regards to Breezy (1973): "William Holden was technically very astute as an actor and understood the role completely. Kay Lenz was very young so I had to work a bit more with her. Holden was very, very gentle with her, even during the screening test." Eastwood's third film as director was a low-key drama about the May-December romance between 19-year-old free spirit Breezy (Lenz) and crusty middle-aged real estate agent Frank Harmon (Holden). Eastwood had originally been mooted for the main role but decided he was at the time too young. Lenz would go on to earn a Golden Globe nomination as best female newcomer. 

Below: A selection of photos from the 1980 NATO awards featuring Clint with William Holden

Below: Clint pictured with actress Susan Anton