A lone picketer displayed a sign stating, “John Wayne is a racist.” There were also, for the first time ever, organized Oscar demonstrations. Wayne, however, was in for a bitter greeting when he arrived on the red carpet. But the Duke, already the industry’s biggest hawk on Vietnam, told Playboy he considered “Midnight Cowboy” a “perverted” movie, and described it as “a story about two fags.” The culture clash was most apparent in the actor race, where John Wayne was up for “True Grit” against both Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight in “Cowboy.” Voight said he was hoping for a Wayne victory. Wags dubbed the pic “Anne of the Thousand Filets.” That didn’t stop Universal from conducting one of the more ostentatious Oscar campaigns for “Days,” with countless screenings where, instead of popcorn and soda, U served filet mignon and champagne.

As a blockbuster everyone liked, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” looked like the compromise choice. Similarly, the best picture contenders ranged from the lavish, G-rated musical “Hello Dolly!” to the X-rated “Midnight Cowboy.” There was also the political thriller “Z” - the first foreign-language best pic nominee in 31 years - and “Anne of the Thousand Days,” produced by Hal Wallis, whose first nomination came way back in 1932. The dichotomy was reflected at the box office in 1969: It had such landmarks as “Easy Rider,” “The Wild Bunch” and “Midnight Cowboy” - American film had achieved full adult status - but the movie that made the most money was Disney’s “The Love Bug.” On Oscar night, studio-system legends bumped up against youth-movement icons, and it made for heavy drama, amusing conflict and sincere sentiment. This was the year that the fissures of old and new Hollywood were coming to the fore.

Inside Oscar 2 by Damien Bona