9 April 1979, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, USA
[Speaking simultaniously in sign language:] I'm so happy. I wanted to win very much because I'm so proud of "Coming Home," and I want many people to see the movie. I'm signing part of what I'm saying tonight because, while we were making the movie, we all became more aware of the problems of the handicapped. Over 14 million people are deaf. They are the invisible handicapped and can't share this evening, so this is my way of acknowledging them. [End sign language.]
I'm so proud and grateful. It's been almost eight years. This film, "Coming Home," was born in Santa Monica where we live, in the cramped offices of the Indochina Peace Campaign, as a lot of us whose lives have been bound up with the war sat on the floor. And some of them were veterans. I thank, I thank all of them. One of them was my husband, Tom Hayden; one of them was Bruce Gilbert, who has become my partner and is the associate producer of "Coming Home."
I want to thank Waldo Salt, the first – how do you...? Heavy. The first industry heavy who stuck his neck out and believed in the project. In fact he believed so much in it that he worked for two years for nothing. And he lead us to Jerry Hellman, our producer, who fought for us. And I want to thank you, Jerry, very much. And I want to thank Haskell Wexler who photographed it so sensitively and Bob Jones who came through in the pinch. And I want to thank Hal Ashby; you're not here, Hal, but I want to thank you for your taste and for your courage, for your ability with the scissors. And I want to thank Penny Milford and Bobby Carradine and Bruce Dern and my pal Jon Voight, and Mike Medavoy and Eric Pleskow and Arthur Krim and Marcia Nasatir for getting us the money to make it.
And finally I want to thank my children, Troy and Vanessa, for being understanding and forgiving me my absences. And again my husband, who helped me believe that besides being entertaining movies can inspire and teach and even be healing. Thank you, all of you. Thank the Academy very much.