Charlton Heston, rugged star of “Ben-Hur,” and France’s Simone Signoret, the wayward wife in “Room at the Top,” ruled as king and queen of the movies today — Oscar winners for the best actor and actress of 1959.
The stars shared the spotlight with “Ben-Hur” at last night’s 32nd annual Academy Awards program when the $15 million spectacle won the best picture Oscar and 10 other awards, more than any film in history.
Shelley Winters, playing a Dowdy housewife in “The Diary of Anne Frank,” won the best supporting actress honor, and English star Hugh Griffith won best supporting actor for his role in “Ben-Hur.”
Scores of stars crowded into the Pantages Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, where their enthusiasm was somewhat dimmed by the month-long strike of the screen actors guild against the major movie studios.
Master of ceremonies Bob Hope joked about the strike on the nationally televised show.
This continues the Appeal’s review of news stories and headlines during its Sesquicentennial year.
