Johnny Carson knew that John Wayne needed no introduction. He was so tactful and perfect as a host, nobody will ever come close.

RIP Michael Cimino...thanks for the Deer Hunter, one of the greatest movies of all time.

RIP John Wayne (May 26, 1907 - June 11, 1979), aged 72 RIP John Cazale (August 12, 1935 - March 13, 1978), aged 42 RIP Michael Cimino (February 3, 1939 - July 2, 2016), aged 77 You will always be remembered as legends.

Love you John Wayne, may you rest in peace.

This is history. Francis Ford Coppola presents an award to Michael Cimino, then John Wayne makes his last public appearance. Meanwhile Gregory Peck and Lawrence Olivier is in the crowd applause him. Then the ending credits with all those movie stars! It was the perfect end of the old Hollywood...

that was a very emotional time for John Wayne with him knowing that he really didn't have much more time on this Earth and not much more time being two months after this appearance he passed away,may you rest easy Mr. Wayne "The Duke"

Heartbreaking to see John Wayne in that much pain. You can just see it on his face. God bless him and I hope he is at peace.

Hard to watch. You can see Duke's struggling, but with classic Duke Wayne style, he mustered through it and did it with dignity.... Hell, not just anybody could take on the role of Oscar presenter with terminal cancer.

that man had more dignity than the whole of modern hollywood put together

When Hollywood had talent, when the Oscars recognized that talent, and now, nothing but memories of an era that is gone forever!

The time when Oscars still had some dignity.

Even Laurence Olivier had to stand in awe of John Wayne

John wayne is my hero. The fact that in his terminal state...he was still able to make an appearance and do it with such grace speaks volumes about this icon. Rest in peace duke

Now that's a real example of true grit...

Two months later, Marion Morrison was gone. But John Wayne lives on.

If this happened in 2017 all anyone would do is make jokes about all the errors John Wayne made, but really as Scott Aymen described it, this was Wayne's most heroic act, one last act of defiance and show of strength, considering he could barely get out of bed or walk 20 feet, truly an incredible man

Love the fact that Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier gave standing ovation to John Wayne who is alongside with them one of the greatest actors of all time.In addition I love Johny Carson as the host.Iconic voice and sense of humor..That was the time when Hollywood had something to offer..

man this was so emotional, to see john wayne. man, he was something else... rip, duke!

The Deer Hunter is one of the Best films ever...a masterpiece.

In a talk with Martin Sheen, Francis reveals that he was fed a marijuana cookie (without him knowing) just before going up on stage, and that he became "inspired" and that's why he started rambling about the future of communication and the movies in the 80s!

the 70s were such a golden age of movies

For all you Wayne-haters, take a look at the grace this man had to attend this function, and be on-camera, knowing, as he must have, that this was it. Love ya Duke! Rest in Peace.

I absolutely love how Duke clapped for each of the best picture candidates. He was always so genuine - I think that's in part why people love him.

"So Mike, what's next?" "Oh, you're gonna love it. I call it 'Heaven's Gate'..."

John Wayne..you are still a legend in 2014...

The Deer Hunter is a masterpiece

every time I see the clip of John Wayne walking out on stage I have to cry just a little bit and I am so glad to have lived in the time when he made a lot of great movies.....and we went to the drive -in movies to see many of them as a family.

Tears watching this. Was emotional as a kid years back and just as emotional today in 2021. A very flawed man but nevertheless a true movie giant. Trust you to make me cry Duke. RIP 😢

The Deer Hunter is Gold.

When the Oscars still had class and integrity

Oh my Goodness !!! In the end when all of those other famous actors came on stage to see John Wayne -- his heart just filled with so much joy! He really enjoyed seeing all of these long-time friends! I'm sure that his heart was full of love seeing so many of his friends all in one place!

The Deer Hunter is so great. One of my favorite all time movies. Another good movie by Cimino is 'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot'.

One of the great Oscar moments. John Wayne. A few months later, he was dead. RIP.

I love John Wayne. The more I know about cancer and see how much pain he is in.. I just wanted to shorten his lines and let him sit down to greet everyone.. John Wayne worked hard for many years. He may have said some off remarks to some.

John Wayne the greatest movie star in history.

RIP Michael Cimino and the Duke

I have to say I love Midnight Express. What a movie. So intense performances.

So touching, yet sad, to see all those stars at the end greet Mr. Wayne in person. I hadn't seen this footage until now, thanks so much for posting.

The broadcast ends with all the stars meeting and saying their hellos with the ailing Duke. R.I.P.

Deserved win.....and from the hands of Francis and Legendary John Wayne....what a way to win oscars.

John Wayne was a great actor and american Idol RIP John wayne

Im a 56 year old man from the UK. As a family we grew up watching John Wayne movies. My uncle (my dads brother) was the spit of John Wayne even had the deep voice to, but just a little shorter than Mr Wayne. Seeing Mr Wayne on the stage at the Oscar's looking so thin reminds me of my Dad before he died of cancer at 84, i had tears in my eyes watching this.

quite simply one of the best and most moving movies ever made, from back in the day when winning and Oscar was a sign of quality

God bless John Wayne!and man 1978 was a great year for films.

I remember that The Deer Hunter was so revered that it was shown for the first time on broadcast TV uncut/uncensored. Not too many R rated movies got that treatment.

The days when the Academy Awards were exciting to watch. Miss those days.

I still remember seeing this as a kid. When the oscars were really the oscars. Great to see legends like Sir Lawrence Olivier & Gregory Peck in the audience. Sad to see the standing ovation for John Wayne. He was fighting cancer at the time. These kind of oscars will NEVER be again.

RIP genious

What a slew of legends on the stage at the end to greet the Duke reminds me of Ted Williams being greeted on the field by the MLB All-Stars at that game years ago. Overwhelming!!

This is why KZfaq is so worthwhile! Taking us to a time when "effort" was the watchword and excellence its outcome. I remember the original TV showing and the sadness of witnessing what was to be the final Oscar appearance of The Duke.

John Wayne looks so frail here, He is sadly missed by many people! A true gentleman

The Duke knew he was very ill and the comment he made was so emotional, "thats the only medicine a fella ever really need."

John Wayne was an American treasure. I grew up on his movies. Wish we had more actors like him today!

Coppola’s speech was like a prophecy.

The Deer Hunter is my all time favorite flick. I've watched the DVD of it nearly a 1/2 dozen times and it still affects me the same way it did the first time I saw it. Best movie of all time! R.I.P. to all of the actors and other who are no longer with us. God bless them all.

Johnny Carson oozed class.

the first time my dad ever cried...Seeing John Wayne near death

The 51st Oscar telecast was the first one for longtime Oscar set designer Roy Christopher, who, along with longtime friend and fellow Oscar set designer Ray Klausen, are the best Oscar set designers of all-time!

Take a shot every time Francis Ford Coppola scratches his beard

Standing ovation for the Duke......a last hurrah for one that's well deserved. Rest in Peace and Rest in Power, dear Mr. John Wayne ❤❤❤ If we could only go back to that magical decade of 1970s😘😪

I'm pretty sure that viewers of that year's show who were John Wayne fans were crying that night. They knew that that was the last they'd ever see of him, I'm sure.

RIP Micheal Cimino. He was a real genius but Hollywood doesn't understand his talent.

The Deer Hunter has directing and producing.

John Wayne um dos melhores caubóis de todos os tempos, adoro ele como ator em todos os filmes.

I had a chance to meet John Wayne not long before he died. I wish I meet him now. He lived right across the bay from me back then. The "Duke"

John Wayne was one of the best that ever was in the world of acting and film. A gentleman till the very end.

All those people at the end to say hello and, unfortunately, to say goodbye... what an awesome sight for an American Icon. RIP Duke.

Granted I didn't care for the man's politics or his bigoted statements but the will it took for him to get on the stage and present the award despite being in incredible pain was very courageous. Even though I didn't agree with him on a lot things John Wayne won my respect.

What a better way to close out the award show 😔🙏🏻 God Bless You John The Duke Wayne forever a Favorite in My Family

Obviously Coppola had just traveled back in time from the future because he nailed the digital revolution. The man is a genius.

" One more..." Love John Wayne!

Coppola was stoned here. He inadvertently ate one of Bill Graham's pot cookies.

rip michael cimino. you made one of the best movie in history

Michael cimino is among the kings of cinema.

MY GOD THIS IS SO HARD FOR ME TO WATCH JOHN WAYNE IS MY HERO KNOWING THIS IS NOT LONG BEFORE HE DIED JUST BREAKS MY HEART HE IS SO MISSED AND THEY DO NOT MAKE THEM LIKE HIM ANYMORE SADLY 🙏

Michael Cimino is a masterpiece.

Pocos premios recibió para tan bien actor como fue. SE METECIA MÁS.!! MÁS RECONOCIMIENTOS Y MÁS PREMIOS. HASTA SIEMPRE.!!😙

John Wayne first film debut in 1928 and his last film debut in 1978. 50 years of acting in films. One of the very best.

Ali MacGraw looks absolutely spectacular here; as good as she has ever looked! Wayne was extremely debilitated; I read that he was so thin that he wore a wet suit under the tux to fill our his frame.

A most sincere Thankyou and acceptance by Mr Christopher Walken .

Fun fact: Mike mentions John Wayne in The Deer Hunter.

Wow. John Wayne conversing with the Hollywood stars and friends for the last time. It feels like an end to a movie.

RIP John Wayne! You are still bigger than life! This is when Academy Award shows were still classy, and highly respected. I don’t believe you would approve of what we’re forced to watch today.

Coppola invited Bill Graham to the Oscars. Graham was eating cookies. Before he went on stage, Coppola grabbed a cookie from his stash. Graham's said, "No! Not that one!" Coppola said he felt weird going on stage presenting and didn't know why. Turned out the cookie was laced with Marijuana. That explains his going off script.

That magnificent Duke!!, happy birthday today

Grateful for KZfaq, and it having these types of videos, today.

5:25 another legend whose height was but one of many attributes that made him stood out - Gregory Peck

Big Duke was dying from lung cancer in this vid.... :-(

Sadly John Wayne passed away 2 months later in June.

Cool how the orchestra played Cimino on with the song Ca't Take my Eyes Off You, an homage to the classic pool table scene

John Wayne here visibil afected by terminal cancer. He died two months later. Emotional moments. John Wayne was (in my opinion) most best actor in all time. He played perfect in beautiful movies like: Stagecoach, Angel and the Bad Man, 3 Goodfathers, Red River, Hondo, The Searchers, Rio Bravo, The Man Who Kill Liberty Vallance, McLintock, El Dorado, Rio Lobo, Rio Grande, The Sons of Katie Elder ,The War Wagon, True Grit, Chisum, Big Jake, The Cowboys,The Train Robbers, Brannigan, Rooster Cogburn, The Shootist, Big Jake, Cahill U.S. Marshal etc. R.I.P Big John

The Deer Hunter, next is Heaven's Gate. Two polarising but great masterpieces of Michael Cimino!

Coppola's digital age prediction is remarkable and even scary in it's accuracy considering that this was still the 70's! Not sure he realized the internet would be born and and the rise of personal communication devices would be in virtually everyone's hands, but I was just shocked hearing him make those observations and say communication revolution. Now, relatively cheap digital devices can make anyone a film maker, and though that has changed things, I have to disagree with Coppola's prediction about films getting better because of it. In my opinion the digital age has ruined cinematography and this was becoming obvious to me at about the mid 80's. Gone today are the true grit movies of the 60's and 70's where things were filmed on location for realism and where necessary a stunt man was used for a humanly possible and conceivable feat. Now everything is green screen and over the top CGI graphics that try to pass as realism. I miss creativity and the 70's, and I hardly watch films anymore because your choices are either full out special effects movies with a weak story, or quickly thrown together films, be it comedy or romance that look like made for television specials.

The Deer Hunter, Cimino's finest hour. He never reached those heights again. Shame what happened to him

A great Actor.👏 RIP Mr. John Wayne 🙏

"It is not those who can inflict the most, but those that can suffer the most who will conquer."

Just mths before we lost Duke The Best!..thx 4 Memories Duke!💥💜💜💜

A lot of legends on that stage are gone

Thanks Duke, the USA 🇺🇸 wouldn’t be the same without you ❤

I heard he went right from here to the hospital. My parents and I always watched this thing back then. I'm 60 and they're long gone, so is the Duke and his country. Haven't watched the Oscars in at least 35 yrs.