Tom Hanks Makes It Two In A Row “Forrest Gump” Collects Six Oscars, Including Best Film And Best Actor

Had Forrest Gump gone to Hollywood, he probably would have stumbled into a night like this.

Winning six Oscars on Monday was just the kind of success that seemed to drop into the lap of the slow-witted hero of “Forrest Gump,” a man whose surreal journey through postwar America included shaking hands with presidents and inspiring John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Since its release last summer, everything has seemed to go right for the Paramount feature. Despite mixed reviews, its gross quickly topped $100 million, and its current take of more than $317 million puts it in the No. 4 spot on Hollywood’s list of all-time top moneymakers.

“The Lion King” had comparable box office success, but “Forrest Gump” was the film about which everyone seemed to have an opinion. Some thought it celebrated liberal values, others conservative values. Many just got a kick out of the title character’s homespun wisdom.

“Gump” won for best picture, best director and best actor, with star Tom Hanks becoming the first back-to-back winner in that category since Spencer Tracy more than 50 years ago. It also received the Oscar for adapted screenplay.

As always, the Oscar ceremony ran long. But while the makers of “Forrest Gump” had to wait more than three hours to collect their prizes, their patience was topped by best actress winner Jessica Lange, honored for a movie made in 1991.

“This is such an honor,” said Lange, “especially for a little film that seemed to have no future.”

“Blue Sky” was shelved for three years because of studio financial troubles; its director, Tony Richardson, died before it was released, and it was a box-office flop despite good reviews.

Lange was cited for her role as an unstable, frustrated Army wife. She had won a supporting Oscar for the 1982 comedy “Tootsie.”

Supporting awards went to Dianne Wiest, the grandly melodramatic stage star in “Bullets Over Broadway,” and Martin Landau, a washed-up, drug-addicted Bela Lugosi in “Ed Wood.”

For Wiest, it was the second supporting award - both times in Woody Allen films. Eight years ago she accepted the Oscar for “Hannah and Her Sisters.”

Robert Zemeckis won as best director for “Gump,” which drew a near-record 13 Academy nominations.

But it was unable to turn that baker’s dozen into enough Oscars to come close to challenging Hollywood’s most honored film, “Ben Hur,” the 1959 release that won 11 Oscars.

“Pulp Fiction” took the original screenplay award for Quentin Tarantino, who also directed the dark gangster comedy, and Roger Avary. “Forrest Gump” brought the best adapted screenplay prize for Eric Roth.

Technical awards were spread over an unusually wide field. “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” took the Oscar for costume design, “Ed Wood” for makeup, “Speed” for sound effects editing and sound, “Legends of the Fall” for cinematography and “The Madness of King George” for art direction.

Disney’s “The Lion King” won best original score and the animated film’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” by Elton John and Tim Rice was named best song.

Russia’s “Burnt By The Sun” was honored as best foreign film.

The Feature Documentary award, in one of the evening’s less warmly received moments, went to the Academy documentary committee’s ex-chairwoman, Freida Lee Mock, for “Maya Lin: A Strong, Clear Voice.”

Throughout the night, repeated references were made about the omission of the year’s most notably unnominated documentary, “Hoop Dreams.”

The 67th annual Academy Award ceremonies, at the Shrine Auditorium, had a different host for the third straight year - CBS latenight star David Letterman.

His biggest laugh came when he presented his Top Ten list - signs that the movie you’re watching won’t win any Oscar nominations:

“Nude scene with Uma Thurman replaced by nude scene with Strom Thurmond.” His biggest sigh came with “It’s a beautifully made documentary about two kids from the inner city trying to realize their dreams of playing professional basketball,” a reference to “Hoop Dreams.”

MEMO: These are two sidebars that appeared with the story:

And the winners are…. Best Picture: “Forrest Gump.” Best director: Robert Zemeckis, “Forrest Gump.” Best Actress: Jessica Lange, “Blue Sky.” Best Actor: Tom Hanks, “Forrest Gump.” Best Supporting Actress: Dianne Wiest, “Bullets Over Broadway.” Best Supporting Actor: Martin Landau, “Ed Wood.”

Other winners Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, “Pulp Fiction.” Foreign Film: Russia, “Burnt by the Sun.” Art Direction: Ken Adam and Carolyn Scott, “The Madness of King George.” Cinematography: John Toll, “Legends of the Fall.” Costume Design: Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” Documentary Feature: Freida Lee Mock and Terry Sanders, “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision.’ Documentary Short Subject: Charles Guggenheim, “A Time for Justice.” Film Editing: Arthur Schmidt, “Forrest Gump.” Makeup: Rick Baker, Ve Neill and Yolanda Toussieng, “Ed Wood.” Music Original Score: Hans Zimmer, “The Lion King.” Music Original Song: Elton John and Tim Rice, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” from “The Lion King.” Animated Short Film: Alison Snowden and David Fine, “Bob’s Birthday.” Live Action Short Film (Tie): Peter Capaldi and Ruth KenleyLetts, “Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life,” and Peggy Rajski and Randy Stone, “Trevor.” See Wednesday’s IN Food section for more on the Academy Awards.