Movies of 1973 Bracket Game

[TMC]

https://lebeauleblog.com/2023/01/01/...-bracket-game/

After a landslide victory, President Richard Nixon began his second term in office. His Vice President, Spiro Agnew, would resign after pleading no contest to a felony charge for tax evasion. In a sign that things haven’t changed all that much in 50 years, the corrupt politician was fined $10,000 and put on probation. Agnew was replaced by Gerald Ford who would eventually become president without having ever run for the position.

Elvis Presley enjoyed a major comeback with a globally televised concert from Hawaii. Roe v. Wade was decided affirming a woman’s right to autonomy over her body. The World Trade Center opened and American soldiers came home from the Vietnam “conflict”. As alluded to previously, the Watergate scandal played out. Saturday Night Massacre, “I am not a crook”. All of that. I’m not even going to attempt to cover it in detail in this intro. It was a whole thing.

The Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins at Super Bowl VII. George Foreman defeated Joe Frazier to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Secretariat became the ninth horse in history to win the American Triple Crown with record-breaking times in all three races. Billie Jean King bested tennis player Bobby Riggs in the famed Battle of the Sexes match.

All in the Family and The Waltons were the top shows on TV. Tony Orlando and Dawn suggested that we tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree while Jim Croce warned us against tugging on Superman’s cape or spitting into the wind. And the most popular children’s toy was Hasbro’s Baby Alive which could eat and go potty.

The highest grossing movies of the year were The Exorcist and The Sting. The Sting went on to win Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars while The Exorcist had to settle for Best Adapted Screenplay. Marvin Hamlisch took home two statues; Best Song for “The Way We Were” and Best Scoring for The Sting. The ceremony was perhaps best remembered for a streaker who flashed host David Niven. Niven replied, “Isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?”