Hollywood Flashback: ‘Ordinary People’ Led CBS’ First Golden Globes

For the first time in over 40 years, CBS is set to air the telecast. The awards ceremony is a long-standing television tradition, typically maintaining a more relaxed atmosphere than the Academy Awards, partly due to the abundance of alcohol. However, the Globes, first aired in 1944 and having a stint on NBC in the 1960s, was off-air for much of the 1970s because of controversies plaguing the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s voting system. The inaugural CBS airing happened on Jan. 31, 1981, featuring a movie based on Judith Guest’s 1976 novel about a wealthy family coping with tragedy as a standout winner. The film received eight nominations and took home five awards, including best drama, best actress (Mary Tyler Moore) and best director (Robert Redford’s directorial debut). A 20-year-old promising talent bagged the award for best supporting actor and newcomer of the year, with these awards being presented by Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin whose comedy was nominated in three categories. Reviews praised the young actor’s realistic and sensitive performance, lauding it as a strong contribution to the film’s success. Two months down the line, the movie scooped four Oscars, with the young actor setting a record as the youngest winner of the supporting actor award — a record he still retains. Following another year on CBS, the Globes found a home on NBC until the 2023 telecast. Disputes regarding the HFPA and its lack of diversity led to its disintegration in June, with Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries taking over the Globes. (Both DCP and Eldridge are property of Penske Media.) The Globes are set to return to CBS on Jan. 7, hosted by Jo Koy. While the best newcomer category was scrapped after 1983, this year’s ceremony will introduce new awards for “cinematic and box office achievement” and “best stand-up comedy performance on television.” In reflecting on his success, the young actor said in 2015, “It was one of the most ideal set of circumstances I’ve ever experienced in my life.” To keep abreast with THR news, sign up for daily newsletters. More from The Hollywood Reporter.