The 44th Academy Awards were presented April 10, 1972, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis Jr., and Jack Lemmon. One of the highlights of the evening was one of the last public appearances of Betty Grable, who died the following year. She appeared alongside one of her leading men from the 1940s, singer Dick Haymes, to present the musical scoring awards. This was the first time in Awards history that the nominees were shown in superimposed pictures while being announced. Around seventy-five million viewers watched the ceremony.
Nominations announced on February 22, 1972. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.
Chaplin, who had been living in self-imposed exile in Switzerland for twenty years, went back to the United States to re-market his older films and to receive this award. When introduced to the audience, Chaplin received a twelve-minute standing ovation, the longest in Academy Awards history.