61/100 West Side Story
United Artists/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection”My category was called first, and I got lucky. And then Rita [Moreno] got lucky. What a perfect night,” recalls George Chakiris of the night he and Moreno picked up Oscars for their performances as Bernardo and Anita in West Side Story.” Moreno recalls it slightly differently. “I had to wait a long time. At that point, West Side Story had swept the awards, and I thought, ‘My Puerto Rican luck; I’ll be the only one who doesn’t get an award.’ ” When her name was called, she walked to the podium and delivered one of the briefest speeches ever for an Oscar. See the exclusive video, box office totals, famous quotes and more.Directors: Jerome Robbins, Robert WiseCast: Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George ChakirisDomestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $445,523,500Famous quote: “I feel pretty, oh so pretty! I feel pretty, and witty, and gay!” — Maria“The beautiful thing about the evening was that we went together,” recalls Chakiris of the night he and Moreno picked up Oscars for their performances as Bernardo and Anita in West Side Story. “My category was called first, and I got lucky. And then Rita got lucky. What a perfect night.” Moreno recalls it slightly differently. “By the time my category came up, it was very late. I had to wait a long time. At that point, West Side Story had swept the awards, and I thought, ‘My Puerto Rican luck; I’ll be the only one who doesn’t get an award.’” When her name was called, she walked to the podium and delivered one of the briefest speeches ever for an Oscar. “I don’t believe it. Good Lord. I leave you with that.” Says Moreno: “I was not ready to win. I had nothing planned.”
