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(Top) 1 Winners and nominees 1.1 Programs 1.2 Acting 1.2.1 Lead performances 1.2.2 Supporting performances 1.3 Directing 1.4 Writing 2 Most major nominations 3 Most major awards 4 References 5 External links

31st Primetime Emmy Awards

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Date

September 9, 1979
(Ceremony)

September 8, 1979
(Creative Arts Awards)

Location

Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California

Presented by

Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Hosted by

Henry Winkler
Cheryl Ladd

Highlights

Most awards

All in the Family
Friendly Fire
The Jericho Mile
Lou Grant
Roots: The Next Generations
Taxi (2)

Most nominations

Lou Grant (12)

Outstanding Comedy Series

Taxi

Outstanding Drama Series

Lou Grant

Outstanding Limited Series

Roots: The Next Generations

Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program

Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin

Television/radio coverage

Network

ABC

← 30th ·

Primetime Emmy Awards

· 32nd →

The 31st Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 9, 1979. The ceremony was broadcast on ABC. It was hosted by Henry Winkler and Cheryl Ladd. This ceremony is remembered for problems with the Pasadena Civic Auditorium's air-conditioning.

The top shows of the night were Taxi, which pulled an upset in the Outstanding Comedy Series field when it beat All in the Family's final season, and Lou Grant, which received 12 major nominations and won two awards including Outstanding Drama Series.

For the first time, most of the miniseries and Television movie categories were merged into one, this would become the standard for later ceremonies, culminating with the TV Movie and Miniseries program categories combining in 2011. For this year only, the comedy and variety categories were combined in acting, directing, and writing. This combination would not stick, and the traditional categories returned the next year.

Winners and nominees[edit]

^[1]

Programs[edit]

Programs
Outstanding Comedy Series Taxi (ABC) All in the Family (CBS) Barney Miller (ABC) MASH* (CBS) Mork & Mindy (ABC)	Outstanding Drama Series Lou Grant (CBS) The Paper Chase (NBC) The Rockford Files (NBC)
Outstanding Limited Series Roots: The Next Generations (ABC) Backstairs at the White House (NBC) Blind Ambition (CBS)	Outstanding Drama or Comedy Special Friendly Fire (ABC) Dummy (CBS) First, You Cry (CBS) The Jericho Mile (ABC) Summer of My German Soldier (NBC)
Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin (NBC) Arthur Fiedler: Just Call Me Maestro (PBS) The Muppet Show (Syndicated) Saturday Night Live (NBC) Shirley MacLaine at the Lido (CBS)

Acting[edit]

Lead performances[edit]

Acting
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Carroll O'ConnorasArchie BunkerinAll in the Family (CBS) Alan AldaasHawkeye PierceinMASH (CBS) Judd Hirsch as Alex Reiger in Taxi* (ABC) Hal Linden as Capt. Barney Miller in Barney Miller (ABC) Robin Williams as Mork in Mork & Mindy (ABC)	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series *Ruth Gordon as Dee Wilcox in Taxi* (ABC) (Episode: "Sugar Mama")** Katherine Helmond as Jessica Tate in Soap (ABC) Linda Lavin as Alice Hyatt in Alice (CBS) Isabel SanfordasLouise JeffersoninThe Jeffersons (CBS) Jean StapletonasEdith BunkerinAll in the Family (CBS)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series *Ron Leibman as Martin Kazinsky in Kaz* (CBS)** Edward AsnerasLou GrantinLou Grant (CBS) James GarnerasJim RockfordinThe Rockford Files (NBC) Jack Klugman as Dr. Quincy in Quincy, M.E. (NBC)	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series *Mariette Hartley as Dr. Caroline Fields in The Incredible Hulk* (CBS) (Episode: "Married")** Barbara Bel Geddes as Eleanor Southworth Ewing Farlow in Dallas (CBS) Rita Moreno as Rita Capkovic in The Rockford Files (NBC) (Episode: "Rosendahl and Gilda Stern are Dead") Sada Thompson as Kate Lawrence in Family (ABC)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special *Peter Strauss as Larry "Rain" Murphy in The Jericho Mile* (ABC)** Ned Beatty as Gene Mullen in Friendly Fire (ABC) Louis Gossett Jr. as Houseman Levi Mercer in Backstairs at the White House (NBC) Kurt RussellasElvis PresleyinElvis (ABC)	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special *Bette Davis as Lucy Mason in Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter* (CBS)** Carol Burnett as Peg Mullen in Friendly Fire (NBC) Olivia Cole as Maggie Rogers in Backstairs at the White House (NBC) Katharine Hepburn as Miss Lilly Moffat in The Corn Is Green (CBS) Mary Tyler Moore as Betty Rollin in First, You Cry (CBS)

Supporting performances[edit]

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series *Robert Guillaume as Benson DuBois in Soap* (ABC)** Gary BurghoffasRadar O'ReillyinMASH (CBS) Danny DeVito as Louie De Palma in Taxi* (ABC) Max Gail as Det. Stan Wojciehowicz in Barney Miller (ABC) Harry MorganasSherman T. PotterinMAS*H (CBS)	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series Sally StruthersasGloria Bunker-StivicinAll in the Family (CBS) (Episode: "California, Here We Are") Polly HolidayasFlorence Jean CastleberryinAlice (CBS) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham in Happy Days (CBS) Loretta SwitasMargaret HoulihaninMAS*H (CBS)
Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series *Stuart Margolin as Evelyn "Angel" Martin in The Rockford Files* (NBC)** Mason Adams as Charlie Hume in Lou Grant (CBS) Noah Beery, Jr. as Joseph Rockford in The Rockford Files (NBC) Joe Santos as Det. Dennis Becker in The Rockford Files (NBC) Robert Walden as Joe Rossi in Lou Grant (CBS)	Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series *Kristy McNichol as Letitia Lawrence in Family* (ABC)** Linda Kelsey as Billie Newman in Lou Grant (CBS) Nancy Marchand as Margaret Pynchon in Lou Grant (CBS)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special Marlon BrandoasGeorge Lincoln RockwellinRoots: The Next Generations (ABC) (Episode: "Part VII") Ed FlandersasPresident Calvin CoolidgeinBackstairs at the White House (NBC) (Episode: "Book Two") Al Freeman, Jr.asMalcolm XinRoots: The Next Generations (ABC) (Episode: "Part VII") Robert VaughnasPresident Woodrow WilsoninBackstairs at the White House (NBC) (Episode: "Book One") Paul Winfield as Dr. Horace Huguley in Roots: The Next Generations (ABC) (Episode: "Part V")	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special *Esther Rolle as Ruth in Summer of My German Soldier* (NBC)** Ruby Dee as Queen Haley in Roots: The Next Generations (ABC) Colleen Dewhurst as Mrs. O'Neil in Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story (CBS) Eileen HeckartasEleanor RooseveltinBackstairs at the White House (NBC) Celeste HolmasFlorence HardingonBackstairs at the White House (NBC)

Directing[edit]

Directing
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series Barney Miller (ABC): "The Harris Incident" – Noam Pitlik All in the Family (CBS): "California, Here We Are, Part II" – Paul Bogart MASH* (CBS): "Dear Sis" – Alan Alda MASH* (CBS): "Point of View" – Charles S. Dubin Soap (ABC): "Episode #27" – Jay Sandrich	Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series The White Shadow (CBS): "Pilot" – Jackie Cooper Lou Grant (CBS): "Murder" – Mel Damski Lou Grant (CBS): "Prisoner" – Gene Reynolds Lou Grant (CBS): "Schools" – Burt Brinckerhoff
Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special Friendly Fire (ABC) – David Greene Les Misérables (CBS) – Glenn Jordan Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story (CBS) – Lou Antonio

Writing[edit]

Writing
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series MASH* (CBS): "Inga" – Alan Alda All in the Family (CBS): "California, Here We Are - Part II" – Milt Josefsberg, Phil Sharp, Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf MASH* (CBS): "Point of View" – Ken Levine and David Isaacs Saturday Night Live (NBC): "Host - Richard Benjamin" Taxi (ABC): "Blind Date" – Michael Leeson	Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series Lou Grant (CBS): "Dying" – Michele Gallery Lou Grant (CBS): "Marathon" – Gene Reynolds Lou Grant (CBS): "Vet" – Leon Tokatyan The Paper Chase (CBS): "The Late Mr. Hart" – James Bridges
Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special The Jericho Mile (ABC) – Story by : Patrick J. Nolan Screenplay by : Patrick J. Nolan and Michael Mann Backstairs at the White House (NBC): "Book One" – Paul Dubov and Gwen Bagni Friendly Fire (ABC) – Fay Kanin Roots: The Next Generations (ABC): "Part I" – Ernest Kinoy Summer of My German Soldier (NBC) – Jane-Howard Hammerstein

Most major nominations[edit]

Networks with multiple major nominations^{[note 1]}
Network	Number of nominations
CBS	46
ABC	30
NBC	23

Programs with multiple major nominations
Program	Category	Network	Number of nominations
Lou Grant	Drama	CBS	12
MASH*	Comedy	CBS	9
Backstairs at the White House	Limited	CBS	8
All in the Family	Comedy	CBS	6
The Rockford Files	Drama	NBC
Roots: The Next Generations	Limited	ABC
Friendly Fire	Special		5
Taxi	Comedy		5
Barney Miller	Comedy		4
The Jericho Mile	Special		3
Soap	Comedy
Summer of My German Soldier	Special	NBC
Alice	Comedy	CBS	2
Family	Drama	ABC
First, You Cry	Special	CBS
Mork & Mindy	Comedy	ABC
The Paper Chase	Drama	NBC
Saturday Night Live	Variety	NBC
Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story	Special	CBS

Most major awards[edit]

Networks with multiple major awards^{[note 1]}
Network	Number of Awards
ABC	11
CBS	9
NBC	3

Programs with multiple major awards
Program	Category	Network	Number of Awards
All in the Family	Comedy	CBS	2
Friendly Fire	Special	ABC
The Jericho Mile	Special	ABC
Lou Grant	Drama	CBS
Roots: The Next Generations	Miniseries	ABC
Taxi	Comedy	ABC