1979 was the first year in which the L.A. and N.Y. Film critics agreed on the year’s Best Picture – the domestic drama, Kramer vs. Kramer, though they disagreed on Best Director. L.A. went with Kramer’s Robert Benton while the N.Y. group went with Woody Allen for the second time in three years, for Manhattan.

The National Board of Review picked Manhattan as Best Picture of the year but named Yanks’ John Schlesinger as Best Director. Kramer vs. Kramer was way down on their list of the year’s ten best films, it was in tenth place.

The National Society of Film Critics went in another direction, naming Peter Yates’ coming-of-age comedy, Breaking Away as the year’s Best Picture. Best Director was a tie between Kramer’s Benton and Manhattan’s Allen.

Although Manhattan was a comedy, the Golden Globes decided to nominate it for Best Picture – Drama along with Francis Ford Coppola’s epic Apocalypse Now; James Bridges’ timely nuclear reactor leak drama, The China Syndrome; the female power union organizing drama, Norma Rae and, of course, Kramer vs. Kramer, which won the award.

The Globes’ Best Picture Musical or Comedy nominees included Milos Forman’s rousing film version of the Broadway smash hit, Hair; Mark Rydell’s thinly disguised Janis Joplin biopic, The Rose; Hal Ashby’s wry political satire, Being There and Blake Edwards’ comedy smash, 10, along with Breaking Away, which won.

The Globes named Apocalypse Now’s Coppola as Best Director.

Coppola was nominated for the Directors Guild award along with Manhattan’s Allen; The China Syndrome’s Bridges; Breaking Away’s Yates and Kramer’s Benton, who won.

Oscar agreed with Coppola, Allen and Benton but pulled two other nominees seemingly out of nowhere – Edouard Molinaro for the French farce, La Cage aux Folles and Bob Fosse for the open heart surgery musical, All That Jazz.

All That Jazz was a surprise Best Picture nominee as well, joining Apocalypse Now; Breaking Away; Kramer vs. Kramer and Norma Rae in the race. Kramer vs. Kramer, which had won the lion’s share of the precursors was favored to win, and did. Benton also took home the Oscar for Best Director.

What then, would the other five nominees have been, had Oscar gone with a ten picture slate? Easy – The China Syndrome; Being There; Manhattan; Hair and La Cage aux Folles.