Composer John Williams Earns Astonishing 52nd Oscar Nomination

A little while ago I wrote an article about John Williams and his illustrious career coming to a close with the release of The Rise of Skywalker.  Did we hear thee last of the greatest modern-day composers of all time?  With Indiana Jones being the only possibility, I think we have.  If this is to be his final soundtrack, it will not go unnoticed as this is the self-record-breaking, 52^nd Oscar nomination for John Williams.  For those not keeping track that is 52 out of 92 years of Oscars. Only Walt Disney sits any higher with 59 nominations.

John Williams Oscar Nominations by the Numbers

For those not keeping track of John’s career of gold and glass, here are his numbers.  John Williams won 5/52 Oscar nominations, 3 out of 6 Emmy Awards, 4 out of 25 Golden Globes, 23 out of 67 Grammy awards, has received 7 British Academy Film Awards.  Collectors awe and gawk at fellow collectors rooms plastered wall to wall with memorabilia the chosen title.  Now Imagine a room like that with wall to wall trophies!

John Williams received his very first nomination way back in 1967 of Valley of the Dolls.  It would be four years later before he won his first Oscar for Fiddler on the Roof.  He would go on to win four more times with Star Wars, Jaws, E.T. The Extraterrestrial, and Schindler’s List.  While wins are great, there are just so many classics he composed that wins alone don’t even begin to cover his greatness.

A Wild Award Season

This award season looks to be intriguing to say the least.  The fields are largely diverse such that no one film dominates predictions.  The Academy Awards recently released their nominations and theirs looks so different from the SAG or Golden Globes or other awards.  The winners so far have also stayed varied.  Joker may have the most nominations this year, but it is not sweeping the awards so far.

Thus begs the question: what will happen with the Original Score category?  There are some big name films in the group.  1917 and Joker are big hitters, but are their scores equal to John Williams?  Will voters see his name and think he deserves the win for his final score?  Will they bet he does Indiana Jones 5, thus giving him one more chance to go out on top?  Or do they even care and will vote for the hot title?

I am betting his career is officially wrapped, so I would like to see John Williams win this final award. Also, it works so beautifully in the film it really is a top score. We shall find out when the Oscars air on February 9th.