The No. 1 Movie On July 21, 1966 Was Nominated For Every Category At The Oscars

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On July 21, 1966 — 50 years ago today as of this writing — the number one movie at the box office was "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" ... which may or may not speak to rampant marital discord across the United States at the time. That total conjecture aside, this film also made Academy Award history at the 39th ceremony in 1967, where it became one of only three movies to get nominated in every eligible category. (As of this writing, only two other movies have accomplished this: 1931's Western "Cimarron" and Ryan Coogler's audacious 2025 vampire musical "Sinners.")

So what is "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Adapted from the play of the same name by Edward Albee — which itself is considered a classic of the American canon — the film, directed by the late legend Mike Nichols, stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, two massively successful actors who happened to be in the midst of their first marriage at the time. Taylor and Burton, who were married from 1964 to 1974 and then again from 1975 to 1976, play Martha and George, a married couple with ties to a local university; Martha is the daughter of said university's president, and George is an associate history professor. One evening, they invite a younger couple, biology professor Nick and his wife Honey (George Segal and Sandy Dennis), over for dinner, only for the audience to learn, along with Nick and Honey, that George and Martha are unhinged.

Throughout mind games, screaming matches, and drunken arguments, Nick and Honey are psychologically tormented by their hosts, with the title coming from a bizarre "remix" of "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" created by George and Martha themselves. It's horrifying, perfectly acted, and a remarkable cinematic achievement.

When all was said and done at the 39th Academy Awards, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" took home five statues. Elizabeth Taylor, who won her first Oscar for "BUtterfield 8" in 1960, took home the award for best actress, and Sandy Dennis won best supporting actress; in the technical categories, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" was rewarded for its art direction, cinematography, and costume design. (The film lost best picture to "A Man for All Seasons," which also won best director for Fred Zinneman over Mike Nichols and best actor for Paul Scofield over Richard Burton.)

The legacy of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is nothing to be scared of, however. Taylor Swift, a noted fan of Taylor for several reasons unrelated to their shared name, released a song on her 2024 album "The Tortured Poets Department" called "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" in a clear reference to this Burton-Taylor classic. (She also, for that matter, released a song simply titled "Elizabeth Taylor" on her 2025 album "The Life of a Showgirl," so it's clearly a deep well of inspiration.) Most infamously, "The Dinner Party," one of the all-time best episodes of the American version of "The Office," is a take on this play and movie as Steve Carell's Michael Scott and Melora Hardin's Jan Levinson torment each other while osso bucco takes hours to braise in the oven, horrifying guests like Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer). 

You can rent "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" on major streaming platforms like Amazon if you haven't seen it ... and if you haven't, you definitely should check it out.