All About the Oscars

Speech! Speech!

Will our favorite actors win? Will the film we loved the most get recognized as “Best Picture”? All suspense hinges on the opening of that little sealed envelope, an envelope that often seals the future of many a giddy Hollywood newcomer or re-ignites interest in an older celebrity whose star had begun to fade. It wasn’t until 1941, however, that the drum-roll phrase “The envelope please” came into traditional use. Prior to that, everyone—including the recipients—knew who had won before they ever sat down to enjoy a lavish dinner.

On occasion, of course, there was always at least one person for whom the announcements were a total surprise. At the 1933 ceremonies, host Will Rogers called out the name of the Best Director. Since he only used the first name "Frank", Frank Capra was halfway to the podium to make his speech before he realized the actual winner was Frank Lloyd.

Prior to 1935, it’s interesting to note that write-in candidates were allowed if those on the voting committee felt someone of accomplishment had been omitted from the nominations. That practice was abandoned.

As live broadcasts came into vogue, savvy advertisers soon figured out that a lot of commercials could be sold if they could encourage at-home viewers to commit to over three hours of wistful star-gazing and anticipation. Much of those 3+ hours, of course, are taken up with tear-choked tributes and speeches by the winners who are intent not to leave out mention of anyone on the planet who helped them reach this special milestone. To date, Greer Garson still holds the record for longest “thank you” at a whopping 7 minutes. The rest of the program has grown to reflect the addition of new film categories, especially in the area of technology.

Interested in seeing movie posters of each of the winning films dating back to 1928? You can make this nostalgia journey with a quick click to Oscar Legacy. A brief synopsis accompanies each image. There’s something else you may want to take note of when learning all about the Oscars: the winning films all have relatively short titles.

All About the Oscars Kodak Moments

With all the world watching, there’s been plenty of room for exposure, and not just in the category of revealing evening wear.

Who can forget, for instance, the 1973 Academy Awards when a streaker suddenly sprinted across the stage? Inimitably unflappable, David Niven turned to the audience and candidly remarked, “Isn’t it fascinating to think that the only laugh that man will probably ever get in his life was when he stripped off to show his shortcomings.”

Or how about Rob Lowe and Snow White teaming up for a duet of “Proud Mary”? It was not one of life’s better spotlights for either one of them, nor for the producer who thought it would be a great idea. None of them have ever lived down this embarrassing moment.

In 1976, Rocky was a heavyweight contender for Best Picture. Sylvester Stallone and Muhammed Ali memorialized the event by briefly sparring together on stage.

In 1991, Jack Palance demonstrated that a person can be in great shape at any age; his one-armed push-ups are still the stuff of screen legends.

“You like me! You really like me!” In retrospect, Sally Field probably regrets giving stand-up comics a line they could have fun with for years to come.

In 1998, Life is Beautiful took home two awards for Roberto Benigni. With unabashed glee, he ran up and down the aisles proclaiming he loved everyone.

John Wayne’s last public appearance before succumbing to cancer was in 1978 when the Academy staged a special tribute to his contributions to American cinema. The standing ovation he received from his admirers is among the longest on record.

Oscar Himself

Contrary to whimsical rumor, Oscars are not made of chocolate and wrapped in gold foil. At 13.5” high, which is tall enough to escort Barbie to the Kodak Theater now that she has broken up with Ken, he is made out of alloy britannium, then plated in copper, 24-carat gold and nickel silver. During World War II, of course, metals were in high demand for other, more important uses. The winners were given plaster reproductions which were then traded back for the real thing once peacetime reigned again. Since the year 1950, Oscar winners have been required to sign releases that promise they will never sell their prize no matter how many loser roles they have to accept in later years in order to pay the rent.

The design itself is symbolic. The object that he is holding is a knight’s sword, which is representative of the crusading spirit of the motion picture industry. (Hmm—isn’t the pen supposed to be mightier?) He is standing on top of a reel of film that contains five spokes, each of these symbolizing the five primary areas of Academy recognition—acting, directing, producing, screenwriting, and technical effects, which encompasses sound, music, cinematography, costumes, etc.

Is Your Script Ready for Its Close-Up?

Aspiring screenwriters have always been full of angst about what kind of radical changes might befall their beloved manuscripts in the hands of the wrong director or star. Such was the case with Ring Lardner, Jr. who was annoyed and appalled by Robert Altman’s cinematic interpretation of his script, a dark comedy about American servicemen during the Korean War. He was convinced, in fact, that the whole film would be better off on the cutting room floor than being subjected to condemnation by an unforgiving public that was still divided on the country’s controversial participation in VietNam. In spite of the number of nominations that were garnered by M*A*S*H for the 1970 Academy Awards, it only took home one that evening…in the category of Best Screenplay.

To enjoy more facts and trivia all about the Oscars, visit Academy Awards. In addition, this website’s comprehensive Academy Awards database allows you to browse statistics related to acting, directing, foreign films and all of those wacky incongruities regarding movies that take home a sleigh full of awards and yet fail to earn the title of “Best Picture”.

Movie hounds may also want to visit Internet Movie Database, which yields a bounty of production information on award-winning films as well as links to film critic reviews and commentary.