Nobody knows why the prize is so-called
In fact, the stuck word “Oscar” is not the official name of the award, in fact it is the Academy Award of Merit, but from the mid-30s this complex title began to give way to a more capacious colloquial name.
And no one remembers exactly why the Oscar. Actress Bette Davis (perform in Happy Season 3)claimed that she came up with the name because the statuette reminded her of Harmon’s then-husband Oscar Nelson. Librarian and later executive secretary of the Academy, Margaret Herrick, attributed the name to herself. And journalist Sidney Skolski claimed that for the first time he called the award “Oscar” in his article, because he was tired of complex clerical wording and wanted to somehow dilute the text. It is not known which of them is right, and we will never know.
Oscars weren’t always so popular
The Oscar did not immediately become the main film award in the world. At the beginning of its existence, it was a fairly local award, and only 270 industry figures attended the first presentation ceremony in 1929. For the first time on TV “Oscar” began to be shown already in 1953, 24 years after the appearance of the award.
Previously, the names of the winners were not a secret.
The Oscar went to success by trial and error. In 1940, for example, the LA Times published a complete list of winners even before the awards ceremony – it was not so difficult to get it before. It was after this that the Oscar organizers decided to seal the names of the winners in special envelopes. In order not to destroy the intrigue ahead of time.
Draw possible at Oscars
Few know this, the fact that a draw is possible at the Oscars. Moreover, until 1954, in order to win, it was necessary to earn 3 votes more than the closest competitor – otherwise, both received the prize (as happened in 32nd, when Fredrik March and Wallace Berry took the award for Best Actor). Then the rules were changed, and even an advantage of one vote began to be considered victorious. But draws happened anyway.
In 1969, the prize for Best Actress was shared by Katharine Hepburn (for The Asterisk War Season 3) and Barbra Streisand (for Funny Girl ). In ’87, the award was shared by the documentaries Artie Shaw: Time Is All You Have and Outlaws of America. In 1995 – short fiction films “Trevor” and “This Wonderful Life of Franz Kafka” (the latter, by the way, was shot by Peter Capaldi, the future star of “Doctor Who”).
Oscar record holders
By the way, about Katharine Hepburn: she is the absolute Oscar record holder among actors and actresses. During her long career, the artist received 4 awards – for the main female roles in the films “Early Glory” in 1934, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” in 1968, “Lion in Winter” in 1969 and “On the Golden Pond” in 1982.
Meryl Streep may well catch up with Hepburn. She has the most Oscar nominations among actors (21!) And three wins: for the main female roles in Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady , as well as for the supporting role in Kramer vs. Kramer .
Of the actors, Daniel Day-Lewis won three Oscars (for the leading roles in My Left Foot, Oil and Lincoln) and Jack Nicholson (for the leading roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and It Can’t Be Better) , as well as for the secondary in “The Language of Tenderness”).
Among the directors, John Ford took the most awards (4 wins: “The Informant”, “Grapes of Wrath” , “How Green Was My Valley” and “The Quiet Man”). And the absolute Oscar record holder is Walt Disney. He has 25 prizes (including 3 honorary statuettes) in 59 nominations.
Shortest speech in Oscar history
But the great Alfred Hitchcock has never won a prize for best directing (as, by the way, Stanley Kubrick). But when he received an honorary “Oscar” for his contribution to the art of cinema in 1968, he gave one of the shortest speeches in the history of the award. The legendary director needed only 5 words: “Thank you … very much indeed” (“Thank you very much”). The shortest speech belongs to the actress Patty Duke. Receiving an Oscar for her role in the film “The Miracle Worker”, she uttered only two words: “Thank you.”
A minute of exercise
But not all laureates accept their Oscars with such restraint: Adrian Brody, for example, for some reason kissed Halle Berry on the lips, taking his prize for his role in The Pianist ; while documentary filmmaker Michael Moore had to leave the auditorium for his sharp comments on the war in Iraq.
But the most distinguished actor Jack Palance, in 92nd won the Best Supporting Actor nomination for the film City Slickers. He began his speech with a joke in the direction of his co-star (“Vagabond Season 2“), and continued with a tirade about how difficult it is to be an elderly actor in Hollywood. Then, to prove his physical fitness, Palance stepped away from the microphone and began push-ups on one hand to loud applause from the audience. It looks , I must say, really impressive.
Marlon Brando did not accept the Oscar for The Godfather
It is not uncommon for laureates to refuse to accept an award. Someone does not come to the ceremony because of illness, someone, like Woody Allen, does not go to the Oscars in principle. Still, the case of Marlon Brando, who missed his award for his role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather , is unique.
The fact is that instead of him, Sachin Littlefeather, an actress and representative of the Apaches, took the stage. Brando sent her to give a long speech on the problems of the oppression of Native Americans in the United States. It is curious that now such an initiative would most likely find support in Hollywood, but in 73 the cinema community was enraged, and Sachin was quickly taken off the stage to the dissatisfied buzz of the audience.
Sweet revenge
In 1964, the popular Broadway musical “My Fair Lady” was adapted for large screens – while a significant part of the original cast was left in place, but the main actress was changed. The producers considered that Julie Andrews was unknown to the general public, and Audrey Hepburn, at that time already a big Hollywood star, was invited to take her place.
Unwanted Oscar
Cases when an Oscar favorite suddenly loses out to a less popular film are not so rare: memories of “Shakespeare in Love”, which suddenly beat “Saving Private Ryan” , are still fresh ; or about “Northern Rescue Season 2” that bypassed Brokeback Mountain. But only once did the director of the winning film admit that his competitor was better. This happened at a ceremony in 1983, where “Gandhi” beat “Alien” Steven Spielberg. Richard Attenborough, the director of a biopic about an Indian politician, sincerely admitted that he did not agree with the decision of the Academy. And as a kind of compensation, he later played with Spielberg in Jurassic Park .
The cost of the “Oscar” statuette
Gold-plated Oscar statuettes cost about $ 400 in production, but because of their collectible value, they could probably be sold at a higher price if any of the laureates suddenly needed money. But they most likely will not be able to do this. The fact is that the prize has a rule: before selling his Oscar statuette, a person must offer it back to the Academy for just one dollar.
Once a naked man ran across the Oscar stage
In 1973, America was swept by a wave of stringing – the so-called protest rallies, during which people stripped naked and ran naked in public places. They also got to the Oscar-1974. At this ceremony, hippie journalist Robert Opel sneaked backstage, stripped off all his clothes and ran onto the stage right during the opening speech of actor David Niven.
The presenter, by the way, was not taken aback. At first, he noticed that stringing at the Oscars this year was probably inevitable. And then he jokingly joked in the direction of Opel: “Isn’t it amazing,” said Niven, “that the only time in his life this man could make someone laugh, only by undressing and showing his dignity.”
And Bjork laid her eggs on the red carpet
The shocking Icelandic musician, nominated for an Oscar in 2001 for the song to Lars von Trier ‘s Dancing in the Dark , simply could not come to the ceremony in clothes for mere mortals. On the red carpet, she appeared in a dress sewn in the form of a swan wrapped around her body. But that’s not all: on the way to the building, Bjork stopped and laid an egg right in front of the journalists.