For Your Consideration

[Lzcutter]

It's February and the Academy and Hollywood are puttin' on the ritz a few weeks from now and honoring the films of 2011.

Before Oscar arrives on the scene, I thought it might be nice to look back at previous Oscar ceremonies for the next three weeks.

Up first, it's 1930 and "Uncle" Carl Laemmle is given a Special Oscar. Most historians feel it is for the production of All Quiet on the Western Front.



The ceremony was held at the Ambassador Hotel located on Wilshire Blvd.



And the crowd looks like they are having fun:



The Academy has a great microsite:

http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawa ... index.html

[moira finnie]

This is a great idea for a thread, Lynn. At first I thought that Papa Laemmle had grown some mutton chops, but then realized it was something on the image--though what was really interesting was how big he looked. When you see Laemmle next to most people, he looks like the genial king of the munchkins. (He also looks a bit fearful that someone is going to ask for his Oscar back, doesn't he?).

People do look as though they were having fun back in the old days. Didn't they serve drinks at the first few Oscar shows? And didn't everyone know who won beforehand?

I know that the Oscars were started as a kind of buffer against unionization of the trade by the producers in Hollywood, but that AMPAS was Douglas Fairbanks' baby--and that he hoped to foster artistic and technical innovations through its creation. Was Doug there at the first couple of presentations, or was this the period when he was being a frenetic globetrotter?

Thanks for beginning this thread!

[Lzcutter]

1972:

The Academy voted to award Charlie Chaplin an honorary Oscar. Chaplin was living in exile in Switzerland after leaving the states in 1952. At that time, Chaplin with his wife, Oona and family sailed on the Queen Elizabeth to London for the opening of his film, Limelight. While at sea, Chaplin was informed that his re-entry permit had been rescinded by US Attorney General James McGranery. McGranery had ordered the Immigration and Naturalization Service to hold Chaplin for hearings should he try to return. Such hearings would presumably determine whether Chaplin was "admissible under the laws of the United States."

Angry and profoundly hurt, Chaplin chose not to return to the United States. Chaplin had been in America for over forty years and his "Little Tramp" character was a beloved icon by millions. Given the political climate of that post-war era, Chaplin's politics, coupled with his private life which often boiled over into the press and courts, made him susceptible to accusations of Communism by his enemies. The head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, had his agents investigating Chaplin and had a secret file on the film legend.

Chaplin replied to the actions being taken against him, "Since the end of the last world war, I have been the object of lies and propaganda by powerful reactionary groups who, by their influence and by the aid of America's yellow press, have created an unhealthy atmosphere in which liberal-minded individuals can be singled out and persecuted. Under these conditions I find it virtually impossible to continue my motion-picture work, and I have therefore given up my residence in the United States."

He and Oona settled in Vevey, Switzerland where he continued to work and worked on his memoirs.

In 1972, the Academy reached out to Chaplin and inquired if he would come to Los Angeles for the awards ceremony.

After much deliberation, he and Oona decided to make the trip.

No one was sure what would happen when Chaplin took the stage. Chaplin was worried that no one would remember him. Others worried that he would use the moment to speak about his exile or his political views.

Neither happened. Daniel Taradash took the stage to talk about Chaplin's contributions to film history. As a montage of Chaplin's life in film wound down, Chaplin took the stage to a thunderous standing ovation.

To see the heart-touching acceptance and reaction, you can view it here:

http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawa ... /44th.html

Kleenex recommended.

[charliechaplinfan]

I needed my Klennex, I've never seen that footage of Chaplin receiving his Oscar, it's so touching.

[stuart.uk]

Alison

The following yr, 1972, Chaplin won best movie score for Limelight because the film had been banned in Los Angeles at the time of release and wasn't shown in cinema's there until the 70s. The biggest tribute I can pay Chaplin as a composer is that, it's not just sentimental, but that the score of Limelight is so magnificent that it was still good enough 20-yrs on to win the Oscar on merit

[charliechaplinfan]

Limelight is both a wonderful movie and a wonderful score, in part it's a tribute to Oona I think and in the long shots she doubles for Claire Bloom.

[Lzcutter]

In the depths of the Depression, Walt Disney put all his faith in making an animated feature film based on the story of Snow White. Critics called it "Disney's Folly" and said people would never sit for a feature length animated cartoon. The color would make their eyes hurt after fifteen minutes and they would walk out of the theater.

Walt and his animators soldiered on. Walt believed in his idea even as costs skyrocketed. Word among animators was that the film would be groundbreaking and set new standards. Animators from the east traveled to Los Angeles in hopes of finding work at Disney. Those already employed at the small studio on Hyperion in Silver Lake, not far from downtown Los Angeles, worked around the clock.

Walt's brother, Roy, the financial brains of the two, kept the money flowing in by going to A.P. Giannini, the head of Bank of America. But even Giannini had his limits and he sent Joe Rosenberg to Disney Studios to see a rough cut of the film. Walt was loathe to show the incomplete film to Rosenberg for fear that Rosenberg wouldn't see the film's potential. But Roy insisted his brother screen the incomplete film otherwise Bank of America would cut off the financial pipeline.

On a Saturday, Walt screened the workprint for Rosenberg who said very little while Walt explained the story and filled in the blanks. Afterwards, Walt walked Rosenberg to his car and still the banker said nothing. Finally, Walt asked what Rosenberg thought of what he had seen. "Don't worry, Walt. Finish the film. It's going to make hatfuls of money."

Walt did just that and the film premiered on Dec. 21, 1937 at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles. The creme of Hollywood came out including Greta Garbo, Shirley Temple, Will Rogers, Darryl Zanuck (both polo buddies of Walt's) and more. The critics and the audience were bowled over by what they saw. As the dwarfs buried Snow White, sniffles could be heard throughout the theater.

Had the film tanked, Disney studios would have closed and Walt probably would have had to declare bankruptcy a second time. There would have been no more animated feature films, no Fantasia or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, no Davy Crockett (or Davy Crockett craze), no Disneyland, no Disney World.

But Joe Rosenberg had been right. The film was a box office bonanza. It saved the Disney studio and it saved the Disney brothers. Reviews of the film heralded it as the groundbreaking film it was.

Walt was awarded a special Academy Award for Snow White. A regular size Oscar with seven little ones was presented to Walt by Shirley Temple.



Walt had won Academy Awards prior to this and he would go on to win many more. In fact, Walt Disney won more Oscars than any other producer over the course of his career. Many of those Oscars, including the special Oscar for Snow White, are on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.

[moira finnie]

Oh, Lynn, that is such a great story about Mr. Rosenberg's response to the incomplete Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). I'd never seen this movie until the last year (yeah, I know...where have I been? Under a rock?). Watching it, I was completely won over by the characters, from the evil Queen to Sleepy to the bluebirds and squirrels, the musical quality, the richness of the color and drawings and the fluidity of movement portrayed in the movie. What a remarkably well-made classic. True story about the movie:

When Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) first opened in New York City, my mother went to see it on the first day and was enchanted. Floating down Fifth Avenue afterward, she was amazed to see that some of the film animator's cels from the movie were being displayed in an art gallery. She went in and tried to figure out a way to purchase at least one of the images for about $50. Being a recent college grad, she had no money for such an extravagance. Need I mention what that might be worth today?

Thanks for starting this thread and for each of your informative posts here.

[Lzcutter]

April 7, 1970:

It was one of those memorable upset moments that the Oscars are known for. The nominees for Best Actor included Dustin Hoffman for Midnight Cowboy, Jon Voight for Midnight Cowboy, Peter O'Toole for Goodbye, Mr. Chips, John Wayne for True Grit and Richard Burton for Anne of a Thousand Days.

The popular money was on Burton. He had been nominated previously in that category for The Spy Who Came In From the Cold and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. He had yet to win and Elizabeth Taylor had pulled out all the stops in campaigning for Burton.

Popular belief was that Hoffman and Voight would cancel each other out and O'Toole, well for some roles it's enough to just be nominated was the common wisdom.

Popular belief also held that John Wayne had gotten the nomination based on his career and that role of Rooster Cogburn didn't have the gravitas that the Academy looks for.

There was no official host that evening (the second year in a row for that) and the Oscars were presented by seventeen "Friends of Oscar": Bob Hope, John Wayne, Barbra Streisand, Fred Astaire, Jon Voight, Myrna Loy, Clint Eastwood, Raquel Welch, Candice Bergen, James Earl Jones, Katharine Ross, Cliff Robertson, Ali MacGraw, Barbara McNair, Elliott Gould, Claudia Cardinale, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Earlier in the evening, Cary Grant had been awarded his only Oscar, an honorary one for his career in film. That had been presented to him by Frank Sinatra. (see the link below as Cary's acceptance speech is also available on that page)

When it came time to award the Best Actor statuette, all eyes were on Burton.

When Barbra Streisand announced the winner (they called them winners back then), it was John Wayne's name she read. Burton took it graciously and Wayne took the stage for a heartfelt speech:

http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawa ... /42nd.html


April 9, 1979

Nine years later, John Wayne returned to the stage of the Academy Awards as a presenter. The year before, 1978, Bob Hope had given him a shout-out because Wayne could not be there in person. He was fighting cancer in a hospital in Boston. But, a year later, he ambled out on the stage and received a thunderous standing ovation.

[youtube][/youtube]

He'd lost a lot of weight but his spirits were good. It was his last appearance at the Oscars. Two months later, John Wayne- actor, Oscar winner and American icon- died from cancer.

[Lzcutter]

April 8, 1963

The Academy Awards traveled to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (architect, famed City of Angels architect Welton Becket) after more than a few years at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood.



On this night, a little Academy history was made when Patty Duke became the first actress under the age of 18 to win a competitive Oscar, when she won for her supporting role in The Miracle Worker.



David Lean took home an Oscar as best director for Lawrence of Arabia. He was presented his Oscar by Joan Crawford.

http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawa ... /35th.html

Best Actress nominees included Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker, Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Katharine Hepburn in ong Day's Journey into Night, Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth and Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses.

The winner was Anne Bancroft for The Miracle Worker.

Best Actor nominees included Burt Lancaster in Birdman of Alcatraz, Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses, Marcello Mastroianni in Divorce--Italian Style, Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Peck, of course, won for his role as Atticus Finch in the beloved classic Mockingbird

[youtube][/youtube]

Presenting the award to him is Sophia Loren (who throws in a bit of Italian) but not before she and Frank Sinatra have a bit of fun reading from a very early teleprompter.

[Lzcutter]

April 5, 1965

Back at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for another ceremony, the big winner is expected to be My Fair Lady starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.

Julie Andrews had originated the role of Eliza Doolittle on the stage and the original cast album featuring her and Harrison was the best selling Broadway album of its time. The musical had been a smashing success. It had opened on Broadway on March 15, 1956 and ran for 2,717 performances before closing on Sept. 29, 1962. Andrews and Harrison had taken the musical to London's West End for a long run in April, 1958.

Jack Warner had scooped up the movie rights and after much negotiation, Harrison had agreed to reprise his role. It was expected that Andrews would as well. But Jack Warner felt that Andrews didn't have the name recognition or the star power to carry his big-budget musical despite the fact that she had been on Broadway in Camelot, which most Americans were familiar with thanks to John and Jackie Kennedy. Warner wanted Audrey Hepburn for the role. After much negotiation, Hepburn agreed to play Eliza Doolittle.

Julie Andrews was heartbroken at losing the role. However, Lillian Disney had seen Andrews and Richard Burton perform a song from Camelot. Her husband, Walt, was trying to cast Mary Poppins and Lillian suggested they go to New York to see the musical and specifically to see Andrews. After seeing the play, Walt felt he had found his Mary Poppins.

It took some cajoling on Disney's part to get Andrews to come to California but they finally reached an agreement. Andrews then-husband, costume designer Tony Walton, was hired as well.

In one of those weird twists of fate, My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins went head to head at the Academy Awards that year.

While Harrison was nominated for Best Actor, George Cukor for Best Director and Lady was nominated for Best Picture, there was no nomination for Audrey Hepburn.

Mary Poppins was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Stevenson) and Julie Andrews garnered a nod for the film.

It was to be a good night for My Fair Lady with the movie winning Best Picture, Harrison winning as well as Cukor.

But Julie Andrews had the last laugh on Jack Warner. Facing competition from Anne Bancroft in The Pumpkin Eater, Sophia Loren in Marriage Italian Style,
Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Kim Stanley in Seance on a Wet Afternoon, it was a very happy and suprised Andrews who won the Oscar that night.

Here's her acceptance speech:

http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawa ... /37th.html

[Lzcutter]

Moira,

Ah, if mom had only been able to afford a cel....

Glad you and others are enjoying the thread!

[Rita Hayworth]

Lzcutter, and others ..

I will be brief ... this thread is packed with very interesting reading material(s) regarding Hollywood, Academy Awards, Walt Disney, Snow White, and other subject matters including Charlie Chaplin and Julie Andrews.

This is a great thread!

[Lzcutter]

This is a great thread!

Kingme,

Thank you for the nice words! Does this mean you guys would like to see this thread continue after today?

[moira finnie]

This is a great thread!

Kingme,

Thank you for the nice words! Does this mean you guys would like to see this thread continue after today?

Heck, yes!! You have to ask?? I hope you also continue your posts on landmarks in the Los Angeles area.