The history of the Oscar's appearance
The idea of creating the first U.S. film academy appeared in November 1926. It was given the role of mediator in conflicts arising in Hollywood because of the controversial content on the screens. May 4, 1927 "Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences" became a legal corporation. Only two years later, the first Academy Awards Ceremony was held. In 1929, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel hosted a gala dinner, which was attended by only 270 people. The ticket for the evening cost $5, and the ceremony lasted... 15 minutes. The winners were informed about their victory in advance. Sealed envelopes with names did not exist at all until 1941. Intrigue began to be kept when edition LA Times has broken the ban imposed by Academy and has published names of winners before the ceremony. The first television broadcast of the Oscar was only in 1953.
Why the "Oscar" is called
For the first time, the word "Oscar" was used at the sixth ceremony - March 16, 1934. The exact origin of the name is still unknown. Actress Bette Davis said that the first-named the statuette "Oscar" because she reminded her of her husband Harmon Oscar Nelson. Executive Secretary of the Academy Margaret Herrick claimed that she was the one who gave the statue its name, as the knight with the sword was like her uncle Oscar. Newsreel Sidney Skolsky said that he first used the name "Oscar": "I am tired of writing about the faceless statuette in his article. I wanted to give the guy a name, not only to make it easier to write but also to give him an identity. I thought that "Oscar" wouldn't be too majestic, as the ceremonies were.
Who owns the "Oscar"
Since 1950, the Oscars have ceased to belong to the laureates! To take the gold statuette home, the winner must sign the document. According to it, if the winner decides to sell the Oscar statuette, he must first offer to buy it for $1. If the winner refuses to sign the contract, he is forbidden to take the statuette home.
"Oscar" and racial inequality
Hetty McDaniel, who played the maid Scarlett O'Hara in the movie "Gone with the Wind", won in 1940 in the category "Best Supporting Actress. She became the first black winner of the prize. Because of racial segregation, McDaniel was in a separate section of the hall during the ceremony! However, her victory is one of the prerequisites for future racial equality and the fight against discrimination based on color.
Oscar's record-breakers
Of course, this is about Meryl Streep. Almost every ceremony mentions the number of her awards and nominations. She is a three-time Oscar winner. In total, academicians nominated Meryl for acting 21 times - a record number in the history of the award. But for some reason, for some reason, the actress Katherine Hepburn, 4 times took the statuette in the category "Best Actress". Edith Head, costume designer, became the winner 8 times.
Productions Cedric Gibbons was nominated 39 times and took home 11 statuettes. However, the absolute record-breaker is Walt Disney. He was nominated for an Oscar 59 times and won 26 times!
This year Meryl Streep was nominated for an Oscar for the lead role in the movie "The Secret Dossier". But the prize went to actress Francis McDormand for playing in the movie "Three billboards on the border of Ebbing, Missouri"
Stolen statuettes
As soon as the nominees are announced, statuettes are made. The work on them takes about a month.
In 2000, an unknown person stole 55 unengraved "Oscars" from the loading dock in Los Angeles. 52 of them were found a few days later in a dumpster. Another statuette was found during a special operation to find drugs in Miami. The two remaining Oscars are still "missing".
Oscar Kitchen
Australian chef Wolfgang Pak has been responsible for the ceremony for 20 years. He takes responsibility for his work. In 2011, the chef surprised actress Natalie Portman, who won the Best Actress Award for Best Actress, by playing an obsessed ballerina in the Black Swan thriller. Park has prepared a vegetarian paella, decorated in the form of a black swan that the actress-vegetarian appreciated.
At the 86th ceremony in 2014, Park treated the guests with an Oscar-shaped cake. It was decorated with 20 little golden knights. Three kilograms of gold powder were used to decorate desserts.
In 2016, chocolate Oscars covered with 24-karat gold became the dessert of the ceremony. 5,000 sweet statuettes were cast.
In 2018, the statuettes were made of smoked salmon and herbs. However, the sweet Oscar was not without it: 7000 golden chocolate statuettes were made for 1500 guests.
Three Oscar cancellations
In the history of the prize, it's been carried over three times. In 1938, due to the Los Angeles flood. In 1968, after the murder of Martin Luther King. In 1981, after the assassination attempt on US President Ronald Reagan.
DiCaprio and the long-awaited victory
Leonardo di Caprio has been nominated for an Oscar five times: for "What's eating Gilbert Grape," "The Aviator," "The Blood Diamond," "The Wolf of Wall Street. However, until 2016, the actor could not receive the award. Suffering "Oscar" went to Leo for the role of trapper Hugh Glass in the movie "Survivor". Many fans believe that the award DiCaprio received not for the strongest work, but simply because it was impossible to ignore his talent anymore.
Did you know...
- They pay money for being at the Oscars! The Kodak Theatre, where the ceremony takes place, is designed for 3322 seats. However, the hall is seldom full: some of the guest stars may not be there. That's why we have to hire statisticians in advance to fill the empty seats. They are paid $125 per hour of presence!
- At the ceremony there is a rule: thank you speech lasts no more than 45 seconds. If the winner forgets about the time, he is interrupted by the orchestra. Such restrictions were introduced after the 2002 ceremony. Because of the long speeches of the winners, it lasted 4 hours and 23 minutes!
- The shortest thanksgiving speeches were given by William Holden and Alfred Hitchcock. Having received the statuettes, they limited themselves to a short "thank you".