Those That Refused
The Academy Awards are one of the highest honors one can receive in the movie business; yet three people have refused the honor. The very first person to refuse an Oscar was Dudley Nichols. Nichols, who had won Best Screenplay for The Informer (1935), boycotted the Academy Awards ceremony because of ongoing conflicts between the Academy and the Writer's Guild. For his dramatic portrayal of the World War II general in Patton (1970), George C.
Scott won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Scott refused the honor, stating that the awards ceremony was a "a two-hour meat parade." Marlon Brando also refused his award for Best Actor for The Godfather (1972). Brando, who said he refused the award because of the discrimination toward Native Americans by the U.S. and Hollywood, sent a woman supposedly named, Sacheen Littlefeather, to collect his award. It turned out later that the woman was really an actress named, Maria Cruz.
The Statuette
The Oscar statuette stands 13 1/2 inches tall and weights 8 1/2 pounds. It depicts a knight, holding a sword, standing on a reel of film which has five spokes, representing the five original branches of the Academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers). In 1949, the Academy started to number the statuettes, starting with number 501.
Postponements
Contrary to the old adage, "the show must go on," the Academy Awards ceremonies have been postponed three times. In 1938, the ceremony was delayed a week because of flooding in Los Angeles.
In 1968, the Academy Awards ceremony was pushed back two days because of Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral. The Academy Awards ceremony was pushed back a single day in 1981 because of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
The Awards First Televised
On March 19, 1953, the Academy Awards ceremony was telecast for the first time across the United States and Canada. Thirteen years later, on April 18, 1966, the Academy Awards were broadcast in color for the first time. Both of these ceremonies were hosted by Bob Hope.
Plaster Oscars
Rather than the usual metal Oscar statuettes, the Academy Awards handed out plaster Oscars during World War II in support of the war effort. After the war, the plaster Oscars could be traded in for traditional metal ones.
11 Nominations, 0 Wins
Two films tie for the record of the most Oscar nominations without a single win. Both The Turning Point (1977) and The Color Purple (1985) received eleven Oscar nominations, but won not a single Academy Award.
Sisterly Competition
Twice in Academy Awards history, two sisters have been nominated for the same category during the same year. For the 1941 Academy Awards, sisters Joan Fontaine (Suspicion) and Olivia de Havilland (Hold Back the Dawn) were both nominated for the Best Actress award. Joan Fontaine won the Oscar. Jealousy between the two sisters continued to escalate after this and the two have been estranged for decades. At the 1966 Academy Awards, a similar thing happened; sisters Lynn Redgrave (Georgy Girl) and Vanessa Redgrave (Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment) were both nominated for the Best Actress award. However, this time, neither of the sisters won.
The Academy Awards are one of the highest honors one can receive in the movie business; yet three people have refused the honor. The very first person to refuse an Oscar was Dudley Nichols. Nichols, who had won Best Screenplay for The Informer (1935), boycotted the Academy Awards ceremony because of ongoing conflicts between the Academy and the Writer's Guild. For his dramatic portrayal of the World War II general in Patton (1970), George C.
Scott won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Scott refused the honor, stating that the awards ceremony was a "a two-hour meat parade." Marlon Brando also refused his award for Best Actor for The Godfather (1972). Brando, who said he refused the award because of the discrimination toward Native Americans by the U.S. and Hollywood, sent a woman supposedly named, Sacheen Littlefeather, to collect his award. It turned out later that the woman was really an actress named, Maria Cruz.
The Statuette
The Oscar statuette stands 13 1/2 inches tall and weights 8 1/2 pounds. It depicts a knight, holding a sword, standing on a reel of film which has five spokes, representing the five original branches of the Academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers). In 1949, the Academy started to number the statuettes, starting with number 501.
Postponements
Contrary to the old adage, "the show must go on," the Academy Awards ceremonies have been postponed three times. In 1938, the ceremony was delayed a week because of flooding in Los Angeles.
In 1968, the Academy Awards ceremony was pushed back two days because of Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral. The Academy Awards ceremony was pushed back a single day in 1981 because of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
The Awards First Televised
On March 19, 1953, the Academy Awards ceremony was telecast for the first time across the United States and Canada. Thirteen years later, on April 18, 1966, the Academy Awards were broadcast in color for the first time. Both of these ceremonies were hosted by Bob Hope.
Plaster Oscars
Rather than the usual metal Oscar statuettes, the Academy Awards handed out plaster Oscars during World War II in support of the war effort. After the war, the plaster Oscars could be traded in for traditional metal ones.
11 Nominations, 0 Wins
Two films tie for the record of the most Oscar nominations without a single win. Both The Turning Point (1977) and The Color Purple (1985) received eleven Oscar nominations, but won not a single Academy Award.
Sisterly Competition
Twice in Academy Awards history, two sisters have been nominated for the same category during the same year. For the 1941 Academy Awards, sisters Joan Fontaine (Suspicion) and Olivia de Havilland (Hold Back the Dawn) were both nominated for the Best Actress award. Joan Fontaine won the Oscar. Jealousy between the two sisters continued to escalate after this and the two have been estranged for decades. At the 1966 Academy Awards, a similar thing happened; sisters Lynn Redgrave (Georgy Girl) and Vanessa Redgrave (Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment) were both nominated for the Best Actress award. However, this time, neither of the sisters won.