85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards
By Robert Osborne
Release Date: November 12, 2013
Publisher: Abbeville Press
Genre: Film
ISBN: 978-0789211422
Source: Library
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For the film industry, the Academy Awards is the most celebrated and most significant night of the year: everyone longs for the recognition of being nominated to win a little golden statuette. For most of us, however, even a walk down the red carpet is just a dream. 85 Years of the Oscar® puts readers into those iconic plush seats for the thrill of the Academy Awards, from the first show in 1928, shortly after the introduction of the talking picture, to this year’s eighty-fifth anniversary.
With hundreds of photographs and an informative text by Hollywood insider Robert Osborne, 85 Years of the Oscar® is the official history of the Academy Awards. Organized by year, 85 Years of the Oscar® chronicles the ceremonies themselves, as well as the accomplishments, trends, developments, and events that occurred, both within the Academy and for the film industry as a whole. Osborne comments on each year’s most important films and shares the stories behind them. He also transports readers into the awards show, quoting from notable acceptance speeches and celebrity reactions, as well as regaling readers with anecdotes from each year. All award nominees and winners are listed, with a special listing of Oscar® record-holders.
An indispensable and encyclopedic reference for the amateur and expert alike, from the struggling actor to the film critic, this book has been a popular favorite since its first edition was published twenty-four years ago, just after the sixtieth awards ceremony. 85 Years of the Oscar® provides an authority and depth of coverage found nowhere else, and it is sure to please movie-goers around the world.
As you know, I have always been big on award shows. So when I heard that there would be a comprehensive guide to the Oscars, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. Finally, I have. It didn’t disappoint. It exceeded my expectations.
This book begins with a history of how the Academy Awards formed and then every single year is covered with a brief description of what made that year memorable including the entire list of nominations and an * beside each winner. In addition to that, there is a retrospective on each decade of the Oscars, beginning with 1927 – 1937 and ending with 2008-2012. If you’re ever on a mission to watch every Best Picture Oscar nominee, just flip through this book and you’ll have your list! I also love the brief anecdotes given by many Oscar winners from over the years including but certainly not limited to Grace Kelly, Helen Mirren, and Octavia Spencer. The list goes on and on and on.
85 Years of the Oscar also includes images of movie posters, stills, and ceremonies over the years, most of which are in black and white until the later years. I was thrilled when I came across photos of Judy Garland and Shirley Temple that I hadn’t seen before. The back includes facts and records, basic information of every ceremony (when, where, host, etc…), and an index which are all amazing resources. It’s everything you’ve wanted to know about the Oscars in one place and it’s absolutely fantastic.
What many may find very intriguing is that the Academy initially had 230 members but at one point had over 5,000 members. Also eye opening is how eligibility and voting rules have changed and evolved over the years as well as award categories (the addition of documentaries, costume design, etc…). I also knew that there were ties but I didn’t know that the first tie took place during the 1931-1932 awards ceremony. One might also find it surprising to learn that in the beginning, the winners were announced and months later, the awards ceremony would take place. There are quite a few pieces of Oscar history that I did know going into reading this but there’s plenty to learn even for an avid fan.
I love reading about and seeing the acknowledgment of Luise Rainer, Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, Bob Hope, Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, The Coppolas, Barbra Streisand, Maggie Smith, Lucille Ball, Billy Crystal, Marlee Matlin, George Lucas, Clint Eastwood, Jessica Lange, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, Ron Howard, and so many others.
There’s so much to read about here including the statues and plaques (stolen statues for instance), silent films, musicals, the streaker of the 1973 ceremony (who, 5 years later, was found murdered in San Francisco), strikes and political agendas that almost prevented/held up ceremonies, drama at many ceremonies (look up the 53rd ceremony), the Steven Spielberg and The Color Purple snub, and so much more.
The 1934 nomination controversy seems to be the first big snub of the history of the show. And there was also quite a landslide win for It Happened One Night. Other interesting tidbits? No one knows for sure why the show was nicknamed, “Oscar” but there are a few reasonings that we can conclude led to its origin back in 1935. With award ceremonies lasting almost 4 hours long throughout the years (even in recent years), one might be interested to know that the introduction of the time limit to speeches began in 1943. The first TV broadcast was in 1953 and the first TV broadcast in color was in 1966. The show has aired on NBC and ABC over the years (most recently, ABC).
Screenwriter, John Lee Mahin was the first person to refuse a nomination, in protest over the way the Writers Branch of the committee had been selected! Shirley Temple presented Walt Disney with one large honorary Oscar and seven miniature ones to coincide with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. That’s pretty darn epic! The most Oscar nominated films to date are All About Eve and Titanic with fourteen nominations.
I could go on but I think you get the picture. There’s so much to soak in, so be ready to pour yourself over every page for an entire evening. Is Ricky Gervais the Will Rogers of today? Does Alfred Hitchcock share a commonality with Christopher Nolan and Oscar nominations/wins (aka lack of sole recognition for their work with Oscars of their own)? Is the Academy intentionally not giving Meryl Streep another win so she doesn’t match or surpass Katharine Hepburn’s wins? These are some of the questions that came into my mind while reading this. None of these questions are probably valid but it’s interesting the thoughts and parallels that will come to mind while reading.
In case it’s unclear by now, I highly recommend this book for any fan of the Oscars and any fan of awards shows. This is the only book you need for your Oscar fill. It is everything. I took this copy out of the library but I absolutely must buy a copy to have of my very own.
Now I’m most familiar with movies after the 50th awards ceremony but overall, there are plenty of Oscar nominated and winning films that I have not seen. I am making it my mission to watch the following as soon as possible. Kramer vs. Kramer. Chariots of Fire. Tootsie. Sophie’s Choice. Children of a Lesser God. Which should I watch first?
Finally, if you find yourself in LA, perhaps consider making a visit to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences or mark your calendar to visit the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum which is set to open in 2017! I can’t even begin to express how excited I am for the museum!!!
Bio
Robert Osborne is host of Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and serves as the official host for the TCM Classic Film Festival and the TCM Classic Cruise. For over 25 years, Osborne served as a reporter and columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, one of the industry’s most important newspapers. He has written a dozen books on the film world, many of them focused on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and has frequently served as host of the Academy’s in-person tributes, in both Beverly Hills and New York. Osborne earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and in 2008, received a special award from the National Board of Review for his contributions as a film historian.
85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards by Robert Osborne is available today.
Watch the 87th Academy Awards February 22, 2015 at 7/6c on ABC.