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Oscars 2019: History of the Academy Awards and 10 interesting facts

Hindustan Times, Delhi | By
Feb 23, 2019 07:18 PM IST

Oscars 2019: The first Academy Awards were held in 1929 at Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood Boulevard and were attended by 270 guests.

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, is an award ceremony which honours the cinematic achievements in movies from the year before. The Awards are overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, comprising over 6,000 members involved in the aspects of movie making.

Oscars 2019: The Oscars are one of the most watched live events on television with millions of people tuning in.(Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
Oscars 2019: The Oscars are one of the most watched live events on television with millions of people tuning in.(Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

The first Academy Awards were held in 1929 at Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood Boulevard and were attended by 270 guests. The prize ceremony lasted for only 15 minutes. The first Oscar recipient was German actor Emil Jannings, who got the best actor award for his role in two silent films, The Last Command (1928) and The Way of All Flesh (1927). The award was not a surprise, as they had been announced a few months ago.

The Oscars will be announced on February 25. (AFP)
The Oscars will be announced on February 25. (AFP)

Nowadays, of course, the Oscars are one of the most watched live events on television with millions of people tuning in. Receiving an Oscar is a special moment for any director, actor, or anyone was involved in the filmmaking process. The desirable Oscar statue is 13 inches tall and is coated in a layer of 24-karat gold weighing 3.8 kilos on solid bronze.

The person behind the concept of the Oscars was Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), the Hollywood film production company. Actor Douglas Fairbanks was the first president of the Academy and in 1949 the organization moved its headquarters to Beverly Hills.

 

Given below are some interesting facts about the Oscars:

The longest acceptance speech was by Greer Garson, which was during the 15th Awards ceremony, and was six minutes long.

During the Second World War, winners of the 1943 ceremony received plaster filled trophies.

It was on March 19, 1953 that the Oscars were shown for the first time on television.

The person with the maximum nominations without a win was sound mixer Kevin O’Connell.

The first person to win an Oscar for playing an Oscar winner was Cate Blanchett, who portrayed Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004).

The shortest Oscar speech was shared by William Holden and renowned director Alfred Hitchcock (Above), whose speech was simply, “Thank you.”
The shortest Oscar speech was shared by William Holden and renowned director Alfred Hitchcock (Above), whose speech was simply, “Thank you.”

Walt Disney has received 26 Oscars, the highest till now. He was nominated for a staggering 64 awards!

Tatum O’Neal was the youngest Oscar winner ever at the age of 10. She won the Best Supporting Actress for the film Paper Moon.

Jessica Tandy was the oldest person to receive the Oscar at the age of 81. She received the Best Actress Award for her part in Driving Miss Daisy.

The shortest Oscar speech was shared by William Holden and renowned director Alfred Hitchcock, whose speech was simply, “Thank you.”

The phrase “And the winner is..” was abandoned in 1989 and the line mostly used since then has been, And the Oscar goes to…”

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