February 18th In History: The Far-from-Glamorous Oscar Winner First Announcement
JAKARTA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced for the first time the winners of the Academy Awards on February 18, 1929. The Academy Awards or what is now popularly known as the Oscar Cup awards, was far from the tension, glamor and press coverage it is today.
Don't imagine that the announcement was made at a grand, majestic event. The names of award recipients are only printed on the back of a newsletter. A few days later, Variety published the information on the seventh page.
The award ceremony and a new dinner were held in May 1929. Cited from History, Thursday, February 18, the award ceremony was initiated by film mogul Louis B. Mayer.
The Academy Awards are organized as a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the film industry. The first awards were given to films produced in 1927 and 1928.
Although the announcement had been made on February 18, 1929, the real award was not awarded until the Academy Awards took place on May 16, 1929. The event was held in the Blossom Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
About 270 people attended the event, many people paid USD 5 each for a ticket. The winner of the Academy Awards at that time received the first gold sculpture trophy designed by Art Director Cedric Gibbons and sculpted by George Stanley.
The Academy Awards' first president, silent film actor Douglas Fairbanks, distributed the statues to the winners, including Janet Gaynor for Best Actress and Emil Jannings for Best Actor. Frank Borzage and Lewis Milestone both won the Best Director award for Seventh Heaven and Two Arabian Knights, respectively.
The Best Picture Award went to Wings, a World War I drama directed by William Wellman. At the second Academy Awards event, there was a new policy by releasing the names of the winners to the press at 11 p.m. the night the awards ceremony was held.
The practice ended in 1940 after the Los Angeles Times broke with tradition and published nomination winners the night before the event. The organizers then implemented a closed envelope system, which is still in use today.
Oscar continuation
The award was not nicknamed the "Oscar" until 1931. At this point, a secretary noted the statue's resemblance to Uncle Oscar's. Many versions about Uncle Oscar and trophy.
However, the most frequently discussed is Uncle Oscar which refers to a farmer in Texas. The farmer is the uncle of the librarian at the Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Science.
The secretary's joke was later written by a journalist. From there the name Oscar spread.
The night of the Oscar awards was broadcasted on the radio until 1953, then finally on television. Since then, the Academy Awards have become one of the most-watched television shows in the world.
The hosts of the show were Will Rogers, Jack Benny, Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jon Stewart. For 2021, Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, 2021, with voting taking place over six days starting on March 5.
The 93rd annual Academy Awards are scheduled to be broadcasted live on ABC on Sunday, April 25 from various locations including the Dolby Theater. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are loosening requirements for films wishing to compete in it following the absence of open cinemas.
In fact, many films have been postponed or even canceled and the availability of films has been moved to the streaming platform.
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