By Kathy Kovach
November is the month to give thanks. We find ourselves grateful for our God, our family, our friends. For the turkey that thawed out in time, the Jello salad that set despite the amount of shredded carrots Mom added to it, and for the pumpkin pie that didn’t burn this year, even though the top is suspiciously dark. And whipped cream.
With that in mind, let’s explore the most thanked man in history, the Academy Awards tiny mascot, the Oscar.
A dinner was held to discuss goals for the new organization. A decision to honor outstanding achievements in all facets of motion picture production was proposed.
Thus, was born the Academy Awards.
Of course, every award ceremony needs a trophy. MGM art director, Cedric Gibbons, sketched a figure of a knight holding a sword. Behind him was a film reel, the five spokes representing the original branches of the Academy—actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers. The knight symbolized a crusader of the industry.
Once the design was finalized, it went to sculptor George Stanley. The final product became a 13 ½ inch, 8 ½ pound bronze statuette, now standing atop the film reel, and plated in 24-karat gold. The first recipient was Emil Jannings, who accepted the Best Actor award in the 1929 debut ceremony for his role in two movies, The Last Command (1927) and The Way of all Flesh (1928.) This first event was actually a private dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. There were 270 people in attendance for the 15-minute ceremony at the cost of $5 per guest.
The statuette’s official title is the Academy Award® of Merit. It has never wavered from the original design except for the base. It was made wider in 1945 to accommodate a plaque to be engraved with the recipient’s name and achievement. Before that a smaller, less impressive, panel could be applied. The only time the material changed was during WWII when metal was scarce due to the war effort. From 1942-1945, the trophy was made of plaster.
How did it get its nickname? Was it named after a titan of the industry? Or a patron of the organization? Was it an acronym (O.S.C.A.R.) to showcase the importance of the achievements awarded?
No.
In fact, a mystery revolves around the popular name bestowed upon the knight in shining gold. The prevailing theory comes from academy librarian, and eventually executive director, Margaret Herrick who joked that the back of the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar. The nickname stuck and was already popular by 1934 when a reporter referred to Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress win as an “Oscar success.” The Academy finally adapted it into its ceremony in 1939, and Uncle Oscar became emblazoned in the hearts and minds of movie-goers everywhere.
This year, I may not have Oscar to thank, but I am grateful for my readers and for the opportunity to share fun trivia here on this blog. May you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.
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Thanks for posting today. I never knew why the statue was called Oscar either! I wondered if it was after a film mogul or something.
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