Five of the Most Memorable Oscar Moments from the 1980s

ABSTRACT: Over the years, the Academy Awards has seen its share of controversial moments, surprise winners, touching tributes, and dominant movies. Here are five of the most memorable moments from the 1980s Academy Awards presentations.

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Many Americans fondly recall the decade of the 1980s. They think back on the endless hours they spent in the video arcades and remember dancing in their rooms to musicians like Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Def Leppard. They cried when the space shuttle Challenger exploded and cheered when rescuers freed "Baby Jessica" from a well. A large number of Americans probably also remember waiting anxiously each year for the Academy Awards to air on television. When the day finally arrived, they would gather with friends and family to watch The Oscars.

Here are five of the Academy Awards' most memorable moments from the 1980s.

"Ordinary People" Pulls Off the Upset (1981)

Many experts consider "Raging Bull" to be one of the best movies ever made. Most critics, at least the ones that count, would not even place "Ordinary People" in their top 100. That situation was as true in the 1980s as it is today. So, you can imagine their shock when "Ordinary People" won the Best Picture Oscar during the 1981 Academy Awards. Perhaps the Academy voters did not read the movie reviews.

Henry Fonda Finally Wins a Competitive Oscar (1982)

Henry Fonda was an excellent actor who played memorable roles in such classics as "Twelve Angry Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath." However, despite his long and distinguished Hollywood career, Fonda did not win an Oscar until 1981, when the Academy presented him with a statuette in honor of his lifetime accomplishments. Many Americans probably figured that Fonda, who was 76 at the time, would never win a competitive Oscar. He proved the naysayers wrong when he won the Best Actor Oscar the next year for his performance in "On Golden Pond." Sadly, Fonda was too sick by that time to accept the award in person and would die a short time later.

Sally Field's Emotional Speech (1985)

Viewers who tuned in to watch the Academy Awards on March 25, 1985 expected to hear some emotional comments from the winners. Nonetheless, they were probably surprised by Sally Field's heartfelt speech after winning a Best Actress Oscar for her role in "Places in the Heart." Field emphatically declared that the win demonstrated that the Academy respected her, and ended her speech with the oft quoted phrase (or shout), "You like me. Right now, you like me!"

"The Color Purple" Comes Up Empty (1986)

The cast and crew of "The Color Purple" were probably feeling good coming into the 1986 Academy Awards. After all, their movie had received 11 Oscar nominations. Their mood likely soured quickly, as the movie failed to win even one statuette. "The Color Purple" tied a dubious record for most nominations without an Academy Award. Only one other film, "The Turning Point," had ever achieved that level of Oscar futility.

Matlin Achieves Two Milestones (1987)

At the 1987 Academy Awards, Marlee Matlin won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in "Children of a Lesser God." Matlin achieved two milestones with the win. She became the youngest person to win the Best Actress award and the first deaf individual to win an Oscar of any kind.

1. Author: Greg Hernandez
    Date: February 22, 2009
    Title/Description: Red carpet at 81st Annual Academy Awards in Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles 
     Location/Permission: Wikimedia Commons - Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
    (see title/link for photo, credits, permissions)

The author is a freelance writer and has a B.A. in History from Roanoke College. He enjoys watching both classic movies and new films.

-- Anthony Hopper

#Oscars #movies #history #entertainment #AcademyAwards #actors #winners

Five of the Most Memorable Oscar Moments from the 1970s

ABSTRACT: Over the years, the Academy Awards has seen its share of controversial moments, surprise winners, touching tributes, and dominant movies. Here are five of the most memorable moments from the 1970s Academy Awards presentations.

The 85th Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 24. Over the years, the annual film awards presentation has seen its share of controversial moments, surprise winners, touching tributes, and dominant movies. As we wait for this year's Oscars to be handed out, it is worth looking back at some of the most memorable moments from the 1970s Academy Awards ceremonies.

Here are five of the most memorable Oscar moments from the 1970s.

John Wayne Finally Wins an Oscar (1970)

81st Annual Academy Awards (1)

John Wayne (whose given name was Marion Morrison) was born in 1909. He started his acting career in the 1920s and soon became one of the most beloved movie stars of all time. Even though Wayne has been dead since 1979, he is still one of Hollywood's most popular names. In a 2007 Harris Interactive poll, Americans ranked him as their third most favorite actor. Given his fame, it might surprise some people to learn that Wayne's only Oscar came during the 1970 Academy Awards, when he won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in "True Grit."

X-Rated Movie Wins Best Picture (1970)

People who tuned in to view the Academy Awards in 1970 had the opportunity to witness another memorable event. "Midnight Cowboy" became the first X-rated film to win a Best Picture Oscar. It might have been a once in a lifetime moment. No X-rated (or NC-17 rated) movie has accomplished the feat since that time.

Marlon Brando Is a No Show (1973)

During the 1973 Academy Awards, the crowd cheered when it learned that Marlon Brando had won the Best Actor Oscar. Brando nabbed the statuette for his brilliant performance in "The Godfather." Many people in the audience were probably a bit surprised when a Native American, Sacheen Littlefeather, stepped up to the podium instead of Brando. Their surprise turned to shock when she refused to accept the Oscar. Littlefeather read a statement from Brando in which he declined the award to protest the film industry's mistreatment of Native American workers and actors.

Movie Wins Big Five (1976)

At the 48th Academy Awards, "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" became the first film since 1935 to win the Academy's top five awards-Best Picture, "Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher), Directing (Milos Forman), and Writing (Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman)." This was a very rare honor; only three films in the illustrious history of the awards ceremony have won all five of these Oscars.

Vanessa Redgrave's Rant (1978)

The audience cheered when they learned that Vanessa Redgrave had won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in "Julia." She snagged the award for playing the part of an anti-Nazi freedom fighter. In an ironic twist, Redgrave used a portion of her time on the podium to criticize a small number of Israelis and Israeli Americans who had protested the release of one of her recent movies, supporting the creation of a Palestinian state. The audience, perhaps thinking Redgrave was criticizing all people of Jewish descent, booed her loudly. Hollywood directors were also not amused. Many of them refused to offer her roles in their films after that incident.

1. Author: Greg Hernandez
    Date: February 22, 2009
    Title/Description: Red carpet at 81st Annual Academy Awards in Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles 
     Location/Permission: Wikimedia Commons - Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
    (see title/link for photo, credits, permissions)

The author is a freelance writer and has a B.A. in History from Roanoke College. He enjoys watching both classic movies and new films.

-- Anthony Hopper

#Oscars #movies #history #entertainment #AcademyAwards #actors #winners

Five of the Most Memorable Oscar Moments from the 1960s

ABSTRACT: Over the years, the Academy Awards has seen its share of controversial moments, surprise winners, touching tributes, and dominant movies. Here are five of the most memorable moments from the 1960s Academy Awards presentations.

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Movie studios produced a number of great films in the 1960s. Many of them, including "Psycho," "To Kill a Mockingbird," and "The Sound of Music," are included in the American Film Institute's list of the 100 best movies of all time. The 1960s also represented a coming of age for a new generation of movie stars like Barbra Streisand and Sidney Poitier. At the same time, veteran celebrities, such as Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn, continued to work their magic. The Academy Awards in the 1960s helped to celebrate Hollywood's achievements, while also highlighting the accomplishments of its stars-both young and old.

Here are five of the Academy Awards' most memorable moments from the 1960s.

"Ben Hur" Breaks a Record (1960)

MGM spent what was at that time a record breaking $15 million to make "Ben Hur." The studio's risky investment paid off. The movie broke box office records when it was released in 1959. Director William Wyler's epic masterpiece also broke records at the Academy Awards in 1960, when it won more Oscars (11) than any other film up to that point.

Sidney Poitier Makes History (1964)

In the 1960s, African Americans and other minority groups finally started to make significant inroads in their fight for equal rights. Sidney Poitier was both a beneficiary of these changes and one of its champions. During the 1960s, he starred in movies, such as "In the Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," which upended racial stereotypes. In 1964, he became the first African American man, and only the second black actor, to win an Oscar when he nabbed the Best Picture award for his role in "Lillies of the Field."

A Surprise for Bob Hope (1966)

Bob Hope, who was born in 1903, was already a showbiz legend when he hosted the 1966 Academy Awards. The actor had enjoyed success in a variety of different mediums, including radio, television, and on the stage. Hope was in the process of wrapping up The Oscars-the show was down to its final award-when the Academy's president, Arthur Freed, surprised Hope by giving him an award for his "unique and distinguished service" to the film industry and "to the Academy." Hope was thrown off guard for a moment, but he recovered quickly and managed to voice his thanks by way of a couple of good one-liners.

A Tie for the Best Actress Oscar (1969)

The audience waited in anticipation as Ingrid Bergman opened the envelope, containing the name of the Best Actress Oscar winner. Both Bergman and the audience were shocked to learn that Barbra Streisand ("Funny Girl") and Katharine Hepburn ("The Lion in Winter") had tied for the award. The Academy voters could not decide between the 26-year old Streisand, who represented the new generation of movie stars, and the 61-year old Hepburn, the aged veteran.

The Academy Awards Show Is Broadcast around the World (1969)

During the 1960s advances in TV technology changed people's viewing experiences forever. At the beginning of the decade, TV networks were still broadcasting a lot of their shows in black and white. By 1967 they were transmitting most of their televised material in color. At the same time, the TV conglomerates began to develop satellite networks, which allowed them to quickly transmit telecasts across the globe. The Academy Awards were on the forefront of these changes. For the first time in 1969, television viewers from around the world (in 37 countries) could watch a live presentation of The Oscars.

1. Author: Greg Hernandez
    Date: February 22, 2009
    Title/Description: Red carpet at 81st Annual Academy Awards in Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles 
     Location/Permission: Wikimedia Commons - Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
    (see title/link for photo, credits, permissions)

The author is a freelance writer and has a B.A. in History from Roanoke College. He enjoys watching both classic movies and new films.

-- Anthony Hopper

#Oscars #movies #history #entertainment #AcademyAwards #actors #winners

Five of the Most Memorable Oscar Moments from the 1990s

ABSTRACT: Over the years, the Academy Awards has seen its share of controversial moments, surprise winners, touching tributes, and dominant movies. Here are five of the most memorable moments from the 1990s Academy Awards presentations.

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Many people might be surprised to learn that the inaugural Academy Awards ceremony was conducted without a lot of fanfare. Fewer than 300 individuals attended the first awards presentation in 1929-a private event that was not broadcast to a wider audience (via radio at the time). By the 1990s the Academy Awards had become must see television for millions of people across the globe. During this period The Oscars disappointed fans on occasion; however, the awards presentations more often provided viewers with moments they could cherish for a lifetime.

Here are five of the Academy Awards' most memorable moments from the 1990s.

The Song Heard around the World (1990)

The Academy Awards producers created a winner when they combined old footage of Julie Garland singing "Over the Rainbow" with a live version by Diana Ross. The rendition gained even more credence when Ross invited the audience to sing along with her. The producers topped it off by using the large screen onstage to showcase viewers in cities located around the world (as well as members of the audience). Ross' singing was not perfect, and some of the audience members refused to follow along. However, the performance's flaws might have helped to endear it to viewers, by making it feel more authentic.

"The Silence of the Lambs" Wins the Big Five (1992)

At the 64th annual Academy Awards in 1992, "The Silence of the Lambs" became the first movie since 1976 to win the top five Oscars-Best Picture, "Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Directing (Jonathan Demme)," and Writing (Ted Tally).

An Animated Movie Receives a Best Picture Nomination (1992)

Most Americans, whatever their age, have probably seen at least a few animated films. These movies, along with their live action counterparts, have been a staple of U.S. life for generations. A number of them are very good. Despite that fact, the Academy did not nominate a fully animated film for Best Picture until 1992, when it added "Beauty and the Beast" to its official list of Oscar contenders.

David Letterman's Epic Fail (1995)

Many viewers who tuned in to watch the Academy Awards in 1995 were probably thrilled to see David Letterman hosting the ceremony. Their excitement did not last too long. A number of critics contend that Letterman's performance was the worst ever by an Oscar emcee. The comedian started off on the wrong foot when his very first joke fell flat, and it did not get much better after that. One critic summed it up when he bemoaned Letterman's inability to keep the show moving and the crowd laughing.

"Titanic" Breaks Records (1998)

James Cameron's "Titanic" performed heroic feats at the box office. It earned hundreds of millions of dollars in the United States alone and stayed atop the box office for a record 15 weeks. The movie also scored big at the Academy Awards in 1998. Its 14 nominations put it in a tie with "All about Eve" for the most nominations ever. "Titanic" ended up taking home 11 Oscars. At the time, only one other film, "Ben Hur," had ever won that many statuettes (in 1960).

1. Author: Greg Hernandez
    Date: February 22, 2009
    Title/Description: Red carpet at 81st Annual Academy Awards in Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles 
     Location/Permission: Wikimedia Commons - Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
    (see title/link for photo, credits, permissions)

The author is a freelance writer and has a B.A. in History from Roanoke College. He enjoys watching both classic movies and new films.

-- Anthony Hopper

#Oscars #movies #history #entertainment #AcademyAwards #actors #winners