AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... LAURA COLLINS!

The Oscars

The first Academy Awards presentation was held on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with an audience of about 270 people, although the names of the winners were already known since February 18 that year.

The first film that received the Oscar for best film was Wings by William A. Wellman and the first best Actor awarded was Emili Jannigs for his performances in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh.

The awards ceremony was televised in 1983.

The Oscars is also the oldest entertainment awards ceremony; its equivalents, the Emmy Awards for television, the Tony Awards for theatre and the Grammy Awards for music an recording.

The Academy Awards are considered to be the most prestigious cinema awards ceremony in the world and is an annual in the film industry.

OSCAR STATUETTE

Made of gold-plated Britannium on a black metal base, it is 34 cm in tall, weighs 3 kg and shows a naked knight which arms crossed holding a sword on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians. 

The sketches of statuettes were made by Cedric Gibbons and were performed in 1928 by the stenographer of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer. 

THE NAME

The origin of the name is disputed. One biography of Bette Davis affirms that the statue was named in honor of her first husband Oscar Nelson.

Another claimed origin is that the Academy’s Executive Secretary, Margaret Henrick saw the award in 1931 reminding her of her “Uncle Oscar”.

STATUETTES OWNERSHIP

Since 1950, the statuettes have been legality protected by that neither winners nor their heirs can sell the statuettes without first offering them to the Academy for the price of “1$”.

@Lauracinewoman