Oscar-worthy moments have been made since the inception of the Academy Awards in 1929, when the first show was held as a 270-person private brunch in The Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
Whilst the venue may have changed many times since then – traveling from such hotels as the Biltmore and Ambassador; to the theatres: Grauman’s and RKO Pantages, and into larger-scale auditoriums and pavilions: Shrine Civic, Santa Monica Civic and Dorothy Chandler – this year’s 84th Academy Awards celebration will be held in the Kodak Theater at Hollywood & Highland, where the show has unfurled over the past decade.
No matter where the Oscars have been held, many of us have experienced viewing an Oscar-worthy moment from one of its statue-adorned stages, piped live via satellite since 1953 (well, if you’re not on a tape delay). In an honorary tribute to the upcoming ceremony, I’ve curated some of the more memorable, as well as the lesser-seen moments, that have been documented throughout the decades. This is a continuation of my most recent post: Vintage Inspired California.
Apart from chronology, there is no order or theme to this series. They are just moments in time. The shows have hardly skipped a beat since the late 1920s, and I hope you enjoy these photos as a prelude to tomorrow’s grandeur.
Bette Davis with husband Harmon O. Nelson during the Academy Awards, LA, 1937 ~ Photograph by Rex Hardy Jr
Oscars, lined up ~ Photograph Adam Silk
Vivien Leigh placing the Oscar she won for her role as Scarlett in "Gone With The Wind" on her mantlepiece at home, Beverly Hills, 1940 ~ Photograph Peter Stackpole
Academy Awards in 1949
Olivia de Havilland and Jimmy Stewart backstage at the Oscars, LA, 1950 - via joan-webster
Academy Awards, 1950 ~ Photograph Edward Clark
Best Sound Recording winner Thomas T. Moulton for "All about Eve" with Marilyn Monroe., LA, 1951 ~ Photograph AMPAS
Movie producer Walt Disney holding four Oscar awards he won for best feature-length documentary, short documentary, cartoon & two-reeler at Academy Awards ceremony, LA, 1954 ~ Photograph George Silk
Producer Buddy Adler's Academy Award for "From Here to Eternity" stands amid hats in the coat check room at Romanoff's restaurant in Beverly Hills during an Oscars after-party, LA, 1954 ~ Photograph Ed Clark
Humphrey Bogart with wife Lauren Bacall arriving at the 27th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the RKO Pantages Theatre, LA, 1955 ~ Photograph George Silk
Actors Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, rehearsing with choreographer Jack Cole for Academy Awards show, LA, 1958 ~ Photograph Leonard McCombe
Joanne Woodward dances with husband actor Paul Newman at the 1st Governor's Ball held at the Bali Room of the Beverly Hilton Hotel following the Academy Awards where she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Three Faces of Eve", LA, 1958 ~ Photograph J. R. Eyerman
Director Billy Wilder in his Hollywood office wearing German helmet; Oscars in the background, Hollywood, 1960 ~ Photograph Gjon Mili
Elizabeth Taylor announced a winner, LA, 1961 ~ Photograph Ralph Crane
”It’s a tie!” exclaims Best Actress presenter Ingrid Bergman: The Lion in Winter’s Katharine Hepburn and Funny Girl’s Barbra Streisand both claim the top prize, marking the first time in Oscar history two women would share the honor. Hepburn is a no-show, and a visibly overwhelmed Babs steals the spotlight by cooing ”Hello, gorgeous!” to her first golden guy. http://www.ew.com
Basking in the win, LA, 1969 ~ Photograph Bud Gray/mptv.net
Biography files of Academy Award nominees, LA, 1972 ~ Photograph Bill Eppridge
Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep win for "Kramer vs Kramer", LA, 1980 ~ Photograph UPI Photo/Bob Flora/Files
Christopher Reeve at Academy Awards, 1983 ~ Photograph Unknown
Films and life are like clay, waiting for us to mold it. And when you trust your own insides and that becomes achievement, it’s a kind of principle that seems to me is at work with everyone. God bless that principle. God bless that potential that we all have for making anything possible if we think we deserve it. Shirley Maclaine,1983 Oscars. http://www.about.com
Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson win for "Terms of Endearment", LA, 1984 ~ Photograph Rex Features
Lionel Richie kisses his Oscar after winning the award for "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights, LA, 1986 ~ Photograph UPI Photo/David Vondrak/Files
Jim Henson and his muppets, LA, 1986 ~ Photograph Unknown
Dianne Wiest holding her Oscar in Press Room at Academy Awards, LA, 1987 ~ Photograph Unknown
Paul Hogan at Academy Awards, LA, 1987 ~ Photograph David McGough
Dustin Hoffman (holding his Oscar) and Tom Cruise in Press Room at Academy Awards, 1989 ~ Photograph Unknown
Oscars, LA, 1991
Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin in Press Room at the Academy Awards, LA, 1991 ~ Photograph Unknown
Director/producer Steven Spielberg with fellow producers of their film "Schindler's List" holding their Oscars in Press Room at the Academy Awards, LA, 1994 ~ Photograph Unknown
Nicole Kidman at the Academy Awards, LA, 1994 ~ Photograph Kevin Winter
Diane Keaton & Steve Martin at Academy Awards, LA, 1995 ~ Photograph Unknown
Nicolas Cage (holding his Oscar), Mira Sorvino (also won Oscar) and Kevin Spacey (holding his Oscar) in Press Room at Academy Awards, LA, 1996 ~ Photograph Mirek Towski
Angelina Jolie holding her Oscar in Press Room at Academy Awards, LA, 2000 ~ Photograph Mirek Towski
Martin Scorsese wins Best Director for "The Departed", LA, 2006 ~ via tumblr
Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, and Penelope Cruz hold their Oscars backstage. Winslet won best actress, Penn won best actor, and Cruz won best supporting actress, LA, 2009 ~ Photograph UPI Photo/Jim Ruymen
Hugh Jackman, backstage, LA, 2009 ~ Photograph AP
Angelina and Brad, monitored in LA, 2009 ~ Photograph AP
David Rockwell, set designer of the 2010 Academy Awards
Do you know that people are now moving to New Zealand just to be thanked? Billy Crystal, 76th Academy Awards http://www.about.com
Oscar Hosts, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, LA, 2010 ~ Photograph Reuters/Gary Hershorn
Workers put the finishing touches on a sign on the red carpet outside of the Kodak Theatre as preparations are made for the 83rd annual Academy Awards, LA, 2011 ~ Photograph UPI/Kevin Dietsch
Backstage at the Oscars; Hilary Swank watches on, LA, 2011 ~ Photograph Al Seib
The stage of the Kodak Theater will be returned to its original glory as stage crew breaks down the set for the Cirque du Soleil resident show “Iris” at the Kodak Theater at Hollywood and Highland in the first weeks of February to make way for the 84th Academy Awards on Feb. 26, 2012. The heaviest and biggest stage props are first to be removed, but the entire Kodak Theater stage and offices have to be vacated to accommodate the Oscars. http://www.latimes.com
Cirque du Soleil's Iris clears Kodak Theatre for Oscars, LA, 2012 ~ Photograph Al Seib
Marina Chetner 