1st Academy Awards

Today's History Lesson
 
There is a 'first' for everything. Whether in exploration, science, transport, politics, sports, music, film, etc., each has a beginning occurring somewhere at some time. One the most coveted awards in the movie industry is the Academy Awards. Do you know the why, when, and where behind the first 'Oscar'?


This Day in History: May 16, 1929

From Then...


The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1927 and 1928. It took place on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner party for about 250 people held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Tickets cost five dollars ($5) and the presentation ceremony lasted fifteen minutes. It is the only Academy Awards ceremony not to be broadcast either on radio or television.

The first Academy Awards went to silent films. At this time, movies with sound had just been introduced. Therefore, because of their infancy and possible unfairness in competition - silent vs. sound - the 'talkies' were not eligible for Best Picture.

Visit Awakenings Reflections on First Oscars that was posted on the eve of Oscar weekend 2014 for a peek at the following:

Wings (1927 Silent Film) 
Best Picture

*****

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927 Silent Film)

Unique and Artistic Production
*****

First Televised Oscars Opening (1953)
*****

First Oscar Awards Ceremony in Color (1966)
*****

Youngest winner of an Oscar
*****

First X-rated film to win Best Picture
*****

Shortest performance to win an acting Oscar
*****

Reflection on the firms/performances will definitely make you wonder "What does it REALLY take to win an Oscar?" 

'Til Now... 

Why Oscar?

While there are various stories, nobody really knows why the Academy Award statuette is called an “Oscar."

Check out the Oscar Winners 1930 - 1950...