8 Memorable Oscar Moments
Updated: Jan. 29, 2019
The Oscars have been around for over 80 years, and have had many memorable moments in its’ history. Here are 8 amazing highlights.
May 16, 1929 The first Academy Awards are held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; 250 people attend. Tickets cost US$5 and the event lasts ten minutes. Best Picture goes to silent movie Wings.
1934 After winning the Best Actor award for It Happened One Night, Clark Gable makes the shortest-ever acceptance speech, saying simply, “Thank you.”
1939 Hattie McDaniel becomes the first black person to be nominated for an Academy Award (or to attend an Academy banquet) and bursts into tears when she wins her Oscar for best supporting actress as the maid Mammy in Gone With the Wind.
1969 Midnight Cowboy was (and is) the only X-rated film to win Best Picture.
1973 For the only time in her career, Katharine Hepburn attends the ceremony. After a few minutes on stage to present an honorary award, she dashes into a waiting limousine. As she once noted, “Prizes are nothing. My prize is my work.” She holds the record for most acting Oscars (four).
1991 After winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Jack Palance, 73, drops to the floor and does one-armed push-ups to prove he can still compete with younger actors.
1997 Titanic is nominated for 14 Oscars and wins 11. After winning the Best Director Oscar, James Cameron announces, “I’m the king of the world!”
1998 Italian actor Roberto Benigni thrills the Oscar audience by climbing over seats and bounding to the stage to receive his award as Best Actor in Life is Beautiful.
Get swept up in the Oscar Buzz
Cast Your Votes!
Will Quentin Tarantino take home the prize for Best Original Screenplay? Will Avatar make a clean sweep? Print out these ballot sheets and give them to your friends before this year’s show and make your predictions.
Gone with the Wind: 50th Anniversary Edition
More than 50 years after its release, it continues to enthrall audiences the world over. Now, you can thrill to the grandeur of Tara, the fascinating Scarlett O’Hara, Rhett Butler’s magnetism and the burning of Atlanta all over again. Order it today from the readersdigest.ca online store.
