Posted on 02/28/2016 2:24:22 PM PST by Kaslin
As we get ready for tonight’s Academy Awards being held tonight at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, our minds naturally go to great moments in Oscar history.
One such moment, which always leaps to mind—and especially tonight, given the #oscarssowhite controversy http://variety.com/2016/biz/news/oscar-nominations-2016-diversity-white-1201674903/—occurred at the 12th Academy Awards on February 29, 1940. Held at The Ambassador Hotel in its segregated Cocoanut Grove and hosted by Bob Hope, poignancy overflowed when Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as "Mammy" in Gone with the Wind (1939).
"… This is one of the happiest moments of my life," McDaniel said in accepting her Oscar. "And, I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me… or your kindness, it has made me feel very, very humble. And, I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel..." As she finished, saying "Thank you and God bless you," she was gripped with emotion.
Thirty-two years later, on April 10, 1972, another wrong was righted when the Academy honored Charlie Chaplin with "a special Oscar" some 20 years after his banishment from the United States. "I do not want to create any revolution, all I want to do is create a few more films," Chaplin said at the time. But, he was forgiving and had an equally simple message on this occasion: "Oh you thank you so much. An emotional moment for me. And, words seem so futile, so feeble. I can only say. Thank you for the honor of inviting me here. And, oh, you're wonderful, sweet people. Thank you," he said.
A similarly dramatic moment occurred at the 46th Academy Awards, two years later, when Susan Hayward, who fifteen years earlier had won the Best Actress Oscar for I Want to Live (1958), presented the same award to Glenda Jackson for A Touch of Class (1973). Hayward had been rated on par with Sarah Bernhardt. This night was no exception. Only she was not fighting discrimination but illness.
A year earlier she had been diagnosed with multiple brain tumors, and began losing weight and gradually suffered paralysis. As if that was not bad enough, she was also suffering from lung cancer.
On April 2, 1974, as she arrived at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, she was a class act from start to finish, making her grand entrance in her signature sable mink fur. Wearing a Nolan Miller green chiffon gown, graced with Van Cleef diamond necklace, bracelet and earrings, Charleton Heston led her to the podium, as she gripped his strong arm. (The doctor had injected her with Dilantin before she went on stage to avert seizures.) She was such a hit, the Academy invited her again in 1975. But, as she confided to Miller, this was her last rodeo. Less than a year later on March 14, 1975, she died, gripping the black onyx crucifix Pope John XXIII had given her.
Then there was John "Duke" Wayne's dramatic last appearance at the Academy Awards on April 9, 1979, when he, too, was ailing.
"Thank you Ladies and Gentleman," he said. "That's just about the only medicine a fellow would every really need. Let me tell you, I'm mighty pleased that I can amble down here every night. Well, Oscar and I have something in common. Oscar first came to the Hollywood scene in 1928. So did I. We're both a little weather-beaten but we're still here and plan to be around for a whole lot longer."
Two months later, Duke "bought the farm" and went to his eternal reward, joining Hayward, his co-star onThe Conqueror, among films the two made together. Like Hayward, he had also found healing in faith. Ironically, the two had also developed fatal cancer, as with many involved in Howard Hughes' aforementioned film in the mid-1950s, including also Dick Powell (director) and Agnes Moorehead, likely due to downwind radiation from nuclear weapons testing in Nevada.
In the end, the spiritual gold Hayward and Duke were anticipating was worth the most. As Hattie McDaniel always said, "I did my best and let God do the rest." May that spirit infuse tonight’s Oscars and the great work of McDaniel's fellow actors of all creeds and colors today and always.
Hattie and The Duke - two of my favorite actors. People who only know her as Mammy should check out her brilliant performance in Alice Adams which starred Katherine Hepburn.
Nice sentiments.
But, I fully expect this Oscar ceremony to be full of liberal jokes that you have to be liberal to think are funny, and full of this nonsense about how the liberal entertainment business is not giving enough awards to black performers.
I hope to be proven wrong about what happens there.
That’s why I haven’t watched the Oscars in about 25 years.
Compared to the John Wayne era, today’s Oscars is a self-aggrandizing parade of delusional narcissists.
Hollywood “actors/employees” are the most egotistical group of professionals ever known in history.
I have far more respect for the engineers and entrepreneurs in our society who have toiled to make great strides in our quality of life (jet travel, medical breakthroughs, technology).
We should have an “Oscars” for engineers/entrepreneurs to honor them. But instead we have this trash.
Hollywood actors have no class. And they’re all left-wing socioeconomic fascists, like Leonardo DeCraprio who preaches against global warming and then hypocritically jets around the world to frolic on gas-guzzling mega-yachts with gullible pretty girls who fall for his schtick. He’s the definition of Hypocrisy.
And these Hollywood “stars” think because they’re so good at PRETENDING they are someone else in a movie — and have thus become famous — that the world should listen to their flaky political ideas.
Disgusting. I never watch the Oscars.
I agree with you 100 percent and I haven’t watched the Oscars for ages
Chris Rock doing his Blacks Get Even With Hollywood bit on the TV in the other room as I post - might be bearable if he were funny at least, but the masochistic libs are eating it up anyhow....
The whole point of jive-talking google-eyed Rock/s dumbed-down comments was to make liberals “feel good” about themselves. Feeling good about themselves is the be-all and end-all among that crowd.
Forget about Rock/s sick white derangement syndrome....his room temperature-grade intelligence level....his complete lack of professionalism, poise and personality.
Rock/s a big zero....he added up to nothing.
She was supposedly criticized for playing roles in which she was always the maid to white actresses.
Her reply was, "I'd rather play one than be one."
Heard today that there were fewer viewers for the Awards last night than in the last eight years - maybe the Academy will think twice before it tries to juice up interest by playing the Race Card next time....
The Oscars are an industry award - funded entirely by the film industry. Film producers are entrepreneurs. And they do give awards to technicians who advanced film technology.
You’re missing my overall point.
Sure film producers might give awards to technicians in film, but I’m talking about the VAST accomplishments of engineers/scientists who have IMMENSELY improved people’s standard of living due to their genius and hard work.
Hollywood is the most self-aggrandizing group of any profession in the world. These people are not heroes. They’re just good at pretending they’re someone else and usually happen to be attractive (genetic celebrities).
Who used the word ‘hero’? BTW out of the twenty-five or so Oscars given out - only four go to actors.
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