The And The Oscar Goes To... screening was all that I imagined and MORE! The line to get in moved fast, and once we were inside, we walked up a staircase covered by...what else...a red carpet. Two giant Oscar statues stood in the corners, waiting for attendees to take their pictures. Moving on, the walls were adorned with movie posters and famous scenes from our favorite movies: To Kill A Mockingbird, The Godfather, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and even Disney's Up. On the second floor, there was a photo of Louis B. Mayer greeting guests as we entered the theater.
Before the film began, we had the pleasure of hearing from TCM's very own Ben Mankiewicz, as well as the makers of the film, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Many of the people involved in the production of this documentary were also in attendance at the event. Turner Classic Movies provided a lot of support for this film, and it was nice to see that acknowledged. The film will kick off the 31 Days of Oscar special that TCM hosts every February leading up to the Academy Awards.
Here's what you can look forward to when And The Oscar Goes To... airs on TCM on February 1st:
The documentary touches on many different topics relating to the Oscars, and shows clips from the actual ceremonies and behind-the-scenes footage from the beginning of the Oscars in 1929 to present day. The history of the awards is woven throughout the documentary, but focuses around a few main subjects (the founding of the Academy, the Academy's response to blacklisting, social change evidenced by nominations and awards given over the years) rather than a year by year recap of the Academy Awards. Through the film, you also see how changes in film led to new crafts within motion pictures being recognized, specifically animation and makeup. What I particularly enjoyed were the fun clips from the Bob Hope days, and Cher's candid statement that no matter what actors say they all want to win. The chronology of the film was a little hard to follow, but it appeared to me that the film's more pressing goal was to capture the tradition and excitement that surrounds the Oscars, and to bring realism to the excitement based on the thoughts and feelings of Oscar nominees and winners. The film provides its audience with a window into the hearts and minds of the people sitting on the other side of the television screen when they tune in for the Academy Awards every year. We hear how they feel when they hear their name/film nominated, when they sit waiting for the winner to be called and hoping their name or name of their film is in the sacred envelope presented by a Price Waterhouse rep, and how they respond when the presenters announce "And the Oscar goes too..."
All in all, it was a wonderful event and just before leaving, I even had the chance to meet Ben Mankiewicz!! I was ecstatic! I've been a huge fan of TCM practically my entire life and it was a great opportunity to be able to speak with him, and tell him how much I appreciate TCM and classic film!
This year can only get better...31 Days Of Oscar starts February 1st. The Academy Awards will be held in March. And this upcoming April marks the 20th anniversary of TCM and my first time attending the TCM Classic Film Festival! So much to look forward to!
Here is a quick clip of the great Jerry Lewis and my favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn, presenting the award for Best Motion Picture to producer Harold Hecht for the fantastic heartwarming film Marty (1955):
**Unfortunately, the above clip from YouTube has been removed so I have posted a different clip. This one is of Audrey Hepburn presenting the 1964 Oscar for Best Actor to Rex Harrison for his work in My Fair Lady. There was a bit of drama surrounding this film and specifically the Best Actress category in 1964, which may explain why there are so many glimpses of Julie Andrews in this clip and why Audrey Hepburn stands next to Rex Harrison during his entire speech. Julie Andrews had successfully played Eliza Doolittle in the My Fair Lady stage production, but was passed over for the film role. Instead, Audrey Hepburn was given the part of Eliza. There was a lot of hype in the media about supposed tension between the two actresses because Audrey won the role. When time came for the Academy Awards, the controversy did not go away. In 1964, My Fair Lady took home eight Oscars. Nevertheless, in the category for Best Actress, Audrey was not even nominated! Julie Andrews was nominated however, and won the Academy Award that year for her role in Mary Poppins.
While Julie was likely disappointed about not getting the role of Eliza and Audrey was likely disappointed about not being nominated for her performance, I doubt that they were upset with one another as was portrayed by the media. Audrey was a wonderful choice for the role of Eliza Doolittle and Mary Poppins was a perfect vehicle to launch Julie Andrews to stardom. All in all, it seems to have worked out for both women. Statues aren't everything. The performances are what matter.
