On Sunday, February 22, 2015, we will be able to watch the 87th presentation of the prestigious Oscar film award. The Oscar is the ultimate recognition for achievements in the field of cinematography, and in the almost century-long tradition of awarding the Oscars, there have also been rare and tragic events that have become part of the history of the Oscars. We found ten interesting facts about the Oscars that you still don't know.
1. The Second World War influenced the production of the Oscar statuette.
Due to the shortage of metal materials during World War II, the Oscars were made of painted plaster for the first three years. After the war, the Academy invited Academy Award recipients to exchange their plaster Oscars for gilded and metal ones. But this is not the only time that the academy did not award golden Oscars. The honorary Oscar given to comedian Edgar Bergen (known for his Charlie McCarthy wooden puppet) was made of wood with a movable mouth.
2. There was only one winner selected by voting.
When Hal Mohr took home the Academy Award for Best Picture for A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1936, he became the one and only recipient to earn the Academy Award by voting. The Academy later changed the rules and voting became impossible. At the same time, Hal Mohr is also the first to win an Oscar for both black-and-white and color photography (he won the second Oscar for the film Phantom of the Opera, 1943).
3. Only three films have won the “Big Five” Oscars at one event.
The “Big Five” are Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay. Only three films managed to do this: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), When the Lambs Silenced (1991) and It Happened One Night (1934).
4. George C. Scott and Marlon Brando turned down Oscars.
George C. Scott earned an Oscar at the 43rd Academy Awards. When he was called to the stage, he was not present. Regarding the Oscars, he believed that it is a two-hour ceremony where they are paraded like meat, but at the same time, it is supposed to be just a fictional cover behind which economic reasons are hidden.
Marlon Brando has changed his stance on the Oscars over the years. When it came time for him to accept an Oscar for his role in The Godfather, activist and actress Sacheen Littlefeather took the stage in his place, dressed in Native American clothing, and said that Marlon Brando was turning down an Oscar. The reason is said to be the treatment of American Indians by the film and television industry. Her statement drew both disapproval and applause from the audience.
5. Linda Hunt is the only person to win an Oscar for playing a role of the opposite sex.
Linda Hunt won an Oscar for her role as Billy Kwan - a male midget - opposite Mel Gibson in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982).
READ MORE: Oscars 2015 - Academy Awards (Live)
6. The Oscars were postponed three times.
In 1938, the Oscars were postponed due to record rainfall - Los Angeles was hit by floods, 96 people died. The award, originally scheduled for March 3, was postponed to a week later.
In 1968, the Oscars were postponed for two days - the reason was the elimination of the consequences of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
In 1981, the ceremony was postponed for one day, this time because of the assassination attempt on the US President Ronald Reagan. When the attacker was arrested, he reportedly asked the police if the news of the assassination attempt disrupted the Oscar ceremony.
7. Walt Disney won eight Oscars at once.
When Walt Disney received the Oscar for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he received seven miniature versions of the Oscar in addition to the traditional statuette.
8. Midnight Cowboy is the only X-rated film to win an Oscar.
Midnight Cowboy (directed by John Schesinger) is the first film to take home an Oscar despite the X tag. The films that received nominations despite the X mark are: A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick) and Last Tango in Paris (Bernardo Bertulucci).
9. Tom Hanks is the last winner to win the Oscar two years in a row.
Only five actors/actresses have won the Oscar two years in a row: Luise Rainer, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards and Tom Hanks (Philadelphia and Forrest Gump).
10. The Huston and Coppola families are the only film families with three generations of winners.
Walter Huston won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1948, son Jon Huston won an Academy Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay in 1948, and granddaughter Anjelica Huston won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1985.
Carmine Coppola won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1974, his son Francis Ford Coppola's first win was in 1970 for Best Original Screenplay, his granddaughter Sofia Coppola won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2003.
