Oscar: When the statue of the best actor had to go … with a dog!

On the night of March 27-28, for the 94th year in a row, the Oscars will award the lucky winners for the work these filmmakers have worked on.

A precious sculpture has been made since 1929 3140 copies. Its dimensions have changed very little in the spotlight since its debut: it is almost 35 cm tall, weighs 3 kg without a base, and is still made of a bronze alloy covered with a 24-karat gold leaf. Except during World War II, when due to restrictions it was made of painted plaster for three years.

We owe it to Cedric Gibbons, MGM’s chief artistic officer, for his excellent sophisticated design. Originally from Ireland and born to the father of an architect, he was probably one of the only, if not the only, Hollywood executives to visit the incredible International Exhibition of Contemporary Decorative and Industrial ArtHeld in Paris from April to October 1925.

The exhibition, which will also have a great impact on him, to the point that his house was built in the style of Art Deco, whose plans he draws and entrusts the construction to the then famous architect. Douglas Honold.

Designed by Gibbons, under the influence of Art Deco, the sculpture was remodeled by an equally talented artist living in Los Angeles, George Stanley. He then represented a knight with a crusading sword placed on the ring of the film with five beams; Each of them represents one of the branchesAcademy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (Actors, directors, producers, technicians and screenwriters).

But where does this name Oscar come from?

Appointed for an official term Academy AwardThe sculpture is best known by its nickname, OscarSince 1934. The academy itself received this nickname in 1939. Its origin is unclear.

Thus, we were able to mention Walt Disney, who used this nickname for the first time. The academy preferred to preserve for posterity the little story of the academy librarian Margaret Herrick, who at the first sight of the statue pretends to look like an uncle, someone Oscar.

Since 1950, the winner or his successors can no longer sell their Oscars unless they have already offered it to the Academy for re-sale for a token $ 1. This is because previous awards are a small fortune.

For example, Steven Spielberg bought the Academy Award for Best Actress, which went to Betty Davis in 1938 for the film L’insoumise, for $ 578,000. In 2011, Beatrice Wales, daughter of Orson Welles, auctioned off her father’s Oscar, which she won for Citizen Kane. Prices increased to 861 542 dollars …

Rin Tin Tins was deprived of an Oscar … Best Actor!

The first male actor to win an Oscar was Emil Jannings for two films, “Twilight of Glory” and. When the meat gives up. A German actor, he made a brief splash in Hollywood before returning to Germany, where he filmed the propaganda works of the Third Reich under the supervision of Joseph Goebbels, which ultimately destroyed any chance of furthering his career.

2012 article Guard Sparked a rumor that has been circulating since the beginning of the history of the Oscars, and that very year was the subject of a book written by American journalist and author Susan Orleans: The Oscar given to Emile Jannings was stolen from a dog by Rin Tin Tin. , However, was named Best Actor!

Returned from France by a US Air Force soldier in 1918, this German Shepherd turned out to be a remarkably experienced animal. Participating in various shows, he finally caught the keen eye of Daryl Zanuk.

Rintintin will star in the Thirty Westerns series he is running Warner Bros., The first of which was released in 1923. In 1929 the animal was the headliner of at least four films. He delighted the studios who saw that the dollars were flowing thanks to him.

The first round of vote of membersAcademy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, Under the auspices of the newly created Louis B. Meyer, who runs MGM, awarded the dog Rin Tin Tin to the winner of Best Actor. The vote, which did not send a good signal, at his first award ceremony with an Oscar … It was decided the second round of voting, this time the nomination of Emil Jannings, although the popularity of Rin Tin Tin was much more important. German actor …