“In the beginning, there was Louis B. Mayer. And he looked over the kingdom of Hollywood and its glory and said, “This is good.” And then he saw stirrings of unionism among studios craftsman and he said, “This stinks.” – Inside Oscar
Thus, the Academy Awards were born. We’re going backwards in time to the beginning of it all, back when Louis B. Mayer needed a dominant force to control the growing power of the unions. An organization was concocted to, among other things, mediate labor disputes, clean up tawdry content to satisfy the Hays Office and promote technical achievements in the film industry. Mayer wanted an elite club made up of the most popular and influential of the five branches, actors, directors, writers, technicians and producers. Mayer was going to be in charge of choosing the members. And, according to Inside Oscar, even though they planned on having an annual banquet of sorts for the membership, awards were not part of it.
On January 11, 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences became a thing. The first awards were “for distinctive achievement.” By the following year, 1928, the awards committee had a voting system. Each Academy member would cast one nominating vote in the branch. One person chosen from each branch (five people) would then choose the winners. The privilege to vote in the awards was emphasized by then President Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. who said:
All members of the Academy are urged as a special duty and privilege to fill in their nominations of the Academy Awards of Merit with full recognition of the importance and responsibility of the act. Academy Awards of Merit should be considered the highest distinction attainable in the motion picture profession and only by the impartial justice and wisdom displayed by the membership in making their nominations will this desired result be possible.
What we call Best Picture now was to be called Best Production and it would go to the “most outstanding motion picture considering all elements that contribute to a picture’s greatness.” They also had a separate award called “Artistic Quality of Production” that would honor the production company with the “most artistic, unique and/or original motion picture without reference to cost or magnitude.” In other words, they divided the big money makers from the smaller artistic pursuits, a trend they might be forced to back to since Hollywood is now moving in a very different direction.
Funnily enough, in the early days of naming the awards, Louis B. Mayer removed “International” from the name of the Academy to help build up the reputation of the Academy itself. They might want to rethink that name now as well.
In any case, Fairbanks said that these awards might help improve Hollywood’s image overall, “the screen and all its people were under a great and alarming cloud of public censure and contempt. Some constructive action seemed imperative to halt the attacks and establish the industry in the public mind as a respectable legitimate institution, and its people as reputable individuals.”
The statuette — from Inside Oscar:
As the Academy members filled out their nomination ballots, the founders of the Academy deliberated over what kind of trophy, plaque or scroll the ultimate winners would receive Mayer left the design of the award in the capable hands of Cedric Gibbons. While Gibbons was at an Academy meeting listening to Board members talk about the five branches and the need for a strong image for the film industry, he sketched away and then revealed his design: a naked man plunging a sword into a reel of film. The five holes on the reel, Gibbons explained, represented the Academy branches.
For the production of the statuette, the Academy gave $500 to an unemployed art school graduate named George Stanley, who sculpted Gibbons’ design in clay. Alex Smith then cast the 12 1/2 inch, 6 3/4 pound statuette in tin and copper and gold-plated the whole thing. The Award was ready; now it was time for the first winners.
We’ll be discussing Year One on our next podcast. Stay tuned.
So who is buying me Inside Oscar for Christmas?
So excited about these podcasts. I need more time in my day!
Here are some other 1927-28 movies worth checking out that no one has mentioned yet:
Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness – This movie from the directors of 1933’s King Kong, Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack, depicts a village in Northern Thailand. The best part is features an elephant stampede on the village. The filmmakers constructed a set of miniature homes and buildings and then sent a group of baby elephants stampeding through it, so it looked like adults elephants crushing a real village. It was nominated against Sunrise and The Crowd for Best Artistic Quality of Production.
It – Clara Bow’s romantic comedy that earned her the nicknamed “The ‘It’ Girl.”
London After Midnight – A Lon Chaney horror movie featuring some of his most chilling makeup ever. Maybe a quarter of this movie is missing, but watching what film archivists have assembled is better than nothing.
Two Arabian Knights – Lewis Milestone earned the only award ever given in the Best Director for a Comedy category. There are better comedies, but seeing Louis Wolheim in another movie besides All Quiet on the Western Front is interesting. And Mary Astor is in it.
The Unknown – Lon Chaney/Tod Browning thriller about a criminal hiding in a traveling circus.
The Racket – A crime movie that was nominated for Best Picture against Wings and Seventh Heaven. (And in some circles, The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh too)
Sadie Thompson – If all you know about Gloria Swanson is Sunset Boulevard, check out her Oscar nominated performance in this movie about a prostitute and a man who wants to redeem her (Lionel Barrymore).
A Ship Comes In – Louise Dresser was nominated for Best Actress at the first Oscars for this movie about a group of Hungarian Jewish immigrants who come to live in America. I was able to watch it on YouTube.
Speedy – My personal favorite Harold Lloyd movie. He’s such an underrated silent comedian. I think he’s even better than Buster Keaton, but I probably shouldn’t advertise that. The movie earned Ted Wilde a Best Director (Comedy) nomination.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. – This is my personal favorite Buster Keaton movie, and I think it’s even better than The General. That is yet another irreverent opinion, but what can I do?
Street Angel – Arguably the best of Janet Gaynor’s three Oscar-winning performances was for this story of a girl on the run from the law.
Wings is a much better film than Sunrise, and I’m glad it’s remembered as the legitimate Best Picture winner of 1927-28 at the Oscars.
Just (finally) saw Sunrise on Turner Classic Movies. Pretty damn good. It started slow, but got way better around the 20 minute mark.
My top 5 favorite moments in the film: **SPOILERS AHEAD**
1. Drunk Piggy
2. Dancing, especially when he picks her up and spins her around
3. The husband crying in the church when he realizes his wrongs, and how much he loves his wife
4. His wife waking up at the end of the movie still alive
5. The husband ends up choking the mistress, and not his wife
Thanks for the link, Steve. Mother of God. I loved those two minutes immensely more than the whole two hundred of WAR AND PEACE!
Just to whet your appetite, Bryce – here’s the opening shot. Remember, this is 1928 – pre-zoom and pre-boom.
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/295299/Crowd-The-Movie-Clip-John-Sims.html
Ryan, thanks for the heads up! I found it. Eager to check it out.
Ryan, I know, embarrassing. I haven’t seen THE CROWD 🙁
I don’t know if you remember me some time ago mentioning I had never seen a Vidor film. Well, since then, I’ve only seen WAR AND PEACE. I do plan to check out a few more films from those years before the podcast and THE CROWD is first in line. A local video store has a VHS for rental, the picture quality must be inferior, but it’s not out on DVD, so it’ll have to do.
Bryce (and anyone else who likes rare treasures), there is a Chinese edition DVD of The Crowd available on eBay for $5.90 and free shipping. The Chinese subtitles are removable. I can vouch for the video quality (somewhat low contrast, but otherwise amazingly free of damage and very good stability). The score is authentically orchestrated.
I don’t want to overhype it… but you’re in for a very pleasant surprise. I don’t often get a chance to hook you up with anything this special, you being the man who has seen almost everything. So I’m very happy to be able to bring this opportunity to your attention.
Whilst Wings isn’t quite on the timeless masterpiece level of Sunrise (which I regard as the best film of 1927/8 in general), Wings is still a really excellent film that has aged well in its own right. I managed to see it on the big screen last year in its new restoration, and will never forget it. I’d certainly have it inside my Top 30 Best Picture winners. From 1927-8, The Passion of Joan of Arc and Metropolis are also timeless classics. I also think The Lodger is among Hitchcock’s 10 best films, in fact I regard it as the best film from his pre-Hollywood days.
Sunrise is an all-time great. Thank the Lord the Academy recognized it to start off on the right foot.
Sunrise is sublime!
This is exciting! Didn’t think you’d go all the way back to year one.
Yay! Great that you guys are starting from the beginning!
I brought back my two treasured INSIDE OSCAR books (from Australia to London) with me this year. Will have to take them to a coffee shop this afternoon and refresh my memory!
Thanks, as always, for the wonderful podcast!
I’m really curious about these once-upon-a-time-Oscars. I don’t know a lot of movies from back then.
“Sunrise” is one of my all-time favorite films: it holds up exceptionally well, especially in comparison with “Wings” (which has its moments). Interesting how “The Jazz Singer” wasn’t nominated despite its revolutionary use of sound and its box office success (but in all honesty, it’s not a very good movie). Looking forward to this podcast!
January 1027? I think the Academy started 900 years later.
(After correcting, please delete this post.)
Holy J.C. Chandor! Top 20 is missing Marcel L’Herbier’s L’ARGENT, so go on get in there somewhere.
Gee. I knew it was coming, but thanks for the heads up. I haven’t seen many films from these two years, including celebrated pictures by the likes of Vidor and Sjöström, so I better round it up with a hard-hitting top 20.
1. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, Carl Theodor Dreyer
2. THE GENERAL, Buster Keaton
3. METROPOLIS, Fritz Lang
4. NAPOLEON, Abel Gance
5. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF THE USHER, Jea Epstein
6. SUNRISE, F.W.Murnau
7. THE CAMERAMAN, Edward Sedwick, Buster Keaton
8. BERLIN SYMPHONY OF A METROPOLIS, Walter Ruttmann
9. OCTOBER: TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD, Sergei Einsenstein, Grigori Aleksandrov
10. THE CIRCUS, Charlie Chaplin
11. THE LOVE OF JEANNE NEY, G.W. Pabst
12. THE MAN WHO LAUGHS, Paul Leni
13. THE KID BROTHER, Ted Wilde, etc.
14. THE WEDDING MARCH, Erich von Stroheim
15. WINGS, William A. Wellman
16. THE LODGER, Alfred Hitchcock
17. UNDERWORLD, Josef von Sternberg
18. SEVENTH HEAVEN, Frank Borzage
19. COLLEGE, James H. Horne, Buster Keaton
20. THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK, Josef von Sternberg
brilliant list, as always, Bryce.
I almost choked on sadness when I saw King Vidor’s The Crowd was missing but then I remembered that was 1928.
(but hey, I see you’re including several other 1928 films so now I’m chocking again).
Why do I keep getting this when I write a long comment: YOUR COMMENT IS AWAITING MODERATION
Robert A, I checked Netflix, but ironically, my roommate, who’s login and password I use, just cancelled the DVD/Blu-ray rental part, and now all we get is the streaming. (D’oh!)
Awesome – Year One! Good times – you guys have your work cut out for you.
Well, the first thing they did was split director into comedy and dramatic, then went and shunned Murnau and Vidor for Frank Borzage. Off to a great start.
Favorites (still) are Sunrise (Murnau), The Crowd (Vidor) The Last Command (von Sternberg) and, especially, Dreyer’s Passion of Joan of Arc, which I did not see for the first time until two years ago and was completely bowled over by it. Of course, guess which one got zero noms.
Saw Wings again recently and liked it better because I noticed Gary Cooper in one of his early roles. It was the next year that Cooper became a milestone of sorts in that he dropped-trow and went “Fassbender” on Wolf Song (pre-code era, folks). The footage and most of the film are lost, unfortunately, but a couple of great stills can be found on the net of the 27 yr old Cooper. Shortly after that Wolf Song was released, Tallulah Bankhead announced she was quitting Broadway and heading to Hollywood. When asked why, she demurely replied, “I going to Hollywood to fuck Gary Cooper!”
Probably the most famous film from 1927, The Jazz Singer, I still haven’t been able to get through. Drek.
Al, have you checked Netflix? They should have Sunrise.
Yes, 1927 was the only year they had an award for Best Picture and an award for Best Artistic Quality of Production. Wings won Best Picture (called Best Production back then) and Sunrise won Best Artistic Quality of Production. In the history books, however, Wings is considered the BP of 1927, since Sunrise won an award that only briefly existed. Still, Sunrise has won the “test of time” award and lives on in a way that Wings does not (not that Wings doesn’t have some merits as well, such as that deliciously homoerotic death scene!)
Thank you Louis B. Mayer for creating the Academy Awards! 🙂
“An organization was concocted to, among other things, mediate labor disputes, clean up tawdry content.” Maybe not at the same level, but don’t these things still exist to a certain degree?
I’m glad this was the only year where they awarded to Best Pictures. Considering Sight & Sound has Sunrise at #5 on their latest poll of greatest movies ever, I think Sunrise won that unofficial battle between it and Wings. I need to see sunrise, does anyone know where I can see it?