Few industries are as iconically American as the film industry. From the earliest days, when silent movies were considered a spellbinding new technology, Hollywood has been a mecca for anyone with a taste for fame, a talent for acting or directing, or with creative chops in any of the hundreds of background professions it takes to make one film.
Oscars Night 2024 is on March 10. While we’re waiting for the red carpet to be unrolled and the night’s emcee (Jimmy Kimmel) to serve up the first joke, here’s a few fun facts about this most coveted of Tinseltown trophies and its big night:
Speaking of Oscar hosts, most have been white men until…
Whoopi Goldberg killed two birds with one stone in 1994, being the first woman and first black person to solo host the Oscars. She went on to be one of the very few people who've hosted the Oscars four or more times.
What Mainer has won the most Oscars?
John Ford, born John Feeney in Cape Elizabeth to Irish immigrants, has won more Oscars than any other director. He directed classics such as “How Green Was My Valley”. Recent wins from creative Mainers go to Gorham native Eric Saindon in 2023 for his work as visual effects supervisor on Avatar: The Way of the Water. First-time nominee Erik Messerschmidt, of Cape Elizabeth, won in 2021 for best cinematography for “Mank.”
Has a foreign-language film ever won a Best Picture Oscar?
Parasite, a Korean dark comedy, took 4 Academy Awards in 2020, including Best Picture. Director Bong Joon-ho had some sage advice: “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
But wait…
The Academy Awards has only been postponed five times in its 94-year history. It happened in:
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1938 due to flooding in Los Angeles
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1968 due to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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1981 due to the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan
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2021 due to the COVID pandemic
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2022 due to the COVID pandemic
How heavy is an Oscar statue?
The 8.5 lb statuettes are solid bronze and plated in 24-karat gold. Due to a metal shortage during World War II, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones.
