It’s a documentary about the Academy Awards that could potentially be a nominee for best documentary next year –if it has a theatrical run. “And the Oscar Goes To…” will have its world premiere on Turner Classic Movies, kicking off the cable network’s annual 31 Days of Oscar, a celebration of the Academy Awards that runs from February 1 through March 3.
“And the Oscar Goes To…,” produced by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman with the blessing of AMPAS, (it was essentially greenlit by the late Tom Sherak three years ago during his term running the organization) doesn’t hesitate to delve into some of the less flattering aspects of the 86-year history of moviedom’s highest honors.
We’re talking about institutionalized racism, the blacklist and an anti-union stance espoused by the studios.
The first Academy Awards were held in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and for nearly 20 years, the winners knew in advance that they would be taking home a trophy, and so did the press.
That system came to an abrupt halt when the Los Angeles Times published a list of the winners the night before the ceremony, violating a gentleman’s agreement not to reveal them in advance. (And ever since, the drama is intense each time an envelope is opened.)
That’s just one of the many little known anecdotes about the Oscars that is revealed as the documentary unfolds. Included amongst the many illuminating interviews are former hosts Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg and a diverse group of recipients including Cher, Ben Kingsley, John Voight, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Jennifer Hudson, Helen Mirren, Liza Minnelli, Tom Hanks and Benicio del Toro.
Vintage clips remind viewers of just what movie stars used to be and how they looked and behaved in a glamorous view down memory lane that includes Janet Gaynor, James Stewart, Vivien Leigh, Jack Lemmon and Elizabeth Taylor. In addition to directors and performers, below the line craftspeople also are strongly represented in reminiscing.
Also appearing is TCM host and Academy Awards historian Robert Osborne, author of “85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards.”
Some famous Oscar moments like Jack Palance doing one-armed push-ups, Sally Fields’ “you like me, you really like me” acceptance speech and Adrien Brody kissing Hallie Berry did not make the cut. But included are such controversial acceptance speeches as Jane Fonda’s win for Klute (1971), Michael Moore’s for Bowling for Columbine (2002) and Sacheen Littlefeather’s appearance to decline Marlon Brando’s Oscar for The Godfather (1972).
Moore provides an interesting back story on his decision whether to include antiwar, anti-Bush rhetoric in his polarizing speech, while watching the lack of respect shown to Littlefeather at the time is troubling.
The documentary also features behind-the-scenes ceremony footage from the archives of Hollywood Newsreel, much of it never shown on television before.
“And the Oscar Goes To…” premieres at 8 PM ET/PT February 1 on TCM and will encore on CNN as part of its CNN Films Presents series.
A complete schedule of TCM’s month-long Academy Awards tribute can be found at 31days.tcm.com
