Clips from Oscar Ceremonies at Youtube

[Uri]

Why did Angela Lansbury accept the award if Ashcroft had specifically asked Banjerlee to do it?

I think it was a case of let’s get the professional Brit everybody knows and like onstage instead of that Indian nobody.

[Big Magilla]

Ashcroft was an exception.

[flipp525]

Well, at least as late as 1985, they kept the habit of other people accepting for absent winners. There was a mini scandal that year when Angela Lansbury picked Peggy Ashcroft’s Oscar instead of co-star Victor Banjeree, who was the one Ashcroft asked to do so when she had to go back to England to attend Michael Redgrave’s funeral.

I thought Peggy Ashcroft was absolutely transcendent in A Passage to India. God, what a well-deserved win that year.

Why did Angela Lansbury accept the award if Ashcroft had specifically asked Banjerlee to do it?

[Uri]

The practice stopped after Brando ruined it for everyone by having Sasheen Littlefeather refuse the 1972 best actor Oscar on his behalf.

Well, at least as late as 1985, they kept the habit of other people accepting for absent winners. There was a mini scandal that year when Angela Lansbury picked Peggy Ashcroft’s Oscar instead of co-star Victor Banjeree, who was the one Ashcroft asked to do so when she had to go back to England to attend Michael Redgrave’s funeral.

[Big Magilla]

Class and no class:

Ruth Gordon:

"I can't tell you how encouraging a thing like this is. I remember the first film I was ever in, in 1915, and here we are in 1969 and I don't know why it took so long, though I don't think I'm backward. Thank all of you who voted for me. And to all who didn't, please excuse me."

Barbra Streisand:

"I was thinking...um...the first script of Funny Girl was written when I was only 11 years old, and, um, thank God it took so long to get it right, you know?"

[Big Magilla]

The practice stopped after Brando ruined it for everyone by having Sasheen Littlefeather refuse the 1972 best actor Oscar on his behalf.

[anonymous1980]

Whatever happened to the practice of a representative accepting the award for people who are not present? When did that stop? The only time nowadays for someone else to go to the podium to speak on behalf of the winner is if the win was posthumous. (Conrad L. Hall and Raul Julia come to mind).

Oh btw, Damien: Do you buy the notion that Streisand would not have won had she not campaigned hard to be in the Academy during the time of the awards?

[Big Magilla]

It's funny, but at the time Woodward was my pick for best actress, mainly because I had already given Hepburn my award four times before. I've since come to like Hepburn's performance a bit more, Woodward's a bit less.

When Bergman announced a tie and said Hepburn's name I hoped Woodward or Neal would be the other one. Even then I didn't like Streisand, who was the popular favorite. While I've always liked Redgrave, I hadn't seen Isadora at the time as it had only been shown in a pre-Oscar qualifying run in L.A. I thought that rather sneaky and unfair to Farrow.

Isadora was released a month or so after the Oscars in truncated form as The Loves of Isadora. I didn't see it until many years later and have never particularly cared for it.

As for the applause, that may have been because Striesand, who was in the audience, was the expected winner. I'm pretty sure both names were applauded about equally when announced as co-winners.



Edited By Big Magilla on 1173077681

[Damien]

Ironically, the two winning performances are probably the least deserving among the five. (The non-nominated Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby was more impressive.) And Vanessa Redgrave is in a class by herself -- one of the greatest performances ever.

[flipp525]

I couldn't tell as the clip is blurry and I haven't seen any of those films.

What?! You haven't seen Isadora, Rachel, Rachel, The Subject Was Roses, Funny Girl or The Lion in Winter? Woodward's performance in Rachel, Rachel is great (as is Estelle Parsons' Oscar-nominated supporting turn) and I'd say that Hepburn's Eleanor of Acquitaine is probably one of her best performances and certainly one of my favorites alongside hers' in Long Day's Journey Into Night. The problem with the first three films in that lineup is that none of them are readily available on DVD.



Edited By flipp525 on 1173059152

[anonymous1980]

Also, I liked that Ingrid announced the two winners at the same time. Seems as if when there's tie now (whether it's at the Oscars, the Globes or wherever), the presenter waits unril the first recipient finished speaking to bring up the other winner. Seems very cruel to the other nominees.

At the Globes and the Emmys they do that.

The last time the Oscars had a tie was Best Live Action Short in 1995. Tim Allen was presenting and he announced the two winners at the same time. The winners all came up at the same time and took turns making their acceptance speeches.

[OscarGuy]

They just want to keep the suspense alive.

Now, from the applause in the clip, it didn't seem like Hepburn had that many supporters in the audience...who got the second most applause after Streisand? She read the names in an order other than what was presented, so I couldn't tell as the clip is blurry and I haven't seen any of those films.

[Damien]

Did y'all notice how many empty seats there were? Looked weird -- no wonder they started having seat fillers.


Also, I liked that Ingrid announced the two winners at the same time. Seems as if when there's tie now (whether it's at the Oscars, the Globes or wherever), the presenter waits unril the first recipient finished speaking to bring up the other winner. Seems very cruel to the other nominees.

[Big Magilla]

Yes, the audience was with her in 1968. Stil, the best speech of the evening, as I recall, was Ruth Gordon's, so thankful to have won an Oscar on her fifth nomination (three having been for writing).

[HarryGoldfarb]

All the same it was quite interesting, thanks Penelope!

Magilla, however, it seems from the applauses and the laughs that hers was one of the funniest acceptance speeches ever..., the public's reaction to her name was extremely enthusiastic...