Oscar - The First 75 Years, Part 1 Quiz

Answer: It is the first silent Best Picture winner

At the time, "talkies" were just coming into the forefront in the motion picture industry. Look for a young Gary Cooper (as Cadet White) in this classic film.

Answer: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

On May 16, 1929, the first Academy Awards were handed out in a brief ceremony at the Blossom Room of the Holloywood Roosevelt Hotel. Until 1943, the Oscars were held during banquets (and one dinner, in 1942). The tradition of holding the ceremony in an auditorium began in 1944, at the Chinese Theatre.

Answer: False

From 1953 to 1957, at least a portion of the ceremony was staged in New York City: The NBC International Theatre in 1953, and the NBC Century Theatre in the remaining years.

Answer: Paramount

It was Paramount Pictures who has the honor of producing the first Best Picture Winner. Other Best Pictures produced by Paramount include "The Godfather", "The Godfather, Part II", "Ordinary People", "Braveheart", and "Titanic", among others.

Answer: Walt Disney

Walt Disney amassed a total of 31 Academy Awards, including two Honorary Awards: The creation of Mickey Mouse (1932), and the release of the first-ever animated feature, 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1939). Along with his 1939 Honorary Oscar, Walt was given seven "mini-Oscars" to represent each of the Seven Dwarfs. Also, he received a posthumous Academy Award in 1969 for the short "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day". And (not included in this total) in 1942, he was given both the Irving G. Thalberg Award, and a certificate for achievements in sound in the making of 1940's "Fantasia".

Answer: Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.

Both Fairbanks the Senior and his wife, Mary Pickford, have special organizations within the Academy named after them. William C. DeMille, Cecil B.'s brother, co-founded the Academy with Fairbanks, Sr.

Answer: Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck was the first recipient, in 1938. The Zanuck family has been involved with the motion picture industry since its earliest days. Darryl's son, Richard Zanuck, is a well-known motion picture producer. His name has appeared on many well-known blockbusters, including the "Lethal Weapon" series.

Answer: Movie Producer

Irving G. Thalberg was a noted movie producer for Universal and MGM in the 1920s and 30s. At one point, he was even second-in-command of MGM Studios, behind Louis B. Mayer. His production credits included "The Broadway Melody" (1929), "Grand Hotel" (1932), and "Mutiny On the Bounty" (1935), all of which are Best Picture winners.

He died at the relatively young age of 37, in 1936. The next year, the Academy commissioned the Irving G. Thalberg Award for excellence in motion picture production.

Answer: True

In 1930, there were two ceremonies. The first was on April 3, at the Cocoanut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel (for 1928/29); the second ceremony took place on November 5, at the Fiesta Room in the Ambassador (for 1929/30). Also, there was no ceremony in 1933, for the purpose of adjusting film eligibility to a given calendar year. The 1933 awards were handed out on March 16, 1934.

Answer: 2nd (1928/29)

During the 2nd Academy Awards, on April 3, 1930, a Los Angeles radio station broadcast a local one-hour show for the presentation. The Oscars have had media coverage ever since.

Answer: Three

In 1938, heavy rains in Los Angeles caused flooding that resulted in a one-week delay. In 1968, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. led to a two-day delay (His funeral and the ceremony were scheduled for the same day). And, in 1981, the Oscars were pushed back 24 hours after President Reagan was shot. NOTE - in 1942, the ceremonies were nearly cancelled, following the attack upon Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.

In the end, the Academy decided to proceed as scheduled, but the festivities were toned town from a banquet to a dinner, and it was not a "black tie" (formal) affair. Two years later, the ceremony would be held within an auditorium, a practice that remains today.

Answer: 13.5 inches (34.29 cm)

Weighing in at 8.5 pounds (3.86 kg), the Oscar depicts a knight with a sword, standing on a film reel.

Answer: 13

In all, 12 co-hosts and one host were women. The co-hosts were Thelma Ritter (1955), Claudette Colbert (1956), Celeste Holm (1957), Rosalind Russell (1958), Helen Hayes (1972), Carol Burnett (1973), Diana Ross (1974), Shirley MacLaine (1975), Goldie Hawn (1976 and 1987), Ellen Burstyn (1977), Jane Fonda (1977 and 1986), and Liza Minnelli (1983). Whoopi Goldberg was the first solo female host of the Oscars, in 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2002.

Answer: False

The actual name is Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy was founded in May 1927, as a non-profit organization, for the purpose of recognizing achievements in the motion picture industry. The first President was Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.

Answer: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was the venue for the Academy Awards 25 times: 1969-87, 1990, 1992-94, 1996, and 1999. The 41st Academy Awards, on April 14, 1969, bore two significant milestones: 1) It was the first major event held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and 2) it was the first world-wide television broadcast of the ceremony.

Answer: Five

In 1948, 1969-71, and 1989, there was no official host of the ceremonies.

Answer: True

In 1958, Donald Duck shared the emcee duties with James Stewart, David Niven, Jack Lemmon, Rosalind Russell, and Bob Hope.

Answer: Kodak Theatre

The Kodak Theatre is located on Hollywood Blvd., between Mann's (formerly Grauman's) Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood & Highland Shopping Center.

Answer: Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal hosted the Oscars seven times between 1990-2000.

Answer: 17

Bob Hope, who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most-awarded entertainer (with over 1500 accolades), has four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as five honorary Academy Awards. He also holds the record for the longest entertainment contract in history, working almost exclusively on radio and television for NBC for over 55 years. Known worldwide for his dry wit and brilliant comedic timing, Bob Hope would open the ceremony with such lines as "Welcome to the Academy Awards or, as they call it in my house, Passover."

Answer: Walt Disney

In 1934, legend has it that Walt Disney became the first to use the term "Oscar" while giving an acceptance speech. Margaret Herrick is credited with coining the term "Oscar" when she remarked a few years earlier that the Golden Boy resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy first used "Oscar" as an official nickname for the Academy Award in 1939.

Answer: 4th (1930/31)

The Scientific/Technical Awards are generally handed out in a separate ceremony held a few weeks prior to the main ceremony.

Answer: 1960

The Juvenile Award was an honorary miniature Oscar statue, issued to the outstanding juvenile actor/actress of the year. The first was issued for 1934, to Shirley Temple. In 1961, Hayley Mills received the last Juvenile Oscar, for the year 1960. The Juvenile Oscar was then officially decommissioned by the Academy.

Answer: Jean Hersholt

Born in Denmark, Jean Hersholt became a famous silent film star in the 1910s and 20s. He shifted into a career in "talkies," as well as radio, that stretched into the 1950s. Throughout his career, he was well-known for his many philanthropic ventures. After he died in 1956, the Academy commissioned the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, first given to Y. Frank Freeman for 1956.

Answer: Gordon E. Sawyer

Gordon E. Sawyer was a sound engineer who had received numerous nominations (and three awards) for sound achievement, between 1945 and 1966. After his death in 1980, the Academy commissioned the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, given to the person whose technical contributions have brought credit to the motion picture industry.