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The Daily OrangeWhy is it called the Oscar?
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Posted: 1/18/07, 11:04 PM EST Section: Splice
Why is it called the Oscar?
The history behind the Academy Award's nickname isn't clear. There are two popular stories that claim to be truth. The first is in the show's first years, Margaret Herrick, an academy librarian and a future executive director, said the little golden man resembled her Uncle Oscar, and the name stuck. The other is film actress Bette Davis won the award for her role in the 1935 thriller, "Dangerous," and named it after her husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. Whichever it may be, the first time the name was publicly used was in an article by Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky when addressing Katharine Hepburn's first Best Actress victory in 1934. By 1939, it was common slang and the academy officially adopted it.
Famous Poor Golden Globe Choices
Golden Globes (Drama) / Academy Award
2005 - Brokeback Mountain / Crash
1995 - Sense and Sensibility / Braveheart
1991 - Bugsy / Silence of the Lambs
1982 - E.T. / Ghandi
1978 - Midnight Express / Chariots of Fire
1973 - The Exorcist / The Sting
1969 - Anne of the Thousand Days / Midnight Cowboy
1953 - The Robe / From Here to Eternity
1948 - Treasure of Sierra Madre / Hamlet
1943 - The Song of Bernadette / Casablanca
The history behind the Academy Award's nickname isn't clear. There are two popular stories that claim to be truth. The first is in the show's first years, Margaret Herrick, an academy librarian and a future executive director, said the little golden man resembled her Uncle Oscar, and the name stuck. The other is film actress Bette Davis won the award for her role in the 1935 thriller, "Dangerous," and named it after her husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. Whichever it may be, the first time the name was publicly used was in an article by Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky when addressing Katharine Hepburn's first Best Actress victory in 1934. By 1939, it was common slang and the academy officially adopted it.
Famous Poor Golden Globe Choices
Golden Globes (Drama) / Academy Award
2005 - Brokeback Mountain / Crash
1995 - Sense and Sensibility / Braveheart
1991 - Bugsy / Silence of the Lambs
1982 - E.T. / Ghandi
1978 - Midnight Express / Chariots of Fire
1973 - The Exorcist / The Sting
1969 - Anne of the Thousand Days / Midnight Cowboy
1953 - The Robe / From Here to Eternity
1948 - Treasure of Sierra Madre / Hamlet
1943 - The Song of Bernadette / Casablanca
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Dan Fetterman
posted 2/22/08 @ 2:38 PM EST
I don't like the term "The Oscars". I prefer the more dignified "The Academy Awards". As with everything today, we cowtie to the younger generation. Attempting to make it more "hip". (Continued…)
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