Award ceremony for films of 1927 and 1928
The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and hosted by AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks, honored the best films from 1 August 1927 to 31 July 1928 and took place on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Tickets cost $5 ($ in 2023, considering inflation); 270 people attended the event, which lasted 15 minutes. It is the only Academy Awards ceremony not broadcast on either radio or television; a radio broadcast was introduced for the 2nd Academy Awards.
During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards – later to be colloquially known as "Oscars," in 12 categories. The winners had been announced three months ahead of the ceremony. Some nominations did not reference a specific film, such as Ralph Hammeras and Nugent Slaughter, who were nominated for Engineering Effects, a category that was dropped the following year (along with those for Unique and Artistic Production, Best Director (Comedy), and Best Title Writing). Unlike later ceremonies, an actor could be awarded for multiple films: Emil Jannings won Best Actor for his work in both "The Way of All Flesh" and "The Last Command", while Best Actress winner Janet Gaynor was honored for three films. Charlie Chaplin and Warner Brothers each received an honorary award. Jannings, a Swiss-born performer who gained fame in Berlin, had been notified in advance of his victory; he subsequently posed for pictures with his statuette before leaving for Germany.
Major winners at the ceremony included "7th Heaven" and "", with three awards apiece (the latter winning for Unique and Artistic Picture), and "Wings" receiving two awards, including Outstanding Picture. The academy decided retroactively that Wings' award was its highest honor the following year and dropped Unique and Artistic Picture.
Background.
Louis B. Mayer, the founder of the Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation, which would later merge into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), established the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in 1927. Mayer's purpose in creating the award was to unite the five branches of the film industry: actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers. Mayer commented on the creation of the awards: "I found that the best way to handle [filmmakers] was to hang medals all over them ... If I got them cups and awards, they'd kill themselves to produce what I wanted. That's why the Academy Award was created." Mayer asked Cedric Gibbons, art director of MGM, to design an Academy Award trophy. Nominees were notified through a telegram in February 1928. In August 1928, Mayer contacted the Academy Central Board of Judges to decide the winners. However, according to the American director King Vidor, the voting for the Academy Award for Best Picture was in the hands of the AMPAS founders: Mayer, Douglas Fairbanks, Sid Grauman, Mary Pickford, and Joseph Schenck.
Ceremony.
The ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, located in Los Angeles. It consisted of a private dinner with 36 banquet tables, where 270 people attended, and tickets cost $5 (). Actors and actresses arrived at the hotel in luxury vehicles, and many fans attended to encourage celebrities. The ceremony was not broadcast on radio, and was hosted by AMPAS director Fairbanks during a 15-minute event.
Overview.
The winners were announced three months before the ceremony. The recipients included: Emil Jannings, the inaugural first award recipient for Best Actor ("The Way of All Flesh" and "The Last Command)"; Janet Gaynor for Best Actress ("7th Heaven", "Street Angel", and "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans"); Frank Borzage for Best Director, Drama ("7th Heaven"); Lewis Milestone for Best Director, Comedy ("Two Arabian Knights"); and "Wings" for Best Picture (the most expensive film of its time). Two presentations were made of a Special Award: to Charles Chaplin and Warner Bros.
Charlie Chaplin, a multiple nominee for one movie (Best Actor, Best Writer, and Best Director, Comedy; all for "The Circus") (1928), has been removed from the list so as to recognize his total contribution to the industry; and Warner Bros., an award for pioneering talking pictures ("The Jazz Singer"). Three categories were eliminated for subsequent presentations: Best Engineering Effects, Best Title Writing, and Best Unique and Artistic Quality of Production. The larger film producers received the preponderance of awards: Fox Film Corporation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Radio-Keith-Orpheum, and Warner Bros.
Winners and nominees.
Awards.
At the 1st Academy Awards (1927–1928), the nomination process allowed candidates to be nominated and awarded for a single film, multiple films, or without reference to any specific film.
Nominees were announced on February 2, 1929. Winners are listed first, in boldface, and indicated with an asterisk (*).
Honorary Awards.
The following Honorary Awards – then called Special Awards – were conferred:
Multiple nominations and awards.
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Changes to Academy Awards.
After the 1st Academy Awards (1927–1928), the following changes were made by the AMPAS:
References.
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Bibliography.
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