The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the
winners of the first Academy Awards on this day in 1929. It was
a far cry from the suspense, glamour and endless press coverage
surrounding the Oscars today: The first award recipients’ names
were printed on the back page of the academy’s newsletter. A few
days later, Variety published the information--on page seven.
Spearheaded by movie mogul Louis B. Mayer, the Academy was
organized in May 1927 as a non-profit organization dedicated to
the advancement and improvement of the film industry. The first
awards went to movies produced in 1927 and 1928. Though the
announcements were made in February 1929, the actual awards
weren’t given out until May 16, 1929, in a ceremony and banquet
held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Some
270 people attended the dinner, many paying $5 each for a
ticket. The first Academy Award winners received gold statuettes
designed by art director Cedric Gibbons and sculpted by George
Stanley. The Academy’s