1st Academy Awards

1st Academy Awards
The first Academy Awards ceremony (pictured) was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Date	May 16, 1929 (1929-05-16)
Site	Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Hosted by	Douglas Fairbanks
Highlights
Best Picture	Wings[1]
Most awards	7th Heaven and Sunrise (3 each)
Most nominations	7th Heaven (5)

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 ($89 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;^[2] a radio broadcast was introduced for the 2nd Academy Awards.^[3]

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).^[4] 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.^[5][6] 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.^[2]

Major winners at the ceremony included 7th Heaven and Sunrise, 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.^[4][7]

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.^[8] 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."^[9] Mayer asked Cedric Gibbons, art director of MGM, to design an Academy Award trophy.^[8][10] Nominees were notified through a telegram in February 1928.^[8] In August 1928, Mayer contacted the Academy Central Board of Judges to decide the winners.^[8] 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.^[11]

Ceremony

The ceremony was held on May 16, 1929,^[5][6][12] at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, located in Los Angeles.^[5] It consisted of a private dinner with 36 banquet tables,^[13] where 270 people attended, and tickets cost $5 (equivalent to $89 in 2023).^[5] Actors and actresses arrived at the hotel in luxury vehicles, and many fans attended to encourage celebrities.^[13] The ceremony was not broadcast on radio,^[5] and was hosted by AMPAS director Fairbanks^[5][6][14] during a 15-minute event.^[12]

Overview

The winners were announced three months before the ceremony.^[5][6][12] The recipients included: Emil Jannings, the inaugural first award recipient^[5] for Best Actor (The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command);^[6][12] 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).^[4][7] 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;^[6] 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.^[4] The larger film producers received the preponderance of awards: Fox Film Corporation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Radio-Keith-Orpheum, and Warner Bros.^[8]

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 (*).^[15]

Frank Borzage, Best Directing (Dramatic Picture) winner

Emil Jannings, Best Actor winner

Janet Gaynor, Best Actress winner

Outstanding Picture Wings – Paramount Famous Lasky* The Racket – The Caddo Company 7th Heaven – Fox	Best Unique and Artistic Picture Sunrise – Fox* Chang – Paramount Famous Lasky The Crowd – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Directing (Comedy Picture) Lewis Milestone – Two Arabian Knights* Charles Chaplin – The Circus[A] Ted Wilde – Speedy	Best Directing (Dramatic Picture) Frank Borzage – 7th Heaven* Herbert Brenon – Sorrell and Son King Vidor – The Crowd
Best Actor Emil Jannings – The Last Command as General Dolgorucki (Grand Duke Sergius Alexander) and The Way of All Flesh as August Schilling* Richard Barthelmess – The Noose as Nickie Elkins and The Patent Leather Kid as The Patent Leather Kid Charles Chaplin – The Circus as A Tramp[A]	Best Actress Janet Gaynor – 7th Heaven as Diane, Street Angel as Angela, and Sunrise as The Wife* Louise Dresser – A Ship Comes In as Mrs. Pleznik Gloria Swanson – Sadie Thompson as Sadie Thompson
Best Writing (Original Story) Underworld – Ben Hecht* The Circus – Charles Chaplin[A] The Last Command – Lajos Biro	Best Writing (Adaptation) 7th Heaven – Benjamin Glazer* Glorious Betsy – Anthony Coldeway The Jazz Singer – Alfred Cohn
Best Art Direction The Dove – William Cameron Menzies* Tempest – William Cameron Menzies* 7th Heaven – Harry Oliver Sunrise – Rochus Gliese	Best Cinematography Sunrise – Charles Rosher and Karl Struss* The Devil Dancer – George Barnes The Magic Flame – George Barnes Sadie Thompson – George Barnes
Best Engineering Effects Wings – Roy Pomeroy* No specific film – Ralph Hammeras No specific film – Nugent Slaughter	Best Writing (Title Writing) Joseph Farnham* – no specific film Gerald Duffy[B] – The Private Life of Helen of Troy George Marion Jr. – no specific film

Notes

1. The Circus originally received three nominations: Best Director (Comedy Picture), Best Actor, and Best Writing (Original Story) – for Charles Chaplin. However, the Academy subsequently decided to remove Chaplin's name from the competitive award categories and instead to confer upon him a Special Award "for acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus".^[16]
2. Gerald Duffy's nomination for Best Writing (Title Writing) was a posthumous nomination.^[17]

Honorary Awards

Charles Chaplin, Honorary Award

Warner Brothers Production, Honorary Award. First National Studios, Burbank (c. 1928) pictured

The following Honorary Awards – then called Special Awards – were conferred:

• Charles Chaplin – "To Charles Chaplin, for acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus".^[5]
• Warner Bros. – "To Warner Bros., for producing The Jazz Singer, the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry".^[5]

Multiple nominations and awards

The following six films received multiple nominations: Nominations Film 5 7th Heaven 4 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans 3 The Circus (Withdrawn nominations) 2 The Crowd The Last Command Sadie Thompson Wings

The following three films received multiple awards: Awards Film 3 7th Heaven Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans 2 Wings

Changes to Academy Awards

After the 1st Academy Awards (1927–1928), the following changes were made by the AMPAS:

• Award categories were reduced from twelve to seven:^[18]
  • The awards for Best Directing (Comedy Picture) and Best Directing (Dramatic Picture) were merged into a single Best Directing award.^[18]
  • The award for Best Engineering Effects was discontinued.^[19]
  • The award for Best Unique and Artistic Picture was discontinued.^[19]
  • The awards for Best Writing (Adaptation) and Best Writing (Original Story) were merged into a single Best Writing award.^[20]
  • The award for Best Writing (Title Writing) was discontinued.^[19]

Gallery

Academy Award-winning films – 1st Academy Awards

• 
  Wings is the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, which was at the time known as Outstanding Picture. Also won an award for the Best Engineering Effects.^[7]
• 
  Sunrise won the Academy Award for Best Unique and Artistic Picture, the only year that such a prize was awarded. The prize was intended to honor prestige art films separately from "commercial fare".^[21]

See also

• 1927 in film
• 1928 in film

References

1. "The 1st Academy Awards Memorable Moments". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
2. Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1975). The People's Almanac. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 831. ISBN 0-385-04060-1.
3. "The 2nd Academy Awards Memorable Moments". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
4. "The Official Academy Awards Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2019. Reader must select "1927/28" in the "Award Year(s):" drop-down menu and press "Search".
5. "History of the Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
6. Dirks, Tim. "1927–28 Academy Awards Winners and History". Filmsite. Rainbow Media. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
7. "This day in History". History. A&E Television Networks. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
8. Cosgrave 2007, p. 1
9. Eyman 2005, p. 117
10. Eyman 2005, p. 209
11. Eyman 2005, p. 138
12. Pawlak, Debra Ann. "The Story of the First Academy Awards". The MediaDrome. Archived from the original on March 15, 2005.
13. Cosgrave 2007, p. 4
14. "People: May 27, 1929". Time. Time Inc. May 27, 1929. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
15. "The 1st Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 8, 2014. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
16. Chilton, Martin (May 16, 2016). "The first Oscars: what happened in 1929". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on May 19, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
17. King, Susan (February 24, 2017). "August Wilson is in good company among posthumous Oscar nominees and winners". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
18. Ess, Ramsey (February 22, 2019). "What Happened to Oscars Dedicated to Comedy (and Should They Be Brought Back)?". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
19. Flint, Hanna (February 20, 2019). "10 weird Oscars categories that were discontinued". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
20. "The 2nd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
21. Decherney, Peter (August 14, 2012). Hollywood and the Culture Elite: How the Movies Became American. Columbia University Press. p. 69. ISBN 9780231508513. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Google Books.

Bibliography

• Cosgrave, Bronwyn (2007). Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards (I ed.). New York, United States: Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-7475-7630-3. OCLC 74523691.
• Eyman, Scott (2005). Lion of Hollywood: the life and legend of Louis B. Mayer (I ed.). New York, United States: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0481-6. OCLC 57506846.