Older20 Interesting Facts About The Oscars You Never Knew
What makes a statuette?
During the earlier ceremonies, the statuettes presented were gold-plated solid bronze. Within a few years the bronze was replaced with a britannia metal – a pewter-like alloy which is then plated in copper, nickel silver, and finally, 24-karat gold.
The Oscar statuette stands 34 centimeters (13.5 inches) tall and weighs in at 3.5 kgs (8.5 pounds).
Once upon a time, tickets were only $5! That was for the very first Oscars at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929.
The 1938 Academy Awards were once postponed due to rain and flooding. The ceremony was rescheduled for a week later, and almost no one could make it. Even the chosen host, George Jessel, wasn’t there; he was sick. A comic named Bob “Bazooka” Burns hosted instead.
And up until 1940, the Oscar winners’ names were given to the press ahead of the ceremony, with the understanding that the press would hold the names until 11 p.m. But that year, the Los Angeles Times broke the embargo and published the names in time for their evening edition—which hit stands before the ceremony even started! The Academy began sealing the envelopes containing the winners’ names the next year.
