411's Oscar Countdown 2006: Oscar Trivia
Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 02.28.2006
All that glitter is not gold on Oscar night.
This year we look at some Oscar black eyes. The negative moments, the poor nominees and things that make you go hmm.
1) Name the only two actors to be nominated for Oscars and Razzies, for worst achievement in film, for the same parts in the same year?
2) Name the only person to win an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year?
3) What Oscar nominee is the most dishonored person in Razzies history?
4) Marlon Brando refused the best actor award in 1972 for The Godfather in protest to the government's treatment of Native Americans. What was odd about the Native American woman who delivered Brando's message and refused the award on his behalf?
5) What was the name of the man who streaked at the 1973 ceremony?
6) What was co-host David Niven's reply upon seeing him?
7) Who is P.H. Vazak?
8) Who is Robert Rich?
9) How did the long running, low budget Bowery Boys series nab an Oscar nomination for best screenplay?
10) Where did gofers for Paramount find the studio's number one star Bring Crosby only an hour before the 1944 Oscar ceremony where he would win the award for best actor for Going My Way?
11) The Academy Award ceremony is famous for always running long, but by how many minutes did it go short by in 1958?
12) How was the time filled?
13) What two actresses did David Letterman continuously introduce to each other when he disastrously hosted the Oscar telecast in 1991.
14) What actor did Chris Rock diss at last year's ceremony in his opening monologue who Sean Penn championed when he later appeared to present the best actress award?
15) Name the only write in winner in Oscar history?
16) During World War II metal was scarce. What two materials were Oscar statuettes primarily made out of during this period?
17) What event caused the Oscar ceremony of 1981 to be postponed by one day?
18) What nominee for best supporting actor in 1981 was failed to be mentioned by presenters Mary Tyler Moore and Jack Lemmon when they read off the list of nominees?
19) With what beloved Disney character did Rob Lowe infamously dance with to open the 1988 Oscar ceremony?
20) Name the only member of the famed Carradine acting family to have an Oscar and it's not even for acting?
ANSWERS
1) James Coco for Only When I Laugh for best and worst supporting actor in 1982 and Amy Irving in Yentl for best and worst supporting actress in 1984. Neither won either.
2) Screenwriter Brian Hegland in 1998. He won best adapted screenplay for LA Confidential and worst screenplay for The Postman. Hegland displays both trophies in his office.
3) Sylvester Stallone. Stallone was nominated for best actor and best original screenplay in 1977 for Rocky. He has won ten Razzies over the years including worst supporting actor for Spy Kids 3-D in 2004, worst screen couple with Sharon Stone in The Specialist in 1995, worst actor for Stop or My Mom Will Shoot in 1993, worst actor for Rambo III in 1989, worst actor for Rambo II and Rocky IV along with worst director for Rocky IV and worst screenplay for Rambo II in 1986, worst actor for Rhinestone in 1985, worst actor of the eighties in 1990 and worst actor of the 20th century in 2000. In all Stallone has ten wins in 29 nominations.
4) She wasn't a Native American. Giving her name as Sacheen Littlefeather and declaring herself an Apache, she was really a Hispanic actress named Maria Cruz hired by Brando.
5) Robert Opal. Opal went on to be a minor celebrity and stand up comedian. He was found murdered in a sex shop in San Francisco in 1979.
6) "Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings."
7) Screenwriter Robert Towne's dog. He was so dissatisfied with how his script for 1984's Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes came out that he gave the screen credit to his dog. The film then received an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.
8) An alias used by screenwriter Dalton Trumbo for 1957's The Brave One. It's the name of the nephew of the film's producer. Trumbo was blacklisted by Hollywood due to his leftist leanings getting him called in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee and being branded a Communist.
9) Their 1955 installment in the series, High Society shared it's name with a Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly musical. They meant to nominate that film, but it was released after the nominations deadline for the year and the Bowery Boys film was mistakenly given the votes. The screenwriters figured out the gaff and refused the nomination.
10) The 12th hole at the Lakeside golf course. He was wearing casual clothes and minus his toupee. Crosby didn't want to go to the ceremony and told the studio representatives to call his parents and they would go in his place. His mother eventually talked him into going.
11) Twenty minutes.
12) Host Jerry Lewis attempted to get the stars who were already assembled on stage to close the show to sing and dance. Most of them snuck off. Lewis then goofed around on a trumpet until NBC pulled the plug on the show and aired a short film on pistols.
13) Uma Thurman and Oprah Winfrey.
14) Jude Law, who appeared in six films in 2004 and was accused of having an affair with his nanny.
15) Hal Mohr for best cinematography in 1935 for A Midsummer's Night Dream. Warner Brothers was pushing the film as it's big picture for the year, but it was mainly snubbed. Studio head Jack Warner rallied the studios mass amount of employees to write the film in for several awards. Guidelines were changed the following year to prevent a similar incident in the future.
16) Wood and plaster. Winner Barry Fitzgerald for best supporting actor for Going My Way in 1944 once decapitated his statuette from this era while practicing his golf swing.
17) The attempted assassination of President Ronald Regan by John Hinckley, Jr. Regan was a former actor and President of the Screen Actor's Guild. It was later discovered that Hinckley's plan had been inspired by the film Taxi Driver in order to impress actress Jodie Foster.
18) Jason Robards for Melvin and Howard.
19) Snow White
20) Keith Carradine for best original song "I'm Easy" from Nashville
Portions of the above material came from the book Inside Oscar by Mason Wiley and Damian Bona and various online sources, including Wikipedia and the imdb.
