History of the Academy Awards

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Recommended: Cinema as an art form in the 20th century

Each year the Academy Awards are highly anticipated by all people alike, from being televised across the globe. People look forward to the fashion and the glam of seeing their favorite actor or actress get all dolled up for the awards. Some people watch to see if their favorite movie will take home gold or take home all of the awards for the evening. Each year we curl up on the couch to watch the Academy Awards, but how did it get started and become the big event it is today? The idea for the Academy Awards started at a dinner party held by studio chief Louis B. Mayer in the early 1927. Mayer and his guests- actor Conrad Nagel, director Fred Niblo and producer Fred Beeston wanted to get recognition as artists and movies as an art form. They wanted movies to be on the same scale as a dancer, composer of music and a playwright (Robertson). So they discussed about created an organized group to benefit the entire film industry. On January 11, 1927, they met for another dinner, this time thirty-six people attended to hear a proposal about the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angles. Attendees to this event included: Mary Pickford, Sid Grauman, Jesse Lasky, George Cohen, Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Cedric Gibbons and Irving Thalberg, all who supported the idea of recognizing film as an art work (History of the Academy of Motion Picture Art & Sciences). The Academy established five branches: directors, writers, producers, actors and technicians. By March of 1927 Douglas Fairbanks was elected as the first president of the Academy. An official banquet was held at the Biltmore Hotel on May 11, 1927 after the state granted the Academy as a non-profit organization. Two hundred and thirt... ... middle of paper ... ... internationally since the 1960 and has reached over two hundred countries. The Academy Awards have been an event many movie lovers and people a like, look forward to each and every year. It all started with a group of people in the movie business that just wanted to get recognition for being an artist and seeing movies as an art form. Who would have thought it would become one of the biggest events of the year, even eighty-six years from when they started it all. Works Cited "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." History of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The Academy, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." History of the Academy Awards. The Academy, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Robertson, Ric. "How Did the Academy Awards Get Started? - World Book Explains."YouTube. YouTube, 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

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