The annual Academy Awards show is a classy, frequently faultless Hollywood event. Yet occasionally things go wrong, as they did in 2022 when Chris Rock was struck in the face by Will Smith after he climbed the stage. Thankfully, the dazzling event is also remembered for its numerous humorous and lighter moments as well as its history-making diversity and inclusion moments.
We must wonder what the 95th Academy Awards will offer as the event draws near. Browse the images in the slideshow to relive some of the most unforgettable Oscar pranks to date.
1940: Hattie Mc Daniel Makes History
The first Black actress to win an Academy Oscar waited more than ten years. The award for Best Supporting Actress was awarded to McDaniel for her portrayal of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). The victory wasn’t entirely a step forward, though; in 1940, when segregation was still legal, McDaniel was forced to sit in the rear of the theatre instead of with the rest of the ensemble.
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1943: Greer Garson Delivers a Record-Breaking Speech
Garson’s extraordinarily lengthy victory speech after being named Best Actress for her work in Mrs. Miniver established a record that hasn’t been surpassed (1942). The long speech lasted seven minutes, and many credits it with sparking the contemporary time limit’s establishment.
1968: Alfred Hitchcock Gives a Short Acceptance Speech
During the course of his lengthy career, the maestro of suspense had five Oscar nominations; but, he didn’t really take home the trophy until 1968, and even then, it was only by a small margin. He received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which is akin to a lifetime achievement honor for filmmakers, rather than winning one of the Academy’s more traditional categories. Hitchcock made one of the shortest acceptance speeches in Oscar history, ending with a simple “thank you,” maybe not content with his honorary title.
1989: Rob Lowe Opens with The Infamous Musical Number
The Oscars usually begin with a hilarious skit and, sometimes, a song. And in 1989, Eileen Bowman played the role of Snow White in a Lowe and Bowman performance of “Proud Mary” that was inspired by the Disney princess. Disney sued the performance following the disastrous routine, but the action was eventually withdrawn after the Academy issued an apology, according to AP News.
Paul Newman and Julie Andrews were two of the celebrities who signed an open letter denouncing the presentation, calling it “a disgrace to both the Academy and the whole picture business.”
2002: Halle Berry Gets Emotional After Historic Oscar Win
When Berry won Best Actress for Monster’s Ball in 2002, being the first Black woman to do so, it was sheer happiness for her. She instantly started crying after hearing her name announced and then stood up to give one of the ceremony’s most memorable acceptance speeches.
Berry declared, “This moment is so much greater than me. “This door tonight has been opened for every nameless, faceless woman of color who now has a chance,”
2010: Kathryn Bigelow Wins Best Director
Just three of the seven women who have been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars have won the prestigious award. Bigelow created the first for the 2008 movie The Hurt Locker. In her winning speech, she stated, “This truly is, there’s no other way to put it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
After Bigelow, Jane Campion was the third woman to get the honor in 2022 for The Power of the Dog, and Chloé Zhao was the second to do so in 2021 for Nomadland.
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2013: Jennifer Lawrence Trips on Her Way to The Stage
Lawrence is renowned for her quirky sincerity, which was on full show as she tripped on the steps as she ascended the Oscars platform to accept her best actress trophy for silver linings playbook (2012). as expected of j. law, she handled it without incident.
She remarked in her winning speech, “You people are only standing up because you feel awful because I fell, and that’s incredibly humiliating, but thank you. “This is crazy,”