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I actually made it through all of the Oscars last night, which is pretty unusual for a couple of reasons. First of all, I usually get bored and change the channel. Second, I am a big fan of sleep and never make it up to see the very end. I don’t know that there were any huge surprises, did you guys think? But there have been in the past. Here 10 Oscar surprises from over the years – be sure to let us know what you think in the comments. Did these deserve to win? And did everyone last night deserve to win?
1. Adrien Brody for Best Actor in 2003 instead of Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine, Daniel-Day Lewis and Nicolas Cage. Some people consider this one of the biggest Oscar upsets in history. Adrien obviously thought so too, because he appeared to be completely stunned and shaken as he accepted the award, and took his moment in the sun to plant one on Halle Berry.
2. Claudette Colbert instead of Norma Shearer for Best Actress, 1934. This was the year that It Happened One Night hit the Oscars Grand Slam – it won in all of the five major categories, a feat that has only happened twice since (Silence of the Lambs and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). No one was more surprised than the movie’s stars, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. They both thought the movie was absolutely awful right from the beginning – reportedly, Gable showed up on set and announced his presence with, “Let’s get this over with.” Colbert didn’t think the movie had a chance of winning anything and didn’t even bother to show up for the Oscars. When she was told that evening that she should attend because it looked like a win was in her future, she rushed down to accept her award in a traveling suit – she had been headed out of town.
3. The Great Ziegfeld instead of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town for Best Picture, 1936.
4. Victor McLaglen as Best Actor in 1935. This was shocking because of the four nominees for the award, three of them were actors from what would become the Best Picture of the year, Mutiny on the Bounty. But McLaglen’s performance in The Informer was more deserving of the trophy, or so the Academy thought, and he beat the odds.
5. Jon Voight as Best Actor in 1978. For his role in Coming Home, Voight beat out Warren Beatty, Robert DeNiro, Laurence Olivier and… Gary Busey?! Yeah. Busey was nominated for his role as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story. Weird.
6. Cher as Best Actress in 1987 over the formidable Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Holly Hunter and Sally Kirkland. Because, c’mon… Cher?! She accepted her award for Moonstruck in an outrageous Bob Mackie creation that rivals Britney Spears as far as skimpy spangles go. Maybe if Meryl had gone with a flesh-toned sequined number, she would have won.
7. Rocky as Best Picture of 1977, beating out Taxi Driver, Network and All the Presidents’ Men. Not that Rocky isn’t entertaining, but… really?
8. Chicago as Best Picture of 2002 instead of Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Pianist. Musicals hadn’t yet made the comeback that we seem to be in the middle of right now (according to Hugh Jackman, anyway), so it was a pretty big deal when it was nominated for 13 Oscars – and won six of them, including the big one.
9. How Green Was My Valley for Best Picture in 1942. Citizen Kane may be considered the best picture of all time now, but in 1942, the Academy thought at least one movie topped it. Valley was a fine picture, though, and people were happy to see it win – Citizen Kane wasn’t considered a classic until years later.
10. Marisa Tomei for Best Supporting Actress in 1992. She was up against some industry veterans such as Miranda Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Judy Davis and Joan Plowright (Laurence Olivier’s second wife). So you can see where people were absolutely stunned when she won for playing the braying Brooklynite Mona Lisa Vito. But she proved she wasn’t a one-trick pony: she received her second Supporting Actress nod in 2001 for In the Bedroom and her third this year for The Wrestler.
Comments (15)
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Daniel Day Lewis totally should have won for his role as Bill “The Butcher” in Gangs of New York. He was amazing in that movie.
Plus Chicago should not have won. LoTR or GoNY should have taken Best Picture over that. But then again, i hate pretty much every musical ever made, so i might be a little bias on that one.
posted by Andy on 2-23-2009 at 4:02 pm
Chicago is my favorite movie ever…I’m glad it won.
LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring should have won Best Picture instead of ROTK. Master and Commander should have been Best PIcture in 2004. Now THAT would have been an upset.
posted by bedhead on 2-23-2009 at 4:10 pm
I can support the Chicago choice, although LOTR is pretty amazing. I can’t believe Cher won over the list of women there. In fairness, I haven’t seen her movie or probably any of the others that were up against her, but it seems hard to believe. In any case, they should have taken it away from her when they saw that “dress.” Gross!
Really, it’s pretty easy to pick a lot of the winners. Anything that will give Hollywood a chance to flaunt its political views is gold–Brokeback Mountain, Inconvenient Truth, Milk. I’m not saying these films are necessarily undeserving, but if placed against films that are equally good or even slightly better, the chance to protest the “establishment” will push them onto the winner’s stage.
Also, I really want to see Slumdog Millionaire now. I don’t usually go to movies, but I’m pretty anxious to see it.
posted by kate on 2-23-2009 at 4:15 pm
How about “The Sting” instead of “The Exorcist?” Which one do you really remember?
posted by Daryl on 2-23-2009 at 4:24 pm
I’ve never gotten over “Shakespeare in Love” sweeping the Oscars, especially when Gwyneth Paltrow won Best Actress over Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth.”
Didn’t the Academy have to change some rules after the Weinstein campaign that year? I remember reading that Weinstein’s actions amounted to nothing more than bribery and were the only reasons “Shakespeare” won anything.
posted by smashed ass on 2-23-2009 at 5:14 pm
As a student at Indiana University, I actually got to hold the statuette for “How Green Was My Valley.” It was a thrill and they really do weigh a ton! Loving classic films, I have seen both films and would chose “HGWMV” over “Citizen Kane” any day.
posted by Jill on 2-23-2009 at 5:31 pm
Jill – me too!! To be honest, I think Orson Welles is overrated. His best movie was he didn’t direct (The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed, was a great film).
posted by Diana on 2-23-2009 at 8:12 pm
I personally absolutely love the sting…
posted by Samantha on 2-23-2009 at 11:01 pm
“Citizen Kane” has always struck me as a compendium of brilliant film moments rather than a brilliant film per se. It never really sucks you in and carries you along with the story; you’re always sitting on the outside flipping though the story’s photo album. Magnificent photos, but…
posted by VM on 2-24-2009 at 12:54 am
I thought Sean Penn winning yesterday instead of Mickey Rourke was quite an upset…
posted by a traveller... on 2-24-2009 at 1:14 am
Slumdog Millionaire really is that good. Go see it.
But I loved Shakespear in Love. Cute!
posted by Karen on 2-24-2009 at 9:58 am
“But she proved she wasn’t a one-trick pony*: she received her second Supporting Actress nod in 2001 for In the Bedroom and her third this year for The Wrestler*.”
*Ah, I see what you did there.
posted by Johnny Cat on 2-24-2009 at 7:45 pm
—-”How about “The Sting” instead of “The Exorcist?” Which one do you really remember?”—-
Um… Daryl, “The Sting” is amazing. Paul Newman and Robert Redford sharing the screen again, along with an excellent supporting cast, including Robert Shaw (Quint from “Jaws), Ray Walston and Eileen Brennan. The script is witty and fast-paced. The ending is terrific and so is the acting.
In the “Exorsist,” a little girl’s head spin around and she projectile vomits… Yeah, Best Picture caliber, I’m sure.
posted by Lindsey on 2-25-2009 at 3:40 pm
“Gladiator” beating “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.
“Forrest Gump” beating “Pulp Fiction”.
And “Crash” owns this thread.
posted by Michael on 2-28-2009 at 5:38 pm
In 1998, Shakespeare in Love had the most nominations for that year, 13 over Saving Private Ryan’s 11.
In 1973 The Sting and The Exorcist both had 10 nominations each, both couldn’t win but if there were 2 best pictures, The Exorcist would have been the other.
What would have been an upset though is Caberet winning against The Godfather.
posted by Stig on 9-15-2009 at 5:41 pm