The movie that was so good the Oscars rescinded its nominations
The Academy Awards, or the Oscars as they’re more casually known, remain the oldest and most prestigious of the four major annual American entertainment awards, its equivalents being the Emmys for television, the Tonys for theatre, and the Grammys for music. The Academy Awards have been issued annually since 1929 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with votes cast by a pool of revered motion picture professionals.
At the time of writing, a total of 3,140 Oscar statuettes have been awarded since its inception in 1929, and as we approach the ceremony’s 100th year, very few people know why we prefer to call the golden figure an Oscar. As it turns out, the name’s origin is disputed, but the nickname first officially appeared in a 1934 newspaper article written by columnist Sidney Skolsky about the sixth ceremony.
A biography of Bette Davis, the Academy’s president in 1941, claims she nicknamed the coveted trophy after her first husband, band leader Harmon Oscar Nelson. However, other sources argue that the name began with Margaret Herrick, the early Academy executive director. When Herrick first laid eyes on the lump of gold-plated bronze, she allegedly likened the statuette to “Uncle Oscar”, a nickname for her cousin Oscar Pierce.
Either way, the Oscars have been an integral date on the cinematic calendar for the longest and demand our attention once a year. Despite the omnipotent presence and unequalled value placed upon the Oscars, they haven’t always been perfect – and I’m not referring to Will Smith’s slap blunder of 2022.
Filmmaking is an art, and since artistic value is, in large part, subjective, the Academy is no stranger to jeering film buffs and pointing fingers. Each year, at least one movie worthy of nomination seems to be inexplicably snubbed in the run-up to the ceremony.
This level of controversy can be tolerated on the condition that no covert agendas lead to unfavourable results – the Academy are human, and they make mistakes. Over the years, there have been numerous accusations alleging that the Academy Awards are biased due to corruption, bribery and cronyism, but I won’t cut that hot potato today.
However, one wild snub that occurred in broad daylight was that of Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus. The classic silent film was released in 1928 and, as well as playing the central role of the ringmaster, Chaplin wrote, produced and directed the hit comedy.
The Academy feared Chaplin’s movie would muscle out all competitors to win in each category, so they decided to rescind his nominations across three categories: ‘Best Writing (Original Story)’, ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Director in a Comedy Picture’. Instead, Chaplin was given a special auxiliary award “for writing, acting, directing and producing The Circus.”
Despite not entering the fray to compete for multiple trophies, Chaplin would have been immensely proud to see his brainchild scoop $3.8million at the box office in 1928. At the time, this was no small feat, and it secured Chaplin’s worthy position in Hollywood history.
Watch the trailer for Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus below.
