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Richard Brooks

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127-536: Richard Brooks (May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. Nominated for eight Academy Awards in his career, he was best known for Blackboard Jungle (1955), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Elmer Gantry (1960; for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay ), In Cold Blood (1967) and Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). Brooks

254-539: A 35 mm or 70 mm film print, or in 24 frame/s or 48 frame/s progressive scan digital cinema format, with a minimum projector resolution of 2,048 by 1,080 pixels. Since the 90th Academy Awards , presented in 2018, multi-part and limited series have been ineligible for the Best Documentary Feature award. This followed the win of O.J.: Made in America , an eight-hour presentation that

381-513: A Visconti film, Conversation Piece . He experienced a career resurgence in 1980 with the crime-romance Atlantic City , winning the BAFTA for Best Actor and landing his fourth Oscar nomination. Starting in the late 1970s, he also appeared in television mini-series, including the award-winning Separate but Equal with Sidney Poitier . He continued acting into his late 70s, until a stroke in 1990 forced him to retire; four years later he died from

508-542: A 2004 court decision contending that Welles did not sign any agreement to return the statue to the Academy. On December 20, 2011, it sold in an online auction for US$ 861,542 ($ 1,166,900 today). Some buyers have subsequently returned the statuettes to the Academy, which keeps them in its treasury. In addition to the Academy Award of Merit (Oscar award), there are nine honorary (non-competitive) awards presented by

635-465: A Best Supporting Oscar for his role in the film. While popular and well-received critically, the MGM production did not duplicate the success of the previous Williams film. A dream project followed, an adaptation for Columbia Pictures of Joseph Conrad 's Lord Jim (1965), but the lavish film proved to be a misfire at the box office and with most critics. Brooks had spent years writing the script and planning

762-530: A Catholic school teacher who searches for sexual satisfaction in singles bars. Brooks made the film on a tight budget, and its frank treatment of sex and its horrific storyline brought praise and condemnation and sold tickets. He ended his career with Wrong Is Right (1982), a satire about the news media and world unrest starring Sean Connery , and a gambling addiction film with Ryan O'Neal and Catherine Hicks in Fever Pitch (1985). Fever Pitch featured

889-572: A Giant Step (1959), about a black student; and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1960), from an Australian play, shot on location in Australia and Britain. HHL served as the production company for the 1960–61 TV series Whiplash . The Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions company dissolved in 1960 after Hill ruptured his relationship with both Hecht and Lancaster. Hill went on to produce a single additional film, The Happy Thieves , in

1016-409: A Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor; and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) with Kirk Douglas, which was a huge commercial hit directed by John Sturges . Lancaster re-teamed with Tony Curtis in 1957 for Sweet Smell of Success , a co-production between Hecht-Hill-Lancaster and Curtis' own company with wife Janet Leigh , Curtleigh Productions. The movie, directed by Alexander Mackendrick ,

1143-403: A Reminder List of Eligible Releases. Awards in short film categories (Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Animated Short Film, and Best Live Action Short Film) have noticeably different eligibility rules from most other competitive awards. First, the qualifying period for release does not coincide with a calendar year, instead covering one year starting on October 1, and ending on September 30 of

1270-537: A WWII submarine drama with Clark Gable ; and Separate Tables (1958), a hotel-set drama which received seven Oscar nominations. In the early 1960s, Lancaster starred in a string of critically successful films, each in very disparate roles. Playing a charismatic biblical con-man in Elmer Gantry in 1960 won him the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor. He played a Nazi war criminal in 1961 in

1397-470: A best-seller by Evan Hunter , the film was shocking for its time in its presentation of juvenile delinquency. It also offered a career-making supporting role for a young black actor, Sidney Poitier , and early roles for actors Vic Morrow , Jamie Farr and Paul Mazursky . Brooks chose to begin and end the film with the song " Rock Around the Clock ", bringing rock 'n' roll to a major Hollywood production for

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1524-523: A circus acrobat in the 1930s. At the age of 32, and after serving in World War II , he landed a role in a Broadway play and drew the attention of a Hollywood agent. His breakthrough role was in the film noir The Killers in 1946 alongside Ava Gardner . A critical success, it launched both of their careers. In 1948 Lancaster starred alongside Barbara Stanwyck in the commercially and critically acclaimed film Sorry, Wrong Number , where he portrayed

1651-703: A company, Norma Productions, and did a deal with Universal to make a thriller about a disturbed G.I. in London, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands in 1948, with Joan Fontaine and directed by Norman Foster. It made a profit of only $ 50,000, but was critically acclaimed. Back in Hollywood, Lancaster made another film noir with Siodmak, Criss Cross , in 1949. It was originally going to be produced by Hellinger and when Hellinger died, another took over. Tony Curtis made an early appearance. Lancaster appeared in

1778-476: A critic from The New York Times , Time Out New York , the Los Angeles Times , or LA Weekly . Producers must submit an Official Screen Credits online form before the deadline. In case it is not submitted by the defined deadline, the film will be ineligible for Academy Awards in any year. The form includes the production credits for all related categories. Then, each form is checked and put in

1905-456: A dialogue coach. Lancaster starred in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) for Stanley Kramer , alongside Spencer Tracy , Richard Widmark and a number of other stars. The film was both a commercial and critical success, receiving eleven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. He then did another film with Hecht and Frankenheimer (replacing Charles Crichton ), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962),

2032-497: A difference. Opposed to the death penalty, he used In Cold Blood to suggest that executing criminals solves nothing and only creates more violence. While he worked in the studio system for most of the 1940s and 1950s, Brooks often clashed with studio policies about the look and feel of films and the stories they presented. He also chafed against the Production Code's limitations on subject matter and expression. His goal as

2159-408: A digital scan of an original 1929 Oscar, the statuettes retain their modern-era dimensions and black pedestal. Cast in liquid bronze from 3D-printed ceramic molds and polished, they are then electroplated in 24-karat gold by Brooklyn , New York–based Epner Technology. The time required to produce 50 such statuettes is roughly three months. R.S. Owens is expected to continue producing other awards for

2286-645: A few steps away from the graves of his parents. On his vault was placed a plaque inscribed, "First comes the word. . .". The quote was chosen by his step-daughter, film editor Tracy Granger, as Brooks always identified most strongly as a writer. Brooks expressed his concept when he reportedly said to his assembled cast and crew on the first day of shooting Looking for Mr. Goodbar : "I'm sure that all of you have your own ideas about what kind of contribution you can make to this film, what you can do to improve it or make it better. Keep it to yourself. It's my fucking movie and I'm going to make it my way!" For his contribution to

2413-500: A filmmaker was total control of a production, and he achieved that with most films after the success of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof . The failure of Lord Jim threatened that independence. Brooks responded by becoming a fast and efficient filmmaker, operating with a tight budget and often forgoing a high up-front salary in exchange for a guarantee of control. Brooks was developing a reputation as a hard-driving, difficult and perpetually angry man as early as his tenure with radio station WNEW in

2540-502: A fourth picture for Wallis, Rope of Sand , in 1949. Norma Productions signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros. The first was 1950's The Flame and the Arrow , a swashbuckler movie, in which Lancaster drew on his circus skills. Nick Cravat had a supporting role and the film was a huge commercial success, making $ 6 million. It was Warners' most popular film of the year and established an entirely new image for Lancaster. Lancaster

2667-419: A general dislike of the director. Brooks was much the same way in his personal life. He readily acknowledged that he was a trying husband and that his work was the most important activity in his life. He was not interested in Hollywood's social scene, preferring to entertain guests at his home with tennis and movies when he wasn't working on screenplays or other projects. Yet his wife Jean Simmons found him to be

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2794-559: A heart attack. His final film role was in the Oscar-nominated Field of Dreams . Lancaster was born on November 2, 1913, in New York City, at his parents' home at 209 East 106th Street, the son of Elizabeth ( née Roberts) and mailman James Lancaster. Both of his parents were Protestants of working-class origin. All four of his grandparents were emigrants from the province of Ulster , Ireland. His maternal side

2921-467: A humorous, stimulating husband and a loving father to their daughters. But from all accounts, he was a "tough as nails" father as well. Brooks was one of the relatively few filmmakers whose careers bridged the transition from the classic studio system to the independent productions that marked the 1960s and beyond. He was also among the postwar writer-directors who made some of their best films as they struggled to break free of industry censorship. His legacy

3048-404: A largely fictionalized biography. In it he plays Robert Stroud , a federal prisoner incarcerated for life for two murders, who begins to collect birds and over time becomes an expert in bird diseases, even publishing a book. The film shows Stroud transferred to the maximum security Alcatraz prison where he is not allowed to keep birds and as he ages he gets married, markets bird remedies, helps stop

3175-525: A live-televised Hollywood ceremony in February or March. It is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony. The 1st Academy Awards were held in 1929. The second ceremony , in 1930, was the first one broadcast by radio. The 1953 ceremony was the first one televised. It is the oldest of the four major annual American entertainment awards . Its equivalents – the Emmy Awards for television,

3302-536: A metal shortage during World War II, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones. The only addition to the Oscar since it was created is a minor streamlining of the base. The original Oscar mold was cast in 1928 at the C.W. Shumway & Sons Foundry in Batavia , Illinois, which also contributed to casting

3429-668: A new production company, Hillworth Productions, co-owned with his wife Rita Hayworth . Lancaster played the title role in Elmer Gantry (1960), written and directed by Richard Brooks for United Artists. The film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Lancaster won the 1960 Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award, and the New York Film Critics Award for his performance. Hecht and Lancaster worked together on The Young Savages (1961), directed by John Frankenheimer and produced by Hecht. Sydney Pollack worked as

3556-434: A novel gave him a head start on developing the story structure required for a screenplay. He spent the rest of the decade at MGM, where his most notable film was an adaptation of Tennessee Williams 's sexually charged play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). A huge hit for MGM – it drew more money and a larger audience than any other film Brooks ever directed – the film was a high point in the career of Elizabeth Taylor and made

3683-496: A prison drama written by Richard Brooks and directed by Jules Dassin . It was also well received. Wallis released his films through Paramount, and so Lancaster and other Wallis contractees made cameos in Variety Girl in 1947. Lancaster's next film was a thriller for Wallis in 1947, I Walk Alone , co-starring Lizabeth Scott and a young Kirk Douglas , who was also under contract to Wallis. Variety listed it as one of

3810-584: A prison rebellion, and writes a book on the history of the U.S. penal system, but never gets paroled. The sympathetic performance earned Lancaster a Best Actor Oscar nomination, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Role. Hecht went on to produce five films without Lancaster's assistance, through his company Harold Hecht Films Productions between 1961 and 1967, including another Academy Award winner, Cat Ballou , starring Lee Marvin and Jane Fonda . Lancaster made A Child Is Waiting (1963) with Judy Garland . It

3937-422: A private collector on August 6, 1992, for $ 60,500 ($ 131,400 today). Russell defended his action, saying, "I don't know why anybody would be critical. My wife's health is much more important than sentimental reasons. The movie will be here, even if Oscar isn't". In December 2011, Orson Welles ' 1941 Oscar for Citizen Kane ( Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay ) was put up for auction, after his heirs won

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4064-459: A relationship that also ended in divorce. Brooks hated bigotry, which was a central theme of his novel The Brick Foxhole , his co-written screenplay for Storm Warning (1951), and his first western, The Last Hunt (1956). Racial division and reconciliation was also at the heart of Something of Value (1957). He saw Blackboard Jungle as encouraging teachers to continue striving to help their students and as reassuring them that they can make

4191-502: A star of Paul Newman . It brought Brooks his first Oscar nomination for directing and the first Best Picture nomination in his directorial career. Brooks spent the last third of his film career working in relative independence. In 1958, he signed a non-exclusive, seven-year writer-director deal with Columbia Pictures that was to earn him over $ 1 million. He followed the success of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with an independent production for United Artists of Elmer Gantry (1960), based on

4318-685: A story about a renowned Los Angeles sportswriter who becomes a sports gambling addict. Brooks himself had been a sportswriter when a young man. Both movies were critical and commercial failures. Brooks tried developing other projects in the last years of his life. He suffered from heart ailments and a stroke before dying at his home in 1992 at the age of 79. In 1960, he married Jean Simmons , after her divorce from Stewart Granger . Brooks helped to raise Tracy, Simmons' daughter by Granger. The couple had another daughter, Kate, together in 1961. They separated in 1977 and were legally divorced in 1980. Previously, Brooks had been married for 11 years to Harriette Levin,

4445-452: A story of her and her husband joking with each other using the phrase, "How's your uncle Oscar". Bette Davis , in her 1962 autobiography, claimed she named it in 1936 after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, of whom the statue's rear end reminded her. But the term had been in use at least two years before. In a 1974 biography written by Whitney Stine with commentary from Davis, Davis wrote "I relinquish once and for all any claim that I

4572-436: A talented filmmaker yet a difficult man to deal with. Debbie Reynolds recounts that, while as a young and relatively inexperienced actress filming The Catered Affair (1956), Brooks hit her in the face and had to be pulled away from further assault by the assistant director. Later during filming, a heavy piece of equipment fell on his foot, breaking it, and the crew were noticeably slow in removing it which Reynolds attests to

4699-452: A tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year career in films and television series. He was a four-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actor (winning once), and he also won two BAFTA Awards and one Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actor. The American Film Institute ranks Lancaster as # 19 of the greatest male stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Lancaster performed as

4826-463: A two-picture deal, the first of which was to be 1954's Apache , starring Lancaster as a Native American. They followed it with another Western in 1954, Vera Cruz , co-starring Gary Cooper and produced by Hill. Both films were directed by Robert Aldrich and were hugely popular. United Artists signed Hecht-Lancaster to a multi-picture contract, to make seven films over two years. These included films in which Lancaster did not act. Their first

4953-408: Is selected as a gold, silver, or bronze medal winner in an appropriate category of the immediately previous Student Academy Awards is also eligible (Documentary category for that award, and Animation, Narrative, Alternative, or International for the other awards). The requirements for the qualifying theatrical run are also different from those for other awards. Only one screening per day is required. For

5080-684: Is that of a filmmaker who sought independence in a collaborative art and tried to bring his own vision to the screen. Surrounded by family (Jean Simmons and daughters) and longtime friend, actor Gene Kelly , Brooks died from congestive heart failure in 1992 at his house in Coldwater Canyon in Studio City, California . He was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California ,

5207-580: The 2008 awards , as it did not play its Oscar-qualifying run in Los Angeles until mid-2009, thus qualifying for the 2009 awards . Foreign films must include English subtitles. Each country can submit only one film for consideration in the International Feature Film category per year. Rule 2 states that a film must be feature -length, defined as a minimum of 40 minutes, except for short-subject awards. It must exist either on

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5334-548: The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California for the 19th consecutive year, along with satellite location taking place at the Union Station also in Los Angeles. Because of the virus impact on films and TV industries, Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson announced that for the 2021 Oscar Ceremony , streaming movies with a previously planned theatrical release were eligible. The theatrical requirement

5461-610: The Oscars , are awards for artistic and technical merit for the film industry . They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The Oscars are widely considered to be the most prestigious awards in the film industry. The major award categories are presented during

5588-676: The Tony Awards for theater, and the Grammy Awards for music – are modeled after the Academy Awards. The Oscar statuette depicts a knight, rendered in the Art Deco style. Everything Everywhere All at Once Oppenheimer The first Academy Awards presentation was held on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner function at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel , with an audience of about 270 people. The post-awards party

5715-599: The five boroughs of New York City during the previous calendar year, or a qualifying award at a competitive film festival from the Documentary Feature Qualifying Festival list, regardless of any public exhibition or distribution, or submission in the International Feature Film category as its country's official selection. The qualifying theatrical runs must meet the same requirements as those for non-documentary films regarding numbers and times of screenings. A film must have been reviewed by

5842-681: The 1930s, during the Great Depression , Sax began using the name Richard Brooks professionally. He changed his name legally in 1943. Brooks wrote sports for the Philadelphia Record and later joined the staff of the Atlantic City Press-Union. He moved to New York to work for the World-Telegram ; shortly afterward he took a job with radio station WNEW for a larger paycheck. As a newsman for

5969-504: The 1960s. To recover professionally from the failure of Lord Jim, Brooks surprised Hollywood by choosing to adapt a minor western novel about a wealthy husband who hires mercenaries to rescue his kidnapped wife from Mexican bandits. Brooks worked quickly and within a year released The Professionals (1966), which became Columbia's biggest hit that year. The slick crowd-pleaser starred Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin , Robert Ryan and Woody Strode as "the professionals" with Jack Palance as

6096-699: The Academy from time to time (except for the Academy Honorary Award, the Technical Achievement Award, and the Student Academy Awards, which are presented annually): The Academy also awards Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting . From 2004 to 2020, the Academy Award nomination results were announced to the public in mid-January. Prior to that, the results were announced in early February. In 2021,

6223-486: The Academy launched an initiative to expand its membership and increase diversity. In 2022, voting membership stood at 9,487. According to Rules 2 and 3 of the official Academy Awards Rules, a film must open in the previous calendar year, from midnight at the start of January 1 to midnight at the end of December 31, in Los Angeles County, California , and play for seven consecutive days, to qualify, except for

6350-492: The Academy, and service existing Oscars that need replating. The origin of the nickname of the trophy has been disputed, as multiple people have taken credit for naming the trophy "Oscar". Margaret Herrick , librarian and president of the Academy, may have said she named it after her supposed uncle Oscar in 1921. The only corroboration was a 1938 clipping from the Los Angeles Examiner , in which Herrick told

6477-492: The Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature, and awards in short film categories. The film must be shown at least three times on each day of its qualifying run, with at least one of the daily showings starting between 6 pm and 10 pm local time. For example, the 2009 Best Picture winner, The Hurt Locker , was originally first released in 2008, but did not qualify for

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6604-474: The Board of Governors, on behalf of Academy Branch Executive Committees. Membership eligibility may be achieved by a competitive nomination, or an existing member may submit a name, based on other significant contributions to the field of motion pictures. New membership proposals are considered annually. The Academy does not publicly disclose its membership, although as recently as 2007 press releases have announced

6731-549: The Documentary award, the screening must start between noon and 10 pm local time. For other awards, no specific start time is required, but the film must appear in regular theater listings with dates and screening times. In late December, ballots, and copies of the Reminder List of Eligible Releases are mailed to around 6,000 active members. For most categories, members from each of the branches vote to determine

6858-582: The Italian language, it is used generically to refer to any award or award ceremony, regardless of which field. The first Best Actor awarded was Emil Jannings , for his performances in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh . As he had to return to Europe before the ceremony, the Academy agreed to give him the prize early, making him the first Academy Award recipient. For the first Awards , winners were recognized for multiple films during

6985-718: The Kay Brothers circus. However, in 1939, an injury forced Lancaster to give up the profession, with great regret. He then found temporary work, first as a salesman for Marshall Fields and then as a singing waiter in various restaurants. After the United States entered World War II , Lancaster joined the United States Army in January 1943 and performed with the Army's 21st Special Services Division, one of

7112-648: The Norma-Warners contract was that Lancaster had to appear in some non-Norma films, of which this was one. In 1954, for his own company, Lancaster produced and starred in His Majesty O'Keefe , a South Sea island tale shot in Fiji. It was co-written by James Hill, who would soon become a part of the Hecht-Lancaster partnership. Hecht and Lancaster left Warners for United Artists , for what began as

7239-491: The O.K. Corral (1957) with frequent co-star Kirk Douglas . During the 1950s, his production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster , was highly successful, with Lancaster acting in films such as: Trapeze (1956), a box office smash in which he used his acrobatic skills and for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor ; Sweet Smell of Success (1957), a dark drama today considered a classic; Run Silent, Run Deep (1958),

7366-580: The President in Seven Days in May . Then, in 1966, he played an explosives expert in the western The Professionals . Although the reception of his 1968 film The Swimmer was initially lackluster upon release, in the years after it has grown in stature critically and attained a cult following . In 1970, Lancaster starred in the box-office hit, air-disaster drama Airport . In 1974 he again starred in

7493-466: The World in 80 Days to a movie prop collector. The Academy earned enforcement of its statuette contract by gaining a permanent injunction against the sale. In 1992, Harold Russell consigned his 1946 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for The Best Years of Our Lives to auction to raise money for his wife's medical expenses. Though his decision caused controversy, the first Oscar ever to be sold passed to

7620-601: The all-star, war-crime-trial film, Judgment at Nuremberg . Playing a bird expert prisoner in Birdman of Alcatraz in 1962, he earned the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor and his third Oscar nomination. In 1963, Lancaster traveled to Italy to star as an Italian prince in Visconti's epic period drama The Leopard . In 1964, he played a US Air Force General who, opposed by a Colonel played by Douglas, tries to overthrow

7747-476: The apex of Brooks' career. In the two decades that followed, he wrote and directed just six more films. Of note was The Happy Ending (1969). From his original screenplay about a woman dealing with disappointments in her marriage and her life, it was the kind of low-key personal film more likely to come from Europe than an American director. The film earned an Oscar nomination for star Jean Simmons. (Her own marriage to Brooks ended in divorce in 1980.) In 1972 Brooks

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7874-416: The awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, while the previous year's winners for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress present the awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. In recent years, this has been replaced by each acting award being introduced by five previous winners, each of whom introduces one of the nominated performances. On February 9, 2020, Parasite became

8001-462: The awards. Davis credits Lilleberg because he found in an autobiography of Einar Lilleberg, Eleanore's brother, that Einar had referenced a Norwegian army veteran named Oscar that the two knew in Chicago, whom Einar described as having always "stood straight and tall". He asserts credit "should almost certainly belong to" Lilleberg. In 2021, Brazilian researcher Dr. Waldemar Dalenogare Neto found

8128-406: The bandit leader and Claudia Cardinale as the kidnapped wife. The film received Oscar nominations for Brooks' screenplay and direction, and for Conrad Hall 's cinematography. It has been lauded as one of the most entertaining westerns ever filmed. Brooks landed the property of the decade when author Truman Capote selected him to adapt his best-selling book In Cold Blood . Once again rejecting

8255-416: The basics of filmmaking, including writing and editing documentaries. He also found time to write a novel, The Brick Foxhole, a searing portrait of some stateside soldiers who were tainted by religious and racial bigotry, and opposed to homosexuals. In 1944 he divorced his wife, then known in films as Jean Brooks. Later he said he had been a self-centered husband and unsuitable for what she needed. His book

8382-411: The calendar year before the ceremony. Second, there are multiple methods of qualification. The main method is a week-long theatrical release in either New York City or Los Angeles County during the eligibility period. Films also can qualify by winning specified awards at one of several competitive film festivals designated by the Academy, also without regard to prior public distribution. A film that

8509-522: The closing of the New York World , the film was part gangster picture , part newspaper drama. At its core was an issue Brooks cared about: the consolidation of the newspaper industry and its effect on the diversity of voices in the press. The film remains one of the more highly regarded dramas about American newspapers. Brooks directed four more films before achieving an unqualified hit with Blackboard Jungle (1955) starring Glenn Ford . Based on

8636-510: The company's name to Hecht-Lancaster Productions. The first film under the new name was another swashbuckler: 1952's The Crimson Pirate , directed by Siodmak. Co-starring Cravat, it was extremely popular. Lancaster changed pace once more by doing a straight dramatic part in 1952's Come Back, Little Sheba , based on a Broadway hit, with Shirley Booth , produced by Wallis and directed by Daniel Mann . Alternating with adventure films, he went into South Sea Woman in 1952 at Warners. Part of

8763-507: The eligibility period ran from 1 August to 31 July. The 6th Academy Awards' eligibility ran from 1 August 1932 to 31 December 1933, and as of the 7th Academy Awards , subsequent eligibility periods have matched the calendar year (with the exception of the 93rd Academy Awards , which, due to the COVID-19 pandemic , extended the eligibility period to 28 February 2021). Best Foreign Language Film, now known as Best International Feature Film ,

8890-627: The film industry and led to a long friendship with actor Humphrey Bogart , a close friend of the producer. Brooks provided an uncredited screen story for The Killers (1946), which introduced actor Burt Lancaster . He wrote the scripts for two other Hellinger films, notably Brute Force (1947), also starring Lancaster. After Hellinger died suddenly in 1947, Brooks wrote screenplays for three Warner Brothers films, including Key Largo (1948), starring Bogart and wife Lauren Bacall and directed and co-written by John Huston , another Brooks mentor. Huston and Brooks had both worked together previously in

9017-415: The film industry. Their marriage lasted until 1957, when she sought a default divorce. Success as a screenwriter with Hellinger and Warner Brothers led Brooks to a contract with MGM and the promise of a chance to direct. He wrote two screenplays for the studio before he was given the opportunity. His first film as writer and director, Crisis (1950), starred Cary Grant as a brain surgeon forced to save

9144-552: The first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards . The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the best films of 2020 and early 2021 , was held on April 25, 2021, after it was postponed from its original February 28, 2021, schedule due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema . As with the two previous ceremonies, there was no host. The ceremony was broadcast on ABC . It took place at

9271-733: The first time and sparking a No. 1 hit for Bill Haley and the Comets . Blackboard Jungle was nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay, and was MGM's top moneymaker that year. In 1955, Brooks was one of four American auteur filmmakers named as "rebels" by the French magazine Cahiers du Cinéma . Box-office success was what gave the writer/director more freedom at MGM, but Brooks also recognized that he would never have complete control of his films while under contract. He determined to avoid writing original screenplays and focused on adaptations of best-sellers or classic novels. He later noted that adapting

9398-569: The husband to her bedridden invalid character. In 1953 Lancaster played the illicit lover of Deborah Kerr in the military drama From Here to Eternity . A box office smash, it won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and landed a Best Actor nomination for Lancaster. Later in the 1950s, he starred in The Rainmaker (1956), with Katharine Hepburn , earning a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination, and in 1957 he starred in Gunfight at

9525-446: The largest bloc, numbering 1,359 (14.1% of the voting body). Votes have been certified by the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers , and its predecessor Price Waterhouse , since the 7th Academy Awards in 1935. In May 2011, the Academy sent a letter advising its 6,000 or so voting members that an online system for Oscar voting would be implemented in 2013, replacing mailed paper ballots. All AMPAS members must be invited to join by

9652-468: The late 1930s. He was not averse to quitting a job when in conflict with those in charge—as he did while directing at the Mill Pond Theater in 1940 and writing for Universal in 1943. At MGM he was known for almost daily eruptions of anger, often aimed at his crew and sometimes at his cast. That did not change even after he was the producer of his films, and he was known throughout the industry as

9779-465: The latter in 1929. Sax took classes at Temple University for two years, studying journalism and playing on the school's baseball team. He dropped out and left home when he discovered that his parents were going into debt to pay for his tuition. He rode freight trains around the East and Midwest for a period of time, eventually returning to Philadelphia to seek work as a newspaper reporter. At some point in

9906-562: The life of a South American dictator, played by José Ferrer . His second film, The Light Touch (1951), an art-theft caper film starring Stewart Granger , was shot in Italy. Brooks recounted useful advice he received just before his directorial debut from cinematographer Karl Freund while speaking at the American Film Institute . Freund gave Brooks reels of 16mm film, calling them "Lesson Number One." When Brooks watched

10033-475: The methodical pace that had slowed him with other productions, Brooks worked quickly to adapt the "nonfiction novel," as Capote called it. As a reporter, Brooks also conducted his own research into the murders of four members of a Kansas farm family and the lives of the two drifters responsible for the crime. Brooks rejected Columbia's suggestion that he hire stars to play the killers and instead cast two relative unknowns, Scott Wilson and Robert Blake . He resisted

10160-486: The military groups organized to follow the troops on the ground and provide USO entertainment to keep up morale. He served in the Fifth Army in Italy under General Mark Clark from 1943 to 1945. He was discharged October 1945 and was an entertainment specialist with the rank of technician fifth grade . Lancaster returned to New York after his Army service. Although initially unenthusiastic about acting, Lancaster

10287-615: The molds for the Vince Lombardi Trophy and Emmy Award statuettes. From 1983 to 2015, approximately 50 Oscars in a tin alloy with gold plating were made each year in Chicago by Illinois manufacturer R.S. Owens & Company . It would take between three and four weeks to manufacture 50 statuettes. In 2016, the Academy returned to bronze as the core metal of the statuettes, handing manufacturing duties to Walden , New York–based Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry, now owned and operated by UAP Urban Art Projects . While based on

10414-472: The most expensive project of his career. He had assembled a stellar cast led by Peter O'Toole , Eli Wallach , Jack Hawkins , Paul Lukas , and James Mason . While beautifully photographed in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia by Freddie Young and scored by Bronisław Kaper , Lord Jim did not find the audience that had made David Lean 's epics Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago such notable hits of

10541-904: The motion picture industry, Brooks has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6422 Hollywood Blvd, between N. Cahuenga Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue. After his death, Brooks' papers were donated to the Margaret Herrick Library and his film collection was donated to the Academy Film Archive . The Academy Film Archive preserved Lord Jim in 2000 and various home movies made by Richard Brooks in 2009 and 2016. Daniel, Douglass K. (2011). Tough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks . University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN   978-0299251246 . Academy Awards The Academy Awards , commonly known as

10668-677: The music industry with the music publishing companies Leigh Music , Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music , Calyork Music and Colby Music and the record labels Calyork Records and Maine Records . The HHL team impressed Hollywood with its success; as Life wrote in 1957, "[a]fter the independent production of a baker's dozen of pictures, it has yet to have its first flop ... (They were also good pictures.)." In late 1957, they announced they would make ten films worth $ 14 million in 1958. Lancaster made two films for Wallis to complete his eight-film commitment for that contract: The Rainmaker (1956) with Katharine Hepburn , which earned Lancaster

10795-423: The names of those who have been invited to join. In 2012, the results of a study conducted by the Los Angeles Times were published describing the demographic breakdown of approximately 88% of AMPAS' voting membership. Of the 5,100+ active voters confirmed, 94% were Caucasian , 77% were male, and 54% were found to be over the age of 60. 33% of voting members are former nominees (14%) and winners (19%). In 2016,

10922-622: The nominees only in their respective categories, i.e. only directors vote for directors, writers for writers, actors for actors, etc. In the special case of Best Picture, all voting members are eligible to select the nominees. In all major categories, a variant of the single transferable vote is used, with each member casting a ballot with up to five nominees (ten for Best Picture) ranked preferentially. In certain categories, including International Feature Film, Documentary and Animated Feature, nominees are selected by special screening committees made up of members from all branches. In most categories,

11049-480: The nominees were announced in March. In 2022, the nominees were announced in early February for the first time since 2003. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), a professional honorary organization, maintains a voting membership of 9,487 as of 2022 . Academy membership is divided into different branches, with each representing a different discipline in film production. As of 2022 , actors constitute

11176-611: The novel by Sinclair Lewis . The story of a phony preacher, played by Burt Lancaster , and a sincere revivalist, played by Jean Simmons , was edgy for the time. As it had for Blackboard Jungle and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , controversy accompanied the film's release and helped bring people to theaters. The movie received five Academy Award nominations, including one for best picture, and won Oscars for Brooks' screenplay, Lancaster as lead actor and for Shirley Jones as supporting actress. Brooks adapted and directed another Tennessee Williams play, Sweet Bird of Youth (1962). Ed Begley won

11303-422: The opportunity to produce their own movies within five years of hitting Hollywood. Through Hecht, Lancaster was brought to the attention of producer Hal B. Wallis . Lancaster left New York and moved to Los Angeles. Wallis signed him to a non-exclusive eight-movie contract. Lancaster's first filmed movie was Desert Fury for Wallis in 1947, where Lancaster was billed after John Hodiak and Lizabeth Scott . It

11430-471: The option of having engraved nameplates applied to their statuettes at an inscription-processing station at the Governor's Ball, a party held immediately after the Oscar ceremony. The R.S. Owens company has engraved nameplates made before the ceremony, bearing the name of every potential winner. The nameplates for the non-winning nominees are later recycled. Prior to 1950, Oscar statuettes were, and remain,

11557-666: The original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians. Sculptor George Stanley , who also did the Muse Fountain at the Hollywood Bowl , sculpted Cedric Gibbons ' design. The statuettes presented at the initial ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze. Within a few years, the bronze was abandoned in favor of Britannia metal , a pewter-like alloy which is then plated in copper, nickel silver, and finally, 24-karat gold. Due to

11684-489: The popular actress Maria Montez , known as the "Queen of Technicolor." With no prospect of moving into more prestigious productions, he quit Universal and joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943 during World War II . Brooks never served overseas during the war, instead working in the Marine Corps film unit at Quantico, Virginia, and at times at Camp Pendleton, California. In his two years in uniform he learned more about

11811-516: The probable first public mention of the name "Oscar", in journalist Relman Morin 's "Cinematters" column in the Los Angeles Evening Post-Record on December 5, 1933. Since the awards didn't take place that year, he said: "What's happened to the annual Academy banquet? As a rule, the banquet and the awarding of "Oscar", the bronze statuette given for best performances, is all over long before this". This information changes

11938-499: The property of the recipient. Since then the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that the statuette be first offered for sale back to the Academy for US$ 1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards predating this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums. In 1989, Michael Todd's grandson tried to sell Todd's Best Picture Oscar for his 1956 production of Around

12065-406: The qualifying period; Jannings received the award for two movies in which he starred , and Janet Gaynor won the first Best Actress award for performances in three films. Beginning with the second ceremony, performers received separate nominations for individual films; no performer has received multiple nominations in the same category since the 3rd Academy Awards . For the first six ceremonies,

12192-487: The reels at home, he saw that they were pornography. The next day, Freund explained: "I produced them. My pictures, 1922. Many times you will be wondering, do you put the camera here, or up here, or down here? Maybe you make the scene a little bigger, or a little smaller. Lesson Number One. Get to the fucking point." Brooks came into his own when he directed an original screenplay, Deadline – U.S.A. (1952), for 20th Century-Fox , starring his friend Humphrey Bogart. Based on

12319-461: The second ceremony in 1930, and the rest of the first decade, the results were given to newspapers for publication at 11:00 pm on the night of the awards. In 1940, the Los Angeles Times announced the winners before the ceremony began. As a result, in 1941 the Academy started using a sealed envelope to reveal the names of the winners. The term "Oscar" is a registered trademark of the AMPAS. In

12446-402: The station, he reported and read stories on the air and provided commentary. Brooks also began writing plays in 1938 and tried directing for Long Island's Mill Pond Theater in 1940. A falling out with his theater colleagues that summer led him to drive to Los Angeles on a whim, hoping to find work in the film industry. He also may have been trying to escape a marriage; a legal document indicates he

12573-546: The studio on another point, shooting the film in black and white rather than color because he thought it was a more frightening medium. He used locations where the events occurred, including the house where the family had been killed. In Cold Blood had a documentary style and was considered among the films of the mid-1960s that ushered in a more mature Hollywood style. Brooks received double Oscar nominations; cinematographer Conrad Hall and composer Quincy Jones also were nominated. The Professionals and In Cold Blood marked

12700-405: The time. Marty star Borgnine was under contract to Hecht-Lancaster and was unhappy about his lack of upcoming roles, especially after only receiving some seven lines in 1957's Sweet Smell of Success and half of his normal pay for Marty . He eventually sued for breach of contract to gain back some of this money in 1957. Without Hill, Hecht and Lancaster produced The Kentuckian in 1955. It

12827-410: The top grossers of the year, taking in more than $ 2 million. In 1948, Lancaster had a change of pace with the film adaptation of Arthur Miller 's All My Sons , made at Universal Pictures with Edward G. Robinson . His third film for Wallis was an adaptation of Sorry, Wrong Number in 1948, with Barbara Stanwyck . Hecht kept to his promise to Lancaster to turn producer. The two of them formed

12954-612: The uncredited rewrite for The Killers , and Huston would be the only co-writer Brooks ever had. While filming Key Largo , Huston allowed Brooks to be on the Key Largo set during shooting, so that he could learn more about directing a Hollywood film. Brooks wrote two more novels shortly after the war, The Boiling Point (1948) and The Producer (1951), a thinly disguised portrait of Mark Hellinger. It may also have contained autobiographical elements about Brooks. In 1946 he married again, to Harriette Levin, who had no apparent connection to

13081-408: The version of Sidney Skolsky as the first to publicly mention the name. To prevent information identifying the Oscar winners from leaking ahead of the ceremony, Oscar statuettes presented at the ceremony have blank baseplates. Until 2010, winners returned their statuettes to the Academy and had to wait several weeks to have their names inscribed on their respective Oscars. Since 2010, winners have had

13208-504: The winner is selected from among the nominees by plurality voting of all members. Since 2009, the Best Picture winner has been chosen by instant runoff voting . Since 2013, re-weighted range voting has been used to select the nominees for the Best Visual Effects . Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough guys with

13335-553: Was Marty in 1955, based on Paddy Chayefsky 's TV play starring Ernest Borgnine and directed by Delbert Mann . It won both the Best Picture Oscar and the Palme d'Or award at Cannes and Borgnine an Best Actor Oscar . It also earned $ 2 million on a budget of $ 350,000. Vera Cruz had been a huge success, but Marty secured Hecht-Lancaster as one of the most successful independent production companies in Hollywood at

13462-572: Was a critical success but a commercial disappointment. Over the years it has come to be regarded as one of Lancaster's greatest films. HHL produced seven additional films in the late 1950s. Four starred Lancaster: Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), a Robert Wise directed war film with Clark Gable , which was mildly popular; Separate Tables (1958) a hotel-set drama with Kerr and Rita Hayworth (who married James Hill), which received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Oscar awards for lead actor David Niven and supporting actress Wendy Hiller , and

13589-472: Was a member of the French Foreign Legion . Robert Aldrich worked on the movie as a production manager. The second was 1952's The First Time , a comedy which was the directorial debut of Frank Tashlin . It was meant to star Lancaster but he wound up not appearing in the film – the first of their productions in which he did not act. In 1951, the actor/producer duo changed

13716-399: Was accepted by New York University with an athletic scholarship, but dropped out. At the age of 9, Lancaster met Nick Cravat with whom he developed a lifelong partnership. Together, they learned to act in local theatre productions and circus arts at Union Settlement , one of the city's oldest settlement houses. In the 1930s, they formed the acrobat duo Lang and Cravat and soon joined

13843-530: Was born Reuben Sax in Philadelphia to Hyman and Esther Sax, Russian Jewish immigrants. The parents were married teenagers when they immigrated to the US in 1908. They found employment in Philadelphia's textile and clothing industry. Reuben, their only child, was born in 1912. He attended public schools Joseph Leidy Elementary, Mayer Sulzberger Junior High School and West Philadelphia High School , graduating from

13970-425: Was borrowed by 20th Century Fox for Mister 880 in 1950, a comedy with Edmund Gwenn . MGM put him in a popular Western, Vengeance Valley in 1951, then he went to Warners to play the title role in the biopic Jim Thorpe – All-American , also in 1951. Norma signed a deal with Columbia Pictures to make two films through a Norma subsidiary, Halburt. The first film was 1951's Ten Tall Men , where Lancaster

14097-544: Was both a critical and commercial success; The Devil's Disciple (1959), with Douglas and Laurence Olivier , which lost money (and saw Lancaster fire Mackendrick during shooting); and the Western The Unforgiven (1960), with Audrey Hepburn , which was a critical and commercial disappointment. Three were made without Lancaster, all of which lost money: The Bachelor Party (1957), from another TV play by Chayefsky, and directed by Delbert Mann; Take

14224-426: Was directed by Lewis Allen . Then producer Mark Hellinger approached him to star in 1946's The Killers , which was completed and released prior to Desert Fury . Directed by Robert Siodmak , it was a great commercial and critical success and launched Lancaster and his co-star Ava Gardner to stardom. It has since come to be regarded as a classic. Hellinger used Lancaster again on Brute Force in 1947,

14351-428: Was directed by Lancaster in his directorial debut, and he also played a lead role. Lancaster disliked directing and only did it once more, on 1974's The Midnight Man . Lancaster still had commitments with Wallis, and made The Rose Tattoo for him in 1955, starring with Anna Magnani and Daniel Mann directing. It was very popular at the box office and critically acclaimed, winning Magnani an Oscar. In 1955, Hill

14478-461: Was encouraged to audition for a Broadway play by a producer who saw him in an elevator while he was visiting his then-girlfriend at work. The audition was successful and Lancaster was cast in Harry Brown 's A Sound of Hunting (1945). The show only ran three weeks, but his performance attracted the interest of a Hollywood agent, Harold Hecht . Lancaster had other offers but Hecht promised him

14605-522: Was from Belfast , the descendants of English dissenters who had colonized Ireland as part of the Plantation of Ulster . Lancaster grew up in East Harlem , New York City. He developed a great interest and skill in gymnastics while attending DeWitt Clinton High School , where he was a basketball star. Before he graduated from DeWitt Clinton, his mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage . Lancaster

14732-473: Was held at the Mayfair Hotel. The cost of guest tickets for that night's ceremony was $ 5 - $ 89 at 2023 prices. Fifteen statuettes were awarded, honoring artists, directors, and other participants in the film-making industry of the time, for their works during the 1927–28 period. The ceremony ran for 15 minutes. For this first ceremony, winners were announced to the media three months earlier. For

14859-556: Was hired by Columbia Pictures to direct First Blood , with Bette Davis to be cast as a psychiatrist and either Lee Marvin or Burt Lancaster to be cast as Sheriff Will Teasle . Brooks intended the film to be a commentary on the perceptions of veterans from both World War II and the Vietnam War . He also intended to make Teasle a more sympathetic character, who at the end of the film would have ordered his men to drop their guns to try to reason with John Rambo before Rambo

14986-440: Was introduced at the 20th Academy Awards as a special award, and became a competitive category at the 29th Academy Awards . The 74th Academy Awards, held in 2002, presented the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature . Since 1973, all Academy Awards ceremonies, except for 2021, have ended with the Academy Award for Best Picture . Traditionally, the previous year's winners for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor present

15113-469: Was made an equal partner in Hecht-Lancaster, with his name added to the production company. Hecht-Hill-Lancaster (HHL) released their first film Trapeze in 1956, with Lancaster performing many of his own stunts. The film, co-starring Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida , went on to become the production company's top box office success, and United Artists expanded its deal with HHL. In 1956, Lancaster and Hecht partnered with Loring Buzzell and entered

15240-541: Was married at least part of the time he lived in New York. He did not find film work but was hired by the NBC affiliate to write original stories and read them for a daily fifteen-minute broadcast called Sidestreet Vignettes. His marriage, in 1941, to Jeanne Kelly , an actress at Universal Studios , may have helped to open the door to writing for the studio. He contributed dialogue to a few films and wrote two screenplays for

15367-707: Was produced by Kramer and directed by John Cassavetes . He went to Italy to star in The Leopard (1963) for Luchino Visconti , co-starring Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale . It was one of Lancaster's favorite films and was a big hit in France but failed in the US (though the version released was much truncated). He had a small role in The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) for producer/star Kirk Douglas, and then did two for Frankenheimer: Seven Days in May (1964),

15494-462: Was published in 1945 to favorable reviews. It was adapted as the film Crossfire (1947) with the homosexual element removed. It was the first major Hollywood film to deal with anti-Semitism , receiving an Oscar nomination. The novel drew the attention of independent producer Mark Hellinger , who hired Brooks as a screenwriter after he left the Marines. Working for Hellinger brought Brooks back to

15621-427: Was reinstated starting with the 95th Academy Awards . The Oscar statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, is given to winners of each year's awards. Made of gold-plated bronze on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34.3 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.856 kg), and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes represent

15748-465: Was screened in a limited release before being broadcast in five parts on ABC and ESPN , in that category in 2017 . The Academy's announcement of the new rule made no direct mention of that film. The Best International Feature Film award does not require a U.S. release. It requires the film to be submitted as its country's official selection. The Best Documentary Feature award requires either week-long releases in both Los Angeles County and any of

15875-578: Was shot by unknown gunman. The film was cancelled because the Vietnam War had not ended, and the rights were sold to Warner Bros. Pictures . Bite the Bullet (1975) was Brooks' return to the western. He based his original screenplay on the endurance horse races popular at the turn of the century. In 1977, he released another controversial film, an adaptation of Judith Rossner 's 1975 novel Looking for Mr. Goodbar . Goodbar starred Diane Keaton as

16002-410: Was the one — so, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the honor is all yours". Columnist Sidney Skolsky wrote in his 1970 memoir that he came up with the term in 1934 under pressure for a deadline, mocking Vaudeville comedians who asked "Will you have a cigar, Oscar?" The Academy credits Skolsky with "the first confirmed newspaper reference" to Oscar in his column on March 16, 1934, which

16129-420: Was written about that year's 6th Academy Awards . But in the newspaper clipping that Skolsky referred to, he wrote that "these statues are called 'Oscars ' ", meaning that the name was already in use. Bruce Davis, a former executive director of the Academy, credited Eleanore Lilleberg, a secretary at the Academy when the award was first introduced, for the nickname. She had overseen the pre-ceremony handling of

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