Monday, Feb. 23, 2004 | 8:23 a.m.
Fiery political rants. Tearful thank-yous. One-armed pushups. Even a simple and eloquent bow ... through the decades, the Academy Awards are as well known for what the winners say and do as are the winners themselves.
Sally Field, formerly America's Sweetheart, will never fully live down her "I can't deny the fact that you like me right now, you like me!" 1985 Oscar acceptance speech after winning best actress for "Places in the Heart."
And James Cameron probably didn't make many friends for his not-so-humble "I'm King of the World" speech in 1998, in which he pulled a line from his movie "Titanic," after collecting one of the numerous Oscars for the film.
Tom Hanks, however, took a heavier approach in 1994 with his speech dedicated to AIDS victims after receiving his first best actor Oscar for his portrayal of a lawyer dying of the disease:
"We know their names. They number a thousand for each one of the red ribbons that we wear tonight. They finally rest in the warm embrace of the gracious creator of us all, a healing embrace that cools their fevers, that clears their skin and allows their eyes to see the simple, self-evident common-sense truth that is made manifest by the benevolent creator of us all."
The moving tribute only enhanced Hanks' reputation as one of Hollywood's genuinely caring performers.
It is telling moments such as these, where the best, worst and, frankly, goofiest of humanity is on display, that make the Academy Awards so interesting, said Emanuel Levy, author of "All About Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards" ($19.95, Continuum).
"It adds a dimension of spontaneity and humor and personality to the show," Levy said in a recent phone interview. "Imagine a show in which everything goes according to the script?"
Thankfully, the awards' speeches seldom do.
Who could have predicted Halle Berry breaking down into sobs while accepting a best actress trophy for "Monster's Ball" in 2002?
Or a year later, when best actor winner Adrien Brody ("The Pianist") pulled a surprise on the award presenter, Berry, and planted a long and passionate kiss on her before giving a heartfelt anti-war speech?
Is it any wonder why the Oscars are the most popular telecast in the world? One billion viewers are expected to tune in to the live telecast at 5 p.m. Sunday on ABC (Channel 13).
Politics, schmolitics
Such a large audience, however, can sometimes prove a great temptation to the politically minded.
Marlon Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather (in reality, B movie actress Maria Cruz) to pick up his best actor Oscar for "The Godfather" in 1973. The actress was there to announce that Brando refused to pick up the trophy as protest of the treatment of American Indians by Hollywood.
Five years later Vanessa Redgrave accepted the award for best supporting actress for "Julia" and took the opportunity to comment on the crisis in the Middle East crisis by denouncing "the Zionist hoodlums whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression."
Then came Richard Gere's speech as a presenter at the 1993 Academy Awards, when he asked the world to join him in communicating telepathically to Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, who had resigned from his post six years earlier.
But last year's fiery acceptance speech by director Michael Moore (after winning the best documentary Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine") might go down as the most polarizing.
The speech -- in which Moore decried President Bush as "a fictitious president" and offered a rebuke of the war in Iraq by saying, "shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you" -- was applauded and booed by those in attendance and sparked a heated debate on talk shows for weeks after.
The fact Moore used the opportunity to attack the president wasn't surprising, Levy said. What was more noticeable was the absence of other protest speeches given that war in Iraq had just begun.
"I think people expected more references," he said. "There were very few anti-war speeches, more like, 'We send our best to our troops.' "
But are such speeches appropriate?
Yes and no, said Debra Ann Ristau, regional governor of Toastmasters, whose area includes central California and Southern Nevada.
While she didn't care for Moore's speech because of where he stands politically, she does respect the winners' rights to say what they want.
"I'm glad we we live in a country where people can say what they think and not be hauled off to jail," Ristau said. "It's not the place to do it, but they might not have the opportunity to do it again."
Perhaps actress/anti-war activist Jane Fonda made the biggest nonstatement after collecting her best actress Oscar in 1972 for "Klute":
"There's a great deal to say, but I'm not going to say it tonight."
I'd like to thank ...
Beyond the political rants, Oscar speeches are known for an endless parade of thank-yous.
Moms, dads, children, friends, distant relatives, agents, teachers, colleagues and most everyone involved in the movie usually receive their share of kudos.
While tiring to most viewers are home, there's a reason why winners go out of their way to offer thanks.
"I know someone who lost a job because they won an Emmy and didn't thank their agent and their agent dropped them," said Sean Clark, professor of film at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "Note is taken of just exactly who you're thanking. (Hollywood) is a small town and it's a company town and everybody knows about the deletion."
Kim Basinger, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress in 1998 for "L.A. Confidential," made sure not to miss anyone:
"I just want to thank everyone I've ever met in my entire life."
But just because you thank everyone doesn't mean you're off the hook.
Barbra Streisand, in her 1969 acceptance speech for best actress in "Funny Girl," said she would like to "thank all the little people" behind her victory. Not surprisingly, the backhanded compliment -- however unintentional -- didn't sit well with the "little people" in the unions who worked on the film.
Nearly a decade later composer Paul Williams made fun of her speech during an Oscar telecast:
"I was going to thank all the little people, but then I remembered I am the little people."
Sometimes, however, the thank-you speeches can turn out unexpectedly sweet, such as Julia Roberts' for her win as best actress in 2001 for "Erin Brockovich." The speech was more than three minutes past the Academy Award's self-imposed 45-second time limit.
At one point, the actress told conductor Bill Conti, who was instructed to interrupt the longer speeches with music, "Sir, you're doing a great job, but you're so quick with your stick, so why don't you sit because I may never be up here again."
While Ristau enjoyed Roberts' candid moment at the podium, she said the actress could have kept the speech to the 45-second limit with a little practice.
"In Toastmasters something we work on is timing," she said. "You can do it in 45 seconds, say what you need to say, thank people you need to thank and sit down."
In 1991 Joe Pesci gave the shortest acceptance speech in Oscar history after winning best supporting actor for "GoodFellas": "It's my privilege. Thank you."
In 1946 Ray Milland, who won a best actor Oscar for "Lost Weekend," was moved beyond words for his win and simply picked up the award and bowed to show his appreciation.
Which is fine with Ristau.
"Is it necessary to thank people? I don't think it's appropriate to thank everyone and their brother," she said. "What's appropriate is what comes from the heart."
Comedy and Oscar
Often the most memorable of Oscar speeches are the ones that invoke humor, whether intentional or not.
Aside from the aforementioned Field and Gere speeches, who can forget the slight and delirious Roberto Begnini's wild jaunt on top of chairs while on his way to pick up his Oscar for best actor for "Life is Beautiful" in 1999?
Or the elder Jack Palance's proud display of machismo and physical fitness as he performed a series of one-armed pushups after winning the 1992 best supporting actor Oscar for "City Slickers"?
Both actors resorted to acrobatics that conveyed more than mere words.
Oscar can also be witty.
After beating out Tom Cruise for 2000's best supporting actor for "The Cider House Rules," Michael Caine quipped: "And to Tom Cruise, for if you had won this, your asking price would have gone down so fast. Do you have any idea what supporting actors get paid? We get only one trailer -- a small one, in the back ..."
Jack Nicholson, in his first Oscar acceptance speech after receiving the 1976 best actor Oscar for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," thanked his agent, "who about 10 years ago said I had no business being an actor."
And upon winning for best actor in 1990 for "My Left Foot," Daniel Day-Lewis confessed, "You've just provided me with the makings of one hell of a weekend in Dublin."
"The quips have always made it better," Clark said. "The whole thing runs better when it makes fun of itself."
And after his witty acceptance speech at the Golden Globes earlier this year for "Lost in Translation," Bill Murray may be the sentimental choice to pick up the best actor Oscar -- particularly since "Mystic River" nominee Sean Penn didn't even attend the event.
"The Oscar show or the viewers like that kind of thing," Levy said. "Just saying 'Thank you' is kind of boring."
And if anything should be apparent by now when it comes to the Academy Awards, boring is not acceptable.
archive
