"Inside Oscar" by Mason Wiley and Damien Bona

[Selk]

Did anyone ever read "Inside Oscar", the great book by Mason Wiley and Damien Bona about the history of the academy awards?

[Guest]

yup read it

[ILoveRayMilland]

> {quote:title=Selk wrote:}{quote}

> Did anyone ever read "Inside Oscar", the great book by Mason Wiley and Damien Bona about the history of the academy awards?

 

 

No, I haven't, but I would be interested in reading it.

 

Another great Oscar book is "The Academy Awards: The Complete And Unofficial History" By Jim Plazza and Gail Kinn. It is fascinating and is an excellent reference tool.

[Selk]

This is the only book about the Academy Awards that gives a thorough history. Every other book becomes dated within six months and until about six years ago they were good about keeping it updated.

 

Was Plazza's book like that?

[ILoveRayMilland]

> {quote:title=Selk wrote:}{quote}

 

> Was Plazza's book like that?

 

They have two editions. You can get one from like 2005 that is better than others.

 

 

This book is good because it has at least three (reference, gigantic) pages for each year. Tons of huge pictures. All the nominations and winners (for every little award). A special section with a story about the picture winner,actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, and sometimes director, or special Oscar. Also, it has a sidebar with interesting facts (really interesting). And it has the story of the year (for example when in 1930something Will Rogers announced the best director winner by the first name:Frank. Well there were to Franks nominated, Frank Lloyd (the actual winner) and Frank Capra (who jumped up and started to walk down the aisle....oops). It also has the hosts, date, and place of the Oscars.

[Selk]

See those are the kinds of stories I like, "Inside Oscar" has tons of those.

 

Like this little nugget of Oscar history from 1937:

 

Alice Brady was not able to attend The 10 Annual Academy Awards in which she won Best Supporting Actress for In Old Chicago (1937). During the ceremony an unidentified man walked up to the podium and accepted the award on her behalf. When she called The Academy to say that she had not received her Oscar, it was revealed that the man was had been an impostor who had crashed the party, accepted her award and walked off with it. Brady passed away before the academy could issue a replacement. Neither the stolen Oscar nor the man who walked away with it were ever heard from again.

[Guest]

I love Oscar history.... INSIDE OSCAR by Wiley and Bona is chock full of stories... OH THE DRAMA....

 

a good read

[ILoveRayMilland]

It has the Alice Brady story too. That was in the section about her Best Supporting Actress win. But there was also a main story too.

 

 

I am going to put "Inside Oscar" on hold at the library. It sounds like fun (lol).

[Selk]

Make sure you get the 10 Anniversary edition that goes through 1994. That's the one with the blue cover.

 

Then there's an addendum edition, "Inside Oscar 2", which goes from 1995 through 2000.