Where did the oscar statue originate?

Since 1929, a diminutive gold-plated statue has been the big man in Hollywood. Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, he is better known as "Oscar" and is given annually in categories like Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture.

History

In 1927, the fledgling Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to create an annual award honoring its most accomplished members. The task of designing the award fell to MGM art director Cedric Gibbons. He came up with an Art Deco-style knight holding a sword, and the statuettes were handed out to motion picture luminaries for the first time in 1929.

Features

The 13.5-inch Oscar weighs 8.5 pounds. The figure stands on a film reel with five spokes representing the original branches of the Academy: producers, directors, writers, actors and technicians. Originally made of gold-plated bronze, the statue is now made of brittanium, a silvery alloy composed mostly of tin, and finished with a coat of 24-karat gold.

Fabrication Process

R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago makes the Oscar statue through a two-day process. The company starts by filling a mold with the brittanium. After the material cools, Oscar is polished and then electroplated with copper, nickel, silver and the 24-karat gold coating. The company produces about 60 statuettes annually.

Theories/Speculation

People have long debated how the Oscar received its name. One school of thought says an Academy librarian mentioned that the statuette reminded her of her uncle Oscar. When the entertainment columnist Sidney Skolsky wrote his report on Katherine Hepburn's first award in 1934, he drew a blank on the proper spelling of "statuette" and went with "Oscar." the name had already been in common use for a couple of years. The Academy officially began using the nickname in 1939.

Disruptions

The Academy has delayed presenting the Oscar only three times. In 1938, massive flooding in Los Angeles postponed the ceremony for a week. In 1968, it was delayed for two days, to April 10, out of respect for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s April 9 funeral. The Academy delayed its 1981 Oscar ceremony for 24 hours due to the shooting of President Ronald Reagan on March 30.

Source:

IndiaServer: Oscar Statuette

Loyola Phoenix: And the Oscar Statuettes Come from...Chicago!

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: History of the Academy Awards

More Information:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: The Oscar Statuette