Old Time Radio Downloads > Comedy > Academy Award Ceremonies

The Academy Award Ceremonies is one of the biggest events in the entertainment industry.  In fact, it is one of the most highly anticipated and most glamorous affairs that sets fire to anyone and everyone with ties to Hollywood.  However, this was not always the case. The Academy Awards Ceremony found its beginnings on May 16, 1929 at the Blossom Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  It was a relatively small gathering of roughly 270 people who congregated together to watch their favorite actors and actresses receive their Oscars. Unlike the ceremony today wherein attendance is by through invitation only, the first Academy Awards ceremony was open to the public so long as they could pay the $5.00 entrance fee. The following year, in 1930 the Academy Awards Ceremony was broadcasted live via Los Angeles Radio and was made available to all local listeners.  Initially, Oscar awardees were known to the public even before they received their honors, but to make the show more exciting, the sealed envelope was soon introduced. The earliest award ceremonies were held as banquet events but as the attendance began to grow, the affair was hosted in bigger venues, specifically theaters. With the advent of technology, it has become possible to listen to the old time radio recordings of the Academy Award Ceremony and enjoy vintage performances from renowned entertainers like Judy Garland and Bob Hope as they take part in these classic old radio shows.

Academy-Award-Ceremonies

Please enjoy these old time radio shows:

Air Date Title Synopsis
 1969-12-31  Academy Award Ceremony 1947

+The program originates from the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. Starring: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Lana Turner, Greer Garson, Frances Scully (ABC Fashion and Movie Commentator), Dinah Shore, Dick Haymes, Pat McGeehan (announcer), Leo Forbstein and His Orchestra, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Jean Hersholt (President of the Academy), Gordon Hollingshead (producer, best short subject), Rex Harrison, Morris Stoloff (best scoring, music), Ann Sheridan, Arthur Miller (best cinematography, black and white), Charles Rosher (best cinematography, color), Leonard Smith (best cinematography, color), Arthur Arling (best cinematography, color), Van Johnson, Hoagy Carmichael, Andy Russell, Robert Montgomery, Clemence Dane (best original story), Shirley Temple, Claude Jarman, Harold Russell (special award, a second award for best supporting actor), Mervyn LeRoy, Ernst Lubitsch (special award), Ronald Reagan (introduces a film called, "The Academy Cavalcade," the film is shown upside down and backwards at first!), Carey Wilson (writer, narrator of the film), Billy Wilder, William Wyler (best director), Jack Benny (m. c., but is not heard until 1 1/2 hours into the program), Buddy Twiss (announcer), Eric Johnson, Samuel Goldwyn (accepts the award for "The Best Years Of Our Lives" as best picture, accept the Thalberg Award), Donald Nelson, Anne Baxter, Joan Fontaine, Olivia De Havilland. 
 1941-02-22  

Awards for 1941 Oscars

Best Picture: Rebecca: (Selznick International Pictures)

Best Actor in a Leading Role: The Philadelphia Story: James Stewart

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Kitty Foyle: Ginger Rogers

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: The Westerner: Walter Brennan

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: The Grapes of Wrath: Jane Darwell

Best Director:  The Grapes of Wrath: John Ford

Best Writing, Original Screenplay: The Great McGinty: Preston Sturges

Best Writing, Original Story: Arise, My Love: Benjamin Glazer, Hans Székely

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Recently OTR was sold and traded, on records and cassettes, by people who had grown up during the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's who had grown up listening to these shows. With the internet and mp3s, new generations of listeners are discovering these delightful old time radio shows and to their surprise, enjoying them immensely. Some of the references and nuances are out of date, but it turns out that a well told story is a delight to young and old alike.


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WHO TODAY LISTENS TO THESE OLD TIME RADIO PROGRAMS?

Recently OTR was sold and traded, on records and cassettes, by people who had grown up during the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's who had grown up listening to these shows. With the internet and mp3s, a new generation of listeners are discovering these delightful old time radio shows and enjoying them immensely. Some of the references and nuances are out of date, but it turns out that a well told story is a delight to all ages of old time radio fans.


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