ACAO[ffiV R[PORI THE PURLOINED OSCAR: A MYSTERY (NEARLY) SOLVED

he cry of the tabloid television shows dur­ struction of the events of that night conclu­ it out of the building. He or someone he trans­ ing the past October was, for a short sively established that neither was associat­ ferred it to evidently decided to sell it last year while: "Where is 's Oscar?" ed with Brando in any way . and to inflate its value by claiming it was the T There is no Brando Oscar. (Unless Brando was in fact offered statuette #1616. statuette offered to Mr. Brando. they meant the one Brando received in After it was refused by Brando's emissary, The clue that set the Academy staff carefully 1954 for ON THE WATERFRONT. ) one "Sacheen Littlefeather" (AKA actress examining the tape of the 1972 documentary Which, of course, they didn't. What they real­ Maria Cruz), the bemused presenter, Roger awards was provided by Ingels himself, who - ly meant was : "Where is the statuette Brando Moore, found no provisions in the melee after making a considerable media splash would have received if he had accepted one backstage for giving back an Oscar. So he about the alleged "Brando Oscar," - called the when he was named Best Actor for his perfor­ took it home, sheltered it for roughly two Academy to ask what would have happened to mance in in 19727" weeks and then had it returned to the the statuettes not claimed during the cere­ Turns out it was a good question. Academy by his publicist, Jerry Pam. monies by the 1972 short documentary winners. And , in the normal course of events, it might n the meantime, another statuette The exi stence of a second statuette with the have been easy to answer, "Oh , Liza Minnelli which had been shipped after the cere­ serial number 1600 is as yet unexplained. has it," since she was the next person to monies to Charlie Chaplin for the score Possibly someone, either at the Academy or at receive a statuette that night. But it turns out - of liMELIGHT, was returned to the Dodge Trophy (which in 1973 had a represen­ AcademyI , having been broken in shipment we discover 22 years later - that during the tative backstage responsible for dispensing Presentation of 1972 the overseas. (liMELIGHT was 20 years old in the statuettes), was embarrassed to find that course of events was decidedly not normal. It 1972, but was eligible under the rules of the an Oscar had vanished during the ceremonies, may, in fact, have been the most bizarre Oscar time because it hadn't played in and attempted to cover the lacuna in the night in history. until then .) The damaged Oscar was returned Academy's otherwise meticulously accurate The issue was first raised last October by to Dodge Trophy for destruction, and the roster by commissioning another #1600. Robert Osborne in his Rambling Reporter col­ newly-returned number 1616 was fitted with o staff person likely to have been umn in The Hollywood Reporter. Osborne quot­ the plate for Best Score and sent to Chaplin in involved in such a decision can ed agent-actor Marty Ingles as having a friend England. So the answer to the trivia question, recall the incident. Dodge Trophy who was in possession of "the Brando Oscar." Who received Marlon Brando's second shut down its operation in Los Ingles' claim set off a search through logs, cl ip­ Oscar?, is "Charlie Chaplin." NAngeles in the early 1980s, and its pings, records, videotapes of the show and Statuette number 1600, the one referred to current owners are unable to shed any light on past employees' memories in an attempt to dis­ by Ingels as "the Brando Oscar," is a stat­ the mystery. (A notation initially was made on cover whether Ingles' friend might indeed have uette that disappeared from the stage more the Academy's record sheet that #1600 was the Brando Oscar. than an hour prior to Littlefeather's appear­ "lost at the 45th Awards." That would seem to "What's the serial number of the Oscar your ance, following the presentation of the 1972 argue against Dodge having quickly tricked up friend has ," Executive Director Bruce Davis Documentary awards. a new 1600 before the Academy realized the asked Ingels. The videotape of the 45th ceremonies loss.) "1600, " was the reply. shows that #1600 was brought to the stage in In any case, at some point between these "That can't be," Davis said. "We know where correct numerical sequence, to be presented unusual ceremonies in 1973 and mid-1976, a 1600 is ." to the winner or winners of the Short new 1600 appeared and the "lost" notation But the serial number was , in fact, 1600, and Documentary Award. When those winners was whited over. The duplicate 1600 was as of this date, one of the two remaining mys­ proved not to be in the house, two additional loaned to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New teries in this whole affair is why there are two Oscars were sent on stage, and presenters York for a long-term exhibition honoring song­ Oscar statuettes with the serial number 1600. Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood proceeded writers who had won Oscars. The duplicate For a time during those two October weeks it on to the feature documentaries. When that 1600 was returned at the Academy's request in was believed by the Academy that one or the pair of winners left the stage with Wood and October of 1994. other of these statuettes may have been the one Wagner, #1600 remained on the podium Marlon Brando has since been offered a differ­ offered to and declined by Marlon Brando at the unnoticed as the show went to a commercial ID Oscar if he's decided he'd now like one to 45th Awards Ceremonies in 1973. More search­ break. That statuette apparently fell into the keep. And the mysterious would-be Oscar mer­ ing, more viewing of tapes and more recon- hands of someone backstage who smuggled chant, still unidentified, has been very quiet of late.

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